Welcome to Upgrading to Microsoft Windows 2000 Training Kit. This kit introduces you to the Windows 2000 family of products, prepares you to install the Windows 2000 software, and prepares you to upgrade your Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 network to a Windows 2000 network.

This kit concentrates on Windows 2000 Server and on Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), the network protocol of choice for Windows 2000. It also emphasizes the Domain Name System (DNS), which is an Internet and TCP/IP standard name service and required for Windows 2000 domains and directory services based on Active Directory technology. Active Directory directory services integrate the Internet concept of a namespace with Windows 2000 directory services. Active Directory directory services use DNS as the domain naming and location service, so Windows 2000 domain names are also DNS names. In fact, the core unit of logical structure in Active Directory directory services is the domain. In this kit, you will learn how to install, navigate, and administer the Windows 2000 Active Directory directory services.

This course also supports the Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer program.

NOTE
For more information on becoming a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer, see the section titled "The Microsoft Certified Professional Program" later in this introduction.

The "Getting Started" section of this introduction provides important setup instructions that describe the hardware and software requirements to complete the procedures in this course. It also provides information about the networking configuration necessary to complete some of the hands-on procedures. Read through this section thoroughly before you start the lessons.

Intended Audience

Anyone who wants to learn more about Windows 2000 will find this book useful. However, this book was primarily designed for people currently administering and supporting Windows NT 4.0. This book was developed for information system (IS) professionals who need to plan upgrades, perform or manage the transition of Windows NT 4.0 networks to Windows 2000 networks, and support these networks before, during, and after the upgrade to Windows 2000

Prerequisites

Experience administering or supporting a Windows NT 4.0 network

A thorough knowledge of TCP/IP and Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)

Experience creating and managing user accounts and controlling access to resources in a Windows NT 4.0 network

Features of This Book

Each chapter opens with a "Before You Begin" section, which prepares you for completing the chapter.

Each chapter is divided into lessons. Many step-by-step practices are provided for you to perform the procedures on your test machine to help you learn the different facets of administering a Windows 2000 network. These practices are placed at the end of lessons and consist of one or more exercises or procedures. Each procedure is marked with a bullet as shown at the beginning of this paragraph.

Some additional procedures are placed outside the practices in the general text material to outline techniques in a more general way or to present procedures that can't be carried out with the minimum hardware configuration required for this Training Kit. You will find the minimum hardware requirements for this Training Kit listed later under "Hardware Requirements" in the "Getting Started" section of this chapter.

IMPORTANT
The additional procedures that are not included within the practice sections are intended as general information to advance your knowledge of Windows 2000. Because many of the practices build upon procedures you do in earlier practices, if you work through the additional procedures in the general text of the book you may alter the state of your test machine and may not be able to carry out subsequent practices exactly as they are presented.

Each lesson ends with a short summary of the lesson material. The "Review" section at the end of the chapter allows you to test what you have learned in the chapter. Appendix A, "Questions and Answers," contains all of the book's practice questions and review questions and the corresponding answers.

Notes

Notes appear throughout the lessons. There are several types, which are described as follows:

Notes marked Important contain information that is essential to completing a task.

Notes marked Note contain supplemental information.

Notes marked Caution contain warnings about possible loss of data.

Conventions

This book uses the following conventions:

Hands-on procedures that you may follow are presented in numbered lists of steps (1, 2, and so on). A bullet indicates the beginning of a procedure.

The word select is used for highlighting folders, filenames, text boxes, menu bars, and option buttons, and for selecting options in a dialog box.

The word click is used for carrying out a command from a menu or dialog box.

Notational Conventions

This book uses the following notational conventions:

Characters or commands that you type appear in bold lowercase type.

Italic in syntax statements indicates placeholders for variable information. Italic is also used for book titles.

Names of files and folders appear in title caps, except when you are to type them directly. Unless otherwise indicated, you can use all lowercase letters when you type a filename in a dialog box or at a command prompt.

Filename extensions when used alone appear in all uppercase characters (for example, .DOC); filename extension in filenames appear in lowercase.

Acronyms appear in all uppercase.

Monospace type represents code samples, examples of screen text, or entries that you might type at a command prompt or in initialization files.

Square brackets [ ] are used in syntax statements to enclose optional items. For example, [filename] in command syntax indicates that you can choose to type a filename with the command. Type only the information within the brackets, not the brackets themselves.

Braces { } are used in syntax statements to enclose required items. Type only the information within the braces, not the braces themselves.

Icons represent specific sections in the book as follows:

Icon Represents
A hands-on practice. You should perform the practice to give yourself an opportunity to use the skills being presented in the lesson.

Chapter review questions. These questions at the end of each chapter allow you to test what you have learned in the lessons. You will find the answers to the review questions in Appendix A, "Questions and Answers" at the end of the book.

Keyboard Conventions

A plus sign (+) between two key names means that you must press those keys at the same time. For example, "Press Alt+Tab" means that you hold down Alt while you press Tab.

A comma ( , ) between two or more key names means that you must press each of the keys consecutively, not together. For example, "Press Alt, F, X" means that you press and release each key in sequence. "Press Alt+W, L" means that you first press Alt and W together, and then release them and press L.

You can choose menu commands with the keyboard. Press the Alt key to activate the menu bar, and then sequentially press the keys that correspond to the highlighted or underlined letter of the menu name and the command name. For some commands, you can also press a key combination listed on the menu.

You can select or clear check boxes or option buttons in dialog boxes with the keyboard. Press the Alt key, and then press the key that corresponds to the underlined letter of the option name. Or you can press Tab until the option is highlighted, and then press the Spacebar to select or clear the check box or option button.