Introduction

When we set out to write this book, we didn't want it to be just another installation and migration book, but rather a serious resource guide for Windows experts to find tips, tricks, and best practices for implementing and supporting key Windows Server 2003 technologies. The authors started working with Windows Server 2003 (then codename Whistler) just days after the code for Windows 2000 was locked, when most organizations were getting a first chance to see the Windows 2000 server product. With more than three years of experience working with Whistler in early beta and production implementations , the authors of this book have provided a resource to help you make Windows 2003 technologies work properly. When given a choice of different ways of implementing the technologies, you can turn to this book for the best practices of successful field implementations.

This book is organized into eight parts , each part focusing around a core technological solution area, with several chapters making up each part. The parts of the book are as follows :

• Part I: Security Solutions ” This part focuses on the key security areas that are the biggest challenge for administrators to get right. The three chapters in this part of the book cover best practices for securing a Windows Server 2003 environment, security relative to a wireless environment, and the use of smartcards in a secured access environment.

• Part II: Management and Administration Solutions ” This part of the book comprises six chapters specific to core tips, tricks, and best practices around managing and administering a Windows 2003 environment. Topics include best practices for distributing administration, managing user rights and permissions, managing desktops, and administering Windows 2003 servers remotely. Additionally, this section covers Group Policies and the best ways of leveraging Group Policy Objects, the Group Policy Management Console, and performing centralization administration tasks within Windows 2003. This part of the book also includes an entire chapter focused on daily, weekly, and monthly maintenance practices to keep the Windows 2003 networking environment in optimal operating condition.

• Part III: Design and Implementation Solutions ” With Windows 2003 and the second generation of Active Directory, along with new tools for planning, implementing, and administering the Windows Active Directory, this part focuses on the insider solutions and lessons learned in the most successful Windows and Active Directory designs and implementation solutions. This part includes a chapter on advanced Active Directory design concepts, specific tips and tricks for implementing Windows 2003 and Active Directory, as well as best practices at implementing DNS, DHCP, WINS, and domain controllers.

• Part IV: Migration and Integration Solutions ” Migrations to Windows 2003 and Active Directory can either be hard or easy depending on the migration method you use. This part of the book focuses on Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000 migrations to Windows 2003 as well as integrating Unix, LDAP, and Novell Networks into a Windows 2003 Active Directory environment.

• Part V: Remote and Mobile User Solutions ” This part of the book focuses on mobility access to a Windows 2003 environment. This includes VPN access, dial-up communications to Windows 2003, Web access to Windows 2003 “based resources, and new components built in to Windows 2003 Terminal Services that help organizations provide better remote and mobile access to the Windows 2003 networking environment.

• Part VI: Business Continuity Solutions ” As organizations become dependent on their networks and network communication systems, the need for a fault-tolerant environment with recoverability becomes extremely important. This part of the book has one chapter on proactive monitoring and alerting to be notified of looming system problems before a major system failure. Another chapter in this part of the book focuses on various methods of creating fault tolerance in the Windows 2003 environment.

• Part VII: Performance Optimization Solutions ” Whereas some organizations view performance optimization as a method of consolidating servers and systems, other organizations view performance optimization as a method of enhancing the operational efficiency of system operations. This part of the book covers both system optimization based on tuning practices and consolidation processes to minimize the number of server systems in a networking environment. The chapter on storage area networking devices describes how you can provide better scalability, redundancy, and manageability of stored information.

• Part VIII: Business Productivity Solutions ” This last part of the book addresses file management, indexing, and information query options in Windows 2003 that leverage the built-in Windows 2003 technologies that meet business operational productivity initiatives.

We hope that our real-world experience in working with Windows Server 2003 and the real world best practices and insider solutions provided in this book will be valuable in your successful implementation of Windows 2003 technologies in your networking environment.