ServersRoad To MCSE: A Glimpse Into the Network Administration Exam 70-216

Road To MCSE: A Glimpse Into the Network Administration Exam 70-216

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Thomas Shinder

The new Windows 2000 exams are quite a different
animal from the connect the dots and recall the definitions type questions we
saw in the Windows NT 4.0 exams. In the Windows 2000 version, you’ll be expected
to take the knowledge you have about a particular technology and apply that
knowledge in solving vexing troubleshooting scenarios.

The new Windows 2000 exams are quite a different animal from the connect the dots and recall the definitions type questions we saw in the Windows NT 4.0 exams. In the Windows 2000 version, you’ll be expected to take the knowledge you have about a particular technology and apply that knowledge in solving vexing troubleshooting scenarios.

Let’s take a look at the type of problem you
might run into on the Windows Network Infrastructure exam 70-216.



The Riddle of the Disappearing NetBIOS Resources



You have been called to solve a problem with your WINS
replication network. Your network spans several subnets, and contains a variety
of network client and server operating systems, including Windows for
Workgroups, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000 and UNIX. All
the host systems either share or access NetBIOS resources on other machines on
the network.

Static WINS database entries have been made for the UNIX
systems, and these UNIX systems use WINS Proxy Agents to access information in
the WINS database. All the machines on the network use DHCP, except a handful of
Windows-based Servers and the UNIX hosts.

You have been running the UNIX based systems mainly to
take advantage of a rare NetBIOS application that had not been ported to Windows
2000. Now that the application is available on the Windows 2000 platform, you
wish to upgrade to Windows 2000.

The upgrade process goes smoothly, and the applications
install without any serious incidents. You disable all the WINS Proxy Agents on
the network to reduce NetBIOS traffic and the load on the WINS Servers, and you configure the former
UNIX machines to be WINS and DHCP Clients.

Later in the day, you start receiving calls from users
telling you that they cannot access any NetBIOS resources on the machines that
have been upgraded. When investigating the problem, you observe what is seen in
the following screen shots.

 

 

 

 

With this information, what do you believe is causing the
problems with this network?

Analysis

Rather than giving you the multiple choice answers now, I
want you to do some research on WINS. Notice that you are presented with several
Properties dialog boxes from the WINS Console. Do all of them have relevance? Do
some of them? Do any of them? You need to think about whether these graphics are
being used to throw you off-course, or if they contain the nugget of truth that
will solve the problem.

Think about NetBIOS hosts, non-NetBIOS Hosts, and the WINS
database. What are some of the special circumstances that might arise in such an
environment? What are the special troubleshooting considerations that come into
play when such an environment has been upgraded?

Many of the questions you will encounter are
troubleshooting based questions. That’s why we recommend our Troubleshooting
Windows 2000 TCP/IP
as your last, best hope of passing this very difficult exam.
If you have read the book, then you already know the answer!

For the answer, click HERE.

For More Information:

For more information about WINS and how WINS interfaces
with other network services, check out the Syngress/Osborne Windows 2000 Study
Guide. You can get it HERE.

For an overview of the Windows 2000 WINS Server, check out
the Microsoft White Paper on WINS HERE.

For an excellent preparation guide for the Windows 2000
Network Infrastructure exam, check out Cramsession’s study guide for the70-216 HERE.

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