My systems background and training includes both unix and NT. The GUI is wonderful for onesy-twosey tasks. If you want to manage a server farm or workstation farm, you will need to use commandline utilities and scripts. For a scripting language, I recommend Perl ( see link for Perl book recommendations). If you are at all familiar with my site, a strong nearly overriding focus is on utilities that make the admin's job easier. Only with commandline utilities can you automate tasks using scripts. I strongly recommend that you take a look at the Windows NT Adminstrative Toolset. Some of the commands would appeal only to a hard core unix admin but there are real gold for the hard pressed admin in this freeware toolset. The following is grabbed from their page:

Description of tools (* indicates that the tool operates both locally and remotely)

• abort* : Aborts impending shutdown
• addgrpmem* : Adds a member to a local or global group
• bootmv : Renames or removes file upon reboot.
• buevt* : Backs up an event log.
• cancel* : Cancels print jobs.
• cat : Prints contents of file to screen.
• chprinter* : Changes printer properties.
• chsvc* : Changes service properties.
• chuser* : Changes user properties.
• clevt* : Clears an event log.
• clfile* : Closes a file opened via file sharing.
• cpuser* : Creates a new user based on an existing user's properties.
• cron : A version of cron for NT. This is a native Windows NT service.
• df : Lists disk capacity and free space.
• disable* : Pauses a printer.
• du : Lists file and directory sizes
• enable* : Causes a paused printer to resume.
• getprocinfo : Lists process information, including parent process.
• head : Outputs a given number of lines from the beginning of a file or STDIN.
• ifconfig : Lists TCP/IP network adapter settings.
• iostat* : Displays I/O statistics.
• kill : Terminates a process.
• lpstat* : Lists printer and print job status.
• lsevt* : Prints event log.
• lsexe : Lists executable file headers.
• lsfile* : Lists files opened via file sharing.
• lsgroup* : Lists group properties.
• lsmon* : Lists print monitors.
• lspdc* : Lists Primary Domain Controller.
• lsport* : Lists printer ports.
• lsprinter* : Lists printers.
• lsprtattr* : Displays printer configurations.
• lsprtdirs* : Lists special directories used by the spooler.
• lsprtdrv* : Lists printer drivers.
• lsprtproc* : Lists print processors.
• lsprtproctypes* : Lists print processor data types.
• lsrepl* : Lists replication properties.
• lssess* : Lists details of current sessions.
• lsshare* : Lists details of shares, computers, and network resources.
• lssvc* : Lists running and/or disabled drivers and/or services.
• lstcp* : Lists TCP/IP settings.
• lsuser* : Lists user details, e.g., date of last login, total number of logins, etc.
• mail : Sends SMTP mail.
• memcheck : Displays total and free amounts of physical and virtual memory.
• mkgroup* : Creates a group.
• mkport : Creates printer port.
• mkprinter* : Creates printer.
• mkprtdrv* : Installs a printer driver.
• mkshare* : Creates share.
• mksvc* : Installs a service.
• nbtlookup : Finds IP address via netbios name lookup.
• nice : Runs program at given priority.
• nstat* : Displays networking statistics.
• ntdate : Displays system date in variable format.
• ntfinger* : Displays list of users whose names contain a given string. So named so as not to conflict with the NT Resource Kit's finger.
• ntsort : Sorts on multiple columns with numeric and reverse capabilities.
• passwd* : Changes user's password.
• portprobe : Probes for active ports on remote computer.
• ps* : Lists running processes in simple or detailed format.
• rdf : Lists disk capacity and free space on remote computers.
• renice : Changes the priority of a running process.
• rmgroup* : Removes a group.
• rmgrpmem* : Removes a member from a group.
• rmport* : Removes printer port.
• rmprinter* : Removes printer.
• rmprtdrv* : Removes a printer driver.
• rmshare* : Removes share.
• rmsvc* : Removes a service.
• rmuser* : Removes a user.
• shutdown* : Shuts down server with various options. Note, the NT Resource Kit also has a shutdown program. The two are functionally equivalent--mine's just alot cheaper.
• startsvc* : Starts a service.
• stopsvc* : Stops a service.
• strings : Displays strings within file.
• tail : Outputs given number of lines from the end of a file or STDIN.
• times : Displays amount of wall time and user and privileged CPU time consumed by process.
• top* : Displays list of top CPU using processes with a user specifiable refresh rate.
• touch : Changes the file times of a given file.
• uname : Displays a few system vitals.
• uptime : Displays date, uptime, and number of active sessions.
• vmstat* : Displays CPU statistics.
• wc : Counts lines in a file.
• which : Displays which executable a given command will run based on the user's PATH variable.
• whois : Lists domain and IP information.
• write* : Sends a message to another user or computer.
• xargs : Processes input in specifiable way.

New Riders has good NT texts.

You need the tools in the Resource Kit if you have workstation and its a MUST if you are supporting workstation.