The IT Certification Megathread: Straight Outta CompTIA

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Serious Hardware/Software Crap > The IT Certification Megathread: Straight Outta CompTIA

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MJP: Jun 17, 2007; Are you looking at me Senpai?; Grimey Drawer

In case anyone is interested, there's a Groupon today - five Cisco classes for $99. Start with prep for your CCENT then goes on to CCNA and later CCNP.

http://www.groupon.com/deals/it-uni...=occasions_deal

(I'm pretty sure this is not a referral link but I'm not out to get referral cash, so if this does look referraly I'll try to find a non-unique link to the deal)

# ¿ Dec 31, 2012 17:41

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# ¿ May 5, 2024 04:22

MJP: Jun 17, 2007; Are you looking at me Senpai?; Grimey Drawer

"[oMa posted:

Whackster" post="411306767"]
I did the 40-417 last week, which is basically 3 mini-exams of 410, 411 and 412. It was reasonably straightforward; my best tip is make sure you know how to do all the routine server role/feature installation on a core installation. I'd recommend looking at the jumpstart guides from Microsoft itself as there's some excellent stuff on there. The 2-day 70-417 jumpstart course in particular is really good and will give you a great overview of what's required for all three exams. It was a live event, but it's now streamable on demand after registering.

Sorry but do you mean "core installation" as in Server Core, or was it just on a basic install as in "here's a server, install 2k12 on it"? They still test on that?

Christ, there's lots of useful stuff that I covered on the MCITP 2k8 certs I took but Server Core was the least useful, and that's saying a lot given how much the MS exams expect you to know.

# ¿ Feb 4, 2013 17:23

MJP: Jun 17, 2007; Are you looking at me Senpai?; Grimey Drawer

Moey posted:

Not sure if this has been covered in this thread yet.

Are the 70-640, 642 and 646 really being retired?

According to this post they are still going to be active, just if you complete them, you will be an MCSA: Server 2008 instead of the MCITP variant. Potato potaaaaato.

http://social.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/CertGeneral/thread/59cdd9a8-8d45-4079-9aa2-954c4b5d0194

If this is true, I may hack out the three 2008 R2 tests then upgrade the cert to 2012.

I just took the 2012 exam. The MS book is the only one out there for the 70-417 now, but it's actually readable and logical. It's as good as the Sybex books I used for 2k3 and ten times better than the 70-648 book to upgrade.

The one thing you want to know for 2012: so much of it is Hyper-V that if you use Virtualbox, you're gonna have to find another VM solution. Reason being you can't install the Hyper-V role on a 2012 server that doesn't have its processor exposed to the OS. There's nothing in Virtualbox that allows full CPU exposure - at least, nothing I could find in the Virtualbox forums. You may wanna plunk down for just a separate physical box to do the Hyper-V labs on, if you've got the dollars for it.

Definitely know your Hyper-V, and be prepared for a lot of stuff on Server 2012/Win 8 features that work well in Server 2012 environments, and at least understand basic Powershell cmdlet structure.

# ¿ Apr 16, 2013 19:16

MJP: Jun 17, 2007; Are you looking at me Senpai?; Grimey Drawer

"[oMa posted:

Whackster" post="414521796"]
Passed my 70-414 on Monday to complete my MCSE:Server Infrastructure. I took the 70-417 upgrade route, and the 70-414 was definitely the toughest for me out of the 3 exams - there were plenty of questions I was pretty confident I'd got right but I scraped through with a mid 7xx/1000 score.

I used the MS Exam reference book for 70-413 and CBT nuggets for both 70-413 and 70-414, alongside my home lab and work environments.

Feeling like I want to line something else up to do next, but I think I'm going to wait until there's some actual study material available for the Private Cloud and Desktop Infrastructure exams.

How long did it take for you to study for the 414 and 413? I looked at the objectives and they seem like big jumps from the stuff I even have peripheral experience with from MCSA 2k3 and 2k8. They also seem so heavy into Hyper-V that it doesn't seem too worth it given that I haven't really seen many Hyper-V environments in use.

Either way I figure it'd be a stretch to get either before Second Shot expires, but if the MS Press book for 417 is indicative of the readability/usability of their 413/414, I may just go with what they have instead of Sybex or ExamPrep if they ever make 'em.

# ¿ Apr 17, 2013 16:06

MJP: Jun 17, 2007; Are you looking at me Senpai?; Grimey Drawer

How does one get on the waitlist for the Stanly VCP course? I didn't see it on their course listing and there's no real contact info for it.

