Customer Reviews

McSe Training Guide: Internet Information Server 4 (Training guides)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I am not usually a Training Guide fan, prefering instead for the Exam Crams. After failing the exam twice, though, I realized that I wasn't getting the information I needed from the smaller book.

I bought - and feverishly read - this book from cover to cover. I practiced with the simulation software and filled in the blanks in my knowledge. Nervously, I took the exam a third time and an now able to call myself an MCSE + I.

Before starting my review, I need to say that I work full time as a webmaster. We have 4 servers (dev, Intranet & two production)with NT 4.0 with IIS 4.0. This is my daily work, so the test may have seemed a bit too easy to me. Now to the review.

The book is one of the easiest reads I have encountered in my MCSE studies. This is both good and bad. The good side is that it is quite easy to get through the material without falling asleep. The bad side is that it misses some of the material necessary to pass the exam.

One of the most glaring omissions is the limited TCP/IP information. While this will probably not make you failing the test, it is a bit annoying. If you have taken the MS suggested path of taking TCP/IP first, this should not be a problem. Be prepared to write down a subnetting table when you go to the exam; it will help.

There are also some errors and some technicaly "correct" information that may mislead. On page 26, for example, there is a subnetting range table. It is technically correct, from a pure TCP/IP standard, but you have to remember that you must exclude all zeros and all ones from host IDs. The table should have included an n-2 column. Since MS exams rarely ask something right on the border, it will probably not hinder you, but it could hurt in the long run.

The simulation software is a nice start on a program. It would have been nicer if it was 100% correct, and 100% complete. Fortunately, the real test is not concerned with the parts ommitted, and the error is easy to spot (WWW Sim 3, Q 10); the author did not check the subnet mask and it will give you an error if you answer correctly.

Make sure you also study TCP/IP before taking the exam, and you should do fine on the actual MCSE exam.

If you are using this book as your sole source of information, and are familiar with the product, it would be okay. If you are looking for additional information to supplement your MCSE studies, DON'T LOOK HERE. The book is choppy, and does not go into explanation of any detail whatsoever. It left me with more questions than answers and I was sorry I bought it.

This should be listed on the Microsoft site as required reading for anyone preparing for the exam, or just plain using IIS.

The books well well written, and equally paced with the majority of coverage being on topics that MS weighs the highest on the exam.

This book is not written in enough detail to allow anyone to pass this exam, not even with a fair amount of hands on experience in IIS4. Goes way to fast for a beginner and does not give clear or complete examples of the exercises. If you do buy this book expect to spend money on some others you will need.

I used this book exclusively for the test and found it very light on the ISAPI, and SQL details needed to pass the test. Also, found WAY too many errors in the book to be a good study guide. Kept looking for errors instead of studying the material. Found some additional errors that came out on the test. Would not recommend as a complete study guide.

A great introduction book to IIS 4, but weak in content if you want to pass the test. Look else where....

this book helped me alot and was my first reference for the subject. Some of the material was not as in depth as it should have been and there were some aggravating errors in the text. Overall, though, i found the text readable and to the point and certainly worth the money. this book should be your primary source but not your only source to pass the 70-087 exam.

The main reason I bought this book over some of the others was that the CD contained a test engine with simulations and I had heard that this exam incorporated a lot of them. After the purchase, I contacted the author to see if there were more questions and found out that the sims are available as shareware from a website.

Regardless of which book I used, I honestly would not have passed the exam without the aid of the software. Read this as a warning, all ye who are attempting this exam, and download the latest software to properly prepare you.

This book breaks the topics down into digestable topics and covers each of them with just enough information to make what Microsoft had in mind (for the product and the exam) ring through.

I would not/could not pass the exam without this book.