In-Depth Features


12 Mighty Labors of Active Directory Management

Administering and managing AD encompasses a multitude of activities. Although you can do the job with built-in services and tools, four powerful third-party solutions also want to help.

Active Directory Migration Gets Easier

Microsoft’s recently released Active Directory Migration Tool v2 offers important enhancements over the first version. One of Hewlett-Packard’s top AD experts briefs us on the improvements.

The Treasures of Windows 2000 SP4

Besides amending the EULA to maintain antitrust compliance and adding USB and wireless support, Microsoft rolls up fixes for a slew of performance bugs into its latest service pack.

Attention to Details

These three high-end monitoring tools automate the management of networks with thousands of nodes.

Wise Counsel

There is another side of the coin for IT employment.

A Wing and a Prayer

Build a server-based network—including a Web site and e-mail—from scratch for $2,000? For this consultant, that required resourcefulness and some “outside” help.

2003 Salary Survey Extra: What Size of Company Are You In?

Seeking a higher salary? The company you keep can make a bit of difference.

Through the Looking Glass: Raises and How to Get One

Data not published within this year's salary survey points to modest raises expected in the coming year and plans for new jobs.

License, Please...

If you were scared off by Microsoft’s licensing program announcements last year, it may be time to take another look.

Increased database performance

DataDirect''s Connect for .NET allows you to programmatically access the database entirely within the .NET Framework, to simplify database access and boost performance.

A Different Take

Many people, many stories.

Managing for Security

For many reasons, enterprise application security is an inefficient and expensive model. Obviously there''s no such thing as a completely secure application, but enterprises must target an acceptable level of risk.

A Patchwork Quilt

Patch management is no longer a luxury to have a secure network—it’s a necessity. We test six solutions to the problem of knowing whether or not your servers and desktops are up to date.

Keep Patches up to Date

Ecora Patch Manager 2.0 enables you to keep critical patches for Microsoft products up to date, now and into the future.

Architecting Security for Web Services

Ponder the security challenges posed by Web services, how to address them with security architecture, and what security architecture can offer going forward when XML traverses firewalls.

The Odd Couple

Can older applications and Windows XP share a network without driving each other crazy?

Palm Reading

It’s a moment every administrator dreads: Your network is crying for help, and you don’t know why. Wouldn’t it be great if, right in your hand, you had a tool that could diagnose the problem? We test four handheld analyzers to see just how they can make your job easier.

Lifecycle of an E-mail Worm

Dealing with e-mail worms and viruses is becoming a bigger part of every administrator’s job. Learn from one of the industry’s foremost experts how worms enter your network in the first place and compromise your systems.

Windows Management from Afar

Windows Server 2003 offers significant upgrades over Windows 2000 in the area of remote connectivity.

New Approaches to App Lifecycle Management

Most of today's tools don't address ALM well. Eclipse and Visual Studio change that equation.

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