EG Books

A caveat: I don't care about the test. I was searching through lots of books for some information about creating a Windows server based network and this book really stood out. (I was setting up my first network and was lost trying to figure out some things.)

I know many or most of you only care about the test, but I am writing this to tell others that if you need a good book about infrastructure I think you may want to get this one.

Anyone who is seeking a Microsoft Engineering certification should obtain this book. In fact, the entire Sybex series of books are great.

The book is an easy read, which is good. You'll have an easy time getting through the questions, but when you go to take the test you'll fail. This book is no where a good match for the exam. I suggest this book for people who want to learn about Win2k3 AD, but if you're getting it to prepare for the test you should think twice. Nothing this book discuss could have prepared me for the test. Bummer.

You could definitely tell when they switched authors. There were two chapters when I could tell the author really didn't know the subject and was merely regurgitating information. I stopped midway through those chapters and skipped onto the next chapter. I later got the info I needed for Certificate Services and High Availability Services from Whitepapers and I also discovered the MS Press book on this test. It was much better. Reading the Sybex book I had very little confidence in the author. Reading the MS Press book I had complete confidence in the author.

For example in the Sybex book, when they were describing High Availability Services, I kept seeing a single point of failure. After a while I got disgusted and looked for better sources of information. I printed out the chapter from the MS Press book from Safari and my issue was addressed within a few pages. My point being is that the author of the MS Press book obviously knew how the brain of an IT person works and was able to answer my questions and concerns as they arose while reading. This was not the case in Sybex.

I would say the MS Press author definitely understood the subject and me (as an IT professional) much better.

This book will teach you the basics. iT does not prepare you for the test. I read the whole book cover to cover and understood it completely. The test is nowhere as easy as this books questions. It does not go into depth with scenerios that can be helpful. I recommend you get the microsoft books for this test. If you are currently working with 2003 it will help alot. but do not plan to only use this book unless you luck up and get the perfectly tailored test to what this books covers.

I never even read this book. I had high hopes though. I have used and loved Palm Pilots and that OS for years. But that was more than ten years ago. Before the iPhone came out, I got excited to upgrade to Sprints latest Palm Treo phone in June 2007. (thats when and why I bought this book) Sprint wanted almost $400. for it, and they would not bargain for less! So I tried it, took it home, installed the apps as recomended, etc.. What a dud! The thing would only access internet pages in their network, and all of it was slug-slow, and crashed a lot. PalmOS 5.x, I felt right back in days-of-old, with an expensive new box, and a tiny screen. That was a sad and eye-opening experience. Further digging for info online, confirmed that Palm users were dissapointed with the lack of development or support for PalmOS. I agree, it's over for Palm.

Yeah, it looked cool. But running such buggy and bloated slow software, it was not worth wasting my valuable time with it. I took it back on the 2nd day of having it.

After four years with Sprint, I quit them when I bought an iPhone. I'm still thrilled and amazed how advanced this iPhone is! ATT is not as bad as I had heard, I've had no problems...yet. All cell carriers are rotten, just like cable TV companies.

Sorry for the tangents, but still, Palm is dead. They have not invested any money or efforts in upgrading the OS, and that's what it's all about!

This book is all about the outdated Palm operating system
which has been replaced by Windows 5.0
It offers no help for Windows,just pretends to so You'll
buy it. Save Your money.

Scott MacHaffie's PALM & TREO HACKS: TIPS & TOOLS FOR MASTERING YOUR HANDHELD, for example, covers more than the basic and well-known calendar and address book features commonly used by Palm owners: it tells how to tweak the Palm's settings, customize third-party replacements for its applications, play games, and use custom ringtones and weblog postings. A 'must' for any who have the basics down and want to go further.

Are you a Palm user from the days when the Pilot first got its wings or are completely new to the Palm family? If you are, then this book is for you! Author Scott MacHaffie, has done an outstanding job of writing a book about how to get more out of your Palm device, whether it is a PDA or a smartphone.

MacHaffie, begins by exploring the dusty corners of the basic applications. Then, the author focuses on using your Palm device to support specialized uses. Next, he covers a range of gaming topics from using Palm devices to supporting traditional pen-and-paper role-playing to multiplayer games to classic games. The author then discusses why a Palm device is really a general-purpose computer. He continues by showing you how to do web and phone conferencing, or find out how to configure a Treo to match the way you intend to use it. Then, the author shows you how your Palm device can talk to the Internet or to your stereo. Next, he shows you how to tweak the launcher, replace the built-in calculator, or even how to write your own programs. Finally, he shows you how to "get your hands dirty" with your Palm device.

