Microsoft Windows 2000 and IIS 5.0 Administrator's Pocket Consultant (IT-Administrator's Companion)

More than a few consultants find themselves plagued by the downside of diversification: A scattered brain resulting from familiarity with too many software products and their applications. Microsoft Web Administrator's Pocket Consultant serves as a refresher for folks who learn about Internet Information Services (IIS) and then focus elsewhere for a while before finding their attention called back to IIS. It's not really well suited to learning the product from square one--though you can use it for that--but it's fantastic as a quick reference to pretty much every procedure an administrator would need to carry out on all components of IIS.

Take William Stanek's coverage of configuring anonymous access to File Transfer Protocol (FTP) sites as an example. In it, he explains how to allow and disallow anonymous FTP access, and how to adjust the privileges granted anonymous users. The format is a bit weird--it's a list of steps that uses the same format for mandatory steps as well as for those that are conditional--but all the details have a place. Screen shots help clarify the interface elements the procedures refer to, and tips outline recommended policies and administrative practices. A limited amount of text clarifies obscure pieces of IIS, like certificate authentication. --David Wall

Topics covered: Setting up, configuring, and administering Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) 5.0 under Windows 2000. There's emphasis on the management snap-in's interface, as well as the specifics of Web, FTP, and mail services. Active Server Pages (ASPs) and certificate exchange are particularly well covered.