stephen3rd
Technical User
Has anybody completed MS2400 Implementing and managing Exchange 2003?
Any thoughts are appreciated.
Cheers
Any thoughts are appreciated.
Cheers
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Exchange Course MS2400 3
- Thread starter stephen3rd
- Start date
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2
- #2
Overclocker
Technical User
I will be taking that class 6/14/04. It's 2 weeks at night so I'll let you know how it turns out.
Overclocker
(A+, Net+, MCP, MCSA W2K)
"If time travel were possible, I'd go back and choose NOT to start IT training."
Overclocker
(A+, Net+, MCP, MCSA W2K)
"If time travel were possible, I'd go back and choose NOT to start IT training."
- Thread starter
- #3
stephen3rd
Technical User
That would be helpful.
My start date for the course is 26/7/04 and i would like to know what to expect.
My start date for the course is 26/7/04 and i would like to know what to expect.
Overclocker
Technical User
I'm going to pick up the following 2 books to help with the course and the exam:
Exam Cram 2
70-284
Implementing and Managing Exchange Server 2003
ISBN 0789730987
Sybex Study Guide
70-284
Implementing and Managing Exchange Server 2003
ISBN 0782143385
The Sybex book is suppose to be published this month. I've read many of the books by one of the authors, Will Schmeid. (Will is also known as DontPanic at mcseworld.com)
Overclocker
(A+, Net+, MCP, MCSA W2K)
"If time travel were possible, I'd go back and choose NOT to start IT training."
Exam Cram 2
70-284
Implementing and Managing Exchange Server 2003
ISBN 0789730987
Sybex Study Guide
70-284
Implementing and Managing Exchange Server 2003
ISBN 0782143385
The Sybex book is suppose to be published this month. I've read many of the books by one of the authors, Will Schmeid. (Will is also known as DontPanic at mcseworld.com)
Overclocker
(A+, Net+, MCP, MCSA W2K)
"If time travel were possible, I'd go back and choose NOT to start IT training."
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1
- #6
NickFerrar
MIS
I've just come back from a 7 day Exchange 2003 bootcamp, doing both the 284 (implementation) and 285 (design) exams. It was pretty tough but then I only had Exchange 5.5 experience before the course and 2003 is obviously radically different.
The new format MS course books are very good and we also got a copy of the Exchange Server 2003 Administrator's Companion MS Press book which is very good (we got an examcram book to but I didn't use it).
I think the standard 5 day course for just 284 could be pretty boring as you'll likely have to do all the labs and sit through all the videos, on the bootcamp we only did the more involved labs (and in our own time) and watched 2 of the videos. The other thing is at the bootcamp you get 2 physical servers and told to build them pretty much how you want (e.g. you could have 2 back-end servers or a front-end/back-end configuration), rather than getting supplied to pre-configured Virtual Server images you get on most courses.
The exams themselves were pretty rough, 284 was 30 questions and it was question 14 by the time I was 100% sure with my answer
I had some stuff that weren't really Exchange at all so you need a good general AD (inc. GPO, IPSEC, Certificate Authorities etc.) knowledge.
285 was an example of MS exams at their worst IMO. They've changed the format of the design exams from a lot of waffle in the scenario to much more concise information, but there's still a lot of it - the result being there's far far more technical stuff in each scenario than either the AD or Security design exams I've previously done.
You only get a set amount of time per scenario to, by the time I'd read through the scenario and written down key stuff/drawn the topology I had under 15 minutes left to answer questions on some scenarios. I had 6 scenarios in all and 4-6 questions per scenario. The questions themselves were generally much easier (less technical depth) than the 284 ones but I had a real problem with the "what admin groups/routing groups would you create" type questions (and you get 1 per scenario). Admin/routing groups is an easy concept to understand but when you're given a scenario with a head office, regional, branch and subsidary offices and weird design goals your brain just gives up trying to work it out
The new format MS course books are very good and we also got a copy of the Exchange Server 2003 Administrator's Companion MS Press book which is very good (we got an examcram book to but I didn't use it).
