MCSE Networking Essentials Exam Cram, 1st edition
Authors: Ed Tittel, James Michael Stewart, Kurt Hudson
Venue:  (1997)

From the Book: Introduction Introduction Welcome to MCSE Networking Essentials Exam Cram! This book aims to help you get ready to takeand passthe Microsoft certification test numbered "Exam 70-058," entitled "Networking Essentials." This introduction explains Microsofts certification programs in general and talks about how the Exam Cram series can help you prepare for Microsofts certification exams. Exam Cram books help you understand and appreciate the subjects and materials you need to pass Microsoft certification exams. Exam Cram books are aimed strictly at test preparation and review. They do not teach you everything you need to know about a topic. Instead, we (the authors) present and dissect the questions and problems that weve found that youre likely to encounter on a test. Weve worked from Microsofts own training materials, preparation guides, and tests, and from a battery of third-party test preparation tools. Our aim is to bring together as much information as possible about Microsoft certification exams. Nevertheless, to completely prepare yourself for any Microsoft test, we recommend that you begin your studies with some classroom training, or that your pick up and read one of the many study guides available from Microsoft and third-party vendors. We also strongly recommend that you install, configure, and fool around with the software or environment that youll be tested on, because nothing beats hands-on experience and familiarity when it comes to understanding the questions youre likely to encounter on a certification test. Book learning is essential, but hands-on experience is the best teacher of all! The Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) Program The MCP Program currently includes four separate tracks, each of which boasts its own special acronym (as a would-be certificant, you need to have a high tolerance for alphabet soup of all kinds):  MCPS (Microsoft Certified Product Specialist) This is the least prestigious of all the certification tracks from Microsoft. Attaining MCPS status requires an individual to pass at least one core operating system exam. Passing any of the major Microsoft operating system examsincluding those for Windows 95, Windows NT Workstation, or Windows NT Serverqualifies an individual for MCPS credentials. Individuals can demonstrate proficiency with additional Microsoft products by passing additional certification exams.  MCSD (Microsoft Certified Solution Developer) This track is aimed primarily at developers. This credential indicates that individuals who pass it are able to design and implement custom business solutions around particular Microsoft development tools, technologies, and operating systems. To obtain an MCSD, an individual must demonstrate the ability to analyze and interpret user requirements; select and integrate products, platforms, tools, and technologies; design and implement code and customize applications; and perform necessary software tests and quality assurance operations. To become an MCSD, an individual must pass a total of four exams: two core exams plus two elective exams. The two core exams are the Microsoft Windows Operating Systems And Services Architecture I and II (WOSSA I and WOSSA II, numbered 70-150 and 70-151). Elective exams cover specific Microsoft applications and languages, including Visual Basic, C++, the Microsoft Foundation Classes, Access, SQL Server, Excel, and more.  MCT (Microsoft Certified Trainer) Microsoft Certified Trainers are individuals who are deemed capable of delivering elements of the official Microsoft training curriculum, based on technical knowledge and instructional ability. Thus, it is necessary for an individual seeking MCT credentials (which are granted on a course-by-course basis) to pass the related certification exam for a course and successfully complete the official Microsoft training in the subject area, as well as demonstrate an ability to teach. This latter criterion may be satisfied by proving that one has already attained training certification from Novell, Banyan, Lotus, the Santa Cruz Operation, or Cisco, or by taking a Microsoft-sanctioned work- shop on instruction. Microsoft makes it clear that MCTs are an important cog in the Microsoft training channels. Instructors must be MCTs to teach in any of Microsofts official training channels, in- cluding its affiliated Authorized Technical Education Centers (ATECs), Authorized Academic Training Programs (AATPs), and the Microsoft Online Institute (MOLI).  MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer) Anyone who pos- sesses a current MCSE is warranted to possess a high level of expertise with Windows NT (either version 3.51 or 4) and other Microsoft operating systems and products. This credential is designed to prepare individuals to plan, implement, maintain, and support information systems and networks built around Microsoft Windows NT and its BackOffice family of products. To obtain an MCSE, an individual must pass four core operating sys- tem exams plus two elective exams. The operating system exams require individuals to demonstrate competence with desktop and server operating systems and with networking components. At least two Windows NT-related exams must be passed to obtain an MCSE: Implementing and Supporting Windows NT Server (version 3.51 or 4) and Implementing and Supporting Windows NT Server (version 3.51 or 4) in the Enterprise. These tests are intended to indi- cate an individuals knowledge of Windows NT in smaller, simpler networks and in larger, more complex, and heterogeneous networks, respectively. Two more tests must be passed. These tests