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Tools to keep your Windows 2000 boat afloat

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April 27, 2001 (Computerworld) -- It's 2 a.m. and you just traveled to the office for some obscure Windows 2000-related problem that has forced you out of bed. You're standing next to your office in near darkness; you're the only one there. As you wait for the coffee machine to finish and help you to clear the cobwebs, you begin to ponder what steps you will use to begin researching your problem. It's time to reach into your administrator's toolbox. But is it well enough stocked for the job at hand?

I recently sat down to think about the most critical tools in my own Windows 2000 administrator's toolbox. I soon realized that I had quite a few unique tools that really make my job quite a bit easier. Today, there are a plethora of companies and developers offering up tools and utilities that work nicely with Windows 2000, but what tools are best if you want to focus on a few? Here's my short list of what I believe to be some of the most important, timely and efficient tools available to assist in migration as well as everyday administration of Windows 2000.

Remote Control

I discovered remote control software only recently but now use it every day. Many flavors are available, but I'm using Mandeville, La.-based DameWare Development's DameWare Mini Remote. This simple program lets you fully control any PC on your network, with the appropriate log-on credentials, of course. It comes in particularly handy because my company has office space in two buildings that are connected by a wireless bridge. If a user in the other building has a problem, I can simply use the remote control tool to connect to them without having to walk across the street. At $99, the utility has more than paid for itself in the time I've saved not having to walk everywhere.

Migration

If Windows 2000 migration is your current project, Aelita Software Corp.'s Controlled Migration Suite can come to your rescue. The Powell, Ohio-based vendor's software consists of three components: an enterprise directory reporter, a domain migration wizard and an enterprise delegation manager. If you're an administrator looking for a little migration help (first in your test lab of course), then Aelita's got it.

The directory reporter collects and maintains details about the domain throughout the migration process and provides full Open Database Connectivity compliance for storing the data in the database of your choice. The domain migration wizard management tool follows a script for migrating. The delegation manager lets you simulate new Windows 2000 features prior to migration. The suite also includes invaluable features like password synchronization, which is absent from a normal

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