CertTutor.net Live! UPDATE—brought to you by Windows & .NET Magazine Networkand CertTutor.net.
http://www.certtutor.net
CertTutor.net Live! UPDATE contains the best of CertTutor.net Live!, the Internet's number-one certification discussion board. CertTutor.net Live! UPDATE features interesting posts and shares valuable information about how to make the most of the forums. Enjoy!
THIS ISSUE SPONSORED BY
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BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND—DON'T MISS OUR SECURITY ROAD SHOW EVENT!
If you missed last year's popular security Road Show event, now's your chance to catch it again in Portland and Redmond. Learn from experts Mark Minasi and Paul Thurrott about how to shore up your system's security and what desktop security features are planned for .NET and beyond. Registration is free so sign up now!
January 24, 2003—In this issue:
1. COMMENTARY
- Rebuilding Momentum
2. NEWS & VIEWS
- Microsoft Announces New and Updated Courses
3. ANNOUNCEMENTS
- Catch the Microsoft Mobility Tour—Time Is Running Out!
- New! News, Tips, and More to Keep Your Network Humming
4. WHAT'S NEW FROM CERTTUTOR LIVE!
- Featured Threads:
- - ADSI Is For?
- - XP Clients in an NT 4.0 Domain
- - XP/Win2K Workstations and Multiple Users
- Hot Threads:
- - Microsoft Exams Are Way Too Easy
- - Which Test Was Hardest for You?
- - What Would Your Users Think if You Bought a Binary Clock for Your Office?
- - XP Clients in an NT 4.0 Domain
5. RESOURCES
- Link of the Week: Startups
- Tip of the Week: Free SBS Training Materials
- Question of the Week: 70-215
6. INSTANT POLL
- Results of the Previous Poll: Disaster Strikes
- New Poll: The Ongoing Process
7. NEW AND IMPROVED
- Learn More About Doc-to-Help
8. CONTACT US
See this section for a list of ways to contact us.
1. COMMENTARY
(contributed by Orin Thomas, [email protected])
As the other CertTutor.net UPDATE commentators and I have said many times, if you want to remain competitive in today's difficult job market, you must think of certification as an ongoing process, not an endpoint. This is not to say that you must earn five new certifications a year, but that you should try to take four to six certification exams annually. Such a target demonstrates that you're continuing to develop your skill set and that you're not willing to sit idly as the ever-changing IT field surges ahead.
Goal setting is important, of course, but following through is something else entirely. Perhaps you set out to earn an MCSE and follow it up with a certification such as the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA). But earning the MCSE is a significant achievement, and you might pause to celebrate, which is perfectly understandable. However, be aware that in savoring your accomplishment, you might lose one of the most valuable factors in your earlier success—momentum.
Putting off that next step is something I'm guilty of. I last passed a certification exam in January 2001. Before that, between 1999 and the start of 2001, I took a certification exam every 6 to 8 weeks. Studying had become a habit, and I was accustomed to spending time each day preparing for whichever exam was next on my list. After I finished the Linux+ exam, I decided to give myself a break. I figured I could walk away for a short period and come back refreshed and stronger. I figured wrong.
I have many good excuses for my lack of progress since then. I got married, moved into a new place, found new work, and celebrated the arrival of my first child. A new family brings new responsibilities, of course, and suddenly, the cost of the exams began to weigh more heavily into my considerations. In the past, a fail meant that I might not be able to buy a new set of DVDs or a peripheral for my system. Now, a fail means I've wasted the equivalent of several weeks of grocery money.
Nevertheless, I should have managed one or two trips to the testing center during the past year. Unfortunately, my momentum was gone, and I'd forgotten how to generate more. I needed to get back into the competitive groove in which I enjoyed updating my skill set. I wanted to get back in the saddle, and taking new exams was something that my wife and I discussed regularly. But talking isn't doing.
Nothing focuses the mind like a deadline, and during one of those periods when I was telling myself that I should take another exam soon, I picked up the phone, called Prometric, and locked myself into an exam. With this step, I quickly put the previous 12 months of procrastination behind me. Paying for the exam changed my attitude and built some momentum. Now I'm concentrating on doing, not just promising to do.
With certification, you get to set your own pace—which is both a blessing and a curse. If, like me, you find yourself repeatedly delaying your next exam, it's time to pick up the phone and commit. You'll suddenly have a new deadline, and you'll be surprised how quickly the momentum will return.
2. NEWS & VIEWS
Microsoft announced several new and updated instructor-led courses designed to help you prepare for Microsoft exams. The offerings include Course 2810: Fundamentals of Network Security; Course 2717: Introduction to Microsoft .NET Development; and Course 2350: Developing and Deploying Secure Microsoft .NET Framework Applications. For more information, see the Microsoft Web site.
3. ANNOUNCEMENTS
(brought to you by Windows & .NET Magazine and its partners)
This outstanding seven-city event will help you support your growing mobile workforce. Industry guru Paul Thurrott discusses the coolest mobility hardware solutions around, demonstrates how to increase the productivity of your "road warriors" with the unique features of Windows XP and Office XP, and much more. You could also win an HP iPAQ Pocket PC. There is no charge for these live events, but space is limited, so register today! Sponsored by Microsoft, HP, and Toshiba.
Networking UPDATE brings you the how-to tips and news you need to implement and maintain a rock-solid networking infrastructure. We'll explore interoperability solutions, hardware (including servers, routers, and switches), network architecture, network management, network security, installation technology, network training, and WAN disaster recovery. Subscribe (at no cost!).
