So I’m at SpiceWorld 2012 in Austin this week meeting many of my favorite SpiceHeads in person, and things are going great. One of my co-workers here visited the Microsoft booth and noticed they had literature about the newest certification series, Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate: Windows Server 2012. This track sounds pretty awesome and like a great way to ramp up quickly on Hyper-V 2012 features and administration. The MCSA track contains three components:
• Exam 70-410, Installing and configuring WS 2012
• Exam 70-411, Administering WS 2012
• Exam 70-412, Configuring advanced WS 2012 services
Here’s a helpful overview of what’s covered in the first component, exam 410. I’ll cover the other two components in follow up blog posts.
- Installing and Configuring Windows Server 2012
- Introduction to Active Directory Domain Services
- Managing Active Directory Domain Services Objects
- Automating Active Directory Domain Services Administration
- Implementing Networking Services
- Implementing Local Storage
- Implementing File and Print Services
- Implementing Group Policy
- Implementing Server Virtualization with Hyper-V
The question distribution on this exam is weighted as follows:
| Focus area | Weight |
| Install and configure servers | 17% |
| Configure server roles and features | 16% |
| Configure Hyper-V | 17% |
| Deploy and configure core network services | 16% |
| Install and administer active directory | 18% |
| Create and manage group policy | 16% |
The Hyper-V section covers:
Creating and configuring virtual machine settings:
- Configure dynamic memory; configure smart paging; configure Resource Metering; configure guest integration services
Creating and configuring virtual machine storage
- Create VHDs and VHDX; configure differencing drives; modify VHDs; configure pass-through disks; manage snapshots; implement a virtual Fibre Channel adapter
Creating and configuring virtual networks
- Implement Hyper-V Network Virtualization; configure Hyper-V virtual switches; optimize network performance; configure MAC addresses; configure network isolation; configure synthetic and legacy virtual network adapters
I’ve found a couple of links which look like great study and prep resources:
- http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/exam.aspx?ID=70-410
- https://blogs.technet.com/b/keithmayer/p/earlyexpertws12.aspx#.UHVlbhVi7yk
This second link offers a how-to guide for setting up your WS 2012 lab in the Azure cloud.
Good luck with your studies!