Sebastopol, CA--With its 786 pages, the just-released Windows 2000 Administration in a Nutshell (O'Reilly US $39.95) is a densely packed desktop reference that covers the important day-to-day Windows 2000 administrative tasks and the tools used to perform them. "It's not a step-by-step tutorial for learning Windows 2000 administration," says author Mitch Tulloch. "Instead, it's a quick desktop reference that makes finding information about specific aspects of Windows 2000 administration fast and simple. You won't use it everyday, but there will be many days you're glad you have it on your shelf."

Windows 2000 Administration in a Nutshell is designed to help advanced administrators move quickly from Windows NT to Windows 2000, a transition that may be awkward owing to the numerous changes between the two systems, some of which are obvious and some frustratingly subtle, according to Tulloch. The book is divided into two parts: Part I, The Lay of the Land, which gives the big picture behind Windows 2000 administration and Part II, Alphabetical Reference, consisting of five chapters with topics listed in alphabetical order for easy reference. Topics are cross-referenced so that an article appearing in Chapter 3, Concepts, refers the reader to a similarly titled article in Chapter 4, Tasks.

"There are going to be a lot of good books on Windows 2000," Tulloch explains, "but most books cover things topically and are difficult to use when you need them to look up a specific subject. I decided to write a book that could be used as a quick desktop reference, useful in a pinch when you need specific information about something relating to Windows 2000. It doesn't take the place of step-by-step tutorials, but supplements them."

"It was a difficult book to write," adds Tulloch, "I don't think anyone has attempted anything like it. It probably addresses 90% of the average administrator's needs as far as a desktop reference goes. It's unique and fills a niche on every W2K administrator's bookshelf."

Among the topics covered in the book are:

• Commonalities and differences between Windows NT and Windows 2000
• All administrative tasks, including Installation, Group Policies, Terminal Services, User Accounts, and Virtual Private Networks
• Microsoft Management Console tool (MMC)
• What's new and significant in the Control Panel utilities
• Command-line Tools, Utilities and Wizards
• TCP/IP networking with Windows 2000
• Windows 2000 Advanced Server and its clustering capability

Author Mitch Tulloch is a Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) and Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) with almost 20 years experience in teaching scientific and technical subjects. He has written a number of books on computer networking and Microsoft BackOffice products, and is the Windows 2000/NT section lead on www.swynk.com, a web site for system administrators who work with BackOffice products.

• Readers may be interested to know that the authorship of Windows 2000 Administration in a Nutshell is disputed. See Networking in the Alps by Samantha Longhorne Clemens.

• Chapter 2, Quick Start, is available free online.

• More information about the book, including Table of Contents, index, author bio, and samples.

• A cover graphic in jpeg format.

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