# ¿ Jun 27, 2013 16:52

MJP: Jun 17, 2007; Are you looking at me Senpai?; Grimey Drawer

urseus posted:

I'm looking at these to help me with my server administration courses. But I don't know if either is any good.

https://www.microsoftelearning.com/eLearning/collection.aspx?guid=9808523F-2D39-4646-A15A-2C4BD8266F57

http://www.transcender.com/e-learning/microsoft/70-646.kap

I was thinking of just buying the first Microsoft one just to see if I like it. Or should I go for the cheaper transcender one?

If you don't mind going the text route, this is what I used to study for and pass the 70-646: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0470293152/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1

With practice on Virtualbox and going over the book, you'll do just fine.

That said if the MS E-learning is anything like the MS Press book for the 70-646, go for Transcender. I don't say this out of experience on either the MS E-learning or Transcender product, just that MS' cert prep books for 2k8 really weren't helpful at learning about situations that you'd use tool X, console Y, application Z in meaningful ways. They just said "This is tool X, it does this that and the other thing, to launch it go to A-> B-> C."

The 70-417 book they have out does far better at helping learn the material, not just function as a cert prep technical manual to read.

# ¿ Jul 2, 2013 15:09

MJP: Jun 17, 2007; Are you looking at me Senpai?; Grimey Drawer

MC Fruit Stripe posted:

For 3 exams and an upgrade? Probably a little skimpy, to be honest - but then those books are geared toward passing and not learning the material.

Disagree on that - William Panek did the 2k3 books I used for the 70-290 and -291. He helped me pass the -290 on my second try when another book didn't help. Granted, I'd agree that given the size of the MS Press book for 70-417, this may JUST barely be enough. Doubly so when (I think) the 70-417 is a composite of the -410, -411 and -412 but not entirely.

Red Robin Hood posted:

What kind of experience do you have? I'm a junior engineer with little server building experience.

I started taking my 2k3 and then 2k8 exams when I was little more than a high-level helpdesk guy who had really done little more than basic AD and Exchange. Building servers in Virtualbox and going through the prep books was how I learned TONS about the guts of Windows server networking and application communications. If you just memorize the books and go for the test, you'll fail, but if you DO the stuff you stand a far greater chance. Other than the parts that are so out of the ordinary that you've never touched them and never will

# ¿ Jul 12, 2013 20:44

MJP: Jun 17, 2007; Are you looking at me Senpai?; Grimey Drawer

Judge Schnoopy posted:

What's the best way to list certs on a resume to make them look the most professional without overstating what they represent? For example, the net+ cert:

CompTIA Network+ Certified, July 2013

Or have some of you found a better way to emphasize these certs that seem to land interviews?

I have a section for Certifications. Boldface the cert, tab to the edge (or however you set up your resume) and list the month/year. One single-space line below, list the vendor and a quick description. Kinda like this:

code:

[b]Certifications[/b]
--------------------------
[b]Network+[/b]                             July 2013
CompTIA              Cross-Vendor/Platform Networking 

[b]ICND1[/b]                           September 2013
Cisco Systems               Cisco-specific Networking

[b]ICND2[/b]                             October 2013
Cisco Systems               Cisco-specific Networking

[b]Cisco Certified Network Associate     October 2013
Cisco Systems          Completion of both ICND1 and 2

I did something like this to show my individual MS exams demonstrating the time span for me to get each cert. Also, some of those MS exams give a separate MCTS cert upon completion. I hate to sound jaded, but if it helps your resume stand out without lying, pad it like a pillow.

# ¿ Jul 15, 2013 20:58

MJP: Jun 17, 2007; Are you looking at me Senpai?; Grimey Drawer

Chivas Aribas! posted:

I passed the 70-411 today with an 866. I am seriously pleased because that one was not easy. Now I know more about the event viewer than I ever thought I would.

Also remember LSDOU. It's the order of group processing. Local, site, domain, OU. I still don't get order of enforced GPOs after that but still.

Man, that's not bad - I remember cramming the hell out of GPO processing, loopbacks, inheritance, etc. for the 2k3 exams. The 2k8 and 2k12 upgrade exam preo books didn't hyperfocus on them.

Although the 2012 exam takers might wanna either cram hard and take the exams before R2, or hold off until more prep materials come out: http://borntolearn.mslearn.net/btl/...bid=sNjUPO2CgoI

# ¿ Jul 23, 2013 14:32

MJP: Jun 17, 2007; Are you looking at me Senpai?; Grimey Drawer

Toxteth OGrady posted:

Cheers man, think I'll 'lab' everything in the meantime on some VMs.

Gotta love MS exams: study 500 pages, get 40-45 questions, and you can probably only get 5-8 of 'em wrong.

