Windows Server 2008 Security Resource Kit (PRO - Resource Kit) Review

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(More customer reviews)Full Disclosure: I wrote the small business chapter.
To Peter who was disappointed because he wanted to see "real world templates for use in his firm". Once upon a time I was just like you and I went and volunteered in a standard setting body to find that magical elixar of a cookie cutter template that would secure me. I found that there isn't a magical button, nor is there a template that I can just magically deploy. No one knows my network but me. Therefore no one but me can secure it.
Remember Dorothy and how she had the power to go home all along but had to learn it? Same thing here. I can't give you the security template that fits my network because it's based on my needs, my risk, my business. It won't fit your needs, your business, your risk.
Each network is unique. So for those of you disappointed in the fact that this doesn't have a slam it down your network and magically it's secure template, be disappointed in yourself first.
You have to determine your own risk, and then you start tweaking and seeing what breaks. Notch the security back for that part, see if you are comfortable with that.

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Linux Administration Handbook (2nd Edition) Review

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(More customer reviews)The first edition of Unix System Administration was a classic. The updated versions have been split into a linux-only version and the original, pan-Unix treatment (including Linux--just not as many variants of Linux as this book covers). I bought the Linux one, but now I wish I had the updated pan-Unix book. The authors' strength is their knowledge of Unix fundamentals, not the (ever-changing) details of various Linux distros. You're better off learning from them how vendor Unices are different in major ways from each other and from Linux. Finally, the authors don't seem nearly as well informed about Linux as they do about the older Unices. While their older book's advice was bulletproof, in this one they miss some important information. The most serious example is their recommendation to use 'dump' for filesystem backups, when Linux Torvalds has explicitly announced that it's not safe to use. 90% of this book is the same as the Unix book, so it's not a loss either way, but I'd recommend you get your Linux info fresh off the net, or in some other book series that's updated more frequently.

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"As this book shows, Linux systems are just as functional, secure, and reliable as their proprietary counterparts. Thanks to the ongoing efforts of thousands of Linux developers, Linux is more ready than ever for deployment at the frontlines of the real world. The authors of this book know that terrain well, and I am happy to leave you in their most capable hands."—Linus Torvalds"The most successful sysadmin book of all time—because it works!"—Rik Farrow, editor of ;login:"This book clearly explains current technology with the perspective of decades of experience in large-scale system administration. Unique and highly recommended."—Jonathan Corbet, cofounder, LWN.net"Nemeth et al. is the overall winner for Linux administration: it's intelligent, full of insights, and looks at the implementation of concepts." —Peter Salus, editorial director, Matrix.net
Since 2001, Linux Administration Handbook has been the definitive resource for every Linux® system administrator who must efficiently solve technical problems and maximize the reliability and performance of a production environment. Now, the authors have systematically updated this classic guide to address today's most important Linux distributions and most powerful new administrative tools.

The authors spell out detailed best practices for every facet of system administration, including storage management, network design and administration, web hosting, software configuration management, performance analysis, Windows interoperability, and much more. Sysadmins will especially appreciate the thorough and up-to-date discussions of such difficult topics such as DNS, LDAP, security, and the management of IT service organizations.

Linux® Administration Handbook, Second Edition, reflects the current versions of these leading distributions:

Red Hat® Enterprise Linux®
FedoraTM Core
SUSE® Linux Enterprise
Debian® GNU/Linux
Ubuntu® Linux

Sharing their war stories and hard-won insights, the authors capture the behavior of Linux systems in the real world, not just in ideal environments. They explain complex tasks in detail and illustrate these tasks with examples drawn from their extensive hands-on experience.

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Windows Server 2008 Unleashed Review

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(More customer reviews)I went to the Windows 2008 launch event and got excited about migrating our company to Windows 2008, but wanted to get a third party book to help me better understand the REAL features, functions, and experiences of the product (rather than Microsoft's rendition of it). I jumped on Amazon and searched for a book, and this Windows 2008 Unleashed book was already rated with a couple 5-stars, so I bought it. I just got it last week.
At first, I was a little overwhelmed as the book is almost 2-inches thick and hard bound (definitely worth the cost for the shear volume and amount of paper it took to print this book)! I read the introduction chapter and got a lot more comfortable with Windows 2008 as the author provided a really good comparison of Windows 2008 to Windows 2003 (which I already know pretty well). The intro chapter also gave me links to different parts of the book that helped me organize the way I was going to review the text of the book (I prioritized chapters in the book based on my interests, which was outlined and highlighted very well in the first chapter).
I was most interested some of the new things I've heard about Windows 2008 such as the security stuff, Windows virtualization, terminal services, and Active Directory Federation. I flipped to each of the chapters that covered these topics, and I found the content very easy to follow. Each chapter started off with an overview of the topic (like an introduction of the concepts) and then as I got further into the chapter, it got more into the details on how to implement the technologies, and it had notes and tips throughout the chapters that made it obvious to me the authors have worked with Windows 2008 for a long time and provided great guidance!
After reading about 5 chapters, I then focused on what it would take to implement and migrate to Windows 2008 and flipped to the chapters on installation and on migration. Those chapters also were VERY well structured and helped walk me through what was involved. I was greatly relieved to read that the migration process from Windows 2003 to Windows 2008 wasn't that complicated. And while I have only been fiddling with Windows 2008 for about a week in the lab here at the company I work for (which is a pretty extensive lab with over 30 servers mirroring a portion of our production environment), I've gone from being overwhelmed to pleasantly relieved that our migration to Windows 2008 will be well planned, staged, and executed thanks to the content of this book!
I am grateful to the authors of this book! I just bought the books on Exchange 2007, SharePoint 2007, and Windows Vista written by the same authors (Rand Morimoto and Michael Noel) as I think their writing style and the value of the content is wonderful!
B

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Instructional Rounds in Education: A Network Approach to Improving Teaching and Learning Review

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(More customer reviews)This book will make you rethink that way you evaluate the instruction in your school. THe approach is much like medical rounds that med students use but when adapted to education it is a powerful tool. Our district is using this process and we love it. It is reflective and insightful. BUy this book and follow the process step by step as it is intended.

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Walk into any school in America and you will see adults who care deeply about their students and are doing the best they can every day to help students learn. But you will also see a high degree of variability among classrooms much higher than in most other industrialized countries. Today we are asking schools to do something they have never done before educate all students to high levels yet we don t know how to do that in every classroom for every child.This book is intended to help education leaders and practitioners develop a shared understanding of what high-quality instruction looks like and what schools and districts need to do to support it. Inspired by the medical rounds model used by physicians, the authors have pioneered a new form of professional learning known as instructional rounds networks. Through this process, educators develop a shared practice of observing, discussing, and analyzing learning and teaching.

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