Windows Server 2008 Inside Out delivers the details

 

MS Press US Site: https://www.microsoft.com/mspress/books/11448.aspx

MS Press UK Site: https://www.microsoft-press.co.uk/scripts/product.asp?ref=855937

 

At over 1400 pages there is certainly no shortage of information in the latest version of the Inside Out series. The back cover describes the book as supremely organised reference and I won’t disagree with that statement. Overall there was not much that disappointed me, and I’ve not always been a fan of this series, although this version has changed my mine.

So who will benefit most from the book? If you administer earlier versions of Windows Server and are have not yet certified yourself then this book you will find very useful. For those, like me, who have achieved an MCSE certification or have spent anytime reading the Windows Internals books you could find yourself skipping chunks or entire chapters, for example the sections on file and share permissions. On a balanced note, the chapter on TPM and Bitlocker was extremely informative and one of the most complete I’ve read in one place. That chapter is not alone, and as I work towards certifying on Windows Server 2008 I will keep this book handy as a no frills reference guide.

I mentioned above about disappointing elements of the book, the main one was the lack of any information on Hyper-V. When I asked about this, the rationale for leaving it out was quite reasonable. The book was written when Hyper-V was still Viridian and the information was still in flux. To make up for it there will be a more detailed Hyper-V resource kit coming soon.

Overall this is an excellent reference book and I'd recommend for those who wish to understand the features and components of Windows Server 2008 before deploying it.