Definitely go through the book in VMs, I failed the 70-290 when I thought I had it down cold from half a book and using 2k3 forever. It can be humbling to fail an exam, if for no other reason than you'll study the hell out of each one that follows to make sure it doesn't happen again. You can do it!

# ¿ Jul 29, 2013 16:32

MJP: Jun 17, 2007; Are you looking at me Senpai?; Grimey Drawer

SeamusMcPhisticuffs posted:

I've been studying for a month now for the 70-680 with the materials WGU provided. Really had the book down, did all the labs,did well on the practice exams. Last week my mentor suggested I buy the Kaplan practice exams because they give you a better sense of what an MS exam is like, so I did. It was like a foreign loving language. Now I'm 2 weeks out from my test date and scrambling with a different book and different labs. I feel like the stuff WGU gave me was a basic primer for the subject matter, but missed about 90% of the important details. And I'm out of bourbon.

Why not reschedule the exam? I forget what Prometric's policies are but I think it's free to reschedule up until a certain date very close to the exam.

I haven't seen the Kaplan questions but if they're anything like how the actual MS exam questions are in comparison to Sybex and ExamPrep books, then "foreign loving language" is as correct as it gets when one describes MS tests.

# ¿ Aug 6, 2013 13:53

MJP: Jun 17, 2007; Are you looking at me Senpai?; Grimey Drawer

AboveAndBeyond posted:

Dang new employer wants me to have the paper that says I know windows 7&8 rather than vouching for me since that looks better to potential clients.
What are the best study materials for MS 70-680,685 (win7),687, and 688(win8)? I want to be prepared for all the extra garbage no one uses questions.

E: these are for MCSA Desktop, then moving up to MCSE Server

I passed all my MCSA server exams with ExamPrep (2k3) and Sybex (2k3/2k8) if you're okay with books. My only MS desktop exam was install/config/admin XP, so I can't really speak for Win 7/8, but the books are awesome if you go through them to study, go through them again to work through the items in a VM, and go through them again to highlight and take notes.

I would be extremely wary of an employer that wants you to take five exams, though. This is something like a year's worth of studying if you study fast.

# ¿ Aug 14, 2013 20:00

MJP: Jun 17, 2007; Are you looking at me Senpai?; Grimey Drawer

Still on page 52 but my number just came up for the Stanly VCP course... any recommended books to get alongside the course? I've never done a CC course before and not really done an online course, but from all the back-and-forth in the thread about the varying quality of the instruction, I'm all for doing self-study after/during the course.

Anyone else get in that wants to form up a study group or something?

# ¿ Sep 30, 2013 15:15

MJP: Jun 17, 2007; Are you looking at me Senpai?; Grimey Drawer

Daylen Drazzi posted:

Just got my Stanly CC email for the VMware class. When it rains it loving pours - work also wants us to get our MCSA 2008 in the next 6 months. Oh well, I was getting bored of having any free time.

Having done the upgrade to 2k8 from 2k3, I gotta say that is really pushing it. Some of the basics didn't change between 'em, but if you're learning all the MS stuff for the exam, the networking is going to be a head-basher-upper alone.

If you've got good books it's doable - the Sybex 70-646 book (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0470293152/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1) got me through the 646. I'd go for Darill Gibson/Sybex for the other 2k8 exams, and if nothing else, you avoid the complete lack of decent training books for the upgrade exam.

If your work is doing the VCP class funding you may wanna circle back and ask them what they can do to flex the 2k8 expectations.

Also hi5 fellow October Stanly goon.

Edit: So I took the VCA plunge and after seeing the questions I am flabbergasted that VMware would charge money for this. If you can interpret marketing stuff into IT then you'll have no problem, and if it's to certify knowledge then it sure as hell certifies that you paid attention to the presentation.

Well, hopefully it at least allows a bit of leverage to get into interviews, but still, wow.

MJP fucked around with this message at 15:29 on Oct 1, 2013

# ¿ Oct 1, 2013 14:21

MJP: Jun 17, 2007; Are you looking at me Senpai?; Grimey Drawer

Martytoof posted:

That site isn't loading for me, but quite frankly I did the class without any textbook -- all the lab exercises are online as PDFs accessible from their site, and the lessons themselves are videos done by the instructor. You can definitely buy the book to follow along, but honestly I didn't see the need.

Also I just got word back from my instructor saying I've only completed 9 of the labs even though I've gone through all 17. Definitely need to figure out what the gently caress since I don't want to fail this on a SNAFU of any kind.

How much book study/PDF study is needed to pass the class? I'd love to not have to buy the book but I tend to study better by highlighting, writing stuff down, reading from paper rather than Kindle/PC. Unless there's no test and the completion passed to VMware is just "you have completed all the labs," that is.

