As the title implies, this book is about security in the Windows Server 2003 operating system and how to put it to work on behalf of your organization and your users.
Windows Server 2003 has quite a number of uses. It can serve in a network support role, supplying services such as DHCP and DNS. It can take a more active part in object management, such as when used as an Active Directory domain controller. It can also serve as a personal operating system, since it is so closely tied with its brother, Windows XP. In this role, it might provide security of local data and host-based network communications.
I've broken down the book by technology. Each chapter covers one or more of the technologies that Windows Server 2003 provides. Most of these—such as IPSec—are primarily security-focused. However, some—such as DHCP—are not.
One thing you'll see in this book that you may not have seen before is Security Showdown sections. This is a point-counterpoint debate between myself and a semifictional coworker, Don. I use it several times throughout the book to show that some debates about security methodologies and techniques are not easily answered. Some of them are so contentious that they seem like religious debates at times. You should understand that security-focused individuals tend to have opinions about security and that they like to argue with people who hold different values. These are good-natured and often help explain both positions. So please read these sections as I've intended, as an open discussion of the merits and hazards of multiple tactics to achieve the same goal.
