MCSE Training Guide: TCP IP

Of the three study guides I used in preparation for my MCSE exam, I found Dulaney's guide to be the most thorough. Each chapter sets realistic goals and contains written text that is are easy to interpret. The exercises at the beginning and end of each chapter are both challenging and meaningful to taking the exam. The book gives constructive and useful information above and beyond what's needed for the exam; information that I'm able to use in my day-to-day challenges as a Network Engineer.

I am using this book to upgrade my TCP/IP 3.5 to TCP/IP 4.0. I am already a CNE, NCIP, and MCSE. I'm working towards my MCSE+I. This book is a first print (or close to) of a TECHNICAL book. It will have errors! On New Riders' web site, they have a page with corrections which you can print out. I used these corrections as I went through the book. The CONTENT of this book is great and on target. I give four stars because I know from my past education, experience and my knowledge of what is expected on the exam that is book is key! Minus one star for the errors which DON'T affect the content due to the corrections page, but hopefully will be gone in the next print. MCP Magazine also did ratings on the best TCP/IP study book and THIS BOOK WON!

What most people know about TCP/IP consists of; "You need it to get onto the Internet." That pretty much summed up my knowledge of TCP/IP before reading this book. Unfortunately, others look to me for answers to computer questions, and I was getting tired of saying, "I don't know." I wanted to know more about TCP/IP. How does my request for the Microsoft home page get all the way across the country to the Microsoft Web Server? How does the response get back to my computer? What is DNS (Domain Name Service)? How does it work? What changes microsoft into an IP address? What is DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol?) How does it work? What do the numbers 131.96.156.93 and 255.255.255.0 really mean? How can I tap into and use this information? But, even thinking about things like subnetting, and routing made me panic. I had only the vaguest idea what those things were. I had no clue how they were done. That was before reading this book. The authors were obviously writing for people like me. The concepts are explained in a very easy to read manner. Analogies and examples are used throughout the book to clarify the concepts that are covered. The book has a number of practical exercises to reinforce the lesson material. While the writers all have extensive technical backgrounds, the book is both interesting and easy to read even for the non-technical. After reading this book, subnetting and the different classes of IP addresses became understandable. Initially I purchased this book to prepare for the Microsoft Certified System Engineer (MCSE) exam number 70-059 (the TCP/IP exam). After reading the book, I would recommend it for use as a reference text for those who want to learn about TCP/IP, even if they do not want to take the certification exam. I know my copy will remain within reach on my bookshelf.