John Day said
This is a good book for learning Windows Server 2008 network infrastructure from the beginning, or brushing up what you already know from Windows 2000 or Windows Server 2003. It is a long book, and yes, it is a bit dry (as one of the other reviewers said), but I wouldn't ding the authors for that. Let's face it, this material IS dry, and you can't really pump any sunshine into it to make it any thing else than that. Having said that, if you are really going to be a Windows networking professional, you MUST know this material thoroughly. I used this book as part of the material I studied to help me successfully pass the 70-649 Windows Server 2008 upgrade test, and it would be equally good to help you pass that, or the stand alone 70-642 Windows Server 2008 network infrastructure test. Make sure that you do the hands-on exercises. Set yourself up a training lab using either Virtual Server 2005 R2 or Hyper-V and play with this stuff until you know it well. You can read and read and read, but there is no substitute for getting actual hands-on experience, and with virtual machines, there is no reason not to get lots of hands-on experience. If you don't have a subscription to TechNet Plus (highly recommended for anyone who is a network professional), then download a free evaluation copy of Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Edition from the Microsoft web site. There are a few mistakes and corrections that are cleaned up by an errata page located at: [...] Enjoy!
Dave said
It seems to be a recurring theme among the Microsoft Press books I've been studying for the Windows Server 2008 exams: they get off to a great start with rich information and good detail, but then 1/2 to 2/3 through the book, it's like somebody flipped a switch and can't wait to get the book done. They hurry through what's left with pages of "recipe" step-by-step examples explaining how to do tasks, but not WHY you should do something this way instead of that way. As this book gets to the end, the coverage is sparse. No way do I feel near ready for the exam. Hands on is an essential ingredient in learning this material and being ready for the exam, and I'll do that on my own, but I still expect a better job than this book does for exam prep. Specifically, the chapters on NAP, Connecting to Networks, and Managing Files are very weak.
Interestingly, several of the authors in the MS Press series have contributed to portions of several of the books, and some of them have done books for earlier versions, like Windows 2003. Don't rest on your laurels guys! You gotta do better!
E. D. Freeman said
I have taken many a cert test in my 11 years working in the IT field. This tome ranks at the bottom of the many resources I have ever used in that time. The author is dry throughout the book, rarely giving real world examples to put things in perspective. Many complex topics are poorly defined, especially the many command line commands Microsoft is testing these days. I will never by another book by these authors.
John W. Zimmer said
This book prepared me for the 70-642 test. I downloaded evaluation copies of windows server 2008 and ran them in virtual server. I found that reading the ebook (included) was easier than reading the real book (I ended up doing both). After reading the book, doing the labs and taking the practice tests in custom mode (so I could review the answers) I was able to pass the test.
I noted only one typo in one of the practice tests so I would recommend this study guide.
Richard T. Schaub said
This text book is very helpful for passing the 70-642 exam. It is easy to understand and the examples reinforce the lesson. You must have a copy of Server 2008 and 2 servers (or a virtual server) to complete the lessons.
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