Customer Reviews

MCSA/MCSE: Windows 2003 Upgrade Study Guide (70-292 and 70-296)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Average book on the subject but defintely not the best. Failed to properly cover parts of the exam in enough detail to prepare for the exam. Other sections were covered in too much detail and were unnecessary in prep for exam. I suppelmented my study with hands-on knowledge from work and from white papers from Microsoft itself. If you do not have hands-on knowledge with W2K3, then be prepared to get smacked down if you only used this book as your prep.

I'm just adding my two cents to what's already been said. I'm an MCSE, MCDBA and an MCT. I'm also an actual consultant who works with the products, not just training. Anywho, enough of that.

My absolute #1 issue with the book is that it isn't in line with the exam itself. The chapters that are aligned (in theory) with the 292 exam basically miss a lot of information that is covered in the exam itself. There is no real paralleling the exam.

That included (boy, did it ever) the sample tests. There was almost no relation between the materials handled in the real exam question and the samples. I'm absolutely not looking for braindump here, but I do want to play at least in the same forest!

The book supposedly covers both exams, but ends up doing a rather half hearted job instead. Once you start doing practice exams and finally the exams themselves, you will find this book sorely lacking in detail. For the amount of fairly obscure questions that came up in the exam about SUS and Terminal Services the book's detail is woefully inadequate.

I've used several Sybex books in the past and found them to be usually very good, but this one is next to useless really. Do not buy this on it's own and expect to pass.

Having just re-taken and passed 70-292 I can only say this book is a waste of time. It is incomplete, sometimes wildly inaccurate and especially the test questions do not reflect the exam at all and have many mistakes in them. I used to use Sybex books for my previous MCSA certification, but in this case the Microsoft self-paced training kit is actually much better and more complete. I used that one the second time and passed without problems. If you want some additional info next to the Microsoft book (always a good idea) visit the MS website or try the Syngress 70-292 studyguide next to it.

Just took 70-292, and passed but no thanks to Sybex's book. Glaring omissions, thin material and some outrageous technical errors make this book a $40 doorstop. The sheer amount of patently false information (one test question on the CD actually said that you should apply a Group Policy to a security group!) makes on wonder if the authors and editors at Sybex were gassed up on nitrous when this went through. The amount of material that in the book that actually appeared on the exam was minimal, and some exam subjects weren't even mentioned in the MCSA section of the book! I felt that I had wasted my time and money by using this book. For those Win2k MCSEs out there looking to upgrade, get the book from MS Press instead. Don't make the same mistake I did.

The exam was harder than I thought, and I'm glad I used this book. It covered most of what I saw, though there were a few things that I think I got just from my experience (two years network admin.) Overall, I think the book does a very good job. I've used Sybex a bunch, and like them.

This book provide a high level overview of Windows 20003. It does not provide enough detail to pass the exams.

This books covers both the 70-292 and the 70-296 exams, which is great considering that the two exams share a lot of common topics. You NEED to know Windows 2000 fairly well before reading this book, since most of the information relates to the updates and new additions in Server 2003. I read the entire book before taking either exam, which the author actually recommends, and I passed both easily. The only complaint I would have is that the book is softbound, but the material contained in this book is great and will get you through the exams without any problems.

Bottom-Line: "MCSA/MCSE Windows Server 2003 Upgrade" has proved itself the perfect study guide for my purposes.

As some of you may have already have surmised from some of my previous reviews, I work in the Information Technology arena. It started out as a hobby, back in the early eighties, and by the time I left the Navy in the mid-`90's after fifteen years of service, I knew enough about computers, networking and Information Technology to make it my second career.

Ten years and several jobs later, I hold several industry-standard IT related certifications including the much sought after Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MSCA) & Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MSCE), both for the Windows 2000 Network Operating System (NOS). Now that Windows 2003 Server is slowly gaining acceptance throughout the corporate environment, I felt is was time I upgraded my MCSA/MCSE credentials to demonstrate my proficiency in the new NOS. So I did what any self-respecting IT professional would do, I bought a book, in this case the "MCSA/MCSE Windows Server 2003 Upgrade", by Sybex.

