Mr. Minasi has achieved quite an accomplishment with Mastering Windows 2000 Server. I am in the process of reading cover-to-cover (and there's a lot of space in between those covers!), currently about half way through, and this is honestly the only computer book I've read thus far that has not left me with one question. As you read through this massive tome, it's as if Mr. Minasi is reading your mind and the answer to the very question you've been conjuring is no farther away than the next page. His writing style is also a delight, keeping your interest from one page to the next (that's not an easy thing to do when your explaining such topics as group policy or creating the proper DNS infrastructure).

Near the beginning of the book the authot explains that the book is not meant for MCSA/MCSE preparation. However, I'll be going for these exams very soon, and I already feel like my knowledge on the topics contained in this text have increased exponentially. I wouldn't think of becoming 2K certified without consulting the high points of Mastering first.

In short...the $50 you drop on this monster will repay you tenfold in the knowledge that you'll get out of it. You won't be dissapointed!!!

Some of the things I like were excellent sections on support for legacy systems, even profile support for DOS-based Windows (Win 95/98/Me) and Windows NT OSes (3.x and 4.x). There's also coverage on nice features like creating MSI packages, terminal services, macintosh support, smtp services, etc.

Some things I wish were there, even if only an appendix or a small section, would be coverage of command line tools like netsh, net, netstat, tracert, ipconfig, etc., scripting with perl/vbs/jscript with MSI, ADSI, WSH, etc., and some notes on registry tweaks like turning off certain annoying "features" like APIPA (Automatic Private IP Addressing), toggling encryption for SMB authentication, etc.

Overall, if you do anything with W2K Server, this book is absolutely a must. If you are in a shop using Win 2K/XP/2K3 and older legacy systems Win 9X/Me/NT, then this book is very useful as well.

Mark knows how to write well, he does so by keeping the reader interested in the topic. If you're thinking about managing your own server, then you must get this book. Not only that, but here you learn everything else that you need not only to manage a server. Users will learn how to configure DNS, Active Directory, DHCP, File servers, Print Servers, Domain Controllers, Security Policies, User Accounts; in other words, how to administer a server based on Windows 2000.

My complaint is the following. This book, while is has a lot of Windows information, it also contains information that the reader might find important but irrelevant or obsolete at time of reading. Examples: The birth of DNS, the birth of the Internet, the birth of Windows, WINS, and blah blah.

Yes, these are useful topics, and of course, the more you know the better; but I think they should have been included in a different book. I found myself skipping a lot of chapters and sub-chapters because of this.

On the other hand, the information is quite helpful if the user has time to read. If you just want to learn how to master Windows 2000; you'll find yourself skipping a few chapters.

This book is VERY broad & I recommend it to administrators or people who are administering a server version of windows. For regular version of windows 2000 just get another book; this one is mostly for server stuff. Even though you can learn about user accounts, file and securities, it's mainly directed to administrators. If you just want to learn Windows 2000, look at a regular version of Windows 2000; and not the server version.