Mcsa 2012

Bryzey

I'm just starting to study for the
70-410. This will be my first Microsoft certification.

Is it worth buying a standard technet subscription to get a year of access to all microsoft evaluation copies to use in VMware for labbing and 1 e-learning course through Microsoft(are these any good?)

Any information would be helpful.

Essendon

All the evals you need are available for free from MS, I dont see a reason to buy a subscription unless you want to go crazy downloading every iteration of a product! I havent laid my eyes on any e-learning course so I cannot comment on the quality, but I reckon you wouldnt need it. Everything you need to learn the material is available on various TechNet blogs and on TechNet itself. I have never used anything other than TechNet and the Server Unleashed books for reading material when doing any of my MS exams (I've passed a few!).

Since this is your first MS cert, consider buying a Self-Paced study guide for this exam from MS Press. Just gives you a structure to follow, so you dont get lost in the mountain of information on TechNet. Beware though, this book or any MS Press book is NEVER going to be enough for ANY MS exam. Supplement with other material.

If you have specific questions on labbing/books/material/whatever else, feel free to ask!

Bryzey

Cheers mate appreciate the advice.

I did look at the server 2012 unleashed book but it had bad reviews on amazon so I did not get it. Have you read it?

Instead I brought the ms press book for 70-410 - installing and configuring. Plan to read through it once as its only short then read through it again and lab everything the author is saying. Between that and technet it should be a good enough to get me started.

Essendon

I am flipping through the System Center 2012 Unleashed book right now and I dont find it lacking, in fact it's quite comprehensive. I just had a look at Amazon and people sure do have some horror stories about the other book! Usually Rand and his team are pretty good, dunno what happened with this one. Disregard my advice about it then and concentrate on the book you've already bought, supplement with TechNet, lab up all the material and you should be good.

MPerry

Another thought for you:

Pick up a Power Shell book. This will help a lot. That is all.

Honestly I am not happy with Microsoft and their lack of identifying key factors when you read the "Skills Measured" section of the exams on their website. It lacks information you need in order to actually have an upper hand on the exam.

Let me repeat myself. Learn Power Shell if you don't know it already. That's the direction Microsoft apparently wants direct you when troubleshooting, managing and implementing their OS.

Reference website I am talking about from above is:

Installing and Configuring Windows Server 2012

Cheers.

Essendon

That's great advice MPerry, PowerShell is what I'll be focusing on too. Besides it earns you some geek cred typing away in that blue window with people looking over your shoulder at work!

Slowhand

If it's PowerShell resources you're looking for. . .

Bryzey

Thanks for the advice ill check out those resources and try to pick up sone decent videos and a book for powershell to go along with my current material.

Since posting this I have installed a GUI version of server 2012 in vmware and am just practicing doing the different installations and switching between the installations and will try to do a migration for 2008 to 2012. Taking very slow incremental baby steps with this cert as I want to fully grasp and get my head around the topics in a "hands on" sense. Both in the GUI and in server core modes.

Essendon

Take the baby steps but dont get too bogged down though. Several times I've found myself rooting around a particular topic for too long, could've probably used me time better moving on to other topics. Just a thought.

Bryzey

Yeah I suppose its tough with how Microsoft Lays out their exam objectives to decide what I should invest a lot of time in and what to skip through quickly.

I'm trying to sit in line with the chapter I'm reading in regards to what I am labbing but I do see your point about getting too bogged down. It's fairly easy to get bogged down when it's my first Microsoft exam.