Inside this most excellent book, you'll find hacks that explore the boundaries of the basic applications. More importantly, you'll also find interesting and novel uses for your Palm device.

[...] The "Hacks" series started off with some titles like Google hacks that were really loaded with good information. But successive titles have stretched the concept so far that they are nearly worthless. "Palm & Treo Hacks", while not worthless, is pretty lightweight.

There's nothing in the book that the reader couldn't easily find in one of the numerous websites, forums and newsgroups devoted to the Palm line, including the Treo smartphone. Much of the information in this hacks book is also found in the Palm user manual.

Twenty-nine pages are given to very brief reviews of various Palm applications. Anyone who is seriously looking for a replacement calculator program for their Palm can find several within seconds on the web: they don't need this book. Eight pages are giving to running Linux on the Palm. The section begins with the proviso that "Linux doesn't run on a lot of Palms." Excuse me, but I think you'd have to be a pretty die-hard tinkerer to spend a considerable amount of time getting Linux to run on your Palm.

All said, there's nothing here that can't be found elsewhere - and there is precious little that would qualify as a "hack." The writing is clear and the layout is nice. This book might be worth a quick browse, but in my opinion is certainly not worth $24.95. I noticed that at the time I'm writing this, Amazon has it for slightly less than $10. It's a maybe at that price.

Jerry

This is a great book for anyone new to songwriting. This book covers the critcal areas of song writing including lyrics and music and tackles often debated question of which should be composed first. A useful resource for music students.

I ordered a used book and received it. Yet somehow I still got a brand new book that I did not order and I got stuck paying return postage which completely ticked me off. I shouldn't have had to pay anything to return an item I did not order. Also, your "buy it now' button is DANGEROUS, because you make one wrong click of the mouse, and there is no way to retrack it. You should always have a 'confirm' option where you can review your order. But I suppose thats how you 'trick' people into buying your products.

Like the book says, it's a complete guide to the craft of songwriting. The book covers several in-depth subjects like the history of songwriting, how various type of songs came to be popular, loads of information about the use of musical theory, and various approaches to writing songs. I'd recommend this book for any serious musician or novice songwriter.

This is a very engaging book, and is very enjoyable to read, though it definitely shows its age--the examples only run up through the early to mid 80s. If you are looking for all the latest information about current styles, this isn't your book.

Having said that, this is an extremely interesting book that has its roots primarily in classic Broadway musicals, and the kind of timeless songwriting that created standards that have lasted for generations (though other genres, from blues to country to rock, are also covered).

There's a lot of discussion of lyrics, rhyme schemes, various themes for songs, and the different structural parts of a song, but not as much discussion of writing a song line-by-line as Sheila Davis's excellent book on lyric writing.

There's also what seems to me to be an extremely thorough section on melodies, chords, harmonies, and common chord progressions. He discusses ways to fix up a stock melody, and even discusses when to use different intervals, and what they accomplish. I can't compare this with Jai Josefs's book--which I have heard good things about--because that is out of print as of this writing, and I haven't been able to locate a copy yet.

If you are just looking for a template to use to create songs that sound like what's on the radio, this book isn't your best choice. But if you want a broader background which you can then adapt yourself to styles that interest you, this is an excellent book to have.

I am not a songwriting professional, but thanks to thoroughly reading Citron's book, and skimming "You Can Write A Song" by Amy Appleby (and utilizing internet chord and scale building resources), I have written five songs. It is a fun experience to write a song for the first time.

Since I am at the very beginning of my songwriting hobby, I look for books that explain the basics clearly, but also allow room for growth with more advanced techniques and chord usage. I also want to know the music theory behind the lessons, so that in the future I can write without the formulas provided in the books. With the exception of Citron's book, I have rarely found a songwriting book that moves beyond basic music theory. In the roughly 150 pages Citron devotes to music, he teaches rhythm, scales, chords, harmony, and more, so that you will know what a C6 "chord" is, and what the Lydian mode is, even if you don't care. He also teaches melody-building by starting with a motive, developing into a phrase, and finally into a period, which is a quite organized way to focus ideas. Maybe all of this is not necessary for a beginning (or straight rock) songwriter, but in an age where every Joe and Jane write songs, knowing more than the basics might put you at an advantage if you wish to make a career out of it.

