MCSE Training Guide: Windows 2000 Directory Services Design is designed for advanced users, technicians, or system administrators with the goal of certification as a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE). It covers the Designing a Microsoft Windows 2000 Directory Services Infrastructure exam (70–219). This exam measures your ability to analyze business requirements and design a directory service architecture. In addition, the test measures the skills required to analyze the business requirements for desktop management and design a solution for desktop management that meets business requirements.
This book is your one-stop shop. Everything you need to know to pass the exam is in here, and Microsoft has approved it as study material. You do not have to take a class in addition to buying this book to pass the exam. However, depending on your personal study habits or learning style, you may benefit from buying this book and taking a class.
Microsoft assumes that the typical candidate for this exam will have a minimum of one year's experience implementing and administering network operating systems in medium to very large network environments.
This book takes you on a self-guided tour of all the areas covered by the Designing a Microsoft Windows 2000 Directory Services Infrastructure exam and teaches you the specific skills you'll need in order to achieve your MCSE certification. You'll also find helpful hints, tips, real-world examples, and exercises, as well as references to additional study materials. Specifically, this book is set up to help you in the following ways:
Organization. . The book is organized by individual exam objectives. Every objective you need to know for the Designing a Microsoft Windows 2000 Directory Services Infrastructure exam is covered in this book. We have attempted to present the objectives in an order that is as close as possible to that listed by Microsoft. However, we have not hesitated to reorganize them where needed to make the material as easy as possible for you to learn. We have also attempted to make the information accessible in the following ways:
The full list of exam topics and objectives is included in this introduction.
Each chapter begins with a list of the objectives to be covered.
Each chapter also presents an outline that provides you with an overview of the material and the page numbers where particular topics can be found.
The objectives are repeated where the material most directly relevant to it is covered (unless the whole chapter addresses a single objective).
The CD-ROM included with this book contains, in PDF format, a complete listing of the test objectives and where they are covered within the book.
Instructional features. . This book has been designed to provide you with multiple ways to learn and reinforce the exam material. Following are some of the helpful methods:
Case studies. . Given the case study basis of the exam, we designed this Training Guide around them. Case studies appear in many chapters and also serve as the basis for exam questions.
Objective explanations. . As mentioned previously, each chapter begins with a list of the objectives covered in the chapter. In addition, immediately following each objective is an explanation in a context that defines it more meaningfully.
Study strategies. . The beginning of the chapter also includes strategies for approaching the study and retention of the material in the chapter, particularly as it is addressed on the exam.
Exam tips. . Exam tips appear in the margins to provide specific exam-related advice. Such tips may address what material is covered (or not covered) on the exam, how it is covered, mnemonic devices, or particular quirks of that exam.
Review breaks and summaries. . Crucial information is summarized at various points in the book in lists or tables. Each chapter ends with a summary as well.
Key terms. . A list of key terms appears at the end of each chapter.
Notes. . These appear in the margins and contain various kinds of useful information such as tips on technology or administrative practices, historical background on terms and technologies, or side commentary on industry issues.
Warnings. . When using sophisticated information technology, there is always the potential for mistakes or even catastrophes that occur because of improper application of the technology. Warnings appear in the margins to alert you to such potential problems.
In the Fields. . These more extensive discussions cover material that may not be directly relevant to the exam but which is useful as reference material or in everyday practice. In the Fields may also provide useful background or contextual information necessary for understanding the larger topic under consideration.
Exercises. . Found at the ends of the chapters in the "Apply Your Knowledge" sections, exercises are performance-based opportunities for you to learn and assess your knowledge.
Extensive practice test options. . The book provides numerous opportunities for you to assess your knowledge and practice for the exam. The practice options include the following:
Review questions. . These open-ended questions appear in the "Apply Your Knowledge" sections at the end of each chapter. They allow you to quickly assess your comprehension of what you just read in the chapter. Answers to the questions are provided later in a separate section titled "Answers to Review Questions."
Exam questions. . These questions also appear in the "Apply Your Knowledge" section. Use them to help you determine what you know and what you need to review or study further. Answers and explanations for them are provided in a separate section titled "Answers to Exam Questions."
Practice exam. . A practice exam is included in the "Final Review" section. The "Final Review" section and the practice exam are discussed later in this list.
ExamGear. . The special Training Guide version of the ExamGear software included on the CD-ROM provides further opportunities for you to assess how well you understood the material in this book.
Note
For a description of the New Riders ExamGear, Training Guide software, please see Appendix D, "Using ExamGear, Training Guide Version."
Final Review. . This part of the book provides you with three valuable tools for preparing for the exam.
Fast facts. . This condensed version of the information contained in the book will prove extremely useful for last-minute review.
Study and exam tips. . Read this section early on to help you develop study strategies. It also provides you with valuable exam-day tips and information on exam/question formats such as adaptive tests and case study-based questions.
Practice exam. . An practice exam is included. Questions are written in styles similar to those used on the actual exam. Use it to assess your understanding of the material in the book.
The book includes several other features, such as the section titled "Suggested Readings and Resources" at the end of each chapter that directs you toward further information that could aid you in your exam preparation or your actual work. There are valuable appendices as well, including a glossary (Appendix A), an overview of the Microsoft certification program (Appendix B), and a description of what is on the CD-ROM (Appendix C)
For more information about the exam or the certification process, contact Microsoft:
Microsoft Education: 800-636-7544
World Wide Web: http://www.microsoft.com/train_cert
CompuServe Forum: GO MSEDCERT
The Designing a Microsoft Windows 2000 Directory Services Infrastructure Exam (70–219) covers the Windows 2000 networking topics represented by the conceptual groupings or units of the test objectives. The objectives reflect job skills in the following areas:
Analyzing Business Requirements
Analyzing Technical Requirements
Designing a Directory Service Architecture
Designing Service Locations
Before taking the exam, you should be proficient in the job skills represented by the following units, objectives, and subobjectives:
Analyze the existing and planned business models.
