The Business of Designing Networks: MCSE Exam 70-221
- Analyzing Business Requirements
- Analyzing Technical Requirements
- Designing a Windows 2000 Network Infrastructure
- Designing for Internet Connectivity
- Designing a Wide Area Network Infrastructure
- Designing a Management and Implementation Strategy for Windows 2000 Networking
- Passing the Exam
- Exam Resources
The Business of Designing Networks: MCSE Exam 70-221
If you've been waiting for an exam that tests both your business mind and your technology mind, you're in luck. This exam, Designing a Microsoft Windows 2000 Network Infrastructure, will challenge both of your brains. You can expect a tough but fair exam about the way a network design should fit into the plan of a business, not the other way around.
You'll most likely encounter the new case study-based questions on this exam. These questions present a case study of a business with input from several different employees. You'll be presented with the goals of the company, the current status of the network, and what the long-term vision for the company is. From this information, you'll be offered a series of questions, and you'll have to determine the best solution based on the case study you've just read. And like most of the new Windows 2000 exams, there's plenty to read.
Let's take a look at the exam objectives.
Analyzing Business Requirements
This objective requires your analytical skills. Basically, you'll have to evaluate a company's business model and goals and then apply that to Windows 2000. One of the biggest factors will be the geographical makeup of the company. You'll have to consider sites, bandwidth between sites, placement of servers, security of data between each site, and the laws that may regulate security between sites in different countries.
In addition to geography, you'll have to consider how the company works. For example, consider the following:
Where are the resources located?
How are the resources secured?
How does information flow from department to department?
What type of industry is the company in?
Who are the decision makers?
Also in this objective is the organizational structure of the company and how that structure may change through expansion. You'll need to determine single domains, trees, and forests—and when each is appropriate. Within a domain, you'll need to decide how Organizational Units (OUs) will be created and the possibility of OU delegation.
Finally, as an Administrator, your input will also need to be based on (or within) the most crucial factor in the real world: dollars. Be prepared for issues such as the feasibility to upgrade all servers or remain in mixed mode.
NOTE
Study Hint: Know about the total cost of ownership (TCO) in a pure Windows 2000 environment versus a mixed mode environment.