Features
- Cover Type: Paperback with 800 pages
- Published by: Microsoft Press February 28, 2001
- Written in: English
- ISBN 10 Number: 0735611343
- ISBN 13 Number: 978-0735611344
-
Book Dimensions:
9.3 x 7.6 x 7.3 inches
- Weighs: 3.5 pounds
Product Review
The
MCSE Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration Server 2000 Training Kit is a strange book. Most serious MCSA students will absolutely, no questions asked,
need this book to pass the exam but you wouldn't want to read it. That being said, the CD-ROM has something that's key for MCSE and MCSA students--a 120-day trial edition of the ISA
software itself. Considering that the ISA
software costs $1,500, buying this book to install that
software legally and fool around with it at your leisure is a net savings of $1,440.
The book itself is a step backwards from
Microsoft's usually great beginners' series, and is neither fish nor fowl--it doesn't offer the gentle introduction to the basic concepts that most
Microsoft training kits do, and yet it contains a howling vacuum when it comes to real-life examples. What's left is a book that outlines each of ISA's functions in loving detail, without ever telling you why you would want to use any of them.
Let's give a real-life instruction from the book to explain what we mean:
On the Cache tab, select one of the following options contained in the Cache Content section:
- If you want all content to be cached, select the All Content, Including Dynamic Content, Will Be Cached radio button.
- If you want content to be cached only if source and request headers indicate to cache, select the If Source and Request Headers Indicate to Cache, Then the Object Will Be Cached radio button.
- If retrieved objects should not be cached, select the No Content Will Ever Be Cached radio button.
See what's missing? At no point does this book actually say what the drawbacks or advantages of caching dynamic content
are.
Why would you want to do it? When would it be a terrible idea? What are the real-world differences between caching dynamic content and caching only the content that the headers indicate should be cached--and what option do most system admins choose? From this book alone, you'd have no idea. And this is a constant problem throughout the book. You're told what ISA can do without being told the reasons behind the options, or even a hint as to what the best option usually is.
Admittedly, most
Microsoft training kits are notoriously terrible when it comes to actually preparing you for what you'll face on the exam--their sample questions aren't even in the standard multiple-choice MCSE/MCSA format, for gosh sake--but they
do excel at providing basic introductions for novices and are great refresher courses, making them perhaps the best starting points in the business for any serious certification student. This book, on the other hand, is more of a documentation of the ISA application itself--it tells you quite clearly what ISA does. The book discusses the attacks that
Microsoft can automatically detect, but doesn't tell you what to look for in the logs, nor what common approaches hackers take, or even what to
do when you're under a Denial of Service attack.
Which is not to say that you can't learn anything from the book--it actually has more content than many other training kits. However, it does mean that if you haven't used ISA server in the real world until now, you'll know exactly how to specify a locally bound TCP port, list, or range in the Firewall Client Applications setting.
The short version: The incredible
software savings here is worth the cost of the book alone, and then some. And the book is not a terrible reference for those who've used ISA in the real world--or at least have configured firewalls and proxy servers. But most users will probably install the
software and buy at least one other book to pass the exam with flying colors.
--William Steinmetz
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Product Description
This official MCSE TRAINING KIT teaches IT professionals how to design network security solutions in Windows 2000-as they prepare for MCP Exam 70-220, a core elective on the Windows 2000 MCSE track. The kit balances conceptual information with practical application: students learn through an integrated system of skill-building tutorials, case study examples, and self-assessment tools. Topics map directly to the objectives measured by the MCP exam, including analyzing business requirements for security; evaluating the technical environment; analyzing security requirements; planning a Windows 2000 network security solution; designing secure access between networks; and designing security for communications channels. Business scenario examples help students apply the concepts they learn to real-world work situations. An economical alternative to classroom instruction, this MCSE TRAINING KIT enables students to set their own pace and learn by doing!
Reader ReviewsWindows 2000 is a much more secure product than most competing operating systems - if configured right. (Unfortunately, more networks out there are being managed by admins from the "point-and-click" school of systems/network administration.) This book is a good study guide. However - and this is a trait of many MS Press Study Guides, particularly for the Design tests - they don't have detailed case studies, the kind you see on the real tests. Coverage of some topics like SMB Signing, Firewalls, etc. is adequate for the test. Proxy Server coverage is overkill - it's a redundant product, and I didn't see its relevance to the test. Being a MS Press book for a MS test, the book is not obiviously not critical of MS products - need to pick up a book like "Hacking Windows 2000 Exposed" - [Joel Scambray & Stuart McClure, ISBN: 0072192623, Osborne McGrawHill] to get that perspective. Overall, a good book (and a good test - 70-220) to complete your MCSE with and get a more-or-less Microsoft-centric view of Windows 2000 network security. Does give a good overview of most Windows 2000 security features. Bharat Suneja MCT
Search for books at
