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Books : Computing & Internet : Web Development : Web Administration : Certification : Publishers : Coriolis
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If you're looking for a book that really gets you in-depth technical info--and not just the surface scum that passes for "tech" you'll find in most other guides--the A+ Exam Prep is an excellent place to start.You see, previous editions of the A+ Exam Prep were utterly packed to the brim with technological wizardry that you wouldn't find anywhere else--but that was their downfall. They were packed with so much technology that you couldn't separate the testable gold from the "nice to know, but CompTIA doesn't care" chaff, resulting in a book that was a fine reference but not at all useful for those taking the test. But Coriolis has put a hard day's work into this edition, rearranging everything so that the testable facts stand out like the guys with the glowing sticks at the end of the runway, waving you on to a passing grade, yet still handing out many of the advanced facts that will ultimately help you in your techie career.
The book is written in a journeyman's style; it's readable and it gets the points across nicely, but it's nothing to write home about. Concepts are explained adequately and the evolution of the various PC advances are detailed with enough care that the reader should be able to get it--but unfortunately, the book is very light on illustrations and charts, and the illustrations tend to be simple line drawings and not photographs, which may ultimately hurt book-learning techies, who can read all about AGP cards in this tome without ever seeing what an actual card looks like. A few more charts would be nice to clarify the many lists of numbers and computer parts that make up the more tedious sections of A+ preparation.
The real strength of the book, though, is its depth of format, going beyond the pale to give never-tested topics like the pinouts for DTE connectors and the topologies of uninterruptible power supplies; very few topics on the A+ aren't cove red in solid depth. What is left out seems odd, however; the section on hard drives, for example, seems sparse when it comes to methods of interleaving and sector translations, both of which have been known to pop up once in a while on previous versions of the A+. The A+ Exam Prep has some nice sections to make up for such strange losses, however, including troubleshooting flowcharts and--a very handy feature--suggested real-world projects that the test-taker can do to prepare himself both for the exam and real-world issues.
Each chapter ends with a set of 20 review questions; they're fairly simple and not anywhere near what you can expect to see on the exam ("What type of printer can print on multipart forms?"). And the answers to the questions, sadly, aren't up to the quality of Coriolis' Exam Crams, where they not only give the correct answers but also explain why the other answers were wrong. If you're the sort who prepares by obsessing over reams of sample questions, you may need a supplement.
In short, this weighty tome is a solid reference that will help you prepare for the exam but it will also come in handy long after the exams are over. --William A. Steinmetz
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The CCIE Routing and Switching Exam Cram probably won't be the first book you'll turn to when you begin studying for the monolithically-tough CCIE exam, but it could serve you quite well as the last book.As with most other books in the Exam Cram series, the Cram is definitely not an introductory, or even a mid-level, book. What the series attempts to do is give you a very concise collection of all the facts you'll need to remember to pass the test, which becomes far trickier when going into the CCIE as a large portion of the exam questions deal with elaborate and complex scenarios that are near-impossible to "cram" into someone's brain at the last moment.
Read our lips: If you're not at least 80% prepared already, this book won't help you. And a lot of the experience you'd need to pass the CCIE won't come from any book--only hands-on work and extensive real-world preparation will help you. But if you're close, and looking to clarify all of those skulking confusions that lurk in every test-taker's mind, then this book will get you over the hump. In short, this is the most concise edition of line-level networking protocol information you could have. The book is organised in a mostly linear fashion, moving from basic networking theory and going all the way up to WAN technologies and Security Configuration. The writing is extremely dense but concise--a hallmark of the series--and walks you through the various protocols and configuration information very clearly, sometimes going bit-by-bit through how information gets put on the wire. The reasons behind some of the decisions used to decide between two competing protocols like, say, RIP and EIGRP, are covered briefly.
