Planning, Implementing, and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Active Directory Infrastructure

Exam News

Exam 70-294 became available August 28, 2003.

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

• Core credit toward Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA) on Microsoft Windows Server 2003 certification

Instructor-led Course for This Exam

• Course 2279:  Planning, Implementing, and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Active Directory Infrastructure

Skills Being Measured

This certification exam measures your ability to plan, implement, and maintain a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Active Directory infrastructure. Before taking the exam, you should be proficient in the job skills listed below.

Skills measured by exam 70-294

Planning and Implementing an Active Directory Infrastructure

Plan a strategy for placing global catalog servers.

• Evaluate network traffic considerations when placing global catalog servers.

• Evaluate the need to enable universal group caching.

Plan flexible operations master role placement.

• Plan for business continuity of operations master roles.

• Identify operations master role dependencies.

Implement an Active Directory directory service forest and domain structure.

• Create the forest root domain.

• Create a child domain.

• Create and configure Application Data Partitions.

• Install and configure an Active Directory domain controller.

• Set an Active Directory forest and domain functional level based on requirements.

• Establish trust relationships. Types of trust relationships might include external trusts, shortcut trusts, and cross-forest trusts.

Implement an Active Directory site topology.

• Configure site links.

• Configure preferred bridgehead servers.

Plan an administrative delegation strategy.

• Plan an organizational unit (OU) structure based on delegation requirements.

• Plan a security group hierarchy based on delegation requirements.

Managing and Maintaining an Active Directory Infrastructure

Manage an Active Directory forest and domain structure.

• Manage trust relationships.

• Manage schema modifications.

• Add or remove a UPN suffix.

Manage an Active Directory site.

• Configure replication schedules.

• Configure site link costs.

• Configure site boundaries.

Monitor Active Directory replication failures. Tools might include Replication Monitor, Event Viewer, and support tools.

• Monitor Active Directory replication.

• Monitor File Replication service (FRS) replication.

Restore Active Directory directory services.

• Perform an authoritative restore operation.

• Perform a nonauthoritative restore operation.

Troubleshoot Active Directory.

• Diagnose and resolve issues related to Active Directory replication.

• Diagnose and resolve issues related to operations master role failure.

• Diagnose and resolve issues related to the Active Directory database.

Planning and Implementing User, Computer, and Group Strategies

Plan a security group strategy.

Plan a user authentication strategy.

• Plan a smart card authentication strategy.

• Create a password policy for domain users.

Plan an OU structure.

• Analyze the administrative requirements for an OU.

• Analyze the Group Policy requirements for an OU structure.

Implement an OU structure.

• Create an OU.

• Delegate permissions for an OU to a user or to a security group.

• Move objects within an OU hierarchy.

Planning and Implementing Group Policy

Plan Group Policy strategy.

• Plan a Group Policy strategy by using Resultant Set of Policy (RSoP) Planning mode.

• Plan a strategy for configuring the user environment by using Group Policy.

• Plan a strategy for configuring the computer environment by using Group Policy.

Configure the user environment by using Group Policy.

• Distribute software by using Group Policy.

• Automatically enroll user certificates by using Group Policy.

• Redirect folders by using Group Policy.

• Configure user security settings by using Group Policy.

Deploy a computer environment by using Group Policy.

• Distribute software by using Group Policy.

• Automatically enroll computer certificates by using Group Policy.

• Configure computer security settings by using Group Policy.

Managing and Maintaining Group Policy

Troubleshoot issues related to Group Policy application. deployment. Tools might include RSoP and the gpresult command.

Maintain installed software by using Group Policy.

• Distribute updates to software distributed by Group Policy.

• Configure automatic updates for network clients by using Group Policy.

Troubleshoot the application of Group Policy security settings. Tools might include RSoP and the gpresult command.