Introduction

The network administrator s daily tasks can be made easier (or more difficult) by the number and quality of administrative tools available to perform those tasks. In Windows Server 2003, Microsoft has provided administrators with a wealth of graphical and command-line utilities for carrying out their job duties. The Administrative Tools menu is the place to start; it s there you ll find predefined management consoles for configuring and managing most of Server 2003 s services and components, including Active Directory tools, distributed file system (DFS), DNS, Security policies, Licensing, Routing and Remote Access, Terminal Services, Media Services, and more.

But that s only the beginning. Administrators can create customized Microsoft Management Consoles as well, just as with Windows 2000. This makes it easier to perform tasks yourself and easier to delegate them to others, because you can create consoles for specific purposes and enable only limited user access to them for specified users or groups.

For those who prefer the power and flexibility of the command line, many of these same administrative tasks can be performed there, as well as other tasks that have no GUI interface. Windows Server 2003 includes a huge number of command-line utilities, including dozens of new ones that were not included in Windows 2000 Server.

Many of the more complex configuration tasks performed by administrators can be done via Wizards that walk you through the steps. This makes it easier to set up services and server components for those who are unfamiliar with the process.

In this chapter,...