The Path to MCSA and MCSE | MCSE/MCSA Implementing and Administering Security in a Windows 2000 Network: Study Guide and DVD Training System (Exam 70-214)

Security is an extremely important part of administering and designing a Windows 2000 network, and thus this exam can be used as an elective exam for both the MCSE and MCSA certifications.

The MCSA Track

The MCSA track requires a total of four MCP exams or three MCP exams and a combination of two CompTIA exams, as outlined here.

One client operating system exam is required from the following choices:

Exam 70-210 (Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional) or Exam 70-270 (Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft Windows XP Professional)

Two core networking exams are required from the following choices:

Exam 70-215 (Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft Windows 2000 Server) or Exam 70-275 (Installing, Configuring and Administering Microsoft Windows .NET Server)
Exam 70-218 (Managing a Microsoft Windows 2000 Network Environment) or Exam 70-278 (Managing a Microsoft Windows .NET Server Network Environment)

One elective exam is required from the following choices:

Exam 70-214 (Implementing and Administering Security in a Microsoft Windows 2000 Network)
Exam 70-028 (Administering Microsoft SQL Server 7.0) or Exam 70-228 (Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition)
Exam 70-086 (Implementing and Supporting Microsoft Systems Management Server 2.0)
Exam 70-216 (Implementing and Administering a Microsoft Windows 2000 Network Infrastructure)
Exam 70-224 (Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server)
Exam 70-227 (Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration [ISA] Server 2000, Enterprise Edition)
Exam 70-244 (Supporting and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Network)

Alternatively, you can substitute one of the following combinations of CompTIA exams for the required elective exam: A+ and Network+ or A+ and Server+. For help in getting your CompTIA certifications put toward your MCSA certification, see the CompTIA Web site at www.comptia.org/certification/mcsa. You can always get the latest news on the MCSA certification track from the Microsoft MCSA Web site, located at www.microsoft.com/traincert/mcp/mcsa/default.asp.

Once you have met all the requirements to achieve MCSA certification, you will usually receive e-mail confirmation of your new MCSA status from Microsoft about 72 hours after successfully completing your last requirements. You can also expect to receive your MCSA welcome kit from Microsoft, confirming your MCSA status, in about six to eight weeks in North America, sometimes longer than that outside North America.

The MCSE Track

The MCSE certification is a premier certification and thus requires a total of seven MCP exams to achieve certification, as outlined here.

One client operating system exam is required from the following choices:

Exam 70-210 (Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional) or Exam 70-270 (Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft Windows XP Professional)

Three system networking exams are required from the following choices:

Exam 70-215 (Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft Windows 2000 Server) or Exam 70-275 (Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft .NET Server)
Exam 70-216 (Implementing and Administering a Microsoft Windows 2000 Network Infrastructure) or Exam 70-276 (Implementing and Administering a Microsoft .NET Server Network Infrastructure)
Exam 70-217 (Implementing and Administering a Microsoft Windows 2000 Directory Services Infrastructure) or Exam 70-277 (Implementing and Administering a Microsoft .NET Server Directory Services Infrastructure)

One design exam is required from the following choices:

Exam 70-219 (Designing a Microsoft Windows 2000 Directory Services Infrastructure)
Exam 70-220 (Designing Security for a Microsoft Windows 2000 Network)
Exam 70-221 (Designing a Microsoft Windows 2000 Network Infrastructure)
Exam 70-226 (Designing Highly Available Web Solutions with Microsoft Windows 2000 Server Technologies)

Two elective exams are required from the following choices:

Exam 70-214 (Implementing and Administering Security in a Microsoft Windows 2000 Network)
Exam 70-019 (Designing and Implementing Data Warehouses with Microsoft SQL Server 7.0)
Exam 70-028 (Administering Microsoft SQL Server 7.0) or Exam 70-228 (Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition)
Exam 70-029 (Designing and Implementing Databases with Microsoft SQL Server 7.0) or Exam 70-229 (Designing and Implementing Databases with Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition)
Exam 70-086 (Implementing and Supporting Microsoft Systems Management Server 2.0)
Exam 70-218 (Managing a Microsoft Windows 2000 Network Environment)
Exam 70-219 (Designing a Microsoft Windows 2000 Directory Services Infrastructure)
Exam 70-220 (Designing Security for a Microsoft Windows 2000 Network)
Exam 70-221 (Designing a Microsoft Windows 2000 Network Infrastructure)
Exam 70-222 (Migrating from Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 to Microsoft Windows 2000)
Exam 70-223 (Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft Clustering Services by Using Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server)
Exam 70-224 (Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server)
Exam 70-225 (Designing and Deploying a Messaging Infrastructure with Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server)
Exam 70-226 (Designing Highly Available Web Solutions with Microsoft Windows 2000 Server Technologies)
Exam 70-227 (Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration [ISA] Server 2000, Enterprise Edition)
Exam 70-230 (Designing and Implementing Solutions with Microsoft BizTalk Server 2000 Enterprise Edition)
Exam 70-232 (Implementing and Maintaining Highly Available Web Solutions with Microsoft Windows 2000 Server Technologies and Microsoft Application Center 2000)
Exam 70-234 (Designing and Implementing Solutions with Microsoft Commerce Server 2000)
Exam 70-244 (Supporting and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Network)

You can always get the latest news on the MCSE certification track from the Microsoft MCSE Web site, located at www.microsoft.com/traincert/mcp/mcse/default.asp. Note that although many exams are listed under more than one requirement, you can use any particular exam to fulfill only one requirement. In addition, many exams are either/or, meaning that you can use either Exam 70-210 or Exam 70-270 (for example) to fulfill a requirement.

Once you have met all the requirements to achieve MCSE certification, you will usually receive e-mail confirmation of your new MCSE status from Microsoft about 72 hours after successfully completing your last requirements. You can also expect to receive your MCSE welcome kit from Microsoft, confirming your MCSE status, in about six to eight weeks in North America, sometimes longer than that outside North America.

Windows .NET Server 2003

In December 2002, Microsoft announced that the Windows 2000 and Windows .NET Server 2003 tracks would not completely commingle. For currently certified Windows 2000 MCSEs and MCSAs, one or two upgrade exams are required to upgrade to Windows .NET Server 2003 MCSE or MCSA status. At the time of this book's publication, the exact details and exams have not been made public. Check the Microsoft MCSE and MCSA Web sites often to determine the exact changes and new requirements as they are announced.

Registering for Your Exam

MCP exams are administered by two third-party organizations, VUE and Thompson-Prometric. You can register for your exam online or via telephone. At the time of this writing, registration for MCP exams costs $125.00 each, although the prices are periodically adjusted:

VUE, www.vue.com, (800) 837-8734 (United States and Canada). See www.vue.com/contact/ms for worldwide MCP exam registration phone numbers.
Thompson-Prometric, www.2test.com, (800) 755-EXAM (United States and Canada). See www.prometric.com/candidates for worldwide MCP exam registration phone numbers.

MCP Status

One last thing that must be mentioned about the certification process is that if this is your first Microsoft MCP exam, you will become a Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) upon successful completion. You will receive an e-mail confirmation of your new MCP status from Microsoft, usually about 72 hours after successfully completing your exam. You can also expect to receive your MCP welcome kit from Microsoft, confirming your MCP status, in about six to eight weeks in North America, sometimes longer than that elsewhere.