I picked up Roberta Bragg's ExamCram 2 after failing and learned more reading her cheat sheet (2 pages) than I did reading this book. The difference in level of details was striking! I highly recommend her book if you want the certification. After using her prep material, I kicked butt on the exam. Poorer but wiser.

I picked up Roberta Bragg's ExamCram 2 after failing and learned more reading her cheat sheet (2 pages) than I did reading this book. The difference in level of details was striking! I highly recommend her book if you want the certification. After using her prep material, I kicked butt on the exam. Poorer but wiser.

I found this book to be highly readable and that it provided excellent coverage of the exam objectives. Though I experimented with various security settings on a 2000 server and spent some hours reading related TechNet articles, this book served as the foundation of my 214 studies.

I agree with all of previous reviewers about the excellence of this book.

There are enough pictures so that you do not have to refer to the real thing, but at the same time, it is most helpful if you are already familiar with these interfaces because it will allow you to review some topics, while providing you with the needed configuration details on others. The chapter summaries are accurate, powerful and make concepts come together, as the author weaves detail after detail, so that you are confident in the subject matter.

Most of the time I will dabble in a practice exam or two, I didn't waste time on the practice test because I felt that after reviewing the book and reviewing the DVD the night before the exam I was well prepared for it. Bottom line is that if you are going to do the 70-214 Implementing & Administering Security in a Windows 2000 Network, you need this book (Period)!

Layout Summary:

Head of the class gives you the needed edge on concepts that everyone talks about.

Notes from the underground is the behind the scenes of what happening in the security world on topic.

Damage and Defense was a way for the author to convey the finer points of network access and how to mitigate vulnerabilities.

Note and Test Day Tips you should take as the advice from an elder because these are the golden eggs that will help you achieve your goal.

Although I'm not completely through with the book I couldn't wait either to do a review I'm that impressed with it!

I like the way the exam objectives are listed in the front of the book and then tied into the Table of Contents. Very handy if you just want to review a particular objective.

I especially love the little exam objectives boxes that can be found throughout the whole book that let you know exactly what objectives you are studying at the moment.

I find the test day tips and exam warnings very insightful.

I feel that the authors really put everything they had into this book. The information contained in those pages will take you deeper than the objectives required for the exam.
You won't find "This subject goes deeper than what the exam requires so it will not be discussed." (I really hate those sentences!) What you will find is "This information is not required for this exam but since it interacts so closely with an objective it will be explain." Trust me, they really do explain it to.

I was very impressed with all the hands on exercises this book contains. Not just a few here and there through out the book. Each chapter contains it own exercises related to the chapter. Chapter 1 alone has 12 exercises to perform, and chapter 4 has 15! Yeah! I know, blew my mind too...
The exercises really help me pull all the information I just read together. And I'm the kind of person that retains things better if I can get some hands on time.

The only things I was discontented with
1. The DVD and this is just because I don't have a player to view it with.
2. No glossary in the back of the book. This is just a personal preference of mine and to be honest the exercises more than make up the lack of one.

Overall I think this book is excellent and worth more than what it cost. I know it is something that I will continue to use even after I sit the exam. Hey that's way better than being a dust collector.