Microsoft offering FREE exam voucher for Exam 74-409: Server Virtualization w/ HyperV

Peterm44

Some questions are worth more than others with Microsoft exams.

Piers

Passed yesterday with 850, using only the videos and ppt slides from MVA, as well as a couple of the links provided at the end of each day. Experience with MS tests was definitely helpful, knowing how to eliminate usually a couple of answers then choosing between the other two, and knowing MS's propensity towards making sure you know the new stuff (vhds and gen2 for example)

not sure where to go next

burfect

Piers wrote: »

Passed yesterday with 850, using only the videos and ppt slides from MVA, as well as a couple of the links provided at the end of each day. Experience with MS tests was definitely helpful, knowing how to eliminate usually a couple of answers then choosing between the other two, and knowing MS's propensity towards making sure you know the new stuff (vhds and gen2 for example)

not sure where to go next

For those have taken+passed... are the slides enough? I have some pretty basic knowledge of virtualization and the VMware side of things but really limited Hyper-V exposure.

Reason I ask is because after I watched the first 3 videos the slides seem to be a carbon copy of everything that's important from within them.

tprice5

burfect wrote: »

For those have taken+passed... are the slides enough? I have some pretty basic knowledge of virtualization and the VMware side of things but really limited Hyper-V exposure.

Reason I ask is because after I watched the first 3 videos the slides seem to be a carbon copy of everything that's important from within them.

Geeze man, just watch the videos!

cg1967

Passed today. I used the MVA jump start, slides and Sybex book. I've been using Hyper-V and System Centre for a few years which helped too

Soliton

Congrats all! Glad you guys are going at it, free certs are the best brain and resume stuffers..

hell911

I have a question. I am not working, no experience at all in virtualization, no certifications yet, only used VMware (basic stuff) that's it. This is my first certification test. So for this certification, should I just watch the videos and go through the slides in this site?

Server Virtualization with Hyper-V & System Center Training - Microsoft Virtual Academy

And I only have 14 days to review (no work, no school, free time, I can review all day), Can I pass this exam w/o any experience in virtualization?

J.Tot

hell911 wrote: »

I have a question. I am not working, no experience at all in virtualization, no certifications yet, only used VMware (basic stuff) that's it. This is my first certification test. So for this certification, should I just watch the videos and go through the slides in this site?

Server Virtualization with Hyper-V & System Center Training - Microsoft Virtual Academy

And I only have 14 days to review (no work, no school, free time, I can review all day), Can I pass this exam w/o any experience in visualization?

If you're good with memorization then Maybe. But more than likely not, two weeks is not enough time if you aren't familiar witht he technologies. Understanding everything takes more hand's on knowledge.

I passed in Feb with a fairly high score, I never touched Hyper-V before that, but have had some Vmware experience.

I Studied the following :

• MVA Course : Watched like 4 times, took notes on everything
• MVA Alternative Hyper-V Videos : Just search for Hyper-v, there are a ton of them, some older, but still relevant.
• CBT Nuggets : Hyper-V videos
• Youtube : Anything 74-409 or Hyper-V Related I could tolerate
• Technet : Articles on all topics

Finally I setup a nested lab and played around with what I could, I didn't get to play much with VMM, Orchestrator or DPM before my exam, but you definitely want to study those for the course objective.

J.Tot

hell911 wrote: »

I have a question. I am not working, no experience at all in virtualization, no certifications yet, only used VMware (basic stuff) that's it. This is my first certification test. So for this certification, should I just watch the videos and go through the slides in this site?

Server Virtualization with Hyper-V & System Center Training - Microsoft Virtual Academy

And I only have 14 days to review (no work, no school, free time, I can review all day), Can I pass this exam w/o any experience in virtualization?

Probably not.

hell911

J.Tot wrote: »

Probably not.

What should I do to pass the exam, i still have 3 weeks to go before the exam.

J.Tot

hell911 wrote: »

What should I do to pass the exam, i still have 3 weeks to go before the exam.

With no prior knowledge this would be extremely difficult. I hadn't used Server 2012 prior to taking this exam but I've used 2008 R2 and older for years, I'm a MCSA/MCSE for 2000-2003, and know Windows in and out fairly well.

Watch the MVA videos here : Server Virtualization with Hyper-V & System Center Training - Microsoft Virtual Academy

Study, take notes. Watch it 3x times. MVA course + technet was all I really needed, but I had more experience. You probably don't have the time lab really. If you want you could download Windows Server 2012 trial and play with it.

