MCSA: Windows Server 2008

geekboss

When will the MCSA Cert be retired? I have the books laying in my office that I started doing today. I see the MCITP is being retired after january 31st. Is MCSA 2008 going to be around for the next year at least? [h=2][/h]

BGraves

Pretty sure that they aren't retiring the MCSA 2008 for a while, but don't know if there is any specific date right now as to when they will be retiring it. I would say you're safe to pursue it if you can finish it in the next year.

ajs1976

Typically, MS doesn't retire a track until the 2nd version after is released or announced to be released and the usually give a 1 year warning. The return of the MCSA/MCSE that was announced around the time of the release of the Windows 2012 certifications had some changes which caused the retirement of some of the MCITP:EA exams.

geekboss

Do I need any other certs first? Is the MCSA a really hard cert and how long does it normally take to get? What jobs could I get with this cert?

Thanks

srabiee

As was mentioned, the MCSA: Server 2008 cert won't retire until the next full OS is released as the successor to Server 2012 R2. I would imagine that's not going to be anytime soon.

Furthermore, you can upgrade the MCSA: Server 2008 cert to the MCSA: 2012 cert with a single exam. (70-417)

Obtaining the MCSA is required on the pathway to MCSE. If you're serious about being an administrator or engineer working with Microsoft products and technologies, you will want to ultimately pursue an MCSE certification. (or multiple MCSE's depending on the products you want to work with)

The amount of time required to obtain the MCSA depends on the amount of knowledge you currently possess, the amount of time you invest in the preparation process, how well you do at self-teaching/self-study, etc. The MCSA cert requires passing three exams; it could take you 6 weeks to prepare for each exam or it could literally take you 6 months to prepare for each exam. The important thing is that you learn the material.

I would recommend starting with the MCSA: Windows 7 before you go for the MCSA: Server 2008, or alternatively obtain the MCSA: Windows 8 before pursuing the MCSA: Server 2012. That's just my personal opinion, but you will benefit greatly by mastering desktop technologies before attempting to master server technologies.

Once you obtain your MCSA: Windows 7 and MCSA: Server 2008, for example, you can move on to something like MCSE: Server Infrastructure and/or MCSE: Desktop Infrastructure. From there, you can specialize in Exchange, SharePoint, Hyper-V, Lync, etc.

Obtaining the cert won't guarantee a job, but it certainly can help. My position as a Systems Administrator required an MCITP or equivalent (MCSA or MCSE).

geekboss

srabiee wrote: »

As was mentioned, the MCSA: Server 2008 cert won't retire until the next full OS is released as the successor to Server 2012 R2. I would imagine that's not going to be anytime soon.

Furthermore, you can upgrade the MCSA: Server 2008 cert to the MCSA: 2012 cert with a single exam. (70-417)

Obtaining the MCSA is required on the pathway to MCSE. If you're serious about being an administrator or engineer working with Microsoft products and technologies, you will want to ultimately pursue an MCSE certification. (or multiple MCSE's depending on the products you want to work with)

The amount of time required to obtain the MCSA depends on the amount of knowledge you currently possess, the amount of time you invest in the preparation process, how well you do at self-teaching/self-study, etc. The MCSA cert requires passing three exams; it could take you 6 weeks to prepare for each exam or it could literally take you 6 months to prepare for each exam. The important thing is that you learn the material.

I would recommend starting with the MCSA: Windows 7 before you go for the MCSA: Server 2008, or alternatively obtain the MCSA: Windows 8 before pursuing the MCSA: Server 2012. That's just my personal opinion, but you will benefit greatly by mastering desktop technologies before attempting to master server technologies.

Once you obtain your MCSA: Windows 7 and MCSA: Server 2008, for example, you can move on to something like MCSE: Server Infrastructure and/or MCSE: Desktop Infrastructure. From there, you can specialize in Exchange, SharePoint, Hyper-V, Lync, etc.

Obtaining the cert won't guarantee a job, but it certainly can help. My position as a Systems Administrator required an MCITP or equivalent (MCSA or MCSE).

Fair enough. But do you think I should still go with the windows 7 cert before I do the server cert? I completed three years at a vocational school for network engineering and spent a lot of time with windows server 2008 r2 and vsphere. I currently work as a desktop support guy for a company of about 200 people and assist with sys admin stuff quite a bit.

I don't have any other certs yet but will probably get a+ and network plus really soon. I study about 3-5 hours a day. Is six months for one exam really expected or is that the maximum it should take?

Thanks

srabiee

With your experience, you may want to skip CompTIA altogether and just go for the Microsoft stuff. I have 6 CompTIA certs myself, but honestly with the exception of the Linux+ (which I don't have), they probably won't improve your chances of obtaining a better position at this point in your career. Once you already have a desktop support position and the experience that comes with it, I think you can skip most of it.

