Description:
Probably the strongest in this series, MCSE Windows 2000 Directory Services LabSim Manual does a solid job of teaching the concepts behind Windows 2000's newest (and, some might say, most complex) feature. The LabSim is essentially a "show and learn" package, where the instructor walks you through a Windows 2000 feature, clicking and pointing at the appropriate spots, while explaining the purpose of what she's doing. Then, in various exercises afterwards, you do what she did, clicking and pointing your way through a limited simulation of Windows 2000. Other LabSims in this series suffered from a slightly scattershot approach; given large concepts to deal with (all of Windows 2000 Server; network protocols), it simply wasn't possible to pack enough test-worthy detail into each ninety-second tutorial. They could show you how to do something, but there wasn't enough time to show you why in the amount of detail you'd need to pass. However, thanks to the narrow goals of the Directory Services exam (learn Active Directory, and thanks for playing), in this case the approach actually works, with each tutorial going through each of AD's features. The voice-overs are fairly clear and understandable, even if they don't go into copious amounts of detail. Don't expect a lot of text to read through, though; most of the training is via audio and animated screen shots only. This software package comes with a book--but it's a paltry tome, consisting of mostly two-sentence summaries of each lesson given on the CD, followed by an overview of the objectives for each Windows 2000 simulation session. Which sounds good until you start up the tutorials, where they give you the exact same information onscreen. Whoops. Now half the book is redundant. (And be warned that the audio may or may not be glitchy; on the two test PCs we installed it on, the audio voiceovers simply refused to work on one of them, despite massive tweaking.) The laboratory simulations are task-oriented and are fairly simple but effective; essentially, you're given a pseudo-Win2K interface where all of the relevant selections are highlighted and selectable--but if you select a menu item that is irrelevant to your current goal, nothing happens. Everything is fairly glitch-free, although some complex tasks are given and there is no "hint" function available; if you forget which option you're supposed to select, your only hope is to go back and restart the animated tutorial and maybe take notes this time. And, of course, there is no ability to really tinker with AD settings; you can't change anything and see what the effect is. But if you don't have hands-on access to a Windows 2000 Server in a network, this isn't a bad option. And again, unlike many of the LabSims, there are more hands-on exercises than tutorials. If you want to get AD down, this works. This package might be appropriate for schools and corporations, but the logon screen only asks you for a password--no user name. If your password matches up with an account, you're logged on automatically; if not, you're given a username. This could lead to potential problems if two students mistakenly choose the same password, limiting the use. In short, this software package goes into a surprising amount of depth on Directory Services. It's not entirely a one-stop pass, but supplemented with a solid book or two to fill in the gaps, this could be a solid adjunct to any serious study course. --William Steinmetz
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