Best Way to Jump Into Windows Server

Hi everyone. I am looking to get into Windows Server with the goal of MCSA certification. A little background about me...I do NOT currently work in IT. I have a career in an unrelated field, but am looking to slowly transition into IT. I have recently earned my CCNA certification. I'd love to 'learn' Windows Server (i.e. become, at the least, very familiar with it). I have never used a previous version than the current 2012 R2. Besides growing up and being a teenager spending all my time on a Windows box, I don't have any of the "Server" knowledge. Where should I start? The CBTNuggets videos say the pre-requisite is previous Windows Server knowledge which I don't have. I'm wondering if it would be worth it to spend the money or not. I have a good foundation of networking with the CCNA and have used Windows computers since the 90s, so I'm not a complete beginner, but I'd like a full guide. Will a book like Mastering Windows Server 2012 R2 be a good start or will it assume a lot of previous Windows Server knowledge? Anything else I should look out for? Thanks for any advice!

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aftereffector

You can get a 180-day trial download of Windows Server from Microsoft and install that as a virtual machine to mess around with. I'd definitely recommend doing that - it's hard to learn things like Active Directory and GPO administration from a book, but it makes a lot more sense if you can go through the steps with a real system.

itsallkosher

Thanks for the reply! I was definitely planning on installing Windows Server on Virtual Machine. I have VMware for the Mac and Windows, so I was planning on installing a virtual machine to mess around with it. I assume it would be helpful to have some 'hosts' as well? Thanks again for this tip!

lsud00d

If you're able to study for and pass the CCNA then you should be good to get the MCSA Server 2012. It is 3 exams and will require a lot of studying, labbing, watching videos, etc.

As @aftereffector notes, download the free Server 2012 R2 trial and spin up a few VM's.

itsallkosher

Thanks everyone! Any suggested place to start regarding books/video series/etc?

alan2308

Technet has pretty much everything you'll ever need to read about, though it can be overwhelming for beginning. There's also a lot of great step by step guides that are awesome for setting something up for the first time.

Microsoft Virtual Academy has a lot of great video series on most Microsoft technologies.

thatguy67

If you've got a CCNA, maybe you can study the networking part of the MCSA curriculum. Or maybe read a few whitepapers on how to integrate Cisco products with Server 2012. "Mastering Server 2012 R2" has been my book of choice. ITFreeTraining has been the best introductory video series...they have a channel on Youtube.