Amazon.com Review
With a new crop of Microsoft Windows servers comes a new assortment of related Microsoft exams.
Managing and Maintaining a Windows Server 2003 Environment for an MCSA Certified on Windows 2000 helps prepare you for the title exam by going through the exam's published objectives one by one, reviewing key concepts, facts, and procedures. As well, the book (and its accompanying CD-ROM) provide sample questions in the style of the exam. These come in handy for diagnostic purposes, and for visualizing the test day in advance. The only problem with the questions is that their answers appear (with discussion, to the credit of the authors) on the same page, making it hard to test yourself without sneaking a peek in advance.
Bruce Parrish and Kirk Hausman--under the supervision of Ed Tittel, who started the Exam Cram series--assume that you have either some relevant experience or a lab environment on which to practice. They point out key features of the environment they're teaching without wasting time on subjects that aren't covered on the exam, making this more of a guided tour of highlights than a comprehensive manual. They also assume that the reader is going for an upgrade, and so note how various aspects of Windows 2003 are different from similar parts of Windows 2000 (it's a "delta book," one that focuses on what's changed since the last version, in other words). When they include a procedure--how to set up a DNS server, for example--their style relies heavily on steps to follow, and usually has an illustration to reassure the reader that the right thing is appearing on-screen. --David Wall
Topics covered: The Microsoft-stated goals of the Managing and Maintaining a Windows Server 2003 Environment for an MCSA Certified on Windows 2000 exam (70-292). These include Active Directory and its administration, network services like DNS and DHCP, security and access control, and administrative procedures such as backups.
About the Author
Kirk Hausman (MCSE+I, MCSD, MCDBA, MCSA, MCT, CCNA, CIW-A, A+, Network+, I-Net+, Security+) has been an IT professional for more than 25 years in the roles of consultant, trainer, programmer, security administrator, database administrator, IT manager, and network administrator. He is currently working as an Information Technology Manager and Lead Security Analyst for Texas A&M University, where he provides network architecture planning and support.
Mr. Hausman's studies include security, computer science, electronics technology, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and philosophy, as well as consulting in the IT field. His hobbies include designs in high-speed transportation, submersible propulsion, cosmology, interactive telepresence, technology in education, and virtual reality for use by those with disabling conditions.
One of his current projects includes the development of a shared interactive telepresence system that is designed to enable remote experience of widely varying environments by students, regardless of geographic location or disabling conditions. He is also working on implementing a zoological wireless telepresence system that is capable of allowing remote observation of animals in both natural and human-created environments, along with many other ongoing projects. Kirk can be reached at kkhausman@hotmail.com.
Bruce Parrish is an accomplished Computer Instructor and Consultant with 20 years computer experience. Bruce is MCSE certified on Windows 2000 and Windows NT 4.0. He also holds MCT, MCSA, MCP, CTT, A+, Server+ and Network+ certifications. Bruce provides networking services and support solutions for small businesses, specializing in Microsoft Small Business Server networks. Additionally, he has authored the Server+ Instructor Training Manual, co-authored Designing Windows 2000 Directory Services Lab Manual, and is a technical editor and reviewer for LANWrights, Inc. and Course Technology.
