Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE)

Exam 700-293
Planning and Maintaining a Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure

Audience profile

The Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) on Windows Server 2003 credential is intended for IT professionals who work in the typically complex computing environment of medium-sized to large companies. An MCSE candidate should have at least one year of experience implementing and administering a network operating system in environments that have the following characteristics:

• 250 to 5,000 or more users

• Three or more physical locations

• Three or more domain controllers

• Network services and resources such as messaging, database, file and print, proxy server, firewall, Internet, intranet, remote access, and client computer management

• Connectivity requirements such as connecting branch offices and individual users in remote locations to the corporate network and connecting corporate networks to the Internet

In addition, an MCSE candidate should have at least one year of experience in the following areas:

• Implementing and administering a desktop operating system

• Designing a network infrastructure

Credit toward certification

When you pass the Planning and Maintaining a Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure exam, you achieve Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) status. You also earn credit toward the following certifications:

• Core credit toward Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) on Windows Server 2003 certification

• Elective credit toward Microsoft Certified Database Administrator (MCDBA) on Microsoft SQL Server 2000 certification

Skills measured

This certification exam measures your ability to plan and maintain a Windows Server 2003 network infrastructure. Before taking the exam, you should be proficient in the job skills listed in the following table. The table lists Official Microsoft Learning Products that may help you reach competency in the skills being tested in the exam.

Planning and Implementing Server Roles and Server Security

• Configure security for servers that are assigned specific roles.

• Plan a secure baseline installation.

  • Plan a strategy to enforce system default security settings on new systems.

  • Identify client operating system default security settings.

  • Identify all server operating system default security settings.

• Plan security for servers that are assigned specific roles. Roles might include domain controllers, Web servers, database servers, and mail servers.

  • Deploy the security configuration for servers that are assigned specific roles

  • Create custom security templates based on server roles.

• Evaluate and select the operating system to install on computers in an enterprise.

  • Identify the minimum configuration to satisfy security requirements.

Planning, Implementing, and Maintaining a Network Infrastructure

•  Plan a TCP/IP network infrastructure strategy.

  • Analyze IP addressing requirements

  • Plan an IP routing solution

  • Create an IP subnet scheme

• Plan and modify a network topology

• Plan the physical placement of network resources

  • Identify network protocols to be used.

• Plan an Internet connectivity strategy.

• Plan network traffic monitoring. Tools might include Network Monitor and System Monitor.

• Troubleshoot connectivity to the Internet.

  • Diagnose and resolve issues related to Network Address Translation (NAT).

  • Diagnose and resolve issues related to name resolution cache information.

  • Diagnose and resolve issues related to client configuration.

• Troubleshoot TCP/IP addressing.

  • Diagnose and resolve issues related to client computer configuration.

  • Diagnose and resolve issues related to DHCP server address assignment.

• Plan a host name resolution strategy.

  • Plan a DNS namespace design.

  • Plan zone replication requirements.

  • Plan a forwarding configuration.

  • Plan for DNS security.

  • Examine the interoperability of DNS with third-party DNS solutions.

• Plan a NetBIOS name resolution strategy.

  • Plan a WINS replication strategy.

  • Plan NetBIOS name resolution by using the Lmhosts file.

• Troubleshoot host name resolution.

  • Diagnose and resolve issues related to DNS services.

  • Diagnose and resolve issues related to client computer configuration.

Planning, Implementing, and Maintaining Routing and Remote Access

• Plan a routing strategy.

  • Identify routing protocols to use in a specified environment.

  • Plan routing for IP multicast traffic.

• Plan security for remote access users.

  • Plan remote access policies.

  • Analyze protocol security requirements.

  • Plan authentication methods for remote access clients.

• Implement secure access between private networks.

  • Create and implement an IPSec policy.

• Troubleshoot TCP/IP routing. Tools might include the route, tracert, ping, pathping, and netsh commands and Network Monitor.

Planning, Implementing, and Maintaining Server Availability

• Plan services for high availability.

  • Plan a high-availability solution that uses clustering services.

  • Plan a high-availability solution that uses Network Load Balancing.

• Identify system bottlenecks, including memory, processor, disk, and network related bottlenecks.

  • Identify system bottlenecks by using System Monitor.

• Implement a cluster server.

  • Recover from cluster node failure.

• Manage Network Load Balancing. Tools might include the Network Load Balancing Monitor Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in and the WLBS cluster control utility.

• Plan a backup and recovery strategy.

  • Identify appropriate backup types. Methods include full, incremental, and differential.

  • Plan a backup strategy that uses volume shadow copy.

  • Plan system recovery that uses Automated System Recovery (ASR).

Planning and Maintaining Network Security

• Configure network protocol security.

  • Configure protocol security in a heterogeneous client computer environment.

  • Configure protocol security by using IPSec policies.

• Configure security for data transmission.

  • Configure IPSec policy settings.

• Plan for network protocol security.

  • Specify the required ports and protocols for specified services.

  • Plan an IPSec policy for secure network communications.

• Plan secure network administration methods.

  • Create a plan to offer Remote Assistance to client computers.

  • Plan for remote administration by using Terminal Services.

• Plan security for wireless networks.

• Plan security for data transmission.

  • Secure data transmission between client computers to meet security requirements.

  • Secure data transmission by using IPSec.

• Troubleshoot security for data transmission. Tools might include the IP Security Monitor MMC snap-in and the Resultant Set of Policy (RSoP) MMC snap-in.

Planning, Implementing, and Maintaining Security Infrastructure.

• Configure Active Directory directory service for certificate publication.

• Plan a public key infrastructure (PKI) that uses Certificate Services.

  • Identify the appropriate type of certificate authority to support certificate issuance requirements.

  • Plan the enrolment and distribution of certificates.

  • Plan for the use of smart cards for authentication.

• Plan a framework for planning and implementing security.

  • Plan for security monitoring.

  • Plan a change and configuration management framework for security.

• Plan a security update infrastructure. Tools might include Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer and Microsoft Software Update Services.

Note This preparation guide is subject to change at any time without prior notice and at the sole discretion of Microsoft. Microsoft exams might include adaptive testing technology and simulation items. Microsoft does not identify the format in which exams are presented. Please use this preparation guide to prepare for the exam, regardless of its format.