Citron also covers lyrics. The first 125 pages are devoted to crafting lyrics (construction and form, types of song, rhyme, and word usage). He discusses how various styles have developed, such as rock and jazz. He covers important topics like accents, rhyme schemes, and poetical forms. At the end, he has a helpful glossary.

Overall, this book is appropriate for the beginning songwriter (with some musical experience). While much of what Citron writes is indeed for the more intermediate songwriter, he also covers the basics, explaining time signatures, note values, accidentals, etc. This is why I bought and enjoy this book: he explains the basics and then takes you to a higher level if you wish. If you don't care about ninth chords, modal scales, or other more advanced topics, then read it and forget it, but even some of the best rock, folk, and country writers have used more advanced chords and scales. Ultimately it took me getting out a keyboard, setting its rhythm, and playing chords to get me from reading about songwriting to actually writing. However, once I took that step, Citron's book proved very helpful in getting my songs ready. One drawback is that the book is from the 1980s, and he doesn't cover the newer genres. Another is that he covers so many genres that those seeking rock or country writing might not find the specifics they need. However, the fundamentals are the fundamentals.

This book is a must-have for anyone even considering doing forensic work on iPhones. I have used the methodology in the book and verified it for myself. Excellent resource!!

Awesome book. The other reviewer that gave it one start clearly did not actually read it, just whine about how thin it is. I found it to be very informative and has a lot of interesting information that has not be published anywhere else.

I wish the author had just put the info on a free website. The book is just a document, a pamphlet as another reviewer mentioned. I feel a bit ripped-off. In fact, in one place the author actually says "before proceeding, ensure that the firmware ... falls within the range of versions supported by this document." He is referring to the book but calling it a document. I think he intended it to be just a document and O'Reilly convinced him to make it a book so O'Reilly could make some money.

As far as technical material, it's all good and well-written. There are a few cases where it appears the O'Reilly editor might have cluelessly changed a sentence, but those cases are rare compared to some professionally-edited books. There are some typos, even in the author's bio! But few compared to many books. The index was rushed, I'm guessing. It didn't include the items I wanted to find.

The only other caveat I can think of is that if you are considering forensically analyzing your iPhone just for fun, be prepared for quite a bit of work and possible headaches. With firmware 2.x, there are numerous, reasonably complex steps that must be followed. You will need lots of time and patience and little aversion to risk. Note that you are jail-breaking your phone so that you can install utilities in the system partition, which voids the warranty from what I understand. Also, you could brick your iPhone, though in theory you could restore it if there are problems.

All in all, great info for forensics examiners in law-enforcement and corporations. I give it three stars instead of five because of the high price for a pamphlet.

I normally don't leave reviews but my copy showed up today and I wanted to warn folks. This book is less then 100 pages. Looking closer at the listing it does say 138 but it is 120 with the index. Till you drop out the fluff you're left with little more then a pamphlet. Honestly I never even looked at page count when I pre-ordered as it was an O'Reilly book. It is very thin. Information is okay (still working through it) but to charge $40 for a book this small is ludicrous. I've never been this disappointed in an O'Reilly title - some have been so-so but never a down-right ripoff. My copy will be returning.

This book was essential for me as a reference for an MCSE boot camp. It is now part of my reference library. Will answer many questions that pop up during the study process.

Well it got 3 stars since I passed and it helped, BUT
1. the book is lacking in the material and needs to be augmented with extra material.
2. There are a lot of small mistakes in it that make you doubt yourself.
for example wether subnets are calculated as 2^n-2 or 2^n.
3. Get the CCNA PDF for help in understanding subnetting as the book is bad.
4. Use wiki\cisco website for understanding routing
5. Download windows server 2003 security guide as the book is lacking here too.
6. read the IETF's to get papin and chapping your lips :- ).
7. A lot of questions in the test regarded clustering for some reason.
and there is no clustering book around. and the book gives you no idea
about how to understand quorums. so for this just pray to allah\jesus\jehova or install servers and play (What I did).
8. You must download VMware workstation and clone like 8 Servers
and practive everything. from CA to DNS to relaying and vpn ing.
9. download Vmware's manual and understand how to create SUBNETS and NETWORKS using the interfaces (Add interfaces ) and VMNETXX.

Have fun.
Finally got rid of the MCSE2k3
Saar.

