Passed 70-652

[kmcferrin]

I just passed the 70-652 "Windows Server Virtualization, Configuring" exam this morning. Overall it wasn't too bad. I had been working with Hyper-V and SC:VMM for several months, so a lot of it was easy. Some tips for getting a passing score:

1. The name is "Windows Server Virtualization, Configuring" not "Hyper-V, Configuring". Consequently you need to know a lot about virtualization on the Microsoft server platform, including Hyper-V. But if all you know is Hyper-V then you will have problems with this exam.

2. The exam isn't that difficult, and I *believe* the scoring shows it. I did much worse on 70-293 (not only by my perception, but by the bar graphs on the results page) but got a significantly higher score on the 293 than I did on the 652. I think because the test is "easy" people tend to score higher on it, but I think the grading scale is curved/normalized in a way that gives you a smaller margin of error. So make sure that you know your stuff.

3. There aren't a lot of training resources out there for this exam. There are a couple of classes on the Microsoft e-Learning web site, some free and some subscription. I opted for only the free courses, which don't go anywhere near the level of detail needed to prepare for this exam. So make sure that you get hands-on experience, and play with ALL of the options in the software so that you understand how they work.

4. There is a free Virtualization e-Book available from Microsoft press, at least for now. You can get it here:

http://csna01.libredigital.com/?urmvs17u33

5. As always, use Second Shot.

Now I'm off to prepare for 70-403, System Center Virtual Machine Manager.

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CompTIA A+, Network+, Server+, Security+
MCTS:Windows Server Virtualization
MCSE:Security 2003
MCITP:Enterprise Administrator

 

[Maxximuss]

I am new to the forum and new to the IT field. I only have about 1 year of hands on experience, all of which has been learned at my current job as help desk for an ISP, ie. troubleshooting connection issues, email issues and the like. I have a 2 year degree in Network Security, which I received in 2008, but no certifications as the school I attended didn't think it was important enough to offer those exams. As far as hands on goes in the classroom, not a whole lot, mostly book work which as you know is very difficult to apply that to everyday life. My question is: I want to expand my knowledge of anything IT, are there simulators/emulators that could help me? If so, I would really appreciate any kind of help I could get.

 

[kmcferrin]

There are some, but they are usually bundled as part of a training package. In reality you're better off getting some hardware and putting together a test environment. It doesn't need to be anything fancy, most relatively modern desktop computers can run any of the modern server OSes or management tools as long as you're not serving it up to 3000 people. There are time-limited evaluation versions of most of Microsoft's applications and operating systems available as well. Virtualization also comes in handy here, as you can run multiple virtual servers on a single physical piece of hardware. It makes it pretty easy to simulate an entire Windows infrastructure.

________________________________________
CompTIA A+, Network+, Server+, Security+
MCTS:Windows Server Virtualization
MCSE:Security 2003
MCITP:Enterprise Administrator