MCSA: Essential Skills

Since I'll be finishing up my last class (and cert) towards my MCSA this quarter I thought I'd address a question to those who've worked in the field.

What skills do you consider fundemental to a Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator? Those core skills you could consider essential for rookies and veterians alike.

For me, System Admin will play second fiddle to my primary skillset; Satellite & RF Communications. With my current employment, my Sys Admin work is limited to resetting accounts and adding new accounts. I have to actively seek out practice at home; I'm just not able to do alot of Server work with my current job. Our Servers are merely for our own office.

So I'm hoping to keep my skills honed by practicing the vital skills on my own.

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Comments

tbgree00

I think understanding Active Directory and how that works with DNS, GPO, and applying security are really the biggest applications for what you learn. RRAS is pretty heavy on the 291 but I think that most companies use 3rd party equipment for that.

DHCP management is also key where I work. I think if you have a good grasp on those topics then you will be able to do most stuff expected of a MCSA.

Devilsbane

tbgree00 wrote: »

I think understanding Active Directory and how that works with DNS, GPO, and applying security are really the biggest applications for what you learn. RRAS is pretty heavy on the 291 but I think that most companies use 3rd party equipment for that.

DHCP management is also key where I work. I think if you have a good grasp on those topics then you will be able to do most stuff expected of a MCSA.

I agree with most of this. The MCSA is setting you up to work as a jr systems administrator, which I think is to mainly just hold down the fort while the big guy is away and to do the mundane tasks that the big guy has decided that he is too good for.

I would like to add wsus for deploying updates, and expand on the GPO thing to make sure to include software distribution.

While many companies don't use RRAS, the concept is the same across the board. Every company is going to use RRAS in some form or another, they might just opt to use Cisco or a different vendor to do it with.

RobertKaucher

I agree mostly with what has been said. But I want to add a few items. I think that the MCSA skills are the core skills that every admin in a small company (200 clients or less) is going to use on a daily basis. It's not just Jr. Sys Admin stuff. I use MCSA knowledge daily. Some things covered in the MCSE I use less frequently, some other things not at all.

Devilsbane wrote: »

While many companies don't use RRAS, the concept is the same across the board. Every company is going to use RRAS in some form or another, they might just opt to use Cisco or a different vendor to do it with.

I also agree with this. But I believe the theory you pickup in the study of RRAS is applicable to all other technologies regardless of vendor, so pay attention to it.