Customer Reviews

MCSE: Implementing and Supporting Microsoft Proxy Server 2.0

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I just finished reading the Proxy Server book by Kostya Ryvkin, Dave Houde, and Tim Hoffman. I must say that if you need to learn Proxy Server and pass the exam - this book is a MUST. My company is deploying Proxy and my boss wanted me to get certified - I passed this exam and got the highest score EVER on any of these exams. It was a 911. The authors did a good job by starting with the basics and then covering the advanced concepts. It is very easy to read and the language throughout the book is simple WITHOUT lowering the technical depth. I really understand PROXY SERVER now. If you plan to buy this book I should offer these tips: Although I rate this the best book I've read, maybe I would have liked to see a little bit more of the TCP/IP fundamentals here - just as a refresher because I found that I really needed it. Proxy Server architecture is covered perfectly - I can finally (!) understand the difference between a Web Proxy and a WinSock Proxy. I enjoyed the chapter about the installation of the Proxy Server - it gives you step by step instructions as well as covers the non-standard issues. (and this is exactly what I needed because we have issues like this in our company!) Packet Filtering is discussed and the details were exactly what I needed for the exam and to implement in the real world. The chapter about coexistence of Proxy with Exchange, SQL and PPTP is the BEST! WOW is this powerful. I spent hours searching the Internet and bookstores for concise information on how to put MS Exchange behind the PROXY SERVER and I found no other book that comes close to giving this level of detail (and this book has it all in one CHAPTER!) Overall, this book is the best technical book I've ever read. If you want to get certified or become a PROXY GURU, this is the right way to go. Be sure to get up to speed first on TCP/IP because this is a real technical read.

A week ago today (Monday) I bought a copy of "Implementing and Supporting Microsoft Proxy Server 2.0."

On Friday I took the exam.

I passed it big time! I nailed that sucker into the ground! Best score I've ever gotten on a Microsoft exam. Passing that test qualified me for both my MCSE and my MCT.

AND

I enjoyed reading the book. It had a nice friendly feel to it. I looked forward to studying it. I actually feel like I understand Proxy Server.

Aparently Microsoft thinks I do too.

Bottom line: I bought the book to pass the exam and I passed the exam. Good job!

This books is great, it covers everything you need to know to cover the Proxy Server 2 70-088 exam, and install and use Proxy Server in the real world. Each subject the authors are teaching you is written well, and the information is all useable towards you passing your exam.

Each section in the book closely mirrors the Proxy Exam objectives. Advanced topics like Virtual Private Networks and DMZ's are explained in easy to understand terms, although I only got one question in my exam on VPN's. VPN's are required for the real world, which is why we are all sitting the exams and reading these books.

There are Study Breaks which help you though difficult areas by showing you step-by-step instructions on how to perform the action that has just been explained.

I found no errors in the content of the books chapters, there are a couple of very small problems in a couple of the review questions but you should be able to pick them up, if you read and understand the contents of the chapter.

One of the authors (Tim Hoffman) was also very helpful when I pointed out the errors; unlike some authors whom I have told have small errors in their books.

I liked this feedback it makes you appreciate all the work they did to write this book, and that they are genuinely wanting to write a top class book to help you. Tim, Dave, and Kostya you have done that for me.

I passed my exam today (Jan 31st, 2000) with a 911, I thought I had done better, but this was my score.

I purchased 4 books for the Proxy Server exam, and this book comes out on top for me, its coverage is well thought out and easy to read, explaining difficult areas of Proxy Server in ways anyone can understand.

I rate this book at about 96%, whereas the other books on Proxy Server I bought I would give a rating of about 80% in their content and readability. I have no hesitation in recommending this book to anyone wanting to know more about Proxy Server 2, and passing the 70-088 exam.

This is a must for anyone trying to pass the Proxy exam. The book is complete and accurate. Proxy server is a difficult topic and the author has successfully simplified the theory. Good job.

This book covers everything you ever need to know to run Proxy in any environment. I recently became responsible for our Proxy server, which prompted me to read up on the subject. Now, I can fully manage it, I understand our implementation of it, and I feel confident I could deploy it in most any environment. This book serves as a great reference and it covered the exam material very well. This was the only book I used for the exam - I didn't even bother with a practice test and I passed with flying colors!

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to pass exam 70-088.

Samuel Rey MCSE, MCP + Internet, CCNA

This is, by far, the best MCSE prep book I've ever read! It takes the reader from what-the-blazes-is-this to ah-haa, I've got it! It's very well written and I especially like the many screen shots of this-is-what-you-do and this-is-what-you-should-see and the study breaks that walk you through click by click. They really did their homework on this one. You want to just pass the test, get a braindump. You want to pass the test and really know Proxy 2.0--get this book!

This was my last exam to take for my MCSE and I just passed it today with an 882 and I could not have done it without this book! If you are like me coming from a hardware background only and then to be exposed to terms like, Sockets, Packet filters, protocal port numbers, Cache & Domain filters etc., can be a mind numbing experience. I found the book to be helpful in introducing these new terms to me and how they interact with what the Proxy Server offers. I highly recommend this book for those who know nothing about Proxy Server and what it does. Also, for those of you who know little about IIS or Exchange, you will find the sections dealing with the Proxy Server configurations hard to grasp. But I think the authors broke it down in lamens terms as best they could. I would recommend, as a supplement to this book, the Transcender test questions on Proxy Server.

I bought this book for my exam and it covered EVERYTHING that was on the exam! I recommend this book to everyone who needs to pass the exam. This is also a great book that can be used on a daily basis for administration. I passed the exam with a 911 thanks to this book.

About three weeks ago I was tasked with setting up a proxy server. Being this was the first time ever doing this I was a bit nervous. I tried to get help on the phone and was unsuccessful, I open this book and within fours hours I had the proxy server up and running.

Learning about the server layout and services as well as what goes into the planning of the server was the first real exposure to proxy server. I then read and read the section on installation and administration.

Other topics I looked were packet filtering, setting up multiple servers on the LAN and the client installs, having proxy server and exchange server work together, how and what to monitor, how to optimize the server and there was even a section pertaining to the troubleshooting of the server.

Overall this book has been a big help to so far. Also included is a cd rom with practice question should you decide to take the MCP certification.

I read this book from cover to cover once and found this to be a straight up overview of Proxy Server 2.0 in order to pass Exam 70-088. This is my last exam needed to receive my MCSE in WINNT 4.0. The only fault I found in this book is with the pre-print editor review, there are numerous spelling and grammar errors through out the book. This made for the reader to guess what point in a section the author was trying to get across. After going through the book a 2nd time and fixing these errors, the confusion was eliminated. This is the book to read to pass Exam 70-088.