Customer Reviews

70-291: MCSE Guide to Managing a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Network, Enhanced

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I purchased this book in non electronic book version for class. Well written with lots of errors. Exercises are poorly researched. You'll waste a lot of time trying to do exercises that are incorrectly configured. Most students in my class felt like giving up on labs. What should have taken 25-30 minutes to accomplish...wouldn't work and required hours of research to find correct procedures. Commands are full of errors. Not worth the money. Wait for the next edition. Half way through semester, we received Errata with about 15 pages of corrections from the author. Stay away from this book! Wait til they get it right.

This has to be the best written textbook that I have read. Mike explains in great detail the point he is trying to get at. With Microsofts version, you do not get a clear view of what they are trying to point out. This textbook is easy to understand and read by not using terms that would go over your head. The exercises are worth doing because you get something out of each one, giving you a clear understanding how Server 2008 works. I recommend this textbook to not only a student, but to administrators that are just beginning to explore Server 2008 and its functions and roles. I look forward to the Second Edition and other books that Mike writes.

This is a very well written, easy to understand guuide. I am using it for an online class so I have been on my own to folllow it and it has been no problem.

This books is packed with errors. It makes learning really annoying.
When there is no answer key and the review question have
incorrect information it is totally frustrating.

I have passed the 70-290 exam using the sister book to this one (didn't like it), and since I already had this one from school, I gave it a go. I did not fair too well on the test, as I scored just under passing. I purchased the Microsoft 70-291 guide and it is so much better it is unreal. If you plan on taking the test, do not use this book as your only source of information. As a reference, it's pretty good, but not much else.

Some people may say this book is "awesome" and it's "all that you need" but honestly, the online version of this book I got for class makes me want to punch babies. My beef isn't just with the author of the book, but also the people who are associated with certain details of this publication.
First, let me point out that this book is nearly $100.00. Really? $100.00? USD? You can grab Microsoft's self-paced training books (three books, plus trial software, practice tests, and ebooks) for approximately $100.00 and you're charging $100.00 for a 3rd-party publication? Do you outsource the development of this book to people who have massive overhead fees unknown to man and won't get out of bed for less than $1,000/HR?
Now besides the price, the book was generally frustrating to read. Here's an example: you wrote, "Network Topology Network topology categorizes networks based on the physical and logical relationship..." with "Network Topology" and the following "Network topology" in bold. Hey, I'm not asking that you give me a beautiful spectrum of colors as a visual representation of separation between phrases and definitions, but at least be more compassionate to the readers and work with us here. A legitimately crazy person could have sanely and calmly said: "Hey, put a colon or something between the term and definition."
Also, how about providing more of your own interpretations within this publication? In the book are definitions given by Microsoft but let me tell you guys something: I can read the comments on the GUI too, and the articles on Microsoft.com. Maybe it was to shelter yourselves from mistakes that can arise from personal interpretation & to possibly mitigate confusion but I advise taking a different route with this book before people with pitchforks, torches, and ropes come knocking on your door after reading this. Don't get any ideas now, its a joke.
Furthermore, you say go to into the Group Policy Editor, OK, but then you make me dig through all this stuff for a certain setting. COME ON MAN! I have about a hundred thousand pages to read and many hours of case study to perform. How about fulfilling to the reader an unsaid but obvious favor: save us the trouble. We could do the research ourselves but we want to learn at a faster pace, and thats why were sitting here reading this book but you have us digging. That's like being lost & running late to your own wedding, you pull over to a gas station and the attendant points his chin in the direction of the church thats miles and miles away. JUST WRITE DOWN THE DIRECTIONS!
Another example: You say that RRAS usage is recommended for small networks. What do you mean by small? Small, like 50 small, or small business small, meaning maybe ~500 users?
In closing, I want to say that I understand that some parts of the book were intentionally left out due to its scope but to me, its just another incorrectly made lasagna. There are other things that I could possibly write but, like other people, I have things to do. One star...

Let me tell you about my personal experience...

I was first using this book in collegue.95% of us didnt get it..Even the teacher was kind of clueless..I decided to study it after I finish school. I did and I find out that there were 15 pages of errata from the author..Way too much and big mistakes from the publishers as well..\
To make everything worst..I found out way more than that on my own!

How can a reader say it's an excellent book, when it's pack of sensitive mistakes?
To make everything more interesting , now it's the release of server R2, , way different commands from plain different server 2008, because a lot of the older commands are deprecated ( useless).

Conclusion: i have to study with this faulty guide, I bought the other Microsoft original book, I am using google and you tube like crazy to understand this book, I am reading the errata by my side, and trying to fix the mistakes he didnt post in his errata,( yes, making an errata for the errata!), a lot of the labs are unconclusive because of that, etc., etc..And I am consider my self a good and logical student.

This book mess up my life because after I got into the job market I understood that networking in servers 2008 was WAY too important..When you study from this book, really got me irritated , over and over..

This way slow down my insertion in the job market.And I am a system engineer already..
I understood that the author had good intensions when he wrote this book,and some of the ideas are organize and explain in plain words, but not properly giving a review , publish it packed with errors, and having a lot of people confuse! That's a killer ! C'mom!

This is another one of those overpriced Course Technology books which are meant for trade schools and community colleges. The approach is simple: Follow the author's instructions by typing in the required commands, press OK or Enter, and verify the results. You won't really understand what you're doing since the explanations are sparse and you won't be able to apply your knowledge to a general situation. You will only know about the concepts as they pertain to the instructions that the author gives but you will certainly not have any idea how to do anything else.

This book was exactly what I wanted and was much cheaper then what I would have had to pay in College.

I was very pleases with my order from Amazon.com. The timely fashion in which I received my order was great along with the great price. I would highly refer Amazon.com to others.