In Configuring Windows 2000 Without Active Directory, Carol Bailey makes a persuasive argument that her title procedure isn't the logical equivalent of making a banana split without fruit. Declining to use the primary new feature of Windows 2000 removes a thick layer of complexity from Windows 2000, she writes, and makes it much easier to integrate Windows 2000 (with its nice user interface, great hardware support, and enhanced software compatibility) into a network that's made up mainly of machines running Windows NT or a Unix variant. Plus, she continues, it's always good policy to think twice before implementing any company's first version of anything as complex and mission critical as an enterprise directory scheme.

After taking a chapter or two to explore reasons why Windows 2000 sans Active Directory might be a good idea, Bailey launches into a feature-by-feature exploration of Windows 2000's new features and how to configure them in environments in which Active Directory Services are not available. Her documentation of many features — power management on portable computers, for example — wouldn't have anything to do with Active Directory in any case, but even these sections explain their subjects well. You'll find them especially handy if you manage an organization's inventory of computers, as the explanations frequently take that angle. Frequently asked questions sections at the end of each chapter make great reading and may inform you of features and techniques of which you weren't aware.