Also hi5 fellow Stanly goons, does anyone wanna get a study group going? We can have a paintball episode every season and engage in elaborate extended references.

# ¿ Oct 2, 2013 13:47

MJP: Jun 17, 2007; Are you looking at me Senpai?; Grimey Drawer

Martytoof posted:

I'd say that everything you need to pass the COURSE is available online. The quizzes are from material that he teaches in his online videos, and the labs are straight up PFDs of instructions that you follow.

To pass the EXAM, however, you'll be woefully underprepared if you just go by the class. This isn't really Stanly's fault because they're following the VCP curriculum, but I'd say you should probably go for external sources of education if you plan to use this as a stepping stone to actually learning enough to do your VCP, as opposed to just using it to fulfill your classroom requirement. Scott Lowe's Mastering vSphere series is the one that's recommended all the time and I have to say it's a wonderful book. I can't tell you how well it prepared me for my VCP because I haven't scheduled mine yet, but I'm pretty confident that I know my material.

I don't mean to sound flippant, but the Stanly course really is kind of a rubber stamp. The quizzes are jokes that you can literally finish without watching the material. The only value in the class is the videos if you're not already familiar with the concepts and the labs which are pretty straightforward but do a good job of at least showing off vSphere's potential. The class doesn't dig deep into vSphere at all -- it's sort of a 10,000 foot overview that lets you play with the concepts but if you want anything more in depth then you're going to have to educate yourself.

I hope that didn't put anyone off. You probably knew what you were getting into when you signed up for this, but maybe it'll help someone who's not sure what to expect.

Oh no no no, I meant to pass any tests to pass the class itself. I'm basically looking to take the class as the "you have taken the class" VCP requirement. I saw somewhere on VMware's website that an 80% participation or grade equivalent was required for the course to count.

I have zero belief that I can knock down the exam with just a class just because of how I learn and do things... gonna have to spin me up a nice little lab on my own dime and time, but it's worth it.

Moey posted:

Got into the fall class as well. Finally can knock out the stupid pre-exam requirement.

I guess that you'll be the one in charge of doing all the vMotioning work, being the king of the moves.

# ¿ Oct 2, 2013 15:02

MJP: Jun 17, 2007; Are you looking at me Senpai?; Grimey Drawer

Martytoof posted:

OK yeah then I just about guarantee that if you aren't completely new to vSphere you will 100% not need the textbook.

Even if that not-completely-new state of knowledge is basically logging onto vCenter, powering VMs off/on, knowing what SRM and vCOPS are, and having passed the bullshit VCA-DCV exam simply because it was free?

# ¿ Oct 2, 2013 15:46

MJP: Jun 17, 2007; Are you looking at me Senpai?; Grimey Drawer

Raven457 posted:

For MCSA: Server 2008, is this MS Press kit still the recommended option? http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0735663289/ref=ox_sc_act_title_6?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2L77EE7U53NWQ

Any other books I should pick up?

If you aren't big on MS Press' extremely task-oriented layout ("Here is how to do X, here is how to do Y") definitely check out Sybex's offering: http://www.amazon.com/MCTS-Windows-Server-Complete-70-640/dp/0470948469/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1382708637&sr=8-2&keywords=Sybex+70-646

I found they're a lot better at "this is a prime example of what you'll see on the exam" that still covers all the material, but they lead you through things in a manner a lot more conducive to use cases. It's not the giant infodump that MS Press' 2008 books were.

# ¿ Oct 25, 2013 14:45

MJP: Jun 17, 2007; Are you looking at me Senpai?; Grimey Drawer

Raven457 posted:

Good to know. My day to day job has me interacting with active directory on a very limited basis, and I'm not exposed to that at all, so I'll be setting up a VM farm to get some more hands on experience. I have the MS Press books and the Sybex set mentioned earlier, and plan to work through them both.

Replication, too. Hopefully I'm not breaking NDA, but 2k8 does test on ADFS, ADCS, and all the AD bells and whistles that you'll only see A) if you're using some MS solution that requires them, B) if you are an AD administrator in a giant company, C) if you're the same administrator in a company that grows through acquisition a lot, or D) if you're looking to go to Azure or Office 365.

If this is your first MS test, also make sure you know your PKI. I did the 2k8 upgrade exam from 2k3 so it didn't go super deep into the guts of DNS, so I don't know if the non-upgrade exams go heavy into DNS or not. Know it, just to be safe, and if nothing else, what they test on is very good broad DNS knowledge to have.

