Certifications

I took this exam back in June during the beta period and received notification in the middle of the last night that I passed.

"Congratulations on earning your Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V, Configuration certification! We hope you enjoy the benefits of your certification and of membership in the Microsoft Certified Professional community."

Pretty cool, although I've been doing a lot of Hyper-V since the early beta builds in the TAP program and application streaming with Softgrid for a while, so this test was in line with a lot of activities I already do. Good to know that I passed because a few of the questions were pretty tricky.

You can read more about the exam here and here.

According to the official statistics on Microsoft's site, 31 people have passed 70-656: Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack: Configuration.

Which means, there are still 169 MDOP Charter Memberships up for grabs.

If you are one of the first 200, you get:

#1: MDOP Charter Member jacket (ooh!)
#2: MDOP Charter Member Glass Award (ahh!)

If you are lucky, the promotional code of "MDOP" is still valid and you can take the exam for free, like I did.

Other statistics that I found interesting because I have these newer certifications (worldwide numbers!):

MCTS (leaving out the tests that go towards MCITP):
4,276 certified in Business Desktop Deployment with the BDD
1,690 certified in Office Communications Server 2007: Configuration
820 certified in Office Live Communications Server 2005
567 certified in Windows Mobile 5.0: Configuration
488 certified in Forefront Client and Server: Configuration

MCITP:
5,068 Enterprise Administrators
2,748 Enterprise Messaging Administrators
2,771 Server Administrators

A long time ago, when Exchange 2007 exams 70-236, 70-237, and 70-238 were in beta, I took all three. I passed the first two and waited forever for the results of 70-238. Because I had already passed 70-236 and 70-237, 70-238 was the last piece of the puzzle to obtain the MCITP: Enterprise Messaging Administrator certification.

Beta exams (71-xxx) are a little different than normal exams (70-xxx). Normal exams will give you a score as soon as you end the exam. Beta exams take 2 months after the beta cycle to show up on your transcript. Often, beta exams will have a promo code, so they are free, except for your time.

Once all my coworkers received their results, I became impatient and concerned. Many calls to Prometric and Microsoft later, it was uncovered that somewhere along the line, my answers/results were lost. The testing machine had crashed on me a few times during the exam but had recovered, I thought. Not so.

Thanks to Microsoft Learning wonder girl Trika, I was given a voucher for the exam so I could take the exam when I had the chance. She also lit some fires to find out what happened with the original results.

I had a few hours of downtime today, so I took the test, again, and passed. At this point, after all the Exchange 2007 'real-world experience' I've had since those betas, I would have been surprised and upset if I had actually failed the exam today.

So, more than a year later, I'm finally certified as MCITP: Enterprise Messaging Administrator.

Up next: Master certification.

Took it today and passed it. I don't know if I am one of the first 200 to pass it or not, which would make me a Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) Charter member, but we'll see.

Since a good majority of the test focuses on Softgrid aka Microsoft Application Virtualization, I thought I had a pretty good shot at passing the exam. I have a decent background in streaming applications with Softgrid and Citrix.

My weak spots on the test were in the Asset Inventory Service and the Desktop Error Reporting sections, because I haven't dealt with those programs as much as I have Softgrid and the Diagnostic and Recovery Tool (DaRT - the updated and renamed ERD Commander).

If you are wondering what I am talking about, you can check out the exam details here, and learn about MDOP here.

It will help prevent an error that happens when the VMBus tries to load in the guest OS. I've just made it part of my build process in general because telling Server 2008 and Vista to detect the HAL at every boot doesn't really make much of a difference in boot time. I'm hoping in Windows 7 / Server v.Next that this is just the default anyway.

This tidbit of information is also useful if you end up taking the MCTS: Virtualization certification test.

You can read more about the issue and workaround here.

Taken from Trika's blog:

You are invited to take beta exam 71-652: TS: Windows Server Virtualization, Configuring.
Registration begins: June 2, 2008
Beta exam period runs: June 3, 2008– June 23, 2008

Use the following promotional code when registering for the exam: 652HV

I'm now an MCITP: W2K8 Enterprise Admin, and MCITP: W2K8 Server Admin.

Update: As you can see from the comments left on this entry, I was wrong on what these tests actually are. I forgot that there were tests I took in late 2007 that WERE the upgrade tests for MCSE 2003. These tests are specifically for the Microsoft Certified IT Pro designation for Windows 2008.

More information: 70-646 and 70-647

A couple people pointed out that they saw me on the MS Learning site again. Pretty cool! Check it out here.

It is also very strange but cool to go to a customer site, get introduced to people, and they already know who you are because they've seen your website. I've had it happen a few times before but it seems to be getting more common. It has even happened in Redmond on the Microsoft campus.

Two Server 2008 IT Pro exams are in beta just in time for the holidays.
In an act of overconfidence, I’m taking both Jan 4th if schedules permit.

71-646: PRO: Windows® Server 2008, Server Administrator - MCITP: Server Administrator
71-647: PRO: Windows® Server 2008, Enterprise Administrator - MCITP: Enterprise Administrator

The important information

Registration begins: December 21, 2007
Beta exam period runs: December 21, 2007–January 18, 2008

Take them for free with these codes

For 71-646: Q646
For 71-647: 647Q

To register in North America, call: Prometric: (800) 755-EXAM (800-755-3926), or use their website.

As always, Trika's blog is a great resource to get the scoop on what is on the exams.

As noted here, the Windows 2008 certification tests are starting to trickle out. These are the non-upgrade type of exams, i.e. not an upgrade exam from MCSE 2003 to MCSE 2008. To a certain extent, MCSE 2008 doesn't really exist.

Tests available now:
70-640: TS: Windows Server 2008 Active Directory, Configuring
70-642: TS: Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure, Configuring
70-643: TS: Windows Server 2008 Applications Infrastructure, Configuring

Beta exam period runs: November 27, 2007– December 21, 2007

Want to take them for free during the beta exam period? Register at Prometric's website.

Use these codes
70-640: B640
70-642: 642J
70-643: J643

Please let me know what you think of the 70-642 and 70-643 exams.
I want to know. I have my reasons.

Note: During beta, the tests are listed as 71- instead of 70- on Prometric's site.

Want to pass? Learn Server 2008 inside and out.

Gary Slaght tipped me off that the results are getting mailed out and the Prometric site is getting updated this week.

I checked, and I passed.

Just a quick note - passed another TS exam while it was in beta, this time for Office Communications Server 2007.

Best advice for taking the exam: install the server and some demo clients and go over the setup documentation, a lot.

Exam 71-400: TS: Microsoft® System Center Operations Manager, Configuring
Registration begins: October 4, 2007
Beta exam period runs: October 4, 2007– October 26, 2007
Please use the following promotional code when registering for the exam: TSCCM

The promo code makes it free, except for your time.

Read more about it on Trika's blog here.

As mentioned in the September 2007 MCP Flash newsletter, my profile and a small question and answer session has been posted here on Microsoft's website.

Want to test your knowledge of Microsoft Office Groove? Take the (beta) certification exam (70-555) before October 4th, 2007, using the promo code MOG07! Free, except for your time.

You can read more about this here.

Note: Beta exams always start with 71, so during beta when you sign up, you will want to look for 71-555 as the exam code to register for on the Prometric site. When the exam is released, the exam code becomes 70-555.