Maximize Your Certification ROI

With more than 400,000 MCSEs at last count, does it still make financial sense to become one? A long-time MCSE consultant breaks down the costs - course and exam fees, exam preparation materials and your own sweat and blood - and shows you how to calculate certification's return on investment. 06/01/2001

Your Guide to Victory: True North on Your 70-240 Quest

You have one chance—and one chance only—to prove your expertise on Windows 2000. Here's what you need to understand to make sure you get through 70-240 victoriously. 06/01/2001

SPEED Ferret Eases the Pain of Spec Changes

Update property settings in bulk with this useful utility. 06/01/2001

Managing Storage Via the Web

Quota Server Admin+ allows storage management via a Web interface. 06/01/2001

Scaling the Certification Mountain

As you negotiate the tricky trail leading to the summit—your Windows 2000 MCSE certification—will New Riders’ ExamGear product provide a lifeline? 06/01/2001

MCSE+I

For MCSEs who specialize in Internet skills. (Retired) 06/01/2001

MCP

Your first step into Microsoft's certification program. 06/01/2001

MCP+SB

A specialization aimed at those who design and deploy Web-based systems. (Retired) 06/01/2001

MCSE

The most sought-after of the premier Microsoft certifications. 06/01/2001

70-240 Guide: Build Your Test Lab

For a thorough understanding of the 70-240 exam objectives, nothing replaces hands-on experience. Build this test lab to get your practice. 06/01/2001

New Electives Announced for MCSE

Microsoft recently published information about two new exams that will serve as electives for the MCSE certification. 06/01/2001

Active Directory Scorecard

A year and a half has passed since Active Directory was unleashed, with the promise of simpler management and significant cost savings. Harry points to other less-than-obvious benefits. 06/01/2001

MCP+I

For MCPs who specialize in internetworking using Microsoft technology. (Retired) 06/01/2001

Migrating to Win2K Safely

InstallShield provides Application Migration Practice. 06/01/2001

MCSD Revisions on Tap

MCP Magazine has learned Microsoft is in the midst of revising MCSD certification track requirements. 06/01/2001

Mastering Exchange 2000 Server

Need a top-end resource to help prep you for the Exchange 2000 Server MCSE exam? This Microsoft training kit may just be the thing. 06/01/2001

Keep Control of Your Database

Coefficient monitors SQL Server 7.0/2000 activity. 06/01/2001

An IT Director Goes Shopping

One way tanking dot-coms have of paying off their debts to investors is to sell assets through auction. And therein lies an opportunity for the savvy network administrator to pick up bargains. 06/01/2001

Active Directory From The Ground Up

This book covers the gamut of AD functionality, and has something for everyone. 06/01/2001

MCSD

Premier title for application developers, programmers, and system architects who use Microsoft technology. 06/01/2001

Limited Time: Discounts on Selected Windows 2000 Exams

All core, selected elective exams available for 25 percent off regular price until Aug. 31, 2001 (offer available worldwide). 06/01/2001

Who ARE you?

When it comes to keeping your system safe from hackers trying to ride a Trojan horse through your defense perimeter, a Certificate Authority can make sure everybody’s exactly who they claim to be. 06/01/2001

Server Satisfaction Survey: Compaq on Top, Overall Customer Satisfaction Down

In the horse race that is the Technology Business Research customer satisfaction survey, Compaq is first in Intel server satisfaction after Dell dominated the ranking for 12 quarters. But TBR's numbers show overall customer satisfaction with their servers has declined in the last year. 05/31/2001

Analyst: Pentium 4 a Dangerous Transition for Intel

Intel Corp. is a notoriously paranoid company. An analyst with consultantcy Cahners In-Stat says this is no time for the chipmaker to take a more relaxed attitude. 05/31/2001

Office XP Takes Off

Suite gets more Web-based features, improved collaboration among components. 05/31/2001

Microsoft Launches Office XP

NEW YORK – At the Office XP launch Thursday, Microsoft Corp. chairman and chief software architect Bill Gates argued the case that personal productivity software has not yet reached its pinnacle. 05/31/2001

Aelita Offers Active Directory Recovery Tool

Aelita Software ships ERDisk for Active Directory, designed to bring failed or misconfigured Active Directories or individual AD objects back to life. 05/31/2001

Argent Introduces Load Testing Software

Argent Software released load testing software this week that allows companies to test and monitor Web sites and Internet applications. 05/30/2001

Itanium Update: Compaq's TrailBlazer and Dell's Pricing

The two highest volume U.S. Intel architecture server vendors offered a few more details of their plans for the new 64-bit Itanium processors that Intel formally launched this week. 05/30/2001