# ¿ Oct 28, 2013 14:01

MJP: Jun 17, 2007; Are you looking at me Senpai?; Grimey Drawer

DrAlexanderTobacco posted:

Hi there,

I had a review with my company yesterday and they'd like me to start getting some certifications - MCSAs in particular, 2012. A Microsoft rep advised me to do Server 2008 first, and then upgrade to Server 2012. Is there much point in doing that, or would I be able to skip 2008, and go for 2012 directly?

I did the same track the rep suggested back in May. The upgrade test for the MCSA 2012 from MCSA 2008 is tough and tests on a lot of new stuff to 2012. The good news is that it doesn't reiterate stupid crap from 2003 and 2008 much. Yes, you'll need to know the material and I'm sure that the straight 2k8 training materials cover it nicely (I upgraded 2k8 from 2k3) but that course track is feasible.

Here's two things to keep in mind, though:

1) There's only two legitimate/reputable books available, the MS Press 70-417 book and the Sybex book, which covers the straight MCSA 2012 track (70-410, -411, and -412) as well was the upgrade track (70-417). How they differentiate between "know this for -417" and "know this for Exam X/Y/Z" is beyond me, so I'd say see if you can get Sybex off Amazon, read it, and return it if it doesn't make sense. (http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Server-Complete-Study-Guide/dp/1118544072/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1383075104&sr=8-2&keywords=70-417)

2) Server 2012 R2 just dropped. I personally don't know when MS starts putting R2 content into exams, but from this post on MS' learning blog (which is a separate internal division within MS and has to ask questions of the MS training/certification people - how they got this huge being so all-over-the-place is beyond me as well) it seems that there will be new exam content, and that new books are in the works. Nothing yet details their release.

Anyway, given the above, my opinion: if your first MS server cert is 2012, you're gonna have to stomach a lot of new info if you don't use 2012 already within your daily tasks. If you use 2008 more, definitely start with the 2008 MCSA. The amount you learn is phenomenal from the books, especially in how it helps round out your daily tasks. You know so much more and it's a more immediate payoff than going straight for 2012.

By the time you finish the three 2008 exams (I tend to re-read, re-take notes, re-study a lot, so my estimates are conservative) in nine months, allowing three per exam to prepare, the R2 books will be out. I was able to pass the 70-417 on the MS Press book, which I find phenomenal - it's a lot more well-written, intended for an audience of human learners and not as a technical manual. Definitely spin up a home lap in Virtualbox, though.

Hope all that helps... happy to take it to PMs if you want to get into specifics that don't break NDA, but I really do think that anyone looking at 2012 certs should really read that blog post and get an understanding that new content is coming very, very soon.

FISHMANPET posted:

So, as someone that already runs their own VMWare cluster, can I just skip most of the lessons in the Stanly course and jump straight into the labs?

Also is he just gonna read every slide in these video lectures?

E: First lesson and he's talking about vCloud Director, which I don't know anything about, so I guess I'm getting something out of this.

Ironically, I got a lot of the stuff he's talking about out of the VCA-DCV exam, so it wasn't that huge of a waste of time. It's less "this is new, must memorize."

I'm kind of meh about how narrow and basic the exercises are, though. It's more like a guide in how to do X or Y, not so much "OK, your assignment is to do X or Y."

At least he's skipping reading down the objective and summary slides, the single worst point of any Powerpoint presentation ever. But if he pronounces it "TOE-pology" again I'm not sure if I'll giggle madly or smash my monitor.

MJP fucked around with this message at 20:41 on Oct 29, 2013

# ¿ Oct 29, 2013 20:39

MJP: Jun 17, 2007; Are you looking at me Senpai?; Grimey Drawer

EdEddnEddy posted:

Thanks for this. Our office just got notice that we are now required to get a selection of certs (with the supposed time limit of 6 months for everything) so I need to dig into what I want to go for and get studying fast.

The list contains

MCSE Private Cloud

or

MCSE Server Infrastructure
(opted to do both in due time)

and either

MCSA Windows 8

or

MCSA Windows 7
(Again opted for both since we use both extensively and the more certs = more money)

However after looking around a little, all test except the Windows 7 ones will have added content to the test January 2014. Also since I have limited server experience up until this job, would it still be worth doing the Win Serv 2008 then 2012 or just start with and continue from 2012 and on? We use mostly 2008 still but are upgrading to 2012 over time (not R2 yet). I can see knowing both being beneficial, but I don't want to cram too much into 6 months.

The server MCSEs are five exams if you go straight in, six if you do 2k8 first, upgrade, and get the MCSE extra exams. The client OS MCSAs are two exams each.

