Perl and NT/2000 resources please

[Eric Lengvenis]

I currently use Perl to administer NT. I mostly do simple things like change
settings on every user on the network in one fell swoop. Or to allow call
center to unlock accounts without explicitly giving the Help Desk Tech the
rights to do this. Or to explicitly check for and stop processes before a
scheduled reboot of the NT servers (And you all know they need regular
rebooting to stay healthy).

I would like to learn Python, but the resources I see don't cover this type
of thing. I am no programming guru, which is why Perl's large support
community has been such a boon. Could someone point me in the right
direction? I am dying to give Python a real world try.

Also, my limited Perl ability has garnered some attention in my department
and they want me to write the connectivity between our intranet and the SQL
server our HR dept. uses. I told them yes, but I have never written such a
thing before. Any advice on where an all NT guy like me could pick this up
for Python?

Thanks for any advice.

Eric Lengvenis

PS, I am not adverse to *NIX, but my department doesn't pay me to work on
it.