Exam NetWare 4.11 to NetWare 5.1 Update Exam (CNE #50-652, CNI #50-852) Certifications, Vendor CNE/CNI, Novell Status Live Reviewer's Rating "The time you spend reviewing and trying out the various 5.1 utilities will make the difference in passing or failing this exam" Test Information 71 questions, 90 minute time limit, $100 (U.S.) Who Should Take This Exam? CNEs and CNIs who need to update their 4.11 NetWare certification. Test Objectives URL http://www.novell.com/ education/testinfo/objectives/ 529atobj.html

Many of my students who were trained under NetWare 4.11 (IntraNetWare) are now facing the challenge of upgrading to a NetWare 5.1 CNE. Why not 5.0? Novell eliminated that upgrade path August 31st of this year.

You might think upgrading to 5.1 instead of 5.0 isn't a big deal - after all, the versions are only .1 apart. Well, it is a big deal. 5.1 is a significant upgrade from 5.0 thanks to its numerous enhancements and add-ons.

Because of these factors, the NetWare 4.11 to 5.1 Update exam is truly a challenge. In fact, even with my background I procrastinated for months (passing up several teaching opportunities in the process) before I finally decided to take it on.

I took the exam only after I prepared for a week using the Novell Authorized Course Materials and two computers (one a workstation and one a NetWare 5.1 server). My score? 698, well within the passing range of 614 and up, but by no means a coast. Because of the because of the breadth of material covered, several items caught me off guard. It is a manageable exam, but you will need to know your stuff. Following are my impressions.

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The Exam Itself
The NetWare 4.11 to 5.1 Update exam (# 50-652 for CNEs, #50-852 for CNIs) features 71 questions and a 90-minute time limit. Once you answer a question and move on, there is no option to return to a previous item.

You'll find a variety of question types on this exam. Most are multiple-choice, with a balance between questions with one correct response and those with multiple correct responses. I also found a significant percentage of questions that are of either the drag-and-drop format or hot-spot format. Roughly, I would estimate I had 20 to 25 percent of the questions in one of these two formats. These types of questions focused on one's familiarity with various NetWare 5.1 Utilities.

As stated earlier, the passing score is 614 on a 200 to 800 scale. The test fee is $100. (Note to instructors: You can take the same exact exam on the CNI level. The CNI exam has the same format, with one exception -- the test has a higher passing score: 674.)

For the most up-to-date test information, I would recommend potential test-takers look at Novell's Test Data Web site, which can be found at: http://www.novell.com/education/testinfo/testdata.html. This site will give you the latest information on the test. For example if, and when, the test undergoes a revision, the number of questions might be altered and the passing scores might change as well. This site will reflect those changes.

The Objectives
The NetWare 4.11 to 5.1 Update exam focuses on 12 broad objective categories, which correspond to the 12 sections in the Authorized Course Materials. They are:

1. What's New in NetWare 5.1
2. Review of Basic TCP/IP Principles
3. Upgrading from NetWare 4.11 to NetWare 5.1
4. Building a TCP/IP Network using NetWare 5.1
5. Building an Internet Infrastructure with NetWare 5.1
6. Managing NDS with ConsoleOne
7. Managing Novell Certificate Server
8. Migrating to IP from IPX
9. Introduction to NDS eDirectory
10. Implementing Novell Distributed Print Services
11. Configuring Servers to Synchronize Time in a NetWare 5.1 Environment
12. Managing and Optimizing the NetWare 5.1 Platform.

For those who have been working with NetWare 5.0 and have attained the CNE in NetWare 4.x, some of the material will not be challenging. But, again, watch out for those new features!

As far as the objectives themselves are concerned, this exam is truly balanced. Without plotting a statistical chart, I would estimate that there were five to seven questions for each broad objective. While not every sub-objective under each broad objective was covered, this exam does hit on major and minor points from each topic. If you're not adequately prepared for one or two of the broad objectives, you're probably not going to pass the exam. Note, however, that the questions themselves were not obscure; it was all pretty straightforward.

Preparation Tips
Following are my study tips for the NetWare 4.11 to 5.1 exam:

• The best study source for preparation is the Authorized Novell Course Materials. I didn't find a good third-party preparation source at the time I took the exam (August 2000).
• Know the various NetWare 5.1 utilities. Practice, practice, practice!! To pass this exam I needed plenty of hands-on practice. Without it I would never have passed. You should also know which option in a utility will perform a given function. For example (and this was not on the test; this is just an example): What menu item in NetWare Administrator allows one to modify the properties on multiple user objects?
• Know the various services of the Enterprise Web Server, e.g. the News server, the FTP server, the Web Search server. Know how to manage them, start them, stop them, and configure them.
• Know the fundamentals of TCP/IP, including DHCP and DNS.
• Know LDAP, how it works and the objects and concepts involved in working with LDAP.
• Know the Certificate Server and the organizational hierarchy of objects used by the Certificate Server.
• Be very familiar with ConsoleOne. Some things to be aware of are the features and advantages of ConsoleOne, as well as its disadvantages. What can one do with ConsoleOne versus NetWare Administrator?Know the various migration and installation strategies from NetWare 3.x, 4.x and 5.x.·
• Be familiar with the NetWare Management Portal, Schema Manager, Deployment Manager, the Novell Licensing Services and Novell Distributed Print Services.

I could have never passed this exam without the seven days I took to prepare for it. The time I spent reviewing and trying out the various utilities was the difference in passing and failing this exam.

A question I am often asked is: Can one pass a Novell exam without attending an instructor-lead course? The answer is absolutely! However, again, for this exam, knowing your utilities will be key.

Good Luck and best wishes as you attain the NetWare 5.1 CNE.

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