Appendix A. Windows Server 2003 Resources

Whether you are planning to sit down to reference a particular topic or you are preparing to study for an entire certification exam, you need to outline what it is you want to study or what you feel you need a refresher on. Only through an honest self-assessment can you ascertain whether you are ready to take on any certification exam, Microsoft or otherwise .

You can use a number of resources to extend your knowledge on the exam material, but I liken this section of the book to the "where can you go to learn more about the product" section of a product Web site.

First, I recommend the Microsoft Web site. Although many of the links there tend to move from time to time, there is no better free source of information. If a link on the Microsoft Web site is ever broken, try linking to http://www.microsoft.com/windows and performing a search from there.

Make sure you check the new TechNet site for Windows Server 2003 at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windowsserver2003/default.asp. This page offers a host of technical resources, tools, security guides, and other information designed to help IT professionals deploy, maintain, and support Windows Server 2003. Although many areas of reference are available, I recommend concentrating on the following section to prepare for this particular exam:

Terminal Server ” http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windowsserver2003/serverroles/terminalserver/default.asp
Remote Access ” http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windowsserver2003/serverroles/remoteaccessserver/default.asp
Domain Controller ” http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windowsserver2003/serverroles/domaincontroller/default.asp
DNS Server ” http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windowsserver2003/serverroles/dnsserver/default.asp
DHCP Server ” http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windowsserver2003/serverroles/dhcpserver/default.asp
WINS Server ” http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windowsserver2003/serverroles/winsserver/default.asp

For additional information on different versions of the Windows Server 2003 family, you can also review the online help files and the files for IIS6:

Standard Edition Help ” http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windowsserver2003/proddocs/standard/default.asp
Enterprise Edition Help ” http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windowsserver2003/proddocs/entserver/default.asp
Datacenter Edition Help ” http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windowsserver2003/proddocs/datacenter/default.asp
Internet Information Services 6.0 Help ” http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windowsserver2003/proddocs/standard/iiswelcome.asp

It's not critical to know every nuance of the different operating system versions, but recognizing a few major ones is important, such as which versions support clustering, which systems can be installed as domain controllers, and so forth.

The Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Deployment Kit provides administrators with strategies and recommendations for designing and deploying Windows Server 2003 in their enterprises and includes the following books, all available online:

Planning, Testing, and Piloting Deployment Projects ” http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windowsserver2003/proddocs/deployguide/dpgPDP_overview.asp
Deploying Network Services ” http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windowsserver2003/proddocs/deployguide/dpgDNS_overview.asp
Designing and Deploying Directory and Security Services ” http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windowsserver2003/proddocs/deployguide/dpgDSS_overview.asp
Planning Server Deployments ” http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windowsserver2003/proddocs/deployguide/dpgSDC_overview.asp
Automating and Customizing Installations ” http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windowsserver2003/proddocs/deployguide/dpgACI_overview.asp
Designing a Managed Environment ” http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windowsserver2003/proddocs/deployguide/dpgDME_overview.asp

If you have any doubt as to whether you fully understand a concept, you can find the answers in the Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Deployment Kit. The kit also includes a Registry Reference for Windows Server 2003 at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windowsserver2003/proddocs/deployguide/regentry_overview.asp, which is not critical for the exam, but is a valuable reference tool.

The following are excellent resources for managing the various features of Windows Server 2003:

Performance Counters Reference for Windows Server 2003 section of the Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Deployment Kit (http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windowsserver2003/proddocs/deployguide/counters_overview.asp) ” A reference guide for the available performance counters used by the System Monitor and Performance Logs and Alerts.
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=4544) ” Available as a separate download, these tools are used primarily by administrators to assist with management and troubleshooting tasks in their environments.
Deploying Internet Information Services (IIS) 6.0 guide (http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windowsserver2003/proddocs/deployguide/iisDG60_overview.asp) ” A solid reference for administrators to secure their Web server deployments of IIS 6.
Web and Application Services in Windows Server 2003 Web site (http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windowsserver2003/technologies/webapp/default.asp) ” Additional information on IIS 6.

For the most part, the information supplied in the Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools and the Deploying Internet Information Services (IIS) 6.0 guide is not going to be in high demand as a reference for the 70-293 exam. You can find some pertinent information, but in most cases, the information goes into more depth than what the exam covers. I have listed the additional information here as material for a point of reference and further study.

Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, and Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, provide the Windows Clustering technologies by default. You can find a wealth of information on the Cluster Service on the Microsoft Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windowsserver2003/technologies/clustering/default.asp.

Additional reference information on Terminal Services in Microsoft Windows Server 2003 can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windowsserver2003/technologies/terminal/default.asp.

Although security information is increasingly needed in many enterprises, there is only a moderate need to know this material for the exam. Still, with the increase of demand for information, it would not hurt to review the material at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windowsserver2003/technologies/security/default.asp because certain sections of the site do reference Windows Update, Automatic Updates, Software Update Services (SUS), and Systems Management Server (SMS), which are detailed in the 70-293 exam.

The management services in Windows Server 2003 pertain mainly to information about using the Group Policy Microsoft Management Console (MMC). Some sections are relevant to overviews of Windows Server 2003 Management Services as a whole; for a review, go to http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windowsserver2003/management/default.asp.

There are truly no single points of reference for any certification topic or area of concentration for any technology. Even your day-to-day routine might not encompass enough of a cross section of responsibilities to enable you to touch on all needed areas of study. The links and references I have supplied in this appendix are my best suggestions as starting points for further information and research.