I had just finished the new adaptive NE exam. (70-058). They lowered the passing score for 850 to 552, and you shouldn’t worry about the new format. I can’t judge and say that this test is more diffucult than the previous one (I didn’t write the other one), but what I can say is that it wasn’t that diffucult for me. It’s a lot easier than the Win 95 Exam (70-068). I studied about 10 days on and off for about 3-4 hours per day, and used the Transcender Exam, Networking Essentials Self study kit, the MCSE exam notes from Sybex and the NE notes from http://www.ftq.com (I strongly recommend ftq.com)

Here is some of the questions I got. I wrote them down on a piece of paper as I were writing. I can not guarantee that all the answers is correct, where I say that I chose something I am unsure.


1) Barbara’s remote computer accesses dial-up telephone lines. Her computer is 5 years old, and she uses TCP/IP. Her dial-up connection cannot provide automatic IP processing. Which protocol is she using?

- DLC

- SLIP

- PPP

The answer is SLIP. Only PPP can automaticly assign IP addresses.


2) What is the benefit of using a router?

- Provides guaranteed delivery
- Provides redundant paths
- A router broadcasts traffic
- Enables devices on one network to access devices on another network.

I chose the last option.


3) You installed a Network adapter on a computer with a Soundcard and two serial ports. After you reboot, there is no communication with the network. What should you do?

- Change the I/O Port
- Change the IRQ
- Disable 1 Serial Port
- Disable shared memory on the Network Card

I chose the change IRQ setting.


4)You have Nt, 95 and Unix machines on your network. You use TCP/IP and NETBEUI as protocols. Your network is slow, and it seems like the problem could be broadcast storms. What causes broadcast storms?

- Network Traffic from NETBEUI.
- TCP/IP and NETBEUI
- Network traffic from Unix
- Incomplete subnet

I chose Network Traffic from NETBEUI. (Netbeui is a broadcasting protocol that regulates network traffic, and each computer on your network reads the broadcast. You can also disable NETBEUI if you have TCP/IP and you don’t need NETBEUI, and your network will go faster.)


5) A question of Directories. You want certain people to access it and others not. Also NTFS. What type of security must you use?

- File-level
- User-level
- hardware
- share-level

I chose User-Level. I am not sure about this one. (Whenever you see a question with User-level and Share-level in it, the answer will be one of them, the others are just there to confuse you.) Share-level security is usually associatet with passwords assigned to resources.


6) You want to assign a Netbios name to 1 client computer. Which is the valid Netbios Name?

- Name of share on one Network server.
- Computer name on network.
- Name of Domain on Network.
- Name of Workgroup on Network.

I chose the first option. (You can not have two of the same Netbios names on the same network.)


7) You have a Token-Ring network with 15 PC’s and 2 NT Server PC’s. TCP/IP is the only protocol, but your network is slow. What should you do?

- Install another Multistation Access Unit
- Segment the Network by installing a repeater.
- Add another ring to the network, and segment it using a bridge.
- Reconfigure all computers to use DLC as the only protocol.

I chose the 3rd option. When you segment your network using a bridge, you reduce traffic, making your network faster.


8) You have TCP/IP. You want to monitor the amount of network utilisation. What must you use?

- Event Viewer
- NT Diagnostics
- Server Manager
- Performance Monitor
- Network Monitor

I chose Performance Monitor and Network Monitor.


9) A question where you must drag and drop to fit computer descriptions with what they gave you.

File Server (choose config)
Application Sever (choose config)
Print Server (choose config)
Client Computer (choose config)

Configuration:

Win 95 (I chose Print Server)
Pentium 120
32 Mb ram
Windows NT Server
PC2: Dual Pentium Pro 200 ( I chose Application Sever)
64 Mb Ram

PC3: NT Server (I chose File Server)
P120
128 Mb ram

PC4: Windows 95 (I chose Client computer)
486
16 MB ram


10) You have 500 Computers on an Ethernet Network. Network activity is slow – what should you use to analyze your network?

- Protocol analizer
- Volt Ohmmeter
- Optical Time Domain Reflector
- Time Domain Reflector

I chose Protocol Analizer.


11) You have 3 NT Servers and 75 Clients. NETBEUI is your protocol, and you want access to UNIX. You should install no new software – what should you use?

Bridge
Router
Brouter
Gateway

I chose Gateway. (Gateways enables you to connect different type of networks with each other, regardless of the structure or protocols used.)


I got about 4 or 5 scenario questions, but they weren’t as difficult as those on Transcender. This is probably where I lost my points. My score was 664/1000, the passing mark 552/1000.

Thank You to all the other people that helped sending their ideas and braindumps, and a special thanks to Wang Wei who compiled the excellent www.ftq.com site and notes on Networking Essentials.

Carlo
South Africa