Ease Windows Server 2003 Administration (Continued)

Nelson: Danielle's right. You should target the right tool for your environment. My first recommendation is to create a testing environment for change management. The testing environment ensures that changes don't affect your production servers, whether you're testing the effects of a change through a graphical console or trying out a new command file. One of the best ways to do this is to use virtual machines. Virtual machines take up about 4 GB of disk space and can require as little as 96 MB of RAM. If your system has enough capacity, you can create several copies of the same machine. You can also discard the changes you make from one session to the next easily by using nonpersistent disks. You can even test cluster technologies by simulating cluster hardware. The two main virtual machine products are Microsoft Virtual PC and VMware Workstation 4 (see Resources). If you have an enterprise or select agreement with Microsoft, you might choose Virtual PC; otherwise, one is as good as the other. A great advantage of virtual-machine technology is that you can even carry several virtual machines running Windows Server 2003 on your laptop.

My second recommendation is to customize your administration environment. I use a single Microsoft Management Console (MMC). I call it my Global MMC, because it includes every tool I need to use in graphical mode. Windows Server 2003 provides a useful console through the Computer Management console (you can find it in Administrative Tools). You can also access this console by right-clicking on the My Computer icon to select Manage from the context menu.

However, although the Computer Management console is a good general-purpose console, it's not an all-encompassing tool. I like to modify this MMC to create the Global MMC, which includes all the Computer Management console's features, as well as these snap-ins: .NET Framework 1.1 Configuration, the three AD snap-ins (Users and Computers, Sites and Services, and Domains and Trusts), Authorization Manager, Certification Authority (you must specify the server to manage), Component Services, Distributed File System, Group Policy Management (requires installation of the Group Policy Management Console [GPMC]), Performance Logs and Alerts, Remote Desktops, Resultant Set of Policy, Security Configuration and Analysis, Security Templates, Terminal Services Configuration, and Wireless Monitor.

Keep in mind that you must have the associated products installed on your network to include all the snap-ins I've mentioned. You must also install the GPMC before you can integrate it into your Global MMC. You can obtain it by searching for GPMC at www.microsoft.com/download. A hot fix for the GPMC is required on Windows XP Professional machines, but it's included in the GPMC installation. You also need Service Pack 1 and the .NET Framework, and you must install the Windows Server 2003 Administration Toolkit before you create the Global MMC. You can find it in the Support folder on the Windows Server 2003 installation CD.

Follow these steps to create the Global MMC:

1. Launch the Computer Management console in editing mode by using Start | Run to execute this command:

   mmc /a %SystemRoot%\system32\compmgmt.msc

2. Select File | Save As to save the console as Global MMC.msc in your My Documents folder.
3. Select File | Add/Remove Snap-in to open the dialog box, making sure you choose Computer Management under "Snap-ins added to," then click on the Add button.
4. Double-click on each of the snap-ins I listed previously, then click on Close.
5. Click on OK to return to the console.
6. Under File | Options, name the console Global MMC, set it to User mode - full access, uncheck "Do not save changes to this console," then click on OK.
7. Use File | Save to save your changes.

You'll discover several uses for this console, but you'll use it primarily to manage your network of servers. It includes the Remote Desktops snap-in, so you can use it to create connections to each of your servers and keep them all within easy reach. You can also copy this console to each of your servers to give yourself immediate access to a familiar tool when you connect to them through the Remote Desktop. The Global MMC is the Swiss Army Knife of consoles (see Figure 2).