I currently have my MCSA with relatively little experience(comparatively speaking). Therefore, I knew I needed to be thorough with my reading for this particular test. A lot of what's in here is stuff I've never dealt with hands on(ie Clusters, NLB, RRAS, and CA). That said, I figured the most comprehensive route would be LearnKey training videos coupled with a cover to cover reading of this book. I've heard the second edition of these books are much better. While this book does do a very good job covering all the exam topics, it's fatal flaw is that it mentions nearely nothing about dealing with legacy systems within a AD Infrastructure. I was horrified to discover about 10-15% of the questions(and even a simulation) that require you to maintain support for NT4 and Windows 98 clients while simultaneously requiring you to meet the requirements for security or GPO assignments. The book only mentions these OS's in passing really, and says nothing regarding how you handle these scenarios. Needless to say, I was very unprepared for these questions despite a good solid month and a half of comprehensive preparation. However, I did pass with a 775, and if you can find something else to make up for this lapse in coverage(be it experience or another book), you can ace the exam with a thorough reading of this book. Just don't skip the practice questions at the end! They may be tedious and not be anything like the actual exam questions, but they actually do a very good job focusing you on the things you should know for the exam.

Generally, MS-Press Self Paced Second Edition books are good. Especially they did a great job on 290 and 291. This book, however, is an exception. This book does not cover many exam areas at all, and I am not talking nuances. There is no mentioning in this book about PKI certificate archival (new feature in Server 2003 family, well tested on 293 exam), or the GC placement, and several other areas. Those subjects that are covered in the book, are not covered in depths, in fact, they look like poor summaries and will not prep you for the exam in any way, nor will they prepare you for real life situations. Author jumps around same topics and is not able to clearly explain most of them. Practices are not worth installing a fresh copy of Server. There are no good "Exam Tips", like in other MS-Press books. I doubt that Craig actually took this exam.
I understand that no exam preparation book alone is enough to prepare for the exam, but those that I read so far, did a pretty good job on it. I was able to ACE several Microsoft exams using Self Paced guides and Testout videos.
This book tried to trick me into thinking that 293 exam was peace-of-cake. It is not! Do not be fooled. Exam is probably as hard as 291. It may seem easier after taking 291, but without that preparation 293 would be close to impossible to pass for the first time. Yes, it is in some ways similar to 291, but it covers whole bunch of different topics, and focuses on a different agenda. This book will not help you pass the exam. Book is a joke.

how come a brand new book without the two CD, i am really mad now.

Good: textbook engages form AND context. Attempts to combine multiplicity of legitimate approaches to music, reflecting postmod. emphasis on culture and function rather than just form, theory and "greats" from Western tradition. Appropriate length for course of likely nonmajors and 100 level.

Bad: sloppy transitions - very choppy, unbalanced shifts between formal components and the situating of those components into a cultural setting. Ex.: Ch. 4: What is the point of discussing meter with Klezmer? Both musical examples are in simple time (duple and quadruple) and don't uniquely demonstrate anything - a Britney Spears song could suffice in this context. Basically, it is a poorly written attempt at getting away from the dated music appreciation model. Maybe it could work with supplemental materials?

Also, $60 bucks for a new copy? It hasn't even been updated to a new edition.

So, looking for a book that isn't obsessed with the Western classical tradition? Start here, but don't settle with this book.

The professor for my general education music appreciation course picked this book because she likes its emphasis on world music and the way that it is organized around the five elements of music. I really like this structure as well. What I don't like so much is when she has to say, "Oksy, this is what the book says, but that's a horrible definition of phrase," for example. "This is the definition we will use." Now, obviously any college course isn't built around a book, but goodness, that doesn't excuse bad information, or lack of information! My professor also remarked, sarcastically, "I like how there are so few musical terms discussed in Chapters 7 and 8. Oh, go off and read them, you'll see."

Anticipating a lecture on Gregorian chant by Randel, the new president of the University of Chicago, I approached our newly acquired copy of MUSIC IN OUR WORLD through its index. Turning to the indicated pages I saw how Gregorian was discussed in the set of pages overlapping with Hildegard of Bingen. Of course I wanted to hear the contrast between the two musics. Alas! the CD meant to accompany the text was, according to the what we learned from Amazon, NOT YET AVAILABLE. Yet we knew from other sources that the disc had already been produced. Our searches by other routes led always to dead ends. Thus, when attending our president's lecture, I had only the words without any sound in my ears. Curiously, he also offered no samples of the music. Apparently words rather than notes are sufficient for the musical cognoscenti. Would Amazon or the book's publisher please make it EASY for the would-be-customer --who is neither professor nor student of music-- to find the CD meant to accompany the text? Renate Fernandez P.S. I've just learned that what I'm hoping to hear is catalogued as COMPACT DISC SET FOR USE WITH MUSIC IN OUR WORLD by Stuart-White. Again, another curiosity, its authorship is reversed. No matter, I shall soon be able to hear it. I very much like the book's combination of text, illustrations and caption, and boxes. The illustration of textures and melodies on page 113 has me puzzled, however. The absence of words or syllables under the line illustrating Monophonic texture fails to clarify how the line accords or fails to accord with the word. You can see by my comments that there is a potential readership/listenership outside of the circle of pros that is eager to accede simultaneously to MUSIC IN OUR WORLD.