Analyze the company model and the geographical scope. Models include regional, national, international, subsidiary, and branch offices.
Analyze company processes. Processes include information flow, communication flow, service and product life cycles, and decision-making.
Analyze the existing and planned organizational structures. Considerations include management model; company organization; vendor, partner, and customer relationships; and acquisition plans.
Analyze factors that influence company strategies.
Identify company priorities.
Identify the projected growth and growth strategy.
Identify relevant laws and regulations.
Identify the company's tolerance for risk.
Identify the total cost of operations.
Analyze the structure of IT management. Considerations include type of administration, such as centralized or decentralized; funding model; outsourcing; decision-making process; and change-management process.
Evaluate the company's existing and planned technical environment.
Analyze company size and user and.resource distribution.
Assess the available connectivity between the geographic location of worksites and remote sites.
Assess the net available bandwidth.
Analyze performance requirements.
Analyze data and system access patterns.
Analyze network roles and responsibilities.
Analyze security considerations.
Analyze the impact of Active Directory on the existing and planned technical environment.
Assess existing systems and applications.
Identify existing and planned upgrades and rollouts.
Analyze technical support structure.
Analyze existing and planned network and systems management.
Analyze the business requirements for client computer desktop management.
Analyze end-user work needs.
Identify technical support needs for end-users.
Establish the required client computer environment.
Design an Active Directory forest and domain structure.
Design a forest and schema structure.
Design a domain structure.
Analyze and optimize trust relationships.
Design an Active Directory naming strategy.
Establish the scope of the Active Directory.
Design the namespace.
Plan DNS strategy.
Design and plan the structure of organizational units (OU). Considerations include administration control, existing resource domains, administrative policy, and geographic and company structure.
Develop an OU delegation plan.
Plan Group Policy object management.
Plan policy management for client computers.
Plan for the coexistence of Active Directory and other directory services.
Design an Active Directory site topology.
Design a replication strategy.
Define site boundaries.
Design a schema modification policy.
Design an Active Directory implementation plan.
Design the placement of operations masters.
Considerations include performance, fault tolerance, functionality, and manageability.
Design the placement of global catalog servers.
Considerations include performance, fault tolerance, functionality, and manageability.
Design the placement of domain controllers.
Considerations include performance, fault tolerance, functionality, and manageability.
Design the placement of DNS servers.
Considerations include performance, fault tolerance, functionality, and manageability.
Plan for interoperability with the existing DNS.
As a self-paced study guide, MCSE Training Guide: Windows 2000 Directory Services Design is meant to help you understand concepts that must be refined through hands-on experience. To make the most of your studying, you need to have as much background on and experience with Windows 2000 Server as possible. The best way to do this is to combine study with work on Windows 2000 Server. This section gives you a description of the minimum computer requirements you need to enjoy a solid practice environment.
Windows 2000 Server and Professional
A server and a workstation computer on the Microsoft Hardware Compatibility List
Pentium 166Mhz (or better) processor
1GB (or larger) hard disk
VGA (or Super VGA) video adapter and monitor
Mouse or equivalent pointing device
CD-ROM drive
Network Interface Card (NIC) or modem connection to Internet
Presence on an existing network, or use of a two-port (or more) miniport hub to create a test network
32MB of RAM (64MB recommended)
It is easier to obtain access to the necessary computer hardware and software in a corporate business environment. It can be difficult, however, to allocate enough time within the busy workday to complete a self-study program. Most of your study time should occur after normal working hours, away from the everyday interruptions and pressures of your regular job.
More extensive tips are found in the Final Review section's "Study and Exam Prep Tips," but keep this advice in mind as you study:
Read all the material. . Microsoft has been known to include material not expressly specified in the objectives. This book has included additional information not reflected in the objectives in an effort to give you the best possible preparation for the examination— and for the real-world experiences to come.
Do the Step by Steps and complete the exercises in each chapter. . They will help you gain experience using the specified methodology or approach. All Microsoft exams are task- and experienced-based and require you to have experience actually performing the tasks upon which you will be tested.
Use the questions to assess your knowledge. . Don't just read the chapter content; use the questions to find out what you know and what you don't. You also need the experience of analyzing case studies. If you are struggling at all, study some more, review, then assess your knowledge again.
Review the exam objectives. . Develop your own questions and examples for each topic listed. If you can develop and answer several questions for each topic, you should not find it difficult to pass the exam.
Remember: The primary object is not to pass the exam—it is to understand the material. After you understand the material, passing the exam should be simple. Knowledge is a pyramid; to build upward, you need a solid foundation. This book and the Microsoft Certified Professional programs are designed to ensure that you have that solid foundation.
Good luck!
Note
Exam-taking advice . Although this book is designed to prepare you to take and pass the Designing a Microsoft Windows 2000 Directory Services Infrastructure certification exam, there are no guarantees. Read this book, work through the questions and exercises, and when you feel confident, take the practice exam and additional exams using the ExamGear, Training Guide Edition test software. This should tell you whether you are ready for the real thing.
When taking the actual certification exam, make sure you answer all the questions before your time limit expires. Do not spend too much time on any one question. If you are un-sure about a question, answer it as best as you can; then mark it for review when you have finished the rest of the questions. Note, however, that this advice will not apply if you are taking an adaptive exam. In that case, take your time on each question. There is no opportunity to go back to a question.
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