640 / 642 Thoughts

After reading through the exam objectives and threads, I have come to the conclusion that these exams require a lot of resources to truly learn the material and that they could be studied together, as the material complements each other. I have gone through the MS Press 640 and labbed everything I could, except for Federation Services - can't run 6 servers on my workstation

I am currently going through the Sybex all in one, reading through the 640/642 sections and while it covers the material fairly well, the hands-on leaves a lot to be desired. I am getting ready to start the Server 2008 R2 Unleashed next and just skimming through it a bit, it looks to be a solid resource. Technet has been invaluable for filling in some of the blanks, especially with AD LDS and RRAS. I have also typed out some notes - 30 pages+ from all the sources I've used and read through those a couple times per week.

I did the 680 before starting the 640/642 and interestingly enough, a lot of the concepts from that point of view have made the 640 material easier to understand and probably vice versa.

Another method I've used is to go through the exam objectives and make up my own lab scenarios. This has helped cement the concepts and I'm hoping that if I can walk through the steps of configuring DNS, DHCP, RRAS, AD and it's various roles in my head, I should be well on my way.

Good luck to those taking the 640 and 642 in the future!

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Comments

rji

I passed 642 recently, I can't say I studied too hard for it to be honest because I struggled to motivate myself to learn about a subject which in the real world no one would use a Microsoft Server for....I am of course referring to RRAS. I have also been using every version of server since Windows 2000 so in some areas I just needed to brush up on the new features. I found it hard work sitting through the CBT videos having to watch stuff I already knew about and wait to find something I didn't yet know. Don't get me wrong when I was studying for my MCP/MCSA in the early 2000s I used CBT videos, they are great to assist in teaching rookies...but the experiences pro who just want to hear the important bits would find them a irritating.

In the end, I watched a few videos, googled stuff and labbed everything using trusty VMWare (I built multiple WSUS, DHCP, DNS servers and created scenarios). End result I passed, which is good enough for me.

buzzkill

Since you have an MCSE why didn't you do the 649 instead?

Pishof

I'm assuming that if he is doing the WGU IT:NA program he has two classes that require taking those exams.

erpadmin

As someone who has 680, 642 and 640 under his belt (and it was not easy), I can tell you that all three of them have overlap. DirectAccess is mentioned in all three, plus NAP.

Much of the materials will also have stuff that a MCSE would need to know for 2003 and below (Active directory permissions, DHCP scope, DNS.)

I really don't think you'll have as much problems with these exams since you already know how the Microsoft game is played. I think the reason I failed 640 the first time is because I think I dismissed the "easy" answers outright. Come to find out after looking at them....sometimes the easy answers are correct. You probably know what I'm talking about.

Psoasman

Pishof wrote: »

I'm assuming that if he is doing the WGU IT:NA program he has two classes that require taking those exams.

Exactly. I could have done the upgrade exam, but I am not a fan of them. There is A LOT of changes from Server 2003 to Server 2008 R2. I decided to do the individual exams to better learn the material.

Psoasman

The Server 2008 R2 unleashed is amazingly detailed. It covers material not mentioned by the MS press or Sybex book. Example: placeholder domain model for securing the Schema? Can't recall reading that in the 294 or 640/642 stuff. Definitely should be on anybody's list to fill in the blanks. 1500+ pages, but small chapters make it easy to read through.

Krunchi

Psoasman wrote: »

The Server 2008 R2 unleashed is amazingly detailed. It covers material not mentioned by the MS press or Sybex book. Example: placeholder domain model for securing the Schema? Can't recall reading that in the 294 or 640/642 stuff. Definitely should be on anybody's list to fill in the blanks. 1500+ pages, but small chapters make it easy to read through.

I agree 100% on the R2 Unleashed I have been preaching to people looking for advise on the MCITP-EA Exams to use this book it is the best resource out as of now.

Essendon

I'll second/third the Unleashed book, it was good. Maybe it's just me, but I found the reading on TechNet better and easier to understand.