are networking and desk- top operating system related. At present, the networking requirement can only be satisfied by passing the Networking Essentials test. The desktop operating system test can be satisfied by passing a Windows 3.1, Windows For Workgroups 3.11, Windows NT Workstation (the ver- sion must match whichever core curriculum is pursued), or Win- dows 95 test. The two remaining exams are elective exams. The elective exams can be in any number of subject or product areas, primarily BackOffice components. These include tests on SQL Server, SNA Server, Ex- change, Systems Management Server, and the like. But it is also possible to test out on electives by taking advanced networking topics like Internetworking with Microsoft TCP/IP (here again, the version of Windows NT involved must match the version for the core requirements taken). Whatever mix of tests is completed toward MCSE certification, indi- viduals must pass six tests to meet the MCSE requirements. Its not uncommon for the entire process to take a year or so, and many indi- viduals find that they must take a test more than once to pass. Our primary goal with the Exam Cram series is to make it possible, given proper study and preparation, to pass all of the MCSE tests on the first try. Finally, certification is an ongoing activity. Once a Microsoft product becomes obsolete, MCSEs (and other MCPs) typically have a 12 to 18 month time frame in which they can become recertified on current product versions (if individuals do not get recertified within the speci- fied time period, their certification is no longer valid). Because tech- nology keeps changing and new products continually supplant old ones, this should come as no surprise. The best place to keep tabs on the MCP Program and its various certifications is on the Microsoft Web site. The current root URL for the MCP program is titled "Certification Online" at www.microsoft.com/Train_Cert/mcp/default.htm. Microsofts Web site changes frequently, so if this URL doesnt work, try using the Search tool on Microsofts site with either "MCP" or the quoted phrase "Microsoft Certified Professional Program" as the search string. This will help you find the latest and most accurate information about the companys certification programs. You can also obtain a special CD that contains a copy of the Microsoft Education And Certification Roadmap. The Roadmap covers much of the same information as the Web site, and it is updated quarterly. To obtain your copy of the CD, call Microsoft at 1-800-636-7544, Monday through Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Pacific Time. Taking A Certification Exam Alas, testing is not free. Youll be charged $100 for each test you take, whether you pass or fail. In the United States and Canada, tests are administered by Sylvan Prometric. Sylvan Prometric can be reached at 1-800-755-3926 or 1-800-755-EXAM, any time from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (Central Time), Monday through Friday. If this number doesnt work, try 1-612-896-7000 or 1-612-820-5707. To schedule an exam, call at least one day in advance. To cancel or reschedule an exam, you must call at least 12 hours before the scheduled test time (or you may be charged regardless). When calling Sylvan Prometric, please have the following information ready for the telesales staffer who handles your call:  Your name, organization, and mailing address.  Your Microsoft Test ID. (For most U.S. citizens, this is your social security number. Citizens of other nations can use their taxpayer IDs or make other arrangements with the order taker.)  The name and number of the exam you wish to take. (For this book, the exam number is 70-058, and the exam name is "Networking Essentials.")  A method of payment must be arranged. (The most convenient approach is to supply a valid credit card number with sufficient avail- able credit. Otherwise, payments by check, money order, or purchase order must be received before a test can be scheduled. If the latter methods are required, ask your order taker for more details.) When you show up to take a test, try to arrive at least 15 minutes before the scheduled time slot. You must bring and supply two forms of identification, one of which one must be a photo ID. All exams are completely closed-book. In fact, you will not be permitted to take anything with you into the testing area, but you will be furnished with a blank sheet of paper and a pen. We suggest that you immediately write down the most critical information about the test youre taking on the sheet of paper. Exam Cram books provide a brief referenceThe Cram Sheet, located inside the front coverthat lists the essential information from the book in distilled form. You will have some time to compose yourself, to record this information, and even to take a sample orientation exam before you must begin the real thing. We suggest you take the orientation test before taking your first exam; because theyre all more or less identical in layout, behavior, and controls, you probably wont need to do this more than once. When you complete a Microsoft certification exam, the software will tell you whether youve passed or failed. All tests are scored on a basis of 1,000 points, and results are broken into several topical areas. Even if you fail, we suggest you ask forand keepthe detailed, printed report from the test administrator. You can use the report to help you prepare for another go-round, if needed. If you need to retake an exam, youll have to call Sylvan Prometric, schedule a new test date, and pay another $100. Tracking MCP Status As soon as you pass any Microsoft operating system exam, youll attain Product Specialist (MCPS) status. Microsoft also generates transcripts that indicate the exams you have passed and your corresponding test scores. You can order a transcript by email at any time by sending an email addressed to mcp@msprograms.com. You can also obtain a copy of your transcript by downloading the latest version of the MCT Guide from the Web site and consulting the section entitled "Key Contacts" for a list of telephone numbers and related contacts. Once you pass the necessary set of six exams, youll be certified as an MCSE. Official certification normally takes anywhere from four to six weeks, so dont expect to get your credentials overnight. When the package arrives, it will include a Welcome Kit that contains a number of elements, including:  An MCSE certificate, suitable for framing, along with an MCSE Professional Program membership card and lapel pin.  