My employer crosses off CompTIA certs during the interview process. Literally when they see them on a resume, they cross them off and don't even consider them during the hiring process.

The MCSA: Win7/8 cert is up to you. It isn't required on the pathway to MCSE, so it's totally optional. The tests are quite difficult as well. If you are interested in delving deeper into Win 7/8 features and have the time to pursue them, I say go for it. If not, skip them and go straight for MCSA: Server 2012.

Your VMware experience is also a huge plus. If you are interested in working with VMware technologies, you should also look into eventually pursuing VCP5-DCV and beyond. (big bucks $$$)

geekboss

srabiee wrote: »

With your experience, you may want to skip CompTIA altogether and just go for the Microsoft stuff. I have 6 CompTIA certs myself, but honestly with the exception of the Linux+ (which I don't have), they probably won't improve your chances of obtaining a better position at this point in your career. Once you already have a desktop support position and the experience that comes with it, I think you can skip most of it.

My employer crosses off CompTIA certs during the interview process. Literally when they see them on a resume, they cross them off and don't even consider them during.

The MCSA: Win7/8 cert is up to you. It isn't required on the pathway to MCSE, so it's totally optional. The tests are quite difficult as well. If you are interested in delving deeper into Win 7/8 features and have the time to pursue them, I say go for it. If not, skip them and go straight for MCSA: Server 2012.

Your VMware experience is also a huge plus. If you are interested in working with VMware technologies, you should also look into eventually pursuing VCP5-DCV and beyond. (big bucks $$$)

Awesome! Reading the first 25 pages of the 70-640 book from Microsoft press, I already know what it's told me. My main issue is the power-shell stuff and what not. for those that have taken the MCSA how would you rate it on a scale of difficulty of 1-10 with 10 being hardest? Harder than CCNA? Never taken a cert exam so not exactly confident in my abilities when everyone says its super hard.

unfbilly11

I will tell you from my experience, the Microsoft tests, specifically the 70-640, are no joke. They are difficult tests that require you to know every little bit of the subject material. A CompTIA test will ask you, "What port is DNS?". A Microsoft test will explain a situation to you where DNS queries are not getting through to a certain segment of the network and you'll have to know to open up port 53 before you can solve the question that they're actually asking. Not telling you any of this to discourage you, because it sounds like you have a great background in all of this. I'm just saying, you just really need to know your stuff.

geekboss

unfbilly11 wrote: »

I will tell you from my experience, the Microsoft tests, specifically the 70-640, are no joke. They are difficult tests that require you to know every little bit of the subject material. A CompTIA test will ask you, "What port is DNS?". A Microsoft test will explain a situation to you where DNS queries are not getting through to a certain segment of the network and you'll have to know to open up port 53 before you can solve the question that they're actually asking. Not telling you any of this to discourage you, because it sounds like you have a great background in all of this. I'm just saying, you just really need to know your stuff.

Hmm, I know how to do most things in 2008 and R2, however there are some specific details I often forget, such as many port numbers. Will the Microsoft press books tell me everything I need to know? I can study at work, today I studied five hours during downtime.

Thanks a ton guys. This site is a great free resource.

unfbilly11

geekboss wrote: »

Hmm, I know how to do most things in 2008 and R2, however there are some specific details I often forget, such as many port numbers. Will the Microsoft press books tell me everything I need to know? I can study at work, today I studied five hours during downtime.

Thanks a ton guys. This site is a great free resource.

The MS Press book does not cover everything on the exam. If you have a good knowledge of Server 2008 and definitely R2, then you should be able to get through the exam just using the MS Press Book. What I have done is read the MS Press Book cover to cover, and used TechNet to get information on areas that it didn't cover that well. Personally, I didn't think it went into much detail about Certificates or DNS. Also, the videos on Pluralsight.com are really good and only 29.99 a month. Great resource there.

lsud00d

FTR the MCSA 2008 is 3 exams--the 70-640 (AD), 70-642 (Network infrastructure), and 70-646 (Server Administrator).

srabiee

As far as training goes, I also highly recommend CBTNuggets and/or TrainSignal in addition to reading exam prep books.

geekboss

Would getting the MCSA 2008 cert be a bad idea? Do most employees look down on that cert now that the 2012 cert is out? I get tons of experience with our production environment so it's not like I'm getting certs and trying to get a job with no experience.

Thanks

tier~

Getting the MCSA on 2008 is a great idea. Most companies will probably be running 2008 for many years to come. Currently mainstream support for 2008 will end in 2015 with extended support (security updates and such) continuing until 2020.

You can then upgrade to the MCSA on 2012 with only 1 test and 2 more will you get you MCSE on your desired track in 2012 if you choose to go that route.