The "MCSA/MCSE Windows Server 2003 Upgrade"is a comprehensive study guide that will help you prepare for Microsoft Exams 70-292 and 70-296 the two tests needed to don the MCSA/MCSE lapel pin for Windows 2003. Note: To obtain the MCSA/MCSE certification is usually a seven test ordeal, but those who already hold the credential only have to take two upgrade exams.

"MCSA/MCSE Windows Server 2003 Upgrade" Study Guide provides:
* In-depth coverage of every exam objective.
* Practical information on planning, implementing, and maintaining a Windows Server 2003 Environment.
* Hundreds of tough practice exam questions.
* Exam preparation software, including a test engine, electronic flashcards, and simulation software.

"MCSA/MCSE Windows Server 2003 Upgrade" is broken down into two sections, with each section concentrating solely on one exam and its concepts and objectives. Section one tackles Exam 70-292: Managing and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Environment for an MCSA Certified on Windows 2000. The following topics are covered:
* Managing users, computers, and groups
* Managing and maintaining access to resources
* Managing and maintaining a server environment
* Managing and implementing disaster recovery
* Implementing, managing, and maintaining name resolution
* Implementing, managing, and maintaining network security

Section two deals with Exam 70-296: Planning, Implementing, and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Environment for an MCSE Certified on Windows 2000. The following topics are covered:
* Planning and implementing server roles and server security
* Planning, implementing, and maintaining a network infrastructure
* Planning, implementing, and maintaining server availability
* Planning and maintaining network security
* Planning, implementing, and maintaining security infrastructure
* Planning and implementing an active directory infrastructure
* Managing and maintaining an active directory infrastructure
* Planning and implementing user, computer, and group strategies
* Planning and implementing group policy
* Managing and maintaining group policy

The (859) page book is well laid out and contains a plentitude of graphics and tables to help illustrate and expand on difficult concepts. At the end of each chapter there are review question to test your knowledge and understanding of the concepts just presented. And to help you further prepare for the Exams, the book ships with a CD-ROM full of challenging (simulated) test exams as well as electronic flashcards that can be loaded on Pocket PC and Palm devices.

The CD-ROM also contains a version of the book in PDF format but I could never gain access to it. I installed the e-book program from the CD-ROM, launched it, Acrobat opened and then unceremoniously closed without opening the e-book. I then tried opening the PDF file directly from the CD-ROM same result.

So I copied the PDF file from the CD-ROM onto my computer and attempted to open; it was password protected, and instructed me to contact the publisher (Sybex) to correct the problem. So I wrote Sybex an email about the problem, but I have yet to hear anything back from them, and that was well over five months ago. The problem is not enough to put me off the book and CD-ROM because the other feature of the disc work fine, but the problem with the e-book is annoying. I could have pursued a solution more aggressively, but I lack the time and motivation to do so.

Conclusion

Admittedly, I have not had time of late to get deeper into the book then the first half. My new job is very time consuming at the moment and consume all of my free time at work and some at home as well. Upgrading my credentials has been a secondary priority to sinking my feet firmly into my new environment. But that is about to change. I am taking a class in Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 at the end of this year and I have to become a Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) in the discipline shortly thereafter.

Microsoft has a new certification on the street that combines Windows 2003 and Exchange credentials and I want it, so it's back to the book to study for my Windows 2003 certifications. "MCSA/MCSE Windows Server 2003 Upgrade" has proved itself the perfect study guide for my purposes.

I'm an MCSE (Windows NT 3.51, 4.0, 2000, and 2003) who has passed a total of 17 Microsoft exams. I used this book as my primary study material for passing the 2003 upgrade exams.

The MCSA (70-292) section wasn't too bad; it was missing some minor material on the test, but overall was fairly complete. However, the MCSE (70-296) section had some MAJOR holes! Specifically, the exam has multiple questions on WMI filters on GPOs, Emergency Management Services, and universal group caching, all new 2003 features, NONE of which was even mentioned in the text. I only passed 70-296 because of experience and quite a bit of educated guessing.

Also, as other users have mentioned, the sample tests included with the book have very little in common with the actual exams. They concentrate on areas which aren't even covered in the real exams. Nor is the book (or the practice exams) properly proofed, containing numerous errors of various types.

Save yourself trouble and find an alternate work; this book isn't worth the study time.