Rating: 
Summary: Needs more indepth descriptions
Review: This book is great for actually stepping through installing and configuring the infrastructure. All chapters have sections that have screen shots and how to instructions. However, if you are trying to pass the 70-217 you need more than step by step how to instructions. You need answers to why something works, and this book does not provide those answers.
Rating: 
Summary: Not your sole reference.
Review: This book is not a bad book. It covers the topics from the Table of Contents quite well. Unfortunately, it does not cover ALL of the exam topics. Newriders is my publisher of choice for MCSE 2000. This book is the weakest link in the series so far (6 down, 1 to go, passed each exam on first attempt) To be fair to the publisher, this is probably the toughest exam of the series. Quite the skull scratcher. My feelings about the prep books on the market for this exam leave me a bit torn. Seems reasonable that the toughest exam would cause a writer to generate a weak book, then again, wouldn't you expect the publisher to put their absolute strongest writing up against the toughest MCSE exam? I used 2 other books to prep for this exam, Exam Cram for 216, and belive it or not, Exam Cram for TCP/IP, since both the Newriders 216 book and the Exam Cram 216 book refer you to other works when it comes to covering subnetting. I guess they felt that previous books covered that material so well, that to try again would offend the gods. My point is this: this is a tough exam, and all of the prep companies have sold us short. This is the thinnest book in each publisher's series. You might need more that one vendor's prep book for this test. Using 2 other books got me through it first time. My coworker needed 2 tries to pass. Best of luck to you. Hope this helps you in your efforts.
Rating:
Summary: Not your sole reference.
Review: This book is not a bad book. It covers the topics from the Table of Contents quite well. Unfortunately, it does not cover ALL of the exam topics. Newriders is my publisher of choice for MCSE 2000. This book is the weakest link in the series so far (6 down, 1 to go, passed each exam on first attempt) To be fair to the publisher, this is probably the toughest exam of the series. Quite the skull scratcher. My feelings about the prep books on the market for this exam leave me a bit torn. Seems reasonable that the toughest exam would cause a writer to generate a weak book, then again, wouldn't you expect the publisher to put their absolute strongest writing up against the toughest MCSE exam? I used 2 other books to prep for this exam, Exam Cram for 216, and belive it or not, Exam Cram for TCP/IP, since both the Newriders 216 book and the Exam Cram 216 book refer you to other works when it comes to covering subnetting. I guess they felt that previous books covered that material so well, that to try again would offend the gods. My point is this: this is a tough exam, and all of the prep companies have sold us short. This is the thinnest book in each publisher's series. You might need more that one vendor's prep book for this test. Using 2 other books got me through it first time. My coworker needed 2 tries to pass. Best of luck to you. Hope this helps you in your efforts.
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