A license to use the MCP logo, thereby allowing you to use the logo in advertisements, promotions, and documents, and on letterhead, business cards, and so on. Along with the license comes an MCP logo sheet, which includes camera-ready artwork. (Note: before using any of the artwork, individuals must sign and return a licensing agreement that indicates theyll abide by its terms and conditions.)  A one-year subscription to TechNet, a collection of CDs that includes software, documentation, service packs, databases, and more technical information than you can possibly ever read. In our minds, this is the best and most tangible benefit of attaining MCSE status.  A subscription to Microsoft Certified Professional magazine, which pro- vides ongoing data about testing and certification activities, require- ments, and changes to the program.  A one-year subscription to the Microsoft Beta Evaluation program. This subscription will get you all beta products from Microsoft for the next year. (This does not include developer products. You must join the MSDN program or become an MCSD to qualify for developer beta products.) Many people believe that the benefits of MCSE certification go well beyond the perks that Microsoft provides to newly anointed members of this elite group. Were starting to see more job listings that request or require applicants to have an MCSE, and many individuals who complete the program can qualify for increases in pay or responsibility. As an official recognition of hard work and broad knowledge, MCSE certification is indeed a badge of honor in many IT organizations. How To Prepare For An Exam At a minimum, preparing for the Networking Essentials test requires that you obtain and study the following materials:  The Networking Essentials box set, published by Microsoft Press, Redmond, WA, 1996. ISBN: 1-55615-806-8. Even though it costs a whopping $99.95 (list price), its worth every pennynot just for the documentation, but also for the utilities and other software included on the accompanying CD-ROM.  The exam prep materials, practice tests, and self-assessment exams on the Microsoft Training And Certification Download page (www.microsoft.com/Train_Cert/download/downld.htm). Find the materials, download them, and use them!  This Exam Cram book! Its the first and last thing you should read before taking the exam. In addition, youll probably find any or all of the following materials useful in your quest for Networking Essentials expertise:  Study Guides I recommend Exam Preps from The Coriolis Groups Certification Insider Press. These comprehensive study guides feature highly interactive, real-world exercises and projects to reinforce important topical discussions. The companion CD-ROM includes two complete interactive practice exams. Watch for new titles coming soon!  Classroom Training ATECs, AATPs, MOLI, and unlicensed third- party training companies (like Wave Technologies, American Research Group, Learning Tree, Data-Tech, and others) all offer classroom training on Networking Essentials. These companies aim to help prepare network administrators to understand Networking Essentials concepts and pass the MCSE tests. Although such training runs upwards of $350 per day in class, most of the individuals lucky enough to partake (including your humble authors, whove even taught such courses) find them to be quite worthwhile.  Other Publications Youll find direct references to other publications and resources in this book, but theres no shortage of materials avail- able about Networking Essentials. To help you sift through some of the publications out there, we end each chapter with a "Need To Know More?" section that provides pointers to more complete and exhaustive resources covering the chapters information. This should give you an idea of where we think you should look for further discussion.  The TechNet CD TechNet is a monthly CD subscription available from Microsoft. TechNet includes all the Windows NT BackOffice Resource Kits and their product documentation. In addition, TechNet provides the contents of the Microsoft Knowledge Base and many kinds of software, white papers, training materials, and other good stuff. TechNet also contains all service packs, interim release patches, and supplemental driver software released since the last major version for most Microsoft programs and all Microsoft operating systems. A one-year subscription costs $299worth every penny, even if only for the download time it saves. By far, this set of required and recommend materials represents a nonpareil collection of sources and resources for Networking Essentials topics and software. We anticipate that youll find this book belongs in this company. In the section that follows, we explain how this book works, and we give you some good reasons why this book counts as a member of the required and recommended materials list. About This Book Each topical Exam Cram chapter follows a regular structure, along with graphical cues about especially important or useful material. Heres the structure of a typical chapter:  Opening Hotlists Each chapter begins with lists of the terms, tools, and techniques that you must learn and understand before you can be fully conversant with the chapters subject matter. We follow the hotlists with one or two introductory paragraphs to set the stage for the rest of the chapter.  