Marathon Cozies up to Microsoft

Marathon Technologies has been selling kits to make Windows NT fault tolerant since 1997. This week, the company finally entered into a formal partnership with Microsoft. 05/30/2001

Call for Test Takers: 70-226 Highly Available Web Solutions, 70-230 BizTalk

Have you received an invitation to take the 70-226 Highly Available Web Solutions or 70-230 BizTalk beta exams? Share your experiences with MCP Magazine. 05/30/2001

Crystal Releases BI Client

Crystal Decisions, the business intelligence company formerly known as Seagate Software, produced a new Web-based client for business users this week that accesses SQL Server OLAP data. 05/30/2001

New 16-Way Itanium System Won't Support Windows Yet

HP unveiled a 16-processor Itanium-based server Tuesday. Although HP is shifting its server branding to emphasize multiple operating systems (Unix, Linux, Windows), the high-end Itanium server will initially only ship with HP-UX. 05/29/2001

Intel Launches Itanium: OEMs Unveil Systems

Intel unveiled its long-awaited Itanium processor Tuesday. Several of the major OEMs will have 64-bit servers and workstations available in late June. 05/29/2001

Unisys Preps ES7000 for 64-bits

Unisys disclosed a few of its plans for its big Windows/Intel server Tuesday as Intel released the long-awaited 64-bit Itanium chip. 05/29/2001

Microsoft Publishes More .NET Specs

Three new specifications – SOAP Routing Protocol, XLANG and Direct Internet Messaging Encapsulation – went up on a .NET Web site. The specs come just after Microsoft established a partnership on its .NET-related Hailstorm initiative. 05/24/2001

64-bit Windows Server Sales to Come Through OEMs

Microsoft will distribute its new 64-bit server operating system through OEMs in much the same way as it currently sells Windows 2000 Datacenter Server. Microsoft also unveiled several other details of its 64-bit roadmap. 05/24/2001

Outlook 2002 to Come with Exchange 2000 SP1

The first service pack for Exchange 2000 will come with Outlook 2002, allowing administrators to upgrade to Microsoft's Office XP generation e-mail client with no extra licensing cost. 05/24/2001

Database Market Report: Microsoft Finally Master of Own Domain

For years, Microsoft Corp. ranked second after Oracle Corp. for database revenues on Microsoft's own operating platform – Windows NT. 05/23/2001

Update: Microsoft Will Have 64-bit Windows Ready for Itanium

Microsoft will provide a supported pre-release version of 64-bit Windows 2002 and Windows XP for Itanium systems. 05/23/2001

Dell Lays Out Plans for Itanium Server

Dell became the first vendor to formally unveil a server specifically designed for the 64-bit Itanium processors that Intel Corp. is expected to launch next week. 05/23/2001

UltraBac Updates Backup Software

Microsoft Creates New Visual Studio SKU

IT enterprise architects are getting their own specialized version of Microsoft Corp.'s Visual Studio in the .NET generation. 05/22/2001

Intel Releases Workstation Xeons

Intel Corp. this week began shipments of its post-Pentium III generation of Xeon processors, named, simply enough, Intel Xeons. 05/22/2001

NEC Delivering Stratus Fault-Tolerant System

Long-awaited Windows 2000 servers using Stratus Technologies' fault-tolerant designs were formally unveiled for the Japanese market. The servers from NEC Corp. signal the highly touted technology is close to reaching the U.S. market. 05/22/2001

Microsoft Press Offers Custom Books

CertCities.com reports that Microsoft's publishing division plans to offer customizable versions of selected certification and technical titles. 05/17/2001

Motorola Developing High-Availability W2K Systems for Telecom OEMs

Motorola Computer Group announced plans this week to extend its specialized line of five-nines, high-availability servers and hardening software for telecom OEMs with support for the Windows 2000 platform by Q3. 05/17/2001

IDC: Server Appliance Market Booming

Analyst firm IDC remains bullish on the appliance server market, predicting worldwide revenues of $31.4 billion in 2005 and the emergence of appliances for e-mail, gateways and databases. 05/17/2001

Windows XP to Ship October 25

ENTmag.com reported last week that Microsoft has pinned down Oct. 25, 2001 as the official launch date for Windows XP. 05/17/2001

IIS Security Patch Supplements SP2

Microsoft took the unusual step of issuing a mini-security pack for IIS this week. The company recommends that users immediately apply the patch, which includes fixes for problems that aren't addressed in SP2. 05/17/2001