As the price of servers comes down to the level of desktop PCs, many small- and medium-sized businesses are forced to provide their own server setup, maintenance and support, without the high-dollar training enjoyed by their big corporation counterparts. Upgrading and Repairing Servers is the first line of defense for small- and medium-sized businesses, and an excellent go-to reference for the experienced administrators who have been asking for a reference guide like this one for a long time! It's all here in one, incredibly useful tome that you will refer to again and again.

Inside is in-depth coverage of server design and implementation, building and deploying, server hardware components, network and backup operations, SAN, fault tolerance, server racks, server rooms, server operating systems, as well as SUN Microsystems servers. No other computer hardware book has ever dared tackle this enormous topic - until now!

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The most up-to-date and comprehensive introductory ASP.NET book you’ll find on any shelf, Beginning ASP.NET 3.5 in VB 2008 guides you through Microsoft’s latest technology for building dynamic web sites. This book will enable you to build dynamic web pages on the fly, and it assumes only the most basic knowledge of VB 2008.

The book provides exhaustive coverage of ASP.NET, guiding you from your first steps right up to the most advanced techniques, such as querying databases from within a web page and tuning your site for optimal performance. Within these pages, you’ll find tips for “best practices” and comprehensive discussions of key database and XML principles you need to know in order to be effective with ASP.NET. The book also emphasizes the invaluable coding techniques of object orientation and code behind, which will start you off on the track to building real-world web sites right from the beginning–rather than just faking it with simplified coding practices.

By the time you’ve finished the book, you will have mastered the core techniques and have all the knowledge you need to begin work as a professional ASP.NET developer.

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Covering the fundamentals of rendering, animation, and modeling, instructor Chad Perkins demonstrates how to push the limits of 3ds Max 9 for stunning effects. Chad starts with the application's basics, then goes on to discuss many of the key features of 3ds Max 9, as well as important principles of animation. He teaches users about creating and editing mesh, modifiers, architectural modeling, texture mapping, keyframe animation, rigging, basic kinematics, and much more. Exercise files accompany the tutorials. (more…)

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Looking for facts? Look no further than the new 2008 Encyclop?dia Britannica Ultimate DVD-ROM. Written by Nobel laureates, historians, curators, professors, and other notable experts, it is your trusted resource for research. Whether you are an entry-level, advanced, or student researcher, you will easily find what you need—simply select the version that is right for you. Three complete and easy-to-use encyclopedias designed for every age give you the most content available with over 100,000 articles.

Britannica is always striving to exceed its own high standards of quality, excellence, and accuracy, and this year is no exception. New features such as Great Minds and Britannica Workspace enhance this unbeatable resource. Along with Merriam-Webster Dictionary and Thesaurus entries, a complete world atlas, rich multimedia, and historic timelines, the 2008 Ultimate DVD-ROM provides extensive internet resources and indispensable tools for school.

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Modify gameplay, add textures, and integrate amazing effects

Develop intense environments, then share your design with players online

How cool would it be to build your own levels and customized weapons for Half-Life 2? This book will get you ready to mod so you can enjoy the ultimate gaming experience. You'll find out how to create your own maps, strategically place high-tech military equipment, and modify your levels for smoother play.

Discover how to

• Design maps and playing levels
• Load your creation into the game
• Expand your map with additions
• Include armor and weapons
• Distribute levels on the Web

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Discover how to:

• Perform ethical hacks without compromising a system
• Combat denial of service and WEP attacks
• Understand how invaders think
• Recognize the effects of different hacks
• Protect against war drivers and rogue devices

Become a cyber-hero - know the common wireless weaknesses ""Reading a book like this one is a worthy endeavor toward becoming an experienced wireless security professional."" –Devin Akin - CTO, The Certified Wireless Network Professional (CWNP) Program Wireless networks are so convenient - not only for you, but also for those nefarious types who'd like to invade them. The only way to know if your system can be penetrated is to simulate an attack. This book shows you how, along with how to strengthen any weak spots you find in your network's armor.

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Written for experienced developers, this guide explains how to work with the .NET framework classes of controls and build custom controls for Windows forms and web form pages.

One of the reasons I wrote this book is to address the needs of .NET developers who require controls that don’t yet exist. Most businesses have specific needs that only a custom control can satisfy—from custom corporate e- mail plug-ins, to a custom control that manages user security in various applications, to a reusable intranet control that tracks customer calls and routes them to the appropriate location.

Another reason I wrote this book is that you might just have the next “big idea” for a commercial control that can be sold to developers around the globe but don’t know where to start. The booming market for controls shows there is always room for another tool that saves developers precious resources.

And finally, I wrote this book to satisfy the intellectual curiosity of advanced developers. If you’re like me, you thrive in finding and understanding the cornucopia of new classes and methodologies in .NET that can’t be found in other books. Understanding the .NET Framework classes for controls and designers not only makes you a more valued professional but also allows you to take an idea from one source and meld it with another in ways not done before—the so called ah-ha effect. If you fall into any or all of these three categories, this book is for you.

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