Windows NT 4.0 Server Unleashed
Authors: Jason Garms
Venue:  (1997)

From the Book:When I began using Windows NT a few years ago, its future according to the industry press was dubious at best; rumors of its eventual demise provided fodder for many overzealous editorial sections. This, of course, was before reality began to sink in and people saw that Windows NT was not DOS, nor was it simply a pumped-up version of Windows 3.x on steroids. When people stepped down from their various pulpits, they began to see that NT truly lived up to its name. (NT stands for New Technology.)I still remember my first experience sitting in front of a machine running Windows NT. I, like many other people at the time, thought NT was simply a new version of Windows 3.x. The thing that sticks in my mind the most from that day was getting used to pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del to logon. I guess that was strange enough to convince me that NT was in fact something new. As I began to use NT more and more, it became obvious that NT was an extraordinary creature.However, before Windows NT could fully catch on, people had to understand that Windows NT needed to be measured in a different way from earlier products. In the very early days of NT, this was difficult because of the lack of available people who truly understood the product. In the press, NT was often compared as apples to oranges, in an awkward way that made it seem unwieldy and underpowered--something of a poor-man's workstation operating system.Windows NT's other major obstacle was that it had to survive all its shortcomings and bugs to emerge from its incubatory period--NT 3.1--and live up to its many promises.When Microsoft introduced NT 3.5 in the fall of 1994, it was receivedwith rave reviews--in comparison to the NT 3.1 reviews--and it was obvious that NT had walked out of the incubator on its own two feet. Even many of its strongest critics began to recognize and openly write about the improvements made to the product, both in enhanced features, increased stability, and more importantly, better performance. With the release of NT 3.5, Microsoft also made its positioning of the two NT products more clear by renaming them Windows NT Server and Windows NT Workstation (from Windows NT Advanced Server and Windows NT, respectively).The spring of 1995 saw the release of NT 3.51, which will mostly be remembered for fixing bugs, increasing capacity for some services, and adding support for a new processor, the PowerPC, jointly developed by IBM and Motorola. Bringing support to this new processor architecture was yet another overt example of NT living up too its design goals--in this case portability. Although NT Server was already entrenched in many enterprise networks, NT 3.51 also saw an increase in the use of NT Workstations as an enterprise desktop operating system.As soon as word of a new version of NT began to escape from Microsoft's development labs last year, people began to wait and watch. At first it appeared the new version would simply sport a new graphical user interface based on the successful Windows 95 interface and would probably be an incremental release, probably version 3.6. However, it quickly became evident that Microsoft had something more serious in mind for this upgrade, which became known as NT 4. Not only does this new version include the new user interface, but it also has a number of architectural changes, additional services, and major performance enhancements.This book explains what makes NT tick and how to best harness its great power in your network. It takes a look at why Windows NT has been able to take a position at the forefront of this industry, as well as what Microsoft is doing to ensure it retains that position by continuously improving its product.The intent for this book was to cover as much about Windows NT as possible, while still providing good in-depth coverage and clear, concise explanations and examples of how to unleash the power within NT.I hope you have as much fun reading this book as we've had writing it.NOTEThe information in this book is based on beta software. Since this information was made public before the final release of the product, there may be some changes to the product by the time it is finally released. After final product has begun shipping, we encourage you to visit our Web site, http://www.mcp.com/sams, for an electronic update starting 09/01/96.Additionally, if you have access to the Internet, you can always get up-to-the-minute information about Windows NT Server and Windows NT Workstation direct from Microsoft at the following locations:http://www.microsoft.com/ntserverhttp://www.microsoft.com/ntworkstationWhat You Should Know Before Reading This BookThe goal in writing Windows NT 4 Server Unleashed, was to provide you with a complete resource for basic to advanced features of Windows NT Server. In essence it is meant for anyone who wants to learn about Windows NT Server. However, it does assume you've used a computer before in your life, and in particular, you have some background in using Windows 3.x or Windows 95. It assumes that you understand basic graphical user interface (GUI) terms such as clicking and dragging, as well as manipulating windows and pull-down menus. It also assumes you have some experience using a command-line system, such as DOS. Additionally, you are expected to have an interest in learning about Windows NT.How This Book Is OrganizedMost of the chapters in this book were intended to stand on their own as sources of information about a particular subject. Most of the chapters contain step-by-step procedures for accomplishing specific actions with NT Server. Also included is theoretical and technical background knowledge that you must understand to properly install and make the most of Windows NT.If you are familiar with Windows NT, especially previous versions, you could start with Chapter 5, "Introduction to the New Explorer User Interface," to get up to speed with the new user interface. Additionally, you can look for the New to Windows NT 4 icons throughout the book. These icons are used to draw your attention quickly to new features and changes made to NT 4. From there, take a look at the table of contents if you are looking to work on a particular area, or make use of the extensive index to locate exact locations in the book where specific subject matter is discussed, such as the new Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP).However, if you are new to Windows NT, and need to use this book to get up and running quickly, you might want to go directly to Chapter 4, "Installing Windows NT Server." This chapter will help you get an NT Server system installed and will point you to specific chapters to gain more in-depth information on specific areas, such as configuring the TCP/IP protocol, which is covered in detail in Chapter 11, "Installing and Configuring Microsoft TCP/IP." But to fully understand the Windows NT environment, you should eventually go back and read Chapters 1 and 2, "Introduction to Windows NT," and "Building Blocks of Windows NT." These chapters will teach you why Windows NT does some of the things it does, from a historical, as well as a technological perspective.IconsIn addition to providing notes, tips, and cautions, this book makes extensive use of icons to draw your attention to specific pieces of information that will help you understand what is going on, or simply provide supplementary information:The architecture icon points you to the text that describes the internal workings of Windows NT.The networking icon shows you tips, techniques, or in-depth information about network connectivity.The performance icon highlights a variety of optimization techniques.