Starting point

ally_uk

Hi guys I am really interested in the Server / Administration side And want to start learning more about Server 2008 R2, I want to learn it from the ground up including the basics of networking and setting up a DC,

From a Certfication point of view what is the best suited MCTS / MCTIP exam to start looking at?

Many Thanks

Essendon

The 70-640 is the test that most people start off with, that gets you into Active Directory administration, DFS, Clustering and the like.

I recommend you have a VMware/VirtualPC lab on your home computer so you can break and fix as much as needed. Just make sure you lab the material as much as you can, it's the only way things are going to stick in your brain (assuming you dont touch servers at work).

For reading, I always recommend TechNet, the most comprehensive resource out there and from Microsoft themselves. It can be a little overwhelming at first, so it may make sense for someone like yourself to pick up the official book for this test and use TechNet as your reference. Be advised that the MS book alone will not suffice for any MS test and you need to supplement with other materials, such as TechNet, CBT Nuggets, Server 2008 R2 Unleashed book and hopefully some practice tests.

Hope this helps and let us know if there are more questions. Good luck!

Psoasman

ally_uk wrote: »

Hi guys I am really interested in the Server / Administration side And want to start learning more about Server 2008 R2, I want to learn it from the ground up including the basics of networking and setting up a DC,

From a Certfication point of view what is the best suited MCTS / MCTIP exam to start looking at?

Many Thanks

You might check out the new MTA: Server Fundamentals. I haven't taken it, but have heard it provides a nice foundation. From there, you could start with the 640 exam.

Microsoft Technology Associate Certification l MTA Exams l Entry-Level Developer Exams

ally_uk

I was looking at 70-646 I have the train signal videos and a mastering server 2008 r2 book so far, the content of the exam seems pretty interesting anyone taken this exam?

neathneathneath

The 70-646 is an animal of an exam and the last in the MCITP Server Administrator Series.
I suggest looking at the 70-640 or 70-642 first as they lead towards the 646.

ally_uk

Thanks for the heads up are the Press books the way to go? or are they full of errors? 2nd editions?

The 70-642 looks pretty looks like a good starting point for me

method115

ally_uk wrote: »

Thanks for the heads up are the Press books the way to go? or are they full of errors? 2nd editions?

The 70-642 looks pretty looks like a good starting point for me

The MS press books are great. Great labs,chapter reviews/questions/case scenarios. It does have errors but they provide with you a link in the begging of the book that has all the errors listed with corrections.