This book is definitely not for someone who doesn't already know a good deal of guitar chords. It's all lyrics, strumming patterns and chord names. If you are looking for something with actual sheet music, keep searching. If you are looking for just chords and lyrics, you can buy this book or read them off ultimate guitar tab archive.

This item's description is ambiguous, so I want to point to people that it is NOT a book-length analysis or appreciation of Cash's songs, it is merely a COLLECTION OF HIS LYRICS, categorised by the editor. The introduction is interesting and well-written, but can be read easily with Amazon's preview feature without purchasing.

I bought this because I'm starting to learn to play an acoustic guitar. This music is written for organs, pianos and electric keyboards but it's so easy to read, I can use the same notes. It has all the lyrics of the songs too. This song book would be great for people who have a hard time seeing notes.... these are nice and big. I love Johnny Cash and June Carter's music and to be about to start with something so simple like this, is great.

This was a book on my son's reading list from school. It was difficult to find elsewhere. I went online entererd the title in the search. Amazon.com came up, among others. It cost less to buy it new at amazon.com. Some sites had it used, pages missing, etc for much more than I paid.

This book is very dense with information, which is good for someone with a working knowledge of music. It isn't, however, good for a beginner. It packs too much info into each chapter and mixes topics. For example if Chapter two is about harmonic minors it may mix in information about pentatonic scales. This is an over exaggeration, but the book is scattered like that. I think they need to simplify some more. And it is way too expensive.

Learning the ins and outs of music is a difficult task evenwhen an instructor is available. "Practical BeginningTheory" is, in my opinion, essential for anyone attempting to become a musician. This book precisely lives up to its title claim of practical. This book is useful to anyone regardless of musical background. The book flows naturally from the raw beginnngs of musical study and gradually adds theory as one proceeds through the lessons. After a solid introduction to the tools and notation of musical meter and the notes of the staff the lessons gradually inculcate essential concepts intrinsic to musical construction. Even if one is an intermediate or advanced student of music the information within the first few chapters is still very interesting and should not be glossed over by any reader trying to get on to the "good stuff". The lessons and theory begin in earnest in each subsequent chapter. The sections on scales and triad construction are clear and exceedingly well illustrated graphically. The plain illustration of the logic behind music makes each lesson a boon to any musician. Lastly, The section on Harmony is complex and "practical beginning Theory" makes an intricate proposition such as harmony an understandable and repeatable enterprise. Although the material does get very dense the reader need only consult the index to review pivital lessons that are the foundation for the construction of Harmony. The book does an excellent job of applying each previous lesson to the next. The book teaches music theory so well that the student/reader is able to expand music using the knowlege gained from this book. It will teach every reader to play and understand the science of the art of music.

I am a mathemaician!! and I am studying this book along with two other books ( the shaping of music by Russel and Elementary harmony by Ottman) to hopefully write music!!

This book as the other reviewer said doesn't have exmples from literature but at the end of each chapter as exercises it referes you to designated pages from three other books that contain examples in literature. Here I should say the book covers the material in a rather easy language much easier! somehow more clear than other two books that I am reading!

In the book (page 261) says that borrowed chords are nearly always appear in the major key! while obviosly, in minor keys the chords: I ( picardy third) and ii, IV ( in melodic minor when 6 is raised) are not unusual.

I guess we have still a long way to see a good book in harmony. something real practical. But for now, i guess if you want to learn harmony by yourself you should read maybe several books!!

I'm not as enthusiastic as the previous reviewer. I have taught music theory at all levels for 17 years, and while there is good material in Spencer's The Practice of Harmony, there is much that seems downright peculiar. If your theory professor assigns this book, of course you've got to use it; otherwise, much of the material is presented more clearly in other sources. The problems are twofold: reliance on standard theoretical concepts divorced from practice or context, and Spencer's attempt to either explain concepts in new ways or offer shortcuts in learning or remembering the concepts--it's a laudable effort, to be sure, but one which leads him astray.

