What's in This Book This book consists of 17 chapters. Here is a brief overview of each chapter. Chapter 1, sets the stage for the book by covering where you can find the tools used in the book, VBScript and Perl issues to consider, and where to find additional information. It also contains code for many generic scripts, such as reading data from an Excel spreadsheet, or sending the output of a script via email, which you can plug into code samples in later chapters. Chapter 2, covers some basic configuration tasks that most administrators will need to do after installing a server. Some of these include setting the time, configuring page files, joining the server to a domain, and configuring failure options. Chapter 3, covers disk quotas, converting between disk types, creating drives, mapping drives, and managing volumes. Chapter 4, covers file and folder manipulation, creating shortcuts and links, modifying file properties, and managing share points. Chapter 5, covers the primary ways you can run and schedule tasks on Windows Server. Chapter 6, covers both basic and advanced process management. It includes how to create, suspend, and kill processes along with how to view the DLLs and APIs used by a process. Chapter 7, covers starting and stopping services, running scripts as services, searching for services, and viewing various service properties. Chapter 8, covers how to create and view events, create and manage event logs, and search event logs. Chapter 9, covers basic registry administration. It includes recipes on how to create and delete registry keys and values, exporting and importing registry files, restricting access to the registry, and monitoring registry activity. Chapter 10, covers tasks related to configuring network adapters, viewing network configuration, viewing network traffic, and installing IPv6 support. Chapter 11, covers several tasks related to securing Windows Server 2003, including auditing, screen saver locking, creating strong passwords, and disabling unused accounts. Chapter 12, covers basic IIS 6.0 administration, including installing IIS, creating web and FTP sites, enabling SSL, and running executable content. Chapter 13, covers installation and maintenance of the DNS Server, including creating and viewing zones, creating resource records, converting a zone to be AD-integrated, scavenging old resource records, and enabling debug logging. Chapter 14, covers installing the DHCP Server, authorizing a DHCP Server, configuring server options, creating scopes, viewing and managing leases, and maintaining a DHCP. Chapter 15, covers basic Active Directory administration, including creating a forest, raising the functional level, backing up and restoring of Active Directory, searching a domain, creating and modifying objects, importing and exporting objects, finding and managing FSMO role holders, and managing trusts. Chapter 16, covers how to create, modify, and configure user, group, and computer objects in Active Directory. Chapter 17, covers some basic tasks related to installing and configuring Exchange. It also includes mailbox and distribution list administration tasks.
There are also six appendixes included with this book: Appendix A, provides an overview of using Windows Script Host. Appendix B, is a short introduction to scripting with Windows Management Instrumentation. Appendix C, covers the basics of Active Directory Services Interface programming. Appendix D, contains a list of environment variables that are available by default. Appendix E, contains a list of processes that run by default. Appendix F, contains a list of services that are installed by default.
This book covers hundreds of tasks you'll need to do at one point or another with Windows Server. If you feel something important has been left out that should be included, let me know. I'll work to get it in a future edition. For contact information, see the "We'd Like to Hear from You" section. |
