MCSE Windows 2000 Accelerated Exam Prep (Exam: 70-240) [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Lance Cockcroft (Author), Eric Eckel (Author), Erik Eckel (Author), Ron Kauffman (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 157610690X | ISBN-13: 978-1576106907 | Publication Date: August 22, 2000 | Edition: CD-Rom

Covers all curriculum objectives for the Microsoft Windows 2000 Accelerated exam (70-240). Offers a proven method for in-depth study, review, and real-life practice. Provides all of the overviews, concepts, and terminology necessary to help candidates get up to speed on the new certification as quickly as possible. Compares all changes between the Windows NT system and the new features of the Microsoft operating system to provide the reader with the experience necessary to upgrade to the new system.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Packing all of the details of an entire (and major) operating system's revamp into a single book--any book--is a challenge that puts a strain on professional bookbinders everywhere. After all, there are only so many pages that you can stuff into a book before it starts to fall apart under its own weight. For this reason, most publishers have skimped on their Windows 2000 Accelerated Guides and stripped out the vital parts, reducing their books to brief but easy-to-read skims (or inflating them into technical monstrosities that are as fun to read as an accounting textbook). Fortunately, Coriolis's Windows 2000 Accelerated Exam Prep is a breath of fresh air; comprehensive, packed full of technical goodness, and clear as a summer's day, the Prep is just what you'll need to pass the tricky MCSE catch-up test.

The Prep assumes that you've kept your knowledge current from the Windows NT tests, and doesn't go into enormous detail on creating alternate-disk boot disks or give you long WINS walk-throughs. It starts with a brief overview of most of Windows 2000's new features, before it launches into the more complex (and confusing) parts of Windows 2000--namely, Active Directory (AD), DNS, and domain configuration. In fact, the first 11 chapters (and 300 pages) all are devoted to understanding the vagaries of the new AD features of Windows 2000.

And it is here that you see the strength of this book. Unlike many other books, which might devote two or three chapters to these elaborate new parts of Windows 2000, the Prep explains the overview and then goes into extremely gritty detail about how each step is accomplished. If you want to be taken "under the hood" for Windows 2000 (and you do), the Prep provides a wealth of details. Unlike some other books, you won't find just a mention that the AD is replicated between controllers; in the Exam Prep, you'll discover all of the fine (and lovely) details of Sequence Numbering, Propagation Dampening, Conflict Resolution, and Replication Topology. Instead of just telling you that AD has schema that can be applied to objects, the Prep delves into the minutiae of schema querying, the consistency and safety checks that Windows applies to schema alterations, and the required attribute syntaxes. Every aspect is gone over thoroughly, which is exactly what the new tests call for--instead of laundry lists, the Prep shows you the guts of Windows 2000, which will help you troubleshoot exactly where (and when) things are likely to go awry.

Future chapters cover almost every major exam topic in the same loving, granular nature, with the notable exception of the highly touted ability to hook up multiple monitors to one Windows 2000 computer. For that, you might want to hit a Web site or two.

The writing is clear in most chapters (although the RAS chapter is a bit sketchy) and strikes the right balance between assuming that you know what you're doing--you are a core-certified MCP, after all--and handholding you through the tougher new concepts. It's difficult to read through a chapter and not get a solid idea of what the new features can and can't do. "Real World" exercises appear at the end of every chapter, but in general they're fairly simple exercises that are designed to show you the basics. One wishes that there were more screen shots in those exercises--or, for that matter in the entire book--but, as stated, when you're trying to compress so much information into under 800 pages, you have to make cuts somewhere. Coriolis chose screen shots. You can do without.

There are quizzes at the end of every chapter, and they're fairly tough. You'll find a lot of the dreaded check-all-correct-answer questions, as well as some obscure topics covered. Get through the questions, and the test should go well. Unfortunately, the feedback that you'll get on the questions is subpar; unlike the fine Exam Crams--in which you get an explanation of why each answer is right or wrong--when you look up the answer in the Prep, all you'll see is a single letter and a paragraph's explanation. If you're unclear why choices "a" and "c" were incorrect, you're out of luck. Also, you'll have to keep flipping clear to the back of the book, and then to the chapter again, because all of the answers are located about as far from the questions as possible.

The other weak spot here is that the book really doesn't cover any of the Windows NT concepts that have been ported over into Windows 2000. If you must make a boot disk and can't remember what rdisk(0) stood for, you might need to brush up elsewhere. But this is a minor complaint.