Take, for example, this wonderfully abstruse line from his "Suggestions and Strategies" for learning triad quality: "If the root of a triad is natural and the fifth is flat, or if the root is sharp and the fifth is natural, or if the fifth is double-flat, the triad is diminished." (p. 69) All that may well be true, but if you've memorised that and still can't tell that the third of the chord is minor and the fifth is diminished, you have no recognition of what a diminished triad IS. There's quite a difference between naming and understanding, and Spencer ignores this.

Another and much more significant problem occurs with Spencer's explanation of the minor. Frankly, he doesn't seem to understand that there is not a "harmonic minor key" or a "natural minor key"--he does not use the terms, but in the section "Triads in Major and Minor Keys" (p. 68) he shows the triads first on C major, then on A minor (natural), a minor (harmonic), and a minor (melodic)--ascending only. Now, while there are SCALES in these various forms of the minor, they represent quite different things from the triads that are found in most common practice period music. Even triads built on the harmonic minor scale, with a triad of III+ (augmented) do not reflect the actual triads in most music--III is much more commonly found in the music as a major triad than as an augmented one, regardless of the theory. Minor is a complex situation, not easily explained; but a piece is in a minor mode which uses the various forms of minor--melodic for the melodies (mostly), harmonic for the harmonies (mostly, except III), and in Classical music, almost never natural--purely a theoretical construct because of the key signature linkage with the relative major. Natural minor in Classical music occurs as the descending form of the melodic minor. The real problem is that the minor scales are all theoretical constructs and not reflective of the music--the issue is how to handle scale degrees 6 and 7. To solve this, rather than address it directly, Spencer introduces yet another theoretical construct, the 'synthetic' minor scale, made up of a combination of all the other forms together. It's an appalling idea, one I've never seen elsewhere, and totally without context. Spencer would have been better served by introducing the minor mode in its own chapter, rather than trying to tack it on as an appendage to the major mode.

Lack of context lies at the heart of Spencer's approach, and to be fair this is true of far too many theory books. Instead of discussing the basis of functional harmony in the Classical Period, for example, we get the same tired "Primary Triads in Root Position". I'm of the firm belief that discussion function of chords--Dominant preparation for ii and IV, Dominant function for V and vii, Tonic for I and Tonic substitute for vi in major--is much more useful than listing all the "rules" of doublings, etc. Similarly, cadence types are named, but the functions of the various types are not described.

All in all, Spencer's approach in The Practice of Harmony is an odd combination of pretty standard pedantic theory and new, sometimes confusing approaches. Theory is really nothing by itself; without a musical context it is meaningless. Yet Spencer never attempts to provide such a context; indeed, he uses not a single example from actual music literature. You are better served elsewhere.

It is an excellent book of harmony.It has a great number of exercices.The only thing that i got worried about was the very FEW examples concerning the contents of the book, but if you read carefully you will understand what the author wanted to say!But i still wish the author included more examples of the contents , mainly about the Four-part writing. Anyway, i really enjoyed the book and i am learning a lot from it!

I found this book nice and clear in information besides of that alot of exercise in it.

This is a good book, but I bought it because of the Audio with it. Still waiting. I have called and emailed Syngress and have yet to get any response from them. The web url listed on the book does not work, and the site has no reference to this book. So much for the extra questions, and audio the book promises. I will definately not recommend Syngress after all the bad luck with this book and false advertisement!

Grabbed this book in a pinch to see what I might need to know for 70-648 besides what I knew from hands-on implementation. I agree that it covers exam objectives, at least I passed with a decent margin. There were a couple "out of left field" questions on the exam that weren't in the book but that's not too bad considering this isn't from Microsoft Publishing.

Sometimes the book drags on covering knowledge that a MCSA 2003 cert holder should already know, but at the same time, the refresher can be helpful. My biggest disappointment is in Syngress' web team failing to deliver the online companion site in time for the book's publishing (and my scheduled exam, natch). As of this review, [...] yields 404. This URL is published on the cover and should have hosted the free practice exams and other supplemental material like MP3 audio covering the "Fast Tracks" (which are in the Study Guide too...handy items). I can't even find the book after poking around Syngress.com.

Still, I found this item helpful.