Do they seriously expect you to work while preparing for these? I can't fathom being able to pass any MS exam without at least two or three months of very concentrated book-learning. Granted, that's me, and everyone learns/retains differently, but without going into NDA violation, the questions are full of stupid poo poo and are more about knowing how to take an MS exam vs. knowing the tested product from the book/video.

I seriously think your employer needs a reality check from people who have actually taken these exams. It'd be tough to do seven or eight MS exams in a year, and most likely not realistic in the least to do them in six months. You'd have to braindump every single exam, which really screws them AND you over.

penga86 posted:

The only reason I would push you towards 2008 is if you want to start studying right away. The books and videos that are out and worthwhile are all about 2008/2008R2. The early 2012 stuff from Microsoft Press didn't get stellar reviews, but I'm sure the updated 2012 that is about to come out or just has is good.

A lot of the un-stellar reviews on the MS Press 70-417 book note that you need to know the 2008 components pretty well. This makes sense since it's an upgrade exam, but I was able to pass using that book and extensive home lab practice. It does look like the Sybex book for all the 2012 MCSA exams isn't too well put together - it's a reference for everything, not sectioned off by exam - and the MS Press books are pretty meh too.

I would definitely recommend getting your 2k8 MCSA first. By the time anyone starts out and does all three exams, there should be a lot more well-prepared options for test prep.

MJP fucked around with this message at 15:48 on Oct 30, 2013

# ¿ Oct 30, 2013 15:42

MJP: Jun 17, 2007; Are you looking at me Senpai?; Grimey Drawer

Daylen Drazzi posted:

Took the VCA-DCV exam and passed it. Spent all day today watching the video from VMware for the VCA-Cloud exam. Get home and sit down to take the exam, and it turns out the exam expired 11 minutes before I got home. I knew I should have just sat at work and taken the exam, but I thought I had 4 hours after I got home to take it. Oh well, I'll check on it tomorrow morning and reschedule it since it's an online exam anyways, but I really wanted to knock it out after spending 4.5 hours watching the video and taking notes.

I may not know the actual details of how vCloud Director and all the rest of those applications work, but by God I will have the salesperson cert for them!

Were you able to get in on the free exam? If not... welp, if nothing else it sets you up for taking the VCP course in the future.

# ¿ Nov 1, 2013 14:34

MJP: Jun 17, 2007; Are you looking at me Senpai?; Grimey Drawer

inignot posted:

The asdm gui is on the test. Which is annoying.

VCP peoples: after taking the Stanly course, what book did you use for the VCP510 exam prep? I need something physical, not online, so just reviewing the blueprint and such may not be my best option.

I'm leaning towards http://www.amazon.com/Official-Certification-Guide-VMware-Press/dp/0789749319/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383771075&sr=8-1&keywords=vcp510 - any thoughts if that + home lab practice is enough for the exam?

# ¿ Nov 6, 2013 21:51

MJP: Jun 17, 2007; Are you looking at me Senpai?; Grimey Drawer

So as the VCP course is going on, I just took an offer for a job that runs a XenDesktop environment.

What's the Xen cert course track like? I've run XenApp and ICA environments, mostly just logging off sessions and futzing with worker groups before, but I'm not as deep into it as I am VCP thus far.

# ¿ Nov 9, 2013 15:26

MJP: Jun 17, 2007; Are you looking at me Senpai?; Grimey Drawer

incoherent posted:

You shoot for the fast-track cert (70-417). It may take longer to study, but its one test/cert.

If you have the 2k8 MCSA/MCSE/MCITP:Server Admin/Enterprise Admin, yeah, the 417 is the way to go. The MS Press book was decent enough with home-labbing it, but no firm word on R2-updated content or when R2 content goes into the tests as of yet.

# ¿ Nov 12, 2013 19:58

MJP: Jun 17, 2007; Are you looking at me Senpai?; Grimey Drawer

jane came by posted:

So what's the best option right now for getting an MCSA...go for the 2008 and then upgrade or just dive into the 2012 series of tests?

I'd say so. If you've used 2008 for a year or so, the 2k8 MCSA is a great way to not get overwhelmed with the 2k12 new stuff plus the basics (DNS, DHCP, Windows networking - because MS seriously thinks people use nothing but Windows for routers/switches/remote access gateways and services, virtualization, etc.) and by the time you do the exams, hopefully R2 will be mature enough for books to be out on it. It's probably the upcoming R2 that stopped Sybex and others from having a 70-417 only book. MS Press is OK, though, even if you aren't big on MS Press in the past.

