Service Packs
If you must troubleshoot a system, one of the first things you must do is make sure that you've applied all the appropriate service packs and hot fixes to it. Service packs used to be small and easily downloaded, but they have grown and now contain additional software that has been added to NT 4.0 since its release. Because service packs are usually in the 20MB range, keep them on CD-ROMs in your admin toolkit, in a central location, or on a server. (Microsoft has promised to return to small service packs by separating product enhancements from essential fixes.) Fortunately, service packs are now coming out in a more timely manner on TechNet CD-ROMs, which I'll describe in more detail shortly.
Be a Recording Artist
If your admin toolkit has grown into a small suitcase of disks that you must haul around, think about making your own CD-ROM that contains copies of all the essential drivers, utilities, service packs, hot fixes, and hardware configuration software (for your network cards, in particular) for your systems. You can also add your favorite shareware and commercial diagnostic utilities to your admin CD-ROM.
Reference Materials
No administrator should be without the Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Resource Kit and Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0 Resource Kit. If you support BackOffice products such as SQL Server, Exchange Server, or Systems Management Server (SMS), you must have the BackOffice resource kits. The books in the resource kits are useful, but the CD-ROMs have even more helpful information and many utilities that will make your life as a systems administrator easier (see "Windows NT 4.0 Resource Kit Utilities," June 1997). Screen 3 shows some of the utilities in the NT Server 4.0 resource kit.
Another essential reference tool is a subscription to Microsoft's TechNet support service. When you have a TechNet subscription, you'll receive TechNet CD-ROMs once a month. The CD-ROMs contain the Microsoft Knowledge Base of problem reports and fixes, articles on how to tune and optimize Microsoft products, and software patches and service packs. Microsoft has added resource kit CD-ROMs to the monthly TechNet shipments; thus, a TechNet subscription is a cost-effective way for you to get resource kit utilities, as long as you don't need the manuals in hard-copy form. For more information on TechNet, visit Microsoft's TechNet Web site (http://www.microsoft.com/technet). Screen 4 shows a typical TechNet CD-ROM search.
A good NT reference book should be a part of your admin bookshelf. Dozens of NT references are on the market, and I find it difficult to single out just one or two as best. Nevertheless, let me suggest a couple of reference books that I like, just to get you started. The first is Windows NT Server Professional Reference, Volume II, by Karanjit Siyan (New Riders Publishing). The second is Windows NT Server 4 Unleashed, by Jason Garms (SAMS Publishing), which comes with a CD-ROM that contains source code and utilities.
Web Sites and Newsgroups
I said earlier that I would give you the names of some resources to help with your tough questions and problems. When I am learning about a new topic or dealing with a problem, I like to follow the newsgroups to see what problems other people are having and what solutions they're offering. One of the best news servers is msnews.microsoft.com. It offers almost 20 NT forums covering topics from Apps to Wolfpack and includes discussion groups for BackOffice products. There is a downside to newsgroups: They produce an overwhelming volume of information. (Most of these newsgroups are propagated over the Internet under the hierarchy microsoft.public. Thus, you might check your own server first, before you go to an overburdened Microsoft site.)
Many Web sites provide valuable resources. I recommend two in particular that you should visit regularly: the Microsoft Web site at http://www.microsoft.com, and the Windows NT Magazine Web site at http://www.winntmag.com. From the Windows NT Magazine site, you can download articles from back issues of the magazine and search an interactive editorial index of articles from 1997 issues categorized by author and subject.
A final resource that should be a part of your reference library is one or more of the many free emailed NT newsletters. They contain late-breaking news and information about bugs, fixes, new downloads, and white papers. Microsoft offers newsletters for NT and BackOffice (and for other programs and operating systems) at http://register.microsoft.com/
regwiz/personalinfo.asp. You can also subscribe to UPDATE, the free email newsletter from Windows NT Magazine. Go to the magazine's Web site and click Subscribe to UPDATE. UPDATE contains information about new software downloads and white papers, and links to Web sites on which you can find articles or software referenced in UPDATE.
End of Article
Prev. page
1
[2]
next page -->