The CCIE Routing & Switching Exam Cram even seems to know that it's too small a book to provide the lowdown on complex interactions, and most of the time doesn't even pretend that these topics will come up by themselves as a question. (Well, if Exam Alerts and Tips is anything to judge by, anyway.) It seems to be aimed towards providing you with a gut-level knowledge that will give you the tools to differentiate between two close calls or troubleshoot the source of some seemingly bizarre conflict--and in that it does a fine job. Intense amounts of information are given here for you to memorise, and all of it is critical for the grueling CCIE exam. Nothing can substitute for experience, but the information provided herein may give you that critical edge you need--and using this as your last-minute refresher after pouring through all of the Cisco official guides and lab exercises would be a good idea.
In short, as a final run-through before you actually step into the lab, this book is unparalleled. But if you haven't done your homework, prepare to be walloped. --William Steinmetz
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Considering that the Windows 2000 Server Exam Cram is supposed to be a last-minute refresher course before the main exam, it seems slightly out of place to wish that it were a bigger book. After all, Exam Crams aren't supposed to be your primary reference--and this book does have enough content to get you past the exam. But Windows 2000 Server is such a large, all-encompassing topic that 300 pages barely covers it--and with so much at stake, you want every potentially testable detail you can grab for.As with the rest of the books in this fine series, you'd have a hard time finding any fault with the presentation. Written for the professional who's already got a background in Windows 2000 features, the Exam Cram goes over each of the exam-critical topics with an eye towards clarification, memorisation and test-taking pitfalls. The writing is terse and packed with information, getting the point across in as few sentences as possible. And the sample questions, seven or eight at the end of each chapter plus a 50-question exam at the end, are as good as they get, providing fairly complex scenarios with trick questions and similar answers.
But there are certain confusing areas that don't necessarily get the in-depth treatment that other Cram books give. RIS installation and troubleshooting, a fairly complex topic, is covered in a slim page and a half. MMC snap-in delegations are covered, incompletely at that, in a few scant bullets. The section on DNS skims it at a very high level, giving all of two sentences to zone transfers and not even mentioning topics that might arise in a larger network environment. And even when many pages are given to certain complex topics, like OUs and group memberships, it all feels slightly compressed.
Now don't get us wrong--it's still got enough to pass and for the price it is still one of the most economical computer books you can purchase. In fact, this book is superior in content and presentation to many Windows 2000 preparation guides that retail for twice the price. But because this is a small book, cuts had to be made, some of which may starve the reader of background details needed to understand more complex topics. Just do what the publishers themselves recommend--use it as a supplement, not a primary source--and don't make it your only purchase. --William Steinmetz
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Anyone wishing to become a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer has to pass four mandatory exams and two electives. Windows 2000 Core Four provides the certification candidate with review material that addresses the Windows 2000 operating system and its behaviour on networks, which is what the four required exams of the MCSE battery are all about.This boxed set comprises four books, each available separately: Windows 2000 Directory Services for exam 70-217, Windows 2000 Network for exam 70-216, Windows 2000 Server, for exam 70-215 and Windows 2000 Professional for exam 70-210. Plus, the set includes a test simulator on CD-ROM.
The Exam Cram format is oriented towards the review of facts and the filling in of details, rather than the communication of new concepts from author to reader. If you work with a Windows 2000 network regularly, or if you have a lab system set up for experimentation, you'll get more out of these books than if you're trying to learn the facts from them ex nihilo. A typical section begins by defining a feature or technology with a few paragraphs, then listing relevant procedures. Where they're needed, the authors list variations upon procedures as bullet points. Chapters conclude with questions in styles that are typical of the exams. Though the answers to the questions are generally explained well, the answers and questions appear together, making honest self-quizzing difficult.
However, other than the convenience of one-stop shopping and the fact that you get the CD-ROM with the set, there's no real reason to buy this set rather than individual books that address the aspects of the test battery in which you're weakest. --David Wall
Topics covered: the subjects Microsoft says you need to understand in order to pass the required examinations en route to your Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) certification. The four required exams--Server (70-210), Professional (70-215), Network Infrastructure (70-216) and Directory Services (70-217)--have to do with building and administering data networks with Windows 2000 products.
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