Reviews for Windows Server 2008 Inside Out, Book/CD Package (PRO-Other)

1. good but doesnt cover NAP at all.

   Rated 4 out of 5 stars, October 12th, 2009

   This is very good, very thourough, if slightly long book on most of the things you would need to know on windows 2008 server, however there is in my opinion a glaring omission in that NAP isnt covered at all, yet ISA from 2004 gets a hint of a mention, towards the end. As someone else also pointed out HyperV basically isnt mentioned much at all. Considering this is a Microsoft Press Book, i was kind of feeling let down by these factors.
   
   Still Giving it a 4/5 as the rest of the book is good, but youll probably be looking for another book for the other details.
   
   Im studying for Mcitp:SA, and the Syngress 70-642 prep kit covered the NAP details in full detail, in addition to some of the other minor details, though it wasnt as easy to read generally, as this book.
   

2. Great for new server admins but not so for the more experienced

   Rated 3 out of 5 stars, August 12nd, 2009

   I've been installing and supporting Windows Server 2003 machines for a couple of years and thought that I would get up to date with what Server 2008 has to offer by reading this book. However, it seems to concentrate much more heavily on explaining things that were already in Server 2003 than it does on explaining the new features in 2008. Barely anything on Hyper V, absolutely nothing on NAP (network access protection) and not a lot on several other new items. These are not just little updated things or things that are just slightly improved from server 2003 - NAP and Hyper V in particular are complicated new elements that anyone starting to use server 2008 would want to know about so I'm rather disappointed that they are not really covered in this book. Yet there are entire pages dedicated to telling you how a hard drive and the file system works, which to me seems quite out of place in a book like this.
   
   Having said that, it did teach me a couple of things... but again these weren't really Server 2008 specific, which is what I bought the book for.
   
   For anyone who is new to administering Windows servers and your first server is a 2008 machine, this book is ideal. For anyone who is very familiar with things in server 2003 though, I dont think it is worth getting in all honesty. You would be better off getting a few different books that cover specific things you are interested in, such as Hyper V or Group Policy etc (as group policy has been improved a lot in server 2008).

3. No Hyper-V and too primitive

   Rated 3 out of 5 stars, January 12th, 2009

   This book is probably good for someone who has *never* worked with Windows. Never. So many very basic, known to everyone who spent a week with any Windows OS, things yet 1 page or so about Hyper-V. Google for electronic version of this book and save yourself a few pounds.

4. Excellent

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, November 12th, 2008

   This book is excellent. It covers every area a user needs to know in great detail, but the content is clear and simple enough to understand if you only need an overview.
   
   The book is ordered logically, so it's perfect for someone approaching Server 2008 for the first time. However, it's also ideal as a reference, isolating each subject and covering it in depth, but making clear reference to related subjects (and their location in the book) where necessary.

5. Superb reference for Windows Server and much more

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, April 12st, 2008

   Simply put, this book can almost be used as a single reference for Windows Server 2008, as well as previous Windows Server versions, whether you are an IT administrator, or an infrastructure consultant.
   
   I've been designing infrastructure solutions based on Windows technology for many years and wanted to bring my knowledge up to date with WS2008. This book has a wealth of information from installing and configuring the OS to designing Active Directory and using Group Policy to manage the environment, analysing performance and event logs to advanced name resolution describing secondary and stub zones etc.
   
   It also (thankfully) provides this information in an easily readable format, something that some books on such a topic have been a struggle to read.