I can speak directly to the effectiveness of the Sybex 70-646 book - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0470293152/ref=oh_details_o00_s01_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 That was the shining point of the upgrade process from 2k3 MCSA to 2k8. It was a strong pass with that book and my day-to-day experience.

# ¿ Nov 13, 2013 03:51

MJP: Jun 17, 2007; Are you looking at me Senpai?; Grimey Drawer

Anyone else finish the Stanly course material and glad as hell they didn't buy the textbook?

I really wish I could have written a check to VMware and been eligible to get the cert via the books alone.

# ¿ Nov 14, 2013 03:03

MJP: Jun 17, 2007; Are you looking at me Senpai?; Grimey Drawer

Daylen Drazzi posted:

I'm still waiting for them to open the last three modules up so I can finish the material.

Really? Mine opened Monday AMish. I guess it's in different chunks?

# ¿ Nov 15, 2013 03:23

MJP: Jun 17, 2007; Are you looking at me Senpai?; Grimey Drawer

So I'm going through the Sybex VCP-510 book and I think I made the wrong choice. This stuff is written like old-school unhelpful MS Press. "This chapter covers X. Y is a component of X. Here is an explanation of what Y is and does. Here are use cases for Y. Here is how to do and un-do Y in exercises. I have now explained Y. Z is a component of X..." etc.

It's less cert prep, more technical manual. Oh well... at least prospective takers might know from this. Shoulda done the Mastering VCP5 book.

# ¿ Nov 19, 2013 23:10

MJP: Jun 17, 2007; Are you looking at me Senpai?; Grimey Drawer

To Vex a Stranger posted:

I just finished up my MCSE in Desktop Infrastructure, after spending about 8 months studying and taking tests. I'm proud of it too, as it's all stuff that I actually do in the real world so I feel like I know my stuff (despite some of the exam questions being like 'when you click the advanced tab, what options do you see?' So glad Microsoft has little to no quality control on these questions). I work as an IT consultant doing System center work and XP to 7/8 migrations. But now all I can think is 'now what?'

And I don't mean that from a certification standpoint. I've got a Masters of Science in Information systems, and feel like I'm far over qualified for my low end consulting job right now. I know the real way to make moves is to switch companies, but the question is how? Where? When?

Best thing to do is make sure your resume and Linkedin profile are up to spec - if you're not too sure about yours there are dudes on SA-Mart who do both and are good at what they do.

Set up a profile on Dice, Monster, and Hotjobs. Upload your resume. Check out the major tech recruiters - Robert Half sucks but I think they're everywhere. Teksystems is good people. I know a bunch in the NY metro area if you're in NY/NJ.

VMware is good to have... I have an MCSA and while Hyper-V does a lot better with each iteration of Windows, VMware is still the king of the bunch. Get on the waitlist for the Stanly Community College VCP course, do the exercises, and after $185 and eight weeks you'll be eligible to sit the VCP exam. At that point you can probably punch your own ticket.

# ¿ Dec 1, 2013 05:36

MJP: Jun 17, 2007; Are you looking at me Senpai?; Grimey Drawer

ElvisG posted:

MJP, I just want to bring up that Stanly CC is a year wait to take that course. I signed up in Sept and still haven't heard anything. I expect to take the course Fall 2014. Summer VCP class will filled and ready to go by Jan or Feb.

If you email Jana Kennedy (jkennedy7709@stanly.edu) and ask if there's an idea as to when you'll be able to take the course, hopefully that'll help. I was surprised when I asked her if she knew when I took my course, she said I should have been emailed - my number came up and I did the course.

# ¿ Dec 2, 2013 17:30

MJP: Jun 17, 2007; Are you looking at me Senpai?; Grimey Drawer

Haydez posted:

And also make sure to whitelist @stanly.edu or frequently check your spam folder.

I'm in the current course and have been done with the labs for like two weeks now. I think the course is over but I'm not even sure. There's been like 2 e-emails from the instructor and the discussion forums never even opened up for the course. Don't think I learned anything from the course but hey, at least I can sit for the VCP.

Yeah, I'm the same way. The Sybex book is full of stuff that was never even touched in the course. It's criminal that people would pay out of pocket for the level of education they get at any price of more than what a Stanly student paid. I'm crushing down on the book to crunch and homelab as much as I can before the new year, when people say that the 5.5 content comes in - I hope I'm misinformed on that, but still, bleh on the course now and forever.

# ¿ Dec 2, 2013 23:10

MJP: Jun 17, 2007; Are you looking at me Senpai?; Grimey Drawer

Haydez posted:

and speaking of the Stanley course, don't buy the book. What a waste of money that was. Buy one of the VCP books like the VCP Study guide or something.

