MCSE or MCITP:EA

karlht

Do you guys think that companies will be phasing out 2k3 anytime soon? I'm going to start labbing at home for one of these, and I was leaning towards MCSE, but I don't want to have it be for naught. Thanks for reading, and I'll be looking forward to your input.

veritas_libertas

karlht wrote: »

Do you guys think that companies will be phasing out 2k3 anytime soon? I'm going to start labbing at home for one of these, and I was leaning towards MCSE, but I don't want to have it be for naught. Thanks for reading, and I'll be looking forward to your input.

The general consensus whenever ever this question comes up seems to be that if you already work for a place that has 2003 then get the MCSE, if you don't work in IT or are transitioning to 2008 then get the MCITP:EA.

karlht

Thanks Veritas. What version of 2k8 should I be using for the labs. I have access to 2k8 standard and enterprise via the MSDN, and I want to make sure that I'm using the correct setup. Any advice on setup of the lab and hardware necessities would be greatly appreciated.:)

Ashenwelt

If your working on Certs, 2008. If your working on skills... both 2008 and 2008 R2. You also need to make sure at least your test enviroment CA is enterprise... or you can't really use the CA.

Hyper-Me

To get the MCITP EA I would focus on Server 2008.

Once your done, I would cover some of the updates and new features in 2008 R2, to be current.

karlht

Thanks guys. As it turns out, I have access to both versions. The only difference being that R2 is x64. If I wanted to set up a lab environment, could I just get VMWare or any virtual machine and put 2k8 and Windows 7 on it? Thanks again.

Hyper-Me

Yes, all of the virtualization platforms I know if will run 2008 or Win7.

Not all run 64 bit guests so you may be stuck with 32 bit, but for learning purposes its the same.

SrSysAdmin

Why only do one?

I just passed the 70-290 on the road to having both my MCSE and MCITP:EA.

When your client test is Vista or 7 you only need an extra two tests to upgrade your MCSE to MCITP:EA.

I figured this way it will meet everybody's needs plus it gives me the advantage of appearing to have worked in Windows environments long enough to have worked with both.

earweed

Virtual labbing should be fine. I'm using VMWare workstation with server 2k8. Going to mainly study Server 2k8 R2 without labbing it.
If you're using the MS Press Training Kit for the 70-640 it tells you when to use standard or enterprise. You can install either one from your version you get through MSDN.
If you're like me and don't have enough RAM and can't afford a new system one set of labs requires running 8 servers. I've checked my IT Academy courses and they have a course module for that area so I'm going to use that.
Most labs only require running 2 or 3 servers at once so my measly 2GB can handle it.

Ashenwelt

Remember though, that MS Press is designed to not enable you to pass on their own stutdy material. If you only do a little labbing and MS Press, you will not normally pass a cert test.

earweed

I'm planning to do a lot of labbing. Putting together a set up as soon as my switch arrives this week. I have 4 other computers and going to hook them together (learning experience) for my home lab so I can get more out of it.
I even labbed for my Sec+. I used Sybex Security Administrator: Street Smarts and VM'd with Server 2k3 and XP Pro. At least I got to SEE some of the tools the textbooks were talking about.

Hyper-Me

JrSysAdmin wrote: »

Why only do one?

I just passed the 70-290 on the road to having both my MCSE and MCITP:EA.

When your client test is Vista or 7 you only need an extra two tests to upgrade your MCSE to MCITP:EA.

I figured this way it will meet everybody's needs plus it gives me the advantage of appearing to have worked in Windows environments long enough to have worked with both.

If someone is starting from scratch and doesnt have signifigant knowledge of 2003, it would be a little difficult to pass all the required exams before they start to retire.

Its certainly possible, but most people dont knock out an exam per month, most take much longer.

earweed

I'm trying to do 4 in 10 months and I've got a rough road ahead.

earweed

Ashenwelt wrote: »

Remember though, that MS Press is designed to not enable you to pass on their own stutdy material. If you only do a little labbing and MS Press, you will not normally pass a cert test.

Got me. I'm dl'ing server 2k8 R2 now.
Have any of you ever tried MS IT Academy for studying. The module on IPV6 made the MS Press book seem pretty thin. P'd me off that they pulled the lab on that module for some reason.