In short, this is an excellent choice for professionals who are looking to keep their certifications past 2001. For the money, it's worth it. Highly recommended. --William Steinmetz

About the Author

Lance Cockcroft, MCP+I, MCSE+I, MCT, A+, Network+, CCNA (Atlanta, GA) is currently the CTO of Applied Network Solutions, a Microsoft Certified Solutions Provider that has been working with Windows 2000 OS since beta 2. He has taught Microsoft Official Curriculum at Kennsaw State University, and Southern Polytechnic University since 1996.

Erik Eckel is an award-winning writer who co-authored the current leading Windows 2000 Accelerated Exam Prep guide, from Coriolis. Serves as editor-in-chief for TechProGuild, a subscription IT news and information Web site and writes a popular column, Paperchase Digest, targeting IT certification topics. Eckel earned a B.A. in English from the University of Louisville (1990), as well as a Microsoft Network Engineer diploma from Sullivan College (1999). He possesses MCP+I and MCSE certifications from Microsoft and has earned a Certificate of Achievement for successfully completing Microsoft 2000 Accelerated Training classes.

Ron Kauffman, MCP+I, MCSE, MCT, A+ (Louisville, KY) currently works as an IT Manager and Chair of the MCSE Education programs at a private college. He is a freelance writer for a Microsoft Tech Net content provider, and serves as an IS management Consultant for local companies.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 888 pages
• Publisher: Coriolis Group Books; CD-Rom edition (August 22, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157610690X
• ISBN-13: 978-1576106907
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.7 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,715,005 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Accelarted pass the pack., October 5, 2000

By 

Michael J Woznicki "Michael J Woznicki" (Holland, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: MCSE Windows 2000 Accelerated Exam Prep (Exam: 70-240) (Hardcover)

For those planning the short path to MCSE 2000 success that means passing the exam 70-240. With the understanding that you get one shot to pass and if you fail you must complete the entire MCSE 2000 track. So if there was a reference manual to learn from you chances of success go up - well Coriolis has come to the rescue.

Completely shredding the exam objective for exam 70-240, this would have to be one of the best books for first time passing I have ever seen. 800 pages packed with diagrams, table figures, questions practice examples as well as exam tip and real world projects, and if you're like me hands-on is so much easier to comprehend the subject matter.

The book takes you right from the beginning with a 2000 overview and then right into installation and setup. You then move to DNS and active directory services. This is then followed up by Chapter 5, which has you designing and configuring your first domain.

Active Directory admin is next and then on to replication. All this then moves into advanced section of active directory and management and administration of 2000 and the 2000 file system. Learning about user and group policies, software deployment, remote access and terminal service bring you to chapter 17.

Just when you think you have had enough you then move on to topics like disaster recovery, 2000 migration, 2000 network security and finally 2000 professional. At this point you might have a headache from all the brain food you have just ingested but there's more.

Each chapter has review questions and there is also a cd-rom with exam question and the unique thing about these question is that they are exclusively for the 70-240 exam and you can't find them on any other exam prep or exam cram product.

The cd was easy to install and no major hardware complications were encountered. The practice exams are designed to the Microsoft testing formats of drag & drop, tree priority and list priority. Overall this book is going to make a great number of people very happy, and you can be one of them.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Test Prep, January 2, 2001

By 

Joe Phillips (Boston) - See all my reviews

This review is from: MCSE Windows 2000 Accelerated Exam Prep (Exam: 70-240) (Hardcover)

I found this book to be very worthwhile and right on target. I managed to pass the 70-240 exam using this book as my main study material. One reviewer mentioned that this book teaches rather than reveiew that is because this is a exam PREP book not a exam CRAM. Both look the same but have diffrent purposes. This book did the job for me and Im glad I bought it.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Windows 2000 Accel book out there., November 9, 2000

By 

Karl Martin (Flordia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: MCSE Windows 2000 Accelerated Exam Prep (Exam: 70-240) (Hardcover)

If you want to keep you MCSE cert this is the book to get. The chapters on Active Directory provide the best explanation on how the AD works as well as the hard to find details of AD replication. Unlike many technical books this book is well laid out starting with the introductions and the new features and then walking you through each new and/ or changed property. It does not waste time explaining things that the reader should already know such as WINS, DHCP, basic TCP/IP since this is an accelerated exam.