1.1 New Tools, Old Tasks

If you are familiar with the Windows NT administrative tools and desktop, you may initially be thrown by WS2003 and its new Microsoft Management Console tools and enhanced desktop. Tables 1-1 through 1-3 help you bridge the gap between the two platforms, with the base Windows NT platform being Service Pack 4 or later.

To begin with, Table 1-1 lists the various Windows NT administrative tools and their counterparts in WS2003. Note that there is frequently no one-to-one correspondence between the old tools and the new. The steps for accessing administrative tools from the Start menu also differ slightly between the two platforms, namely:

Windows NT

Start Programs Administrative Tools

WS2003

Start Administrative Tools

The above steps are implicit in Table 1-1.

There are often several ways of doing things in WS2003, but for simplicity and efficiency I usually describe only the most obvious method or the one involving the fewest number of steps.

Table 1-1. Administrative tools for Windows NT versus Windows Server 2003

NT tool	WS2003 counterpart
Administrative Wizards	Manage Your Server
Backup	Accessories System Tools Backup
DHCP Manager	DHCP [1]
Disk Administrator	Computer Management Storage Disk Management
DNS Manager	DNS [1]
Event Viewer	Event Viewer [1]
Internet Service Manager	Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager [1]
License Manager	Licensing
Migration Tool for NetWare	No counterpart
Network Client Administrator	Use \I386\Adminpak.msi to install WS2003 administrative tools on workstations Use Remote Installation Services (RIS) for network installation of workstations
Network Monitor	Network Monitor
Performance Monitor	Performance
Remote Access Admin	Routing and Remote Access
Server Manager	Computer Management System Tools Shared Folders (to manage shared folders and send console messages to connected users) Active Directory Users and Computers (to add a computer to a domain) Active Directory Sites and Services (to manually force directory replication between domain controllers)
System Policy Editor	Group Policy snap-in (can also be accessed from Active Directory Users and Computers and other consoles)
User Manager	Computer Management System Tools Local Users and Groups (to manage local accounts on standalone servers in a workgroup) Local Security Policy (to configure password restrictions, account lockout, audit policy, and user rights on standalone servers in a workgroup)
User Manager for Domains	Active Directory Users and Computers (to manage domain accounts and to configure password restrictions, account lockout, audit policy, and user rights through Group Policy) Active Directory Domains and Trusts (to manage trusts)
Windows NT Diagnostics	All Programs Accessories System Tools System Information
WINS Manager	WINS [1]

^[1] Can also be accessed under Computer Management Services.

Table 1-2 compares special folders and utilities in Windows NT with their Windows Server 2003 counterparts.

Table 1-2. Special folders and utilities in Windows NT versus Windows Server 2003

NT folder or utility	WS2003 counterpart
My Computer	My Computer
Network Neighborhood	My Network Places
C:\Winnt (system folder)	C:\Windows
C:\Winnt\Profiles (location where local user profiles are stored)	C:\Documents and Settings (unless an upgrade from NT was performed, in which case it remains in its original location)
Default location where applications save their files varies in Windows NT	My Documents folder for compliant applications (unless an upgrade from NT was performed, in which case it remains in its original location)
Start Find	Start Search
Start Help	Start Help and Support
Start Programs Command Prompt	Start Command Prompt
Start Programs Accessories Windows NT Explorer	Start Windows Explorer
Start Settings Active Desktop	Right-click on desktop Active Desktop
Start Settings Folder Options	Control Panel Folder Options
Accessories Dial-up Networking	Control Panel Network Connections
Accessories Telnet	telnet command

Finally, Table 1-3 compares Control Panel utilities in Windows NT with their Windows Server 2003 counterparts.

Table 1-3. Control Panel utilities in Windows NT versus Windows Server 2003

NT Control Panel utility	WS2003 counterpart
Console	Command Prompt right-click on Control Menu Defaults
Devices	Computer Management System Tools Device Manager
Internet	Internet Options
Modems	Phone and Modem Options
Network Network Identification	System Computer Name
Network {Services Protocols Adapters}	Network Connections Local Area Connection Properties
Network Bindings	All Programs Accessories Communications Network Connections Advanced Advanced Settings
ODBC	Administrative Tools Data Sources (ODBC)
Ports	Computer Management System Tools Device Manager
Regional Settings	Regional and Language Options
SCSI Adapters	Computer Management System Tools Device Manager
Server	Computer Management System Tools Shared Folders
Services	Administrative Tools Services
System General	System General
System User Profiles	System Advanced User Profiles Settings
System Performance	System Advanced Performance Settings
System Environment	System Advanced Environment Variables
System Startup/Shutdown	System Advanced Startup and Recovery
System Hardware Profiles	System Hardware Hardware Profiles
Tape Devices	Computer Management System Tools Device Manager
Telephony	Phone and Modem Options Dialing Rules
UPS	Power Options UPS