MCSE Microsoft Windows 2000 Directory Services Infrastructure Readiness Review; Exam 70-217 (MCSE Readiness Review)

Nothing's more central to the operation of an organizational network based on Windows 2000 than Active Directory, and you need to understand it well in order to become a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer under the latest requirements. MCSE Readiness Review: Implementing and Administering a Microsoft Windows 2000 Directory Services Infrastructure prepares its readers for its eponymous exam (70-217) by gauging their knowledge of the subjects the exam touches upon. The book presents readers with questions and problems like those that appear on the exam, then provides answer keys (there's a separate key for each subject-specific chapter). The keys include explanations of why the correct answer is indeed correct, but the main point here is to help the reader identify areas of weakness for further experimentation and study.

The questions mimic the style of those that appear on actual MCSE exams and make extensive use of line drawings and other visuals. Answers--as is appropriate to this book's objective--aren't much more than statements of the correct answer and (very briefly) why. Each chapter includes a list of further reading to which a test candidate might refer in order to bone up, but the reading lists, unfortunately, include only Microsoft Press titles. References to other publishers' products, as well as to Microsoft Knowledge Base articles and other online resources, would make this book more valuable. --David Wall

Topics covered: Subjects that MCSE candidates must understand in order to pass the exam on Implementing and Administering a Microsoft Windows 2000 Directory Services Infrastructure (exam 70-217), including installation and configuration of Active Directory Services, Domain Name Service (DNS) as it applies to Active Directory, and administrative subjects like monitoring and troubleshooting.