Amazon.com Review
The Microsoft Windows architecture has changed a lot recently. Understanding Microsoft Windows 2000 Distributed Services explains the big picture in its latest Windows DNA and Windows 2000 incarnations. This isn't strictly a programmer's text (it doesn't give recipes for building distributed applications), but neither is it just an administrator's guide (instructions for configuring Active Directory appear in other books). Instead, it's a thorough and carefully written explanation of how Windows 2000 and its applications run in a distributed environment, and how Windows supports distributed software and data in a secure way.

The didactic style of the book is exemplary, and it succeeds in unraveling complicated, extensively interlocked technologies for readers. It gives the experience of watching a good presentation: author Chappell explains concepts in text, which he then backs up with excellent conceptual diagrams. Typically, he's good about referring to other technologies; explaining, for instance, Active Directory in terms of its similarities and differences to Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP). Although there's no code in these pages, those readers who are programmers will be glad to find discussion on APIs and services. Altogether, this is a fine account of the latest Windows technologies. --David Wall

Topics covered: Windows 2000 and the Windows DNA distributed computing technologies, including Active Directory, the Component Object Model (COM), COM+, ActiveX Data Objects (ADOs), Distributed Transaction Services (DTS), and Microsoft Message Queuing Services (MSMQ). Also, there's in-depth discussion of how they all fit together.