Bill-of-exchange

Assuming familiarity with the Windows 2000 Active Directory infrastructure on which Exchange 2000 Server relies heavily, this book isn't intended as an introductory guide for Exchange Server newcomers. Instead, it's a definitive reference book for administrators who have complicated systems in place, or specific plans to create them. It includes explicit procedures here and there, but sections mainly aim to point you toward the parts of the program that have to do with given capabilities and phenomena--the authors direct readers to the Exchange objects tree when it's time to establish policies, for example. "Real World" sidebars aren't case studies, but instead vehicles for focusing on Exchange 2000 Server's mechanisms for dealing with imperfection (as in a mail environment that includes both Exchange 2000 Server and Exchange Server 5.5, or a network that sometimes delays heartbeat signals).

This book is a no-kidding weighty tome that roving consultants might not want to haul around. For situations like theirs, Microsoft Press publishes a book that's far smaller and equally excellent, if narrower in scope: Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server Administrator's Pocket Consultant. --David Wall

Topics covered: Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server, explained for the benefit of people who administer or deploy it. The authors explain how the server stores and moves messages, and integrates with the Windows 2000 infrastructure. Lots of attention goes to configuration of users, groups, and folders. Features--chat, instant messaging, and integration with the Windows 2000 public-key management capabilities--get covered, too, as do administrative chores, like backup and performance tuning.