I haven't seen the other books out there but I've been going out of the Sybex book. Covers a lot, but it reads like an MS Press book - an extended technical manual with walkthroughs, not really as good of a learning tool as William Panek's books or ExamPrep/ExamCram.

# ¿ Dec 6, 2013 20:36

MJP: Jun 17, 2007; Are you looking at me Senpai?; Grimey Drawer

Just a heads-up for the Stanly alum - the VMware store has MASSIVE discounts on the exam. I took that deal on the practice exam and it feels braindumpy - I mean, yes, it's an official VMware cert store but it doesn't really cover context like the Sybex book.

After seeing the gap between the course and the book, it is a 100% confirmation that the course is but a rubber stamp. I wouldn't jump right into the exam if all you've done is the course, and I was in the lectures as well as all the quizzes and labs.

# ¿ Dec 11, 2013 15:41

MJP: Jun 17, 2007; Are you looking at me Senpai?; Grimey Drawer

It was made available a while ago. I don't remember if the instructor made it available, but I had an issue logging on to it that he had to do something to fix.

I scheduled my exam for the 21st - if you guys do buy the voucher with the quiz, just be wary that you have to use the voucher on an exam before 12/31 or it goes away.

# ¿ Dec 12, 2013 23:02

MJP: Jun 17, 2007; Are you looking at me Senpai?; Grimey Drawer

Daylen Drazzi posted:

Very good choice, especially as one of the perks of the class is a voucher for 70% off the test. You also get a one year free trial of vCenter Standard, which can be extended for a second year. The voucher alone drat near pays for the cost of the class.

This. I didn't know about the voucher and bought the prep quiz + voucher + retake if failed package for $225, and then a few days later got the "oh here's the VMware store and coupon" email.

Do yourself a favor to make maximum use of your time: get a prep book and study it while you're doing the classes. Even if you hang on his every word, take notes, and do the exercises, the stuff covered on the exam is woefully inadequate with what the course covers. There is so much in the Sybex book (which IMO isn't super-great, it's very much a technical manual and not a learning tool) that wasn't gone into in-depth in the class. It'll save you time so you don't realize "that's it?" when the course ends and you think it's time to prep up.

# ¿ Dec 19, 2013 16:30

MJP: Jun 17, 2007; Are you looking at me Senpai?; Grimey Drawer

Just took and passed my VCP5 with a 406 - and oh man is the Sybex book not the best at teaching a LOT of the stuff, or at least not in a "hey, seriously, this is probably going to be on the exam" part.

Good for a cover-to-cover overview of what's on the blueprint and how to do it, bad for getting a lot of the little things in there. I had to make a lot of educated guesses, a lot of "think through the entirety of vSphere Client" to get to a lot of answers. Others were less difficult. But it was a tough one.

Glad it's over... and now I can take a few months to get into XenServer, which is what my current job uses, rendering the VCP useless for now.

# ¿ Dec 22, 2013 00:00

MJP: Jun 17, 2007; Are you looking at me Senpai?; Grimey Drawer

Dilbert As gently caress posted:

Xenserver has been trash without custom configs/scripts supporting it, is it any good felt like ESX 3.5 everytime I've used it.

I've only poked around XenStudio a little bit browsing through it. I just started at the company last month, but we'll be doing a hardware refresh next year - I definitely plan to go down either the XenDesktop or XenServer route.

Also forgot to mention: any goons want my Sybex VCP5 book? Only a few highlights in it, I ended up just writing down notes. Yours for the cost of USPS shipping from 07083, probably can't get it out until after Christmas.

# ¿ Dec 23, 2013 02:25

MJP: Jun 17, 2007; Are you looking at me Senpai?; Grimey Drawer

Dilbert As gently caress posted:

XenDesktop can run on Vmware and is actually recommended IIRC. XenServer every time I have used it is complete poo poo.

My boss isn't a big fan of VMware licensing costs, though. There's no real drive to bail from XS/XD right now, but he wasn't pooh-poohing me getting my VCP despite that. Maybe things will change, who knows. If not, it behooves me to take the XS cert down the line. With that, the Hyper-V from my MCSA, and VCP, it couldn't hurt to be a virtualization triple threat.

# ¿ Dec 23, 2013 03:22

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# ¿ May 5, 2024 04:22

MJP: Jun 17, 2007; Are you looking at me Senpai?; Grimey Drawer

Dilbert As gently caress posted:

I wish you the best in keeping a decent liver health

I wanted an excuse to buy a bottle of Hibiki anyway.

# ¿ Dec 23, 2013 14:57

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Serious Hardware/Software Crap > The IT Certification Megathread: Straight Outta CompTIA

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