The MCSE 2000 program requires four core exams plus a fifth exam that can be chosen from the three optional core Designing exams. This book covers all seven of the Designing exams; the Designing exams you do not use as a core exam can be used as electives. The seven Designing exams covered in this book are described in the sections below.
Windows 2000 Professional is Microsoft’s entry-level version of Windows 2000 and the successor to Windows NT Workstation 4.0. Windows 2000 Professional is designed to work as a standalone workstation or as a network client. It is the same core operating system as Windows 2000 Server, but has a more restrictive license and does not include some of the more advanced features.
MCSE Exam 70-210, Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional, covers basic aspects of Windows 2000 in general and Windows 2000 Professional in particular. Its emphasis is on the use of Windows 2000 Professional as a network client. This exam is covered in Part I of this book.
Microsoft Windows 2000 Server is one of four Windows 2000 operating systems: Windows 2000 Professional, Windows 2000 Server, and two upscale server versions, Windows 2000 Advanced Server and Datacenter Server.
Microsoft’s Exam 70-215, Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft Windows 2000 Server, will measure your ability to administer Windows 2000 Server primarily as a member server in an Active Directory environment. You will also need to be familiar with using Windows 2000 Server as a file, application, print, and web server.
Windows 2000 simplifies the management of network resources across multiple domains with the introduction of Active Directory. Active Directory creates a hierarchical structure for every resource in the enterprise. Administration of user accounts, files, and printers from all your domains can be easily managed from a single, all-encompassing directory of network resources.
MCSE Exam 70-217, Implementing and Administering a Microsoft Windows 2000 Directory Services Infrastructure, will test your knowledge of how to install, configure, and secure an Active Directory environment. This exam is covered in Part III of this book.
Windows 2000 includes a wide variety of networking features, some of which are not available in previous versions of Windows NT. MCSE Exam 70-216, Implementing and Administering a Microsoft Windows 2000 Network Infrastructure, focuses on the protocols and services used in Windows 2000 networks. This exam is covered in Part IV of this book.
Microsoft has added the Designing series of exams as a judge of real-world skills in designing, planning, and implementing networks. Exam 70-217, Implementing and Administering a Microsoft Windows 2000 Directory Services Infrastructure, covers the design and implementation of Active Directory in Windows 2000 networks. This exam can be used as a fifth core exam or as an elective and is covered in Part V of this book.
If you are a network administrator or consultant, your job can involve planning, analyzing, and designing networks as much as implementing them. This may include choosing protocols and services to use, designing addressing and Internet access schemes, and providing other services, such as remote access.
MCSE Exam 70-221, Designing a Microsoft Windows 2000 Network Infrastructure, deals with the high-level design and planning of network protocols and services. This exam can be used as an optional core exam or as an elective and is covered in Part VI of this book.
A network administrator or consultant’s job can often involve planning, analyzing, and designing networks. Security should be a major consideration in any network design.
MCSE Exam 70-220, Designing Security for a Microsoft Windows 2000 Network, deals with the design and planning of network security services and protocols. This exam can be used as an optional core exam or as an elective; it is covered in Part VII of this book.