Additional Resources

A good source of information about Microsoft Certification Exams comes from Microsoft itself. Because its products and technologiesand the exams that go with themchange frequently, the best place to go for exam-related information is online. Additional information can always be found by reviewing the online Resource Kit associated with the operating system in question, as well as the online Knowledge Base and TechNET websites. These are invaluable resources for both exam preparation and real-world problem solving.

If you haven't already visited the Microsoft Training and Certification website, you should do so right now. Microsoft's Training and Certification home page resides at http://www.microsoft.com/learning/default.mspx (see Figure 1.9).

Figure 1.9. The Microsoft Learning home page

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 might 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 websitesand Microsoft's qualifies on both countsoffer 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 access 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 toolssuch as www.google.com, www.altavista.com, and www.excite.comto 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.