Long ago, maybe before you were born, Microsoft paid little attention to networks – especially networks on a wider scale, including the Internet. Things have changed – big time. For the past six or seven years or so Microsoft has been out to prove that it and its army of MCPs can manage and maintain a network infrastructure that is as good and as wide as any other network infrastructure on the planet. That may explain why MS exams with the words network and infrastructure in their titles are typically quite tough. Expect more of the same for the 2003 exams. In fact, Exam 70-291 and 70-293 are both concerned with infrastructures of one kind or another. The features that users have come to expect from Examiner should help you to steer your expectations away from dread to something resembling respectful anticipation. They include the Free Mentoring, solid questions and innovative testing technology that are a part of every Examiner we sell. Examiner will help you master the 70-291 topics summarized below:
Implementing, Managing, and Maintaining IP Addressing
You won't get a packet very far along on its appointed way without getting your IP addressing implemented and managed correctly. The skills required for this task include:

• Configuring TCP/IP addressing on a server computer and managing the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol in all likelihood too.
• You should be able to troubleshoot TCP/IP addressing. This would include Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA) and that strange little something about IP addressing that causes things to go wrong a little more than one might first expect.
• You should comfortable troubleshooting DHCP too. Because of its "dynamic" nature a misconfigured DHCP implementation can cause a cascade of troubles that could include, but may not be limited to:
• DHCP authorization.
• DHCP reservation configuration.
• DHCP server and scope options.
• DHCP Relay Agents and
• DHCP database integrity.

Implementing, Managing, and Maintaining Name Resolution
You won't get a packet very far along on its appointed way without getting your name resolution implemented and managed correctly either. The skills required for this task include:

• Installing and configure the DNS Server service.
• Managing DNS.
• Using available tools to monitor DNS. These might include System Monitor, Event Viewer, Replication Monitor, and DNS debug logs.

This list is brief but this topic is huge and very important.

Implementing, Managing, and Maintaining Network Security
Your packets may find their way into enemy hands if you don't thoroughly master the skills and tasks outlined below:

• Implementing secure network administration procedures.
• Implementing security baseline settings and audit security settings by using security templates.
• Implementing the principle of least privilege.
• Monitoring network protocol security. Tools might include the IP Security Monitor Microsoft Mastering the Management Console (MMC) snap-in and Kerberos support tools.
• Troubleshooting network protocol security.
• Using tools such as the IP Security Monitor MMC snap-in, Event Viewer, and Network Monitor.

Implementing, Managing, and Maintaining Routing and Remote Access
Packets need to be routed to facilitate such modern wonders as remote access servers, virtual private networks and getting everyone in the organization hooked up to the Web. This is a big part of your mission. Your skill set, should you decide to become certified, will include the following:

• Configuring Routing and Remote Access user authentication.
• Managing remote access.
• Managing TCP/IP routing.
• Implementing secure access between private networks.
• Troubleshooting user access to remote access services.
• Troubleshooting Routing and Remote Access routing.

Maintaining a Network Infrastructure
Do you enjoy thinking of yourself as a maintenance man or woman? To maintain the flow of packets from point A to point B and beyond you will need to do this. It's not such a bad thing when you also consider all the people who are depending on you to have mastered the following infrastructure maintenance skills – maintenance is important indeed.

• Monitoring network traffic using tools like Network Monitor and System Monitor.
• Troubleshooting connectivity to the Internet.
• Troubleshooting server services.
• Diagnosing and resolve issues related to service dependency.
• Using service recovery options to diagnose and resolve service-related issues.

An absolutely complete (but subject to change) rundown of what you need to master to achieve a passing score can be found at:
http://www.microsoft.com/traincert/exams/70-291.asp
Details cannot be finalized or guaranteed at the present time. However the path that you must take to become an MCSE in Windows 2003 is described well at the following location. http://www.microsoft.com/traincert/mcp/mcse/windows2003/
CBT Vision's Examiner comes with an Exam Pass Guarantee. That is not subject to change.