Exam 70-291 is the second in the series of the core exams for MCSE certifications. Even though you can take the exams in any order, it is advisable to take 70-291 after your finish with 70-290,since exam 70-291 is the natural progression from 70-290 in terms of curricula as well as concepts. 70-291 is meant for administrators who implement and administer networks on Windows Server 2003. When you pass the Managing and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Environment exam, you achieve Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) status.
70-291 exam is intended to verify networking knowledge and skill with Windows Server 2003 for those new to higher-level Microsoft certification. If you already hold a networking certification from Microsoft above the MCP (Microsoft Certified Professional) level, you may be able to bypass this exam altogether.
If you are certified as an MCSA, you can skip this exam as well as 70-290 exam, Managing and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Environment, and just take exam 70-292, Managing and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Environment for an MCSA Certified on Windows 2000. Taking only exam 70-292, you can upgrade your MCSA from Windows 2000 to Windows Server 2003 in just one test.
If you are certified as an MCSE, you can also bypass 70-290 and 70-291 by taking 70-292, but you need to add exam 70-296, Planning, Implementing, and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Environment for an MCSE Certified on Windows 2000. These two exams work together to upgrade your certification and save you time in the testing center.
Here are some tips for you to pass Exam 70-291:
First,there is no doubt that It is an exam in the Windows Server 2003 track, but it probably focuses more on concepts, as opposed to products, than any other exam in the track. The IP Addressing category expects you to know and understand IP addressing (which is essentially the same as it has been for many years) and DHCP. The Name Resolution category focuses on DNS, which has not changed much since Windows 2000.
The Network Security category concentrates on security concepts with a required knowledge of some of the oldest tools in the Microsoft arsenal—Event Viewer and Network Monitor, to name two. When Windows NT became Windows 2000, "Remote Access" became "Routing and Remote Access" (RRAS vs. RAS), and little is new in the fourth category: You must understand the principles of TCP or IP routing. The final category, Maintaining a Network Infrastructure, requires commonsense knowledge of service dependencies (which are the same in almost every operating system) and some Microsoft tools—Network Monitor and System Monitor as well.
You do need a working knowledge of Windows Server 2003 to pass this exam. Far more important, though, is a knowledge and understanding of the concepts of networking and interacting with the Internet as an administrator.
Second, the concepts are universal—networking, DHCP, etc.—but spend some time concentrating on anything that Microsoft does with these items that make them sales bullets for the company. For example, DNS has been around since the days when it became apparent that scaling HOSTS files was impossible, but you need to know how Microsoft intertwines Active Directory with DNS. In other words, don't just know DNS, but know Microsoft's take on it. Read the overview of DNS posted on the Microsoft site, then delve deeper into selections about understanding, installing, and securing. Other items to similarly focus on include all the tools and utilities related to the networking functions. Add ipconfig to the list and know all the parameters or options that can be used with it.
Third, tying in with the last tip, you need to mentally acknowledge before taking the exam that some easy things can be made more difficult than they should be and be prepared for this. It is no secret that exam questions often focus on minutiae, and that is difficult enough when taking a test. But be ready for question formats—not just content—that try your nerves.
Brace yourself for marathon-length multiple-choice questions that list lots of possible answers and ask you to "choose all that apply." The problem with this format is that you still only get the question right or wrong. If there are seven possible choices and three that are correct, you don't get partial credit if you only chose two and the two that you chose are among those correct. You missed the question. Miss enough of them, and you can plan on taking the exam again and again.
Microsoft has also added a new type of question that divides the information among three screens that you have to maneuver and scroll through. There are not a lot of these questions yet, but enough to make things frustrating. Before signing up for this test, I would recommend calling the testing center of your choice and asking what size monitors they administer the exams on; the bigger the better for these questions.
Fourth, Microsoft's Internet Authentication Service (IAS) is its implementation of Remote Authentication Dial-in User Service (RADIUS), and it forms a large component of RRAS. Knowledge of this topic is crucial to passing the Implementing, Managing, and Maintaining Routing and Remote Access portion of the exam.
For studying, start with the overview, and then read how the Network Access Quarantine Control works with Windows Server 2003. After reading that information, get as much experience with it as you possibly can.