I think the standard 5 day course for just 284 could be pretty boring as you'll likely have to do all the labs and sit through all the videos, on the bootcamp we only did the more involved labs (and in our own time) and watched 2 of the videos. The other thing is at the bootcamp you get 2 physical servers and told to build them pretty much how you want (e.g. you could have 2 back-end servers or a front-end/back-end configuration), rather than getting supplied to pre-configured Virtual Server images you get on most courses.
The exams themselves were pretty rough, 284 was 30 questions and it was question 14 by the time I was 100% sure with my answer
I had some stuff that weren't really Exchange at all so you need a good general AD (inc. GPO, IPSEC, Certificate Authorities etc.) knowledge.285 was an example of MS exams at their worst IMO. They've changed the format of the design exams from a lot of waffle in the scenario to much more concise information, but there's still a lot of it - the result being there's far far more technical stuff in each scenario than either the AD or Security design exams I've previously done.
You only get a set amount of time per scenario to, by the time I'd read through the scenario and written down key stuff/drawn the topology I had under 15 minutes left to answer questions on some scenarios. I had 6 scenarios in all and 4-6 questions per scenario. The questions themselves were generally much easier (less technical depth) than the 284 ones but I had a real problem with the "what admin groups/routing groups would you create" type questions (and you get 1 per scenario). Admin/routing groups is an easy concept to understand but when you're given a scenario with a head office, regional, branch and subsidary offices and weird design goals your brain just gives up trying to work it out
NickFerrar
MIS
I don't think so but the course book for 285 is excellent, on the bootcamp we were only given it on day 4 (after doing the 284 exam) so as not to overload us with reading but I wish I'd had the 285 course book from day 1. It explains the high level concepts really well, I found sometimes with the 284 stuff I was getting into a lot of technical depth so quickly I was losing sight of the "why" and just learning the "how". Reading the 285 course book (the only 285 study aid we had) made a lot of things click into place.
Not sure if you can buy the 285 course book or if you have to attend a course to get it. I can't see an ISBN number on my book, but it's the 2008A course, part number: X10-24383
I'd advise doing your exams close together - we were supposed to sit 285 on day 6 but we all sat it a day early as we had the technical knowledge from 284 so just needed to brush up on applying it (particularly migration stuff which is much more heavily tested in 285 than 284).
Not sure if you can buy the 285 course book or if you have to attend a course to get it. I can't see an ISBN number on my book, but it's the 2008A course, part number: X10-24383
I'd advise doing your exams close together - we were supposed to sit 285 on day 6 but we all sat it a day early as we had the technical knowledge from 284 so just needed to brush up on applying it (particularly migration stuff which is much more heavily tested in 285 than 284).
- Thread starter
- #9
stephen3rd
Technical User
I did the standard 5 day course last summer and found it to be pretty good.
My only negative about the course was the migration chapter is the last chapter of the book so it was covered on the Friday afternoon. The trainer said we could go through the migration labs or head off home. I stayed and did the labs on my own which surprised me as that was the one chapter that almost all people who do that course are there to do.
I suggested to the trainer that he should cover that chapter on the Tuesday or Wednesday instead of spending so much time on Public Folders. (Maybe just because my company doesnt make use of Public Folders).
My only negative about the course was the migration chapter is the last chapter of the book so it was covered on the Friday afternoon. The trainer said we could go through the migration labs or head off home. I stayed and did the labs on my own which surprised me as that was the one chapter that almost all people who do that course are there to do.
I suggested to the trainer that he should cover that chapter on the Tuesday or Wednesday instead of spending so much time on Public Folders. (Maybe just because my company doesnt make use of Public Folders).
Same here.
But i did the whole MCSE 2003 track with selfstudy, even the Security which i'm learning at the moment.
So my boss must pay for the Messaging-course and i think i'll need it. I'm a guru in Exchange 5.5, but things have changed slightly on Microsoft Messagings Platfrom ;-)
MCSE NT 4.0
MCSE 2003
But i did the whole MCSE 2003 track with selfstudy, even the Security which i'm learning at the moment.
So my boss must pay for the Messaging-course and i think i'll need it. I'm a guru in Exchange 5.5, but things have changed slightly on Microsoft Messagings Platfrom ;-)
MCSE NT 4.0
MCSE 2003
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