McSa / MCSE: Windows Server 2003 Environment Management and Maintenance Study Guide: Exam 70-290

Sybex technical manuals were recommended to me from an highly experienced instructor. I have to agree, the manual is very comprehensive. Not only does it include the book, but also, review questions, practice test, flash cards. It is also included entirely on a cd so you can read/study on your pc/laptop. I'm very pleased.

Well, how can I complain? I passed the exam! Yeehaw.This book helped a lot, since I was not really sure what Microsoft was going to test on, and the study guide was a good guide for that.I saw a lot on remote access, system recovery, and, of course, user accounts. I repeated every question in the book and on the CD twice, which helped a lot, and I worked on the Server 2003 beta that I got from Microsoft.

Okay you just finished up with the MCSE 200 track and look what Micorosoft does, they release Sever2003 and now you have to re-certify. As luck would have Sybex has released a the 70-290 study guide and you have a great study tool at your disposal.Having had a limited exposure to Server 2003, I found that this book takes you through the software and allows you see what has changed and what has remained the same. One thing that could be added to the next release is a evaluation version of server 2003. I have found that working with the real thing is an added study tool.The book seems easy to follow and it has pleanty of exercies for you to work with. If you have the software to work with you are all set. If you don't, fear not, as Sybex has included a 2003 OS simulator. The software simulator, I found to be a very nice addition to the book as it gives you a feel for the real thing.There wer a couple of new things I was able to pick up, one is the Shadow copies and the other was the information about Terminal Services. The book is laced with excellent review question, as is the CD. The cd includes flashcards, but both seem to handle the exam objectives without missing anything.Overall I think this book should be a real value for the new exam.

Sybex has always had a good reputation for MCSE books. Over the course of my career I have needed to update my MCSE certs regularly and have more or less relied on them. This book pretty much follows the pattern of the others: Explanations, screen shots, lab exercises, practice questions. I worked through the book, played around a bit with the more obscure parts of the operating system that I usually don't see, and passed the test. I'd recommend a lot more studying, though, if you don't use Windows 2000 or Server 2003 in your daily work. In short, solid book, covers all of the bases, clear explanations.

I just received my copy, and I have to say I was pleasantly impressed. I've decided to try and get my MCSE in 2003 now instead of later. The problem is, there is nothing out on the exam yet, except for this one. I was a bit nervous since other first out titles typically stink. Not this one. Sybex's reputation of putting out quality titles was only reinforced with this titles. It appears to cover all the important topics, and has a huge number of Exercises that surely will help reinforce what I've learned. So far, so good.