Lesson 1

Windows Server 2003 and the Network Infrastructure

1-9

Implementing a Network Infrastructure

The process of implementing the technologies outlined in a network infrastructure

plan typically involves a number of disciplines. Tasks such as the installation of net-

work cables, for example, are frequently delegated to outside contractors that special-

ize in that type of work. The installation of operating systems and other software

components is also part of the implementation process, but this is not a primary focus

of the 70-293 exam.

The elements of the implementation process that are covered in the 70-293 exam focus

largely on the selection of protocols, operating systems, applications, and security

mechanisms that satisfy the requirements of a network’s owners, administrators, and

users, as determined in the planning process. The exam also covers the process of

deploying technologies such as the TCP/IP protocols, the DNS and WINS name-reso-

lution mechanisms, and the IPSec protocol extensions. These deployments include

tasks such as selecting the IP addresses and subnet mask that the computers on a net-

work will use, designing a DNS namespace, and creating IPsec policies that ensure the

security of communications between specific users or systems.

As a rule, the 70-293 exam focuses on the deployment of these technologies on a

medium-to-large network, and it concentrates more on the organizational elements of

the deployment than on the process of configuring an individual computer. For exam-

ple, the exam is more concerned with the process of creating a DNS namespace suit-

able for a large organization than the installation and configuration of the DNS server

application on a single computer running Windows Server 2003.

Maintaining a Network Infrastructure

The completion of the network planning and implementation processes is not the end

of the professional’s concern for the network infrastructure. To maintain the network

properly, administrators must have an intimate knowledge of the infrastructure and the

technologies used to implement it. Network infrastructure maintenance includes such

tasks as updating operating systems and applications, monitoring ongoing processes,

and troubleshooting problems.

Keeping the network’s operating systems and applications updated is more compli-

cated than simply downloading the latest patch releases and installing them on all the

computers. For a large and complex network infrastructure, you must be careful to test

each release before deploying it on the production network. This entails using a lab

network to develop an update-release test plan so that you can run the updates in a

protected environment before installing them throughout the enterprise. To build a lab

network that adequately duplicates the real network, familiarity with the network’s

infrastructure is essential.