4. WHAT'S NEW FROM CERTTUTOR LIVE!
CertTutor.net Live! is the Internet's number-one training and certification discussion board. Each week, CertTutor.net Live! receives thousands of posts about Windows XP, Windows 2000, Cisco Systems, and more. We've selected three of these posts to feature here in CertTutor.net UPDATE. To join in the conversation at CertTutor.net Live!, register at this URL.
FEATURED THREADS
Active Directory Service Interfaces (ADSI) is one of the least understood of the many tools available to systems administrators. In this thread, Mirty12 describes its power and explains an ADSI script she runs on her own network.
When Grappa asks about installing some Windows XP machines on his Windows NT 4.0 network, the responses trigger the realization that NT Server 4.0 is better than Windows 2000 Server in at least one way.
http://certtutor.net/forums/messageview.cfm?catid=11&threadid=37305
Pressure is trying to determine the best way to support several workstations for multiple users who need access to their own email. What would you do?
http://certtutor.net/forums/messageview.cfm?catid=10&threadid=37395
HOT THREADS
5. RESOURCES
See this Web site for information about identifying and disabling some of the many programs and services that launch automatically when you start your client OS.
Interested in Microsoft Small Business Server (SBS)? The Microsoft Official Curriculum (MOC) is available free online at the following Web site.
(Thanks to Mohareb for finding this freebie and letting us know about it!
http://certtutor.net/forums/messageview.cfm?catid=42&threadid=37270
This week's question will help you prepare for Exam 70-215: Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft Windows 2000 Server.
QUESTION
You're experiencing network connectivity problems on your corporate LAN. Your company's network is divided into two subnets: Plato and Socrates. The subnets are configured as follows:
Plato Subnet (Subnet1):
- Network ID: 192.168.1.0
- Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
- Router Interface: 192.168.1.1
Socrates Subnet (Subnet2):
- Network ID: 192.168.2.0
- Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
- Router Interface: 192.168.2.1
You have a Windows Server 2003 machine named Thomaskuhn on Subnet Socrates with an IP address of 192.168.2.10 and a properly configured subnet mask and default gateway. You have configured routing between the two subnets properly. Which of the following Windows XP Professional Edition computers can communicate properly with Thomaskuhn? (Choose all that apply.)
A. Subnet1's Workstation2, which is configured with an IP address of 192.168.1.101, a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0, and a default gateway of 192.168.1.1.
B. Subnet1's Workstation3, which is configured with an IP address of 192.168.1.255, a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0, and a default gateway of 192.168.1.1.
C. Subnet1's Workstation1, which is configured with an IP address of 192.168.2.14, a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0, and a default gateway of 192.168.1.1.
D. Subnet2's Workstation4, which is configured with an IP address of 192.168.2.17, a subnet mask of 255.255.0.0, and a default gateway of 192.168.2.1.
E. Subnet2's Workstation5, which is configured with an IP address of 192.168.2.143, a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0, and no default gateway.
ANSWER
The correct answers are A, D, and E. In this example, Workstation1 should have an IP address in the range of 192.168.1.2 to 192.168.1.254. Because the IP address is incorrect, Workstation1 can't communicate with Thomaskuhn. Workstation2 is properly configured and can communicate with Thomaskuhn. Given its network ID, Workstation3 has an IP address that's used for broadcast messages. Therefore, Workstation3 can't properly communicate with Thoamskuhn. Workstation4 doesn't have a proper subnet mask but can still communicate with Thomaskuhn because it perceives (correctly) that the server is on the same subnet as itself. However, communication problems will arise if Workstation4 attempts to communicate with computers on other subnets (e.g., Subnet Plato). You should therefore change Workstation4's subnet mask to 255.255.255.0. Workstation5 is properly configured and can communicate with Thomaskuhn.
6. INSTANT POLL
The voting has closed in the CertTutor.net nonscientific Instant Poll for the question, "What was the cause of your most recent system failure?" Here are the results from the 101 votes:
- 9%: Virus activity - 42%: Hardware failure - 27%: Software compatibility or driver problem - 11%: User error - 12%: Who knows?
(Deviations from 100 percent are due to rounding error.)
The next Instant Poll question is, "How many certification exams have you taken in the past year?" Go to the CertTutor.net home page and submit your vote for a) None, b) One to three, c) Four to five, or d) Six or more.
7. NEW AND IMPROVED
(contributed by Carolyn Mader, [email protected])
ComponentOne announced training classes for the new ComponentOne Doc-To-Help 6.0 user or for the inexperienced Doc-To-Help 2000 (or earlier version) user. The classes cover Doc-To-Help's many features and teach the best practices to create effective printed and online documentation. The courses provide hands-on lab time and question-and-answer sessions. You can take the 2-day course, "Introduction to Do-to-Help 6.0," for $1095 or the 3-day course, "Upgrading to Doc-to-Help 6.0," for $1495. Contact ComponentOne at 800-858-2739 or [email protected].
http://www.componentone.com
8. CONTACT US
Here's how to reach us with your comments and questions:
- ABOUT THE COMMENTARY — [email protected]
- ABOUT THE NEWSLETTER IN GENERAL — [email protected]
(please mention the newsletter name in the subject line)
- TECHNICAL QUESTIONS — http://www.certtutor.net/forums
- QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR CERTTUTOR.NET LIVE! SUBSCRIPTION?
Customer Support — [email protected]
- WANT TO SPONSOR CERTTUTOR.NET LIVE! [email protected]
