Introduction

Introduction

In preparing for the MetaFrame Presentation Server 3.0, Enterprise Edition (MPS/EE) exam, you must clearly understand the role that the main components of the software play in the overall function of the MetaFrame environment. The segmentation of these features and functionality serves two main purposes. First, it simplifies the task of studying and learning the information required to pass the exam. Second, it provides a template for categorizing the solutions to a particular problem. When you understand the functional job that each component plays, how they interact with other components in the system, and how they affect the end user 's computing experience, you can take any problem that is thrown at you and immediately begin to narrow down to the specific component in the system that can be used to resolve the problem.

When preparing for an exam, many people memorize as much information as possible and hope to be able to regurgitate the correct answer to a question. I have always found this approach to be much more difficult than actually understanding how the pieces of the software fit together. Some readers may argue that these approaches are really the same, but I feel that when you understand the fundamentals, you can easily picture the layout of the system in your mind and can quickly travel down the desired path to the correct answer. When you have simply memorized a bunch of key facts, you rely on specific words in a question to trigger the correct response. Variations in wording and the proverbial "trick" questions are included specifically to trip up this type of brute-force problem solving.

With these thoughts in mind, we have created this book. Not only are we going to review the material that is most appropriate for the exam, but we are also going to attempt to deliver this information in such a way that it helps you to develop an intuitive understanding of the subject matter. If we can illuminate a few of those mental light bulbs , we have succeeded and you will be well on your way to passing this exam with flying colors.

Now that we've gotten the motivational pep-talk out of the way, it's time to get down to the business of preparing for this exam. In the remainder of this chapter, we focus on clearly defining the main components that make up the MPS/EE environment, discuss their functional characteristics, and provide a reference to the corresponding study material in the following chapters of this book.

From the top level, we then drill into each of the components to review and discuss the exam- related details. This top-down approach allows you to build knowledge around the foundation you will become intimately familiar with. Throughout the book, we periodically examine the environment from the top level, reinforcing the association between the components and the individual tasks you need to be able to accomplish.

Note

We have found this top-down approach particularly well suited for preparing for those types of exam questions that ask you to select the correct task (or tasks) from a given list of choices to accomplish the described objective. Even if you're not certain exactly how the described task should be performed, knowing what area in the system such a task is managed will help you discard invalid choices and narrow down to the most logical answer presented.