## Chapter 1: Microsoft Windows NT from a UNIX Perspective

There has been and will continue to be plenty of debate about comparisons of UNIX and Microsoft®Windows NT®, but you will be surprised by how many of your UNIX system administration skills directly map to what you need to administer Windows NT. In fact, you will discover over time that the skills you have are not really UNIX-specific, but can be applied to both UNIX and Windows NT. It is important to separate skills from system-specific knowledge. For example, making sure you have a good backup strategy and can recover from a system failure is just as important under Windows NT as under UNIX. The hardware and software may be different, but the process is the same.

A common reaction of current UNIX system administrators is to adopt a "siege mentality" and try to fight the encroachment of Windows NT on their territory. This situation is similar to operating system shifts in the past, such as the move from IBM mainframes to VMS minicomputers and then from VMS to UNIX. People who embrace change make it central to their job to create a win-win situation from knowing two or more operating systems. If you are reading this, you have already decided that you want to solve UNIX and Windows NT integration problems in a constructive manner.

As you learn more about Windows NT, you will discover operating system features or system administration tasks that look different or use different terms, but are compatible to those with which you are already familiar from UNIX. For example, Windows NT has an AT utility similar to the one in UNIX that automates system administrator tasks such as backups, log file rotation, and security scans.

UNIX system administrators traditionally have used the Internet, Usenet news groups, mailing lists, and vendors for support. All of these options are available to you in Windows NT system administration support.

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Last Updated: December 1, 1997