MCSA/MCSE: Windows 2000 Network Management Study Guide

From Barnes & Noble

Microsoft's exam 70-218 on managing Win2K networks is currently one of two exams every MCSA candidate must pass. The exam was carefully constructed to correlate with the tasks working system and network administrators need to master, so a good review guide ought to double as a good day-to-day reference. Measured on both yardsticks, we really like MCSA/MCSE Windows 2000 Network Management Study Guide.

When it comes to both Windows 2000 and Microsoft certification, you couldn't find a better author team. To begin with, lead author Michael Chacon is a full-time Windows directory services architect, as well as contributing editor to MCP Magazine (you may recall his "Windows Insider" columns). The guy wrote the Microsoft upgrade planning guide that shipped with the very first version of Windows NT Advanced Server: He's been at it that long.

Coauthor Anil Desai has written books on everything from Windows TCO to directory services and has made dozens of conference presentations (most recently at MCP TechMentor in Florida, where he spoke on both VPNs and the broader topic of building well-managed IT environments). And coauthor James Chellis, president of EdgeTek Computer Training, has delivered hands-on network training at dozens of Fortune 500 companies, including IBM, TRW, and AT&T, not to mention the U.S. Navy and Air Force. (Chellis may also hold the record for most MCSE books: We stopped counting around 35.)

But the proof isn't in "famous names": it's in the content: clear and thorough without ever becoming pedantic. The authors begin with a thorough review of installing and configuring network protocols under Windows 2000, especially notable for its detailed troubleshooting coverage. They offer a step-by-step plan for identifying problems, and demonstrate how to use a wide array of tools to see what's what: ipconfig, winipcfg, arp, route, and to dig even deeper, netdiag.

Next, it's on to Windows 2000's DHCP implementation -- and here, the authors cover pretty much everything you'll ever need to do with DHCP: authorizing DHCP servers in Active Directory; creating and managing DHCP scopes (starting with simple, "plain-vanilla" scopes and gradually adding to them later); managing reservations and exclusions; activating and deactivating scopes; and especially, monitoring and troubleshooting DHCP and its leases. The chapter's coverage also includes creating superscopes that let you manage multiple scopes together; and creating multicast scopes, which perform multicast address allocation for real-time video or audio network transmissions.

As the authors note, sysadmins commonly underestimate DNS' importance and complexity. Active Directory relies on it to find clients, servers, and network services, while clients rely on it to find file, print, and other resources. This book covers DNS in depth, from namespaces and zones to configuration, automated updates, replication, DHCP interoperability, and troubleshooting.

We've already mentioned Active Directory twice: MCSA/MCSE Windows 2000 Network Management Study Guide covers it at length.

The authors begin with AD's logical and physical structure, components, and mechanisms; working with multiple domains; access via LDAP; and both intrasite and intersite replication. Next, they review day-to-day administration in depth, showing how to create, manage, and troubleshoot user and group objects; delegate administrative control over specific domains or network elements; managing permissions; and publishing shared resources such as printers and folders. There's even coverage of some crucial productivity resources for sysadmins working with AD, including scripting the creation of new AD accounts, and importing user data with CSVDE and LDIFDE.

From disk management to hot fixes, performance logging to startup and recovery, it's covered here. You'll also find a full chapter on Active Directory security, plus two full chapters on working with group policies, including a step-by-step guide to deploying software with them -- a powerful way to reduce cost of ownership.

Simply put, this is an extremely useful book -- and not just on exam day. (Bill Camarda)

Bill Camarda is a consultant, writer, and web/multimedia content developer with nearly 20 years' experience in helping technology companies deploy and market advanced software, computing, and networking products and services. He served for nearly ten years as vice president of a New Jersey–based marketing company, where he supervised a wide range of graphics and web design projects. His 15 books include Special Edition Using Word 2000 and Upgrading & Fixing Networks For Dummies®, Second Edition.