Topical Coverage After the opening hotlists, each chapter covers a series of at least four topics related to the chapters subject title. Throughout this section, we highlight material most likely to appear on a test using a special Exam Alert layout, like this: This is what an Exam Alert looks like. Normally, an Exam Alert stresses concepts, terms, software, or activities that will most probably appear in one or more certification test questions. For that reason, we think any information found offset in Exam Alert format is worthy of unusual attentiveness on your part. Indeed, most of the facts appearing in The Cram Sheet (inside the front cover of this book) appear as Exam Alerts within the text. Occasionally, youll see tables called "Vital Statistics." The contents of vital statistics tables are worthy of an extra once-over. These tables contain informational tidbits that might well show up in a test question. Even if material isnt flagged as an Exam Alert or included in a vital statistics table, all the contents of this book are at least tangential to something test-related. To focus on quick test preparation, this book is lean; youll find that what appears in the meat of each chapter is critical knowledge. We have also provided tips that will help build a better foundation of networking knowledge. Although the information may not be on the exam, it is highly relevant and will help you become a better test taker. This is how tips are formatted. Keep your eyes open for these, and youll become a test guru in no time!  Exam Prep Questions This section presents a series of mock test questions and explanations of both correct and incorrect answers. We also try to point out especially tricky questions by using a special icon, like this: Ordinarily, this icon flags the presence of an especially devious ques- tion, if not an outright trick question. Trick questions are calculated to "trap" you if you dont read them more than once, and carefully, at that. Although theyre not ubiquitous, such questions make regular appearances in the Microsoft exams. Thats why we say exam questions are as much about reading comprehension as they are about knowing Networking Essentials material inside out and backwards.  Details And Resources Every chapter ends with a section titled "Need To Know More?". This section provides direct pointers to Microsoft and third-party resources that offer further details on the chapters subject. In addition, this section tries to rate the quality and thoroughness of the topics coverage by each resource. If you find a resource you like in this collection, use it, but dont feel compelled to use all the resources. On the other hand, we only recommend resources we use on a regular basis, so none of our recommendations will be a waste of your time or money. The bulk of the book follows this chapter structure slavishly. But, there are a few other elements that wed like to point out. There are two appendixes: the answer key to the sample test that appears in Chapter 12, and a reasonably exhaustive glossary of Networking Essentials and Microsoft terminology. Finally, look for The Cram Sheet, which appears inside the front cover of this Exam Cram book. It is a very valuable tool that represents a condensed and compiled collection of facts, figures, and tips that we think you should memorize before taking the test. Because you can dump this information out of your head onto a piece of paper before answering any exam questions, you can master this information by brute forceyou only need to remember it long enough to write it down when you walk into the test room. You might even want to look at it in the car or in the lobby of the testing center just before you walk in to take the test. How To Use This Book If youre prepping for a first-time test, weve structured the topics in this book to build on one another. Therefore, some topics in later chapters make more sense after youve read earlier chapters. Thats why we suggest you read this book from front to back for your initial test preparation. If you need to brush up on a topic or you have to bone up for a second try, use the index or table of contents to go straight to the topics and questions that you need to study. Beyond the tests, we think youll find this book useful as a tightly focused reference to some of the most important aspects of networking. Given all the books elements and its specialized focus, weve tried to create a tool that you can use to prepare forand passMicrosoft Certification Exam 70-058, "Networking Essentials." Please share your feedback on the book with us, especially if you have ideas about how we can improve it for future test-takers. Well consider everything you say carefully, and well respond to all suggestions. You can reach us via email at etittel@lanw.com (Ed Tittel), kurt@hudlogic.com (Kurt Hudson), and michael@lanw.com (James Michael Stewart). Please remember to include the title of the book in your message; otherwise, well be forced to guess which book youre making a suggestion about. And we dont like to guesswe want to KNOW! Thanks, and enjoy the book! For up-to-date information on certification, discussion forums, sample tests, content updates, and more, visit the Certification Insider Press Web site at www.examcram.com and the authors Web site at www.lanw.com/examcram.