Windows XP unleashed Book

Learning Windows Server is an excellent book for somebody who is warming into the Server environment. It assumes a general comfort in NT class operating systems without demanding too much.

At 616 pages of text and screenshots (not that thick for well spaced illustrated technical material) it covers features unique to the Server OS. It is infinitely more readable than something like Microsoft Press's Inside Out which covers every single bell and whistle. However, this book does gloss over a lot of tasks, even for every day administration. For instance, coverage of Active Directory gives you a general idea of what it does and what you can do with it. However actually implementation is left to the administrator with only general advice.

Printing, File, and Web serving is covered with enough information to get started. There is a chapter on the .net framework for some reason. It does show you some of the administration of .net, however, not coverage of the API which wouldn't really belong in this kind of book.

All in all, this is a great book to get started in the server field, but don't expect to know everything by the end and I would suggest having a good reference book afterward. Possibly the Inside Out book with its searchable ebook on cd.