Also try some of the technet virtual labs :
TechNet Virtual Labs

Key points to learn for the exam :
How VMM/System Center ties together, how to enable features/monitoring
How DPM servers are set up, what rules are there, what can they back up, how many you need(One DPM servers can backup an separate domains as long as their linked or in a forest)
How to enable/configure Nic teaming via powershell.

hell911

^
i know about windows server 2008 (not 2012 though)

SweenMachine

J.Tot wrote: »

With no prior knowledge this would be extremely difficult. I hadn't used Server 2012 prior to taking this exam but I've used 2008 R2 and older for years, I'm a MCSA/MCSE for 2000-2003, and know Windows in and out fairly well.

Watch the MVA videos here : Server Virtualization with Hyper-V & System Center Training - Microsoft Virtual Academy

Study, take notes. Watch it 3x times. MVA course + technet was all I really needed, but I had more experience. You probably don't have the time lab really. If you want you could download Windows Server 2012 trial and play with it.

Also try some of the technet virtual labs :
TechNet Virtual Labs

Key points to learn for the exam :
How VMM/System Center ties together, how to enable features/monitoring
How DPM servers are set up, what rules are there, what can they back up, how many you need(One DPM servers can backup an separate domains as long as their linked or in a forest)
How to enable/configure Nic teaming via powershell.

This is a great overview!

I would completely disagree that it would be 'extremely difficult" to pass this with 3 weeks and no knowledge. I have minimal server knowledge and I crammed and knocked this out (although not very impressively might I add) in 2 weeks. I just did essentially what you mention above. I did the MVAs and videos once. I printed out the PDFs and made a flashcard binder. I technetted a little, and played with the servers at my work (I work for an MSP and on the 3rd shift) -- I probably put in 30 hours total on this.

3 weeks is more than doable if you can commit to it.

-scott

SweenMachine

hell911 wrote: »

I have a question. I am not working, no experience at all in virtualization, no certifications yet, only used VMware (basic stuff) that's it. This is my first certification test. So for this certification, should I just watch the videos and go through the slides in this site?

Server Virtualization with Hyper-V & System Center Training - Microsoft Virtual Academy

And I only have 14 days to review (no work, no school, free time, I can review all day), Can I pass this exam w/o any experience in virtualization?

This thread was extremely useful to me:

http://www.techexams.net/forums/mcsa-mcse-windows-2012-general/98533-74-409-helpful-info.html

hell911

Is there a waiting period to retake the exam in case someone failed?

hell911

SweenMachine wrote: »

This is a great overview!

I would completely disagree that it would be 'extremely difficult" to pass this with 3 weeks and no knowledge. I have minimal server knowledge and I crammed and knocked this out (although not very impressively might I add) in 2 weeks. I just did essentially what you mention above. I did the MVAs and videos once. I printed out the PDFs and made a flashcard binder. I technetted a little, and played with the servers at my work (I work for an MSP and on the 3rd shift) -- I probably put in 30 hours total on this.

3 weeks is more than doable if you can commit to it.

-scott

Total of 30 hours from start to end? Cool.

Question: The exam is only written or written+lab?

dannyhinhk

Passed today.
I studied "Digital Microsoft Official Curriculum - 20409A Server Virtualization with Windows Server Hyper-V and System Center".

triplea

Hi,

How close were the 'ready for assesment ' questions to the exam questions? as they dont fit the normal MS format.

matai

I passed this on 5/3, should it show up under my MCP login? I haven't received any word that I passed except for the printout.

Thanks

IS3

Hey i just checked the link and it says 50% off so im assuming it is not free anymore?

Bossk

matai wrote: »

I passed this on 5/3, should it show up under my MCP login? I haven't received any word that I passed except for the printout.

Thanks

Passed on 4/25 and I haven't seen anything from Microsoft yet either. I check my transcript every couple days, and I hate waiting. Did get a congratulatory email from Prometric at about the 10 day point. Had a 20% off coupon for another server exam if I remember correctly.

netsysllc

It took about 4 weeks for it to show up on mine

matai

matai wrote: »

I passed this on 5/3, should it show up under my MCP login? I haven't received any word that I passed except for the printout.

Thanks

Woah, I posted this at 3:20PM and received an email from Prometric at 5:05PM saying I passed. Big Brother really is watching...