Customer Reviews

MCTS Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-653): Configuring Windows® Small Business Server 2008 (Mcts Self Paced T/Kit 70-653)

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

 

 

I have two years experience managing SBS servers and I wanted to get a cert for it. I ran through this book in about 2 days, cover to cover. I usually take a couple weeks minimum to get through a Microsoft cert book. It was pretty straightforward and clear. I would recommend it to anyone who works with SBS. It is not overly technical, and in the beginning it has some very good, straight-forward explanations of technical topics like RAID, DNS and Active Directory.

The included CD with test questions only had an image on it. I had to copy off the image and then burn it to another disk, which was somewhat irritating. But the software works on Win7.

I have not taken the test yet but plan to soon. I would still recommend getting some additional tests or dumps as I have never found the Microsoft software alone to have prepared me for one of their tests.

This book gives you a good foundation for not only understanding Microsoft Small Business Server (SBS) 2008 but for also passing the Microsoft certification exam 70-653. It contains a wealth of knowledge and information that will be of assistance to beginning and intermediate administrators of SBS 2008.

The book is broken down by chapter and they by lesson making it extremely easy to follow along and choose the pace at which you study. The lessons contain real world working examples of the information one would require to pass the MCTS Exam 70-653. I think the book strikes a good balance between between functional without being to verbose. It is not a complete how to on SBS 2008 it is instead designed to help people pass the MCTS Exam 70-653 which it certainly does.

Although the book does contain many screen shots it would have been nice if it also included more diagrams and flow charts to help people understand some of the processes discussed visually. Apart from that it is hard to see how this book would not be a worthwhile resources for those people looking to achieve their MCTS 70-653 exam as well as improve their knowledge of SBS 2008. If you need to better understand how an SBS 2008 system should be put together correctly then this book is for you.

I used this book, the included practice test, and my Action Pack copy of SBS 2008 and was able to pass this exam on the first try.

The lesson structure is a nice way to present this material. The exam tips were very helpful. There was a PDF copy of the book on the CD which was handy to travel with.

The practice test was very similar to the actual test. I was worried because the SBS 2003 test had mini-essays for every single question and these practice questions were short. It turns out that the actual test was pretty much like the Measure-Up practice tests.

The down side is that there were more Exchange administration questions that I was prepared for. I did not spend enough time in the actual Exchange Management Console to get some of the questions.

I recently got this book to prepare for the 70-653 exam. To receive the "Small Business Specialist" certification from Microsoft, you must pass a certification exam; 70-653 is one of the options. It is based upon the Small Business Server 2008 platform. However, to pass the test, you must know more than just SBS2008, and this book is a great help. Note that if you passed the test based upon SBS2003 (70-282), that cert will expire in 2010. You will be required to pass 70-653 (or alternative exams available) to maintain your Small Business Specialist status.

Unlike the first reviewer (and confirming the other), the CD in my book worked fine. It did include an electronic copy of the book, and sample questions. In addition, the link mentioned in the book's introduction is also available (to download files associated with the book).

The book includes a voucher for a 15% discount on the exam itself; that's a near $20 value in itself!

There are case scenarios, exercies, and best practices. Over 200 practice and review questions are included. With the electronic copy, you can quickly search and find specific topics that interest you.

The book is a very easy read; the authors did a great job of being concise and clear. There's no clutter. Unlike many other technical books I have experienced, going through this one was a pleasure. I feel confident it will assist me greatly in passing the 70-653 exam.

This is a sure Microsoft aid. It provides all of the fundamental information for preparing for thes exam without all of the fluff. The tips and tricks are good very helpful. Essentially, if you are a book learner, this will be all you need. If you are a kinesthic learner, there are plenty of hands on exercises to setup a training environment.

I came across this book when I was asked to teach it.

This is a pretty good book covering most of the relevant issues of SBS 2008. Its level is for basic beginners as well as more experienced technology specialists. It doesn't go too deep into networking, Exchange, Sharepoint or SQL but touches enough on these subjects to qualify as a good book.

I can recommend it to anyone interested in learning Small Business Server 2008.

I just received my book - going through it eagerly. My CD works well - must be the sp2 revision :) Will make my staff read it as well as prep for the exam - I think this is all they need.

It helps to have a good general understanding of Windows Servers & Active Directory, but this book is not designed for "someone off the street" to read & pass the test. The Practice teset on the CD could have had more questions and the test engine could have been better at randomizing the questions.

I found that this book covered everything required for an understanding to complete the SBS, Configuring MCTS exam.

At a tight 8 chapters, its a small book but then the exam content is not huge.

If you are after an administrators companion it will suffice also, however its strength is in demonstrating all the requirements for the exam.

Well written, no complaints, CD also worked fine..

Language in the book also flows nicely. An easy read.

I used this to prepare for the 70-653 test. Everything that I found on the test was covered. This was my only resource other then a lab machine. I scored 960 out of 1000 on the test after about 2 weeks of study. If you want to become a Microsoft Small Business Specialist, get and read this book.