Additional Resources

A good source of information about Microsoft Certification Exams comes from Microsoft itself. Because its products and technologies ”and the exams that go with them ”change frequently, the best place to go for exam- related information is online.

If you haven't already visited the Microsoft Training and Certification Web site, you should do so right now. Microsoft's Training and Certification home page resides at www.microsoft.com/traincert (see Figure 1.9).

Figure 1.9. The Microsoft Training and Certification home page.

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Coping with Change on the Web

Sooner or later, all the information we've shared with you about the Microsoft Certified Professional pages and the other Web-based resources mentioned throughout the rest of this book will go stale or be replaced by newer information. In some cases, the URLs you find here may lead you to their replacements ; in other cases, the URLs will go nowhere, leaving you with the dreaded "404 File not found" error message. When that happens, don't give up.

There's always a way to find what you want on the Web if you're willing to invest some time and energy. Most large or complex Web sites ”and Microsoft's qualifies on both counts ”offer search engines. On all of Microsoft's Web pages, a Search button appears at the top edge of the page. As long as you can get to Microsoft's site (it should stay at www.microsoft.com for a long time), you can use the Search button to find what you need.

The more focused you can make a search request, the more likely it is that the results will include information you can use. For example, you can search for this string to produce a lot of data about the subject in general:

"training and certification"

However, if you're looking for the preparation guide for Exam 70-291, "Implementing, Managing, and Maintaining a Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure," you'll be more likely to get there quickly if you use a search string similar to the following:

"Exam 70-291" AND "preparation guide"

Likewise, if you want to find the Training and Certification downloads, you should try a search string such as this:

"training and certification" AND "download page"

Finally, you should feel free to use general search tools ”such as www.google.com, www. altavista .com, and www.excite.com ”to look for related information. Although Microsoft offers great information about its certification exams online, there are plenty of third-party sources of information and assistance that need not follow Microsoft's party line. Therefore, if you can't find something where the book says it lives, you should intensify your search.

Chapter 2. Managing IP Addressing

Terms you'll need to understand:

Dynamic Host Control Protocol (DHCP)
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)
Scope
DHCP database
Lease
DHCP clients

Techniques you'll need to master:

Configuring TCP/IP on a server computer
Managing a DHCP server
Managing DHCP clients
Managing the DHCP database
Configuring and managing DHCP scope options
Troubleshooting TCP/IP

One of the requirements of Active Directory is the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol ( TCP / IP ) suite. For computers on a TCP/IP network to communicate, each computer must be assigned a unique IP address. In some cases, it might make sense to configure each workstation with a static IP address or to use automatic private IP addressing. However, statically configuring IP addresses can add a lot of administrative overhead. Not only can it become time consuming, but it also increases the possibility of a workstation being configured with incorrect parameters. Imagine having to visit 10,000 workstations and type in 10,000 IP addresses without making a single error. The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol ( DHCP ) service can be implemented to centralize the administration and assignment of IP addresses. DHCP automates and centralizes many of the tasks associated with IP addressing.

This chapter discusses how to configure TCP/IP on a server computer and how to implement a DHCP server, including the installation process, the authorization of the server, and the configuration of DHCP scopes. This chapter also looks at some of the management tasks associated with running DHCP.