Archive for the ‘Blog’ Category
CCNP 2010 updates
The exams are listed below:
642-901 BSCI; replaced by 642-902 ROUTE
642-812 BCMSN; replaced by 642-813 SWITCH
642-832 TSHOOT
642-825 ISCW; no replacement
642-845 ONT; no replacement
642-892 Composite; no replacement
Q:
Interesting. So the current path is still valid for about 15 months. I wonder when new resources will start to surface for the new exams…
Interesting. I think this is cool. I already have the CBT nuggets for the current exam series so hopefully some good material will come out for the tshoot exam. Nice way to save time/money.
Q:
Whoa, a troubleshoot-exam! That is great
Lil lame I just ordered the Cisco CCNP official certiciation library… Well, it is still going to be useful, of course!
Q:
“The four existing CCNP certification exams will be available to the general public through June 30, 2010″
just got my CCNA and started studying for CCNP, damn i have to hurry up
Any info on what actually will be different on route and switch exams? i mean, routing protocols havent changed much in recent years afaik…
Q:
Oh, yikes! The end of 2010 is just for net academy students. Maybe I’ll try to do BSCI and BCMSN by then and then do the troubleshooting later in the year…
Q:
This is pretty interesting. It’s nice that they are keeping BSCI and BCMSN valid even after the transition.
Q:
Nice! Now you can do it in just three tests (once the new ones are released). I wonder if this means they will be increasing the cost of the tests?
I was contemplating doing ONT before BSCI. This news makes that a definite no.
Q:
I’m not crazy about them removing ONT and ISCW. Unless they put some of that material in the other exams, they’re going to end up with very narrowly focused CCNPs.
Q:
I doubt there is less material in the new curriculim. The old BCMSN (642-811) had a lot of QoS material that was moved to ONT. It only seems logical they would put it back.
This is what I think they could be doing:
BSCI (troubleshoting) > TSHOOT
BCMSN (troubleshoting) > TSHOOT
ONT (troubleshoting) > TSHOOT
ISCW (troubleshoting) > TSHOOT
BSCI > ROUTE
ISCW > ROUTE
BCMSN > SWITCH
ONT > SWITCH
Q:
I agree. I think the CCNP was very well rounded (even though I HATED the wireless crap). If they take out a lot of the security and QoS stuff the CCNP starts to really drop in value as a real world certification IMO. I guess we will see when the exam objectives come out, but so far I’m thinking this is a bad move. I do like the TSHOOT exam though.
Q:
Nice post, I was going down this road but not ready to do the exams that quickly. I’ll wait for the updated materials while still looking for an entry level networking job.
Q:
Yea, the addition of a troubleshooting exam is great.
If they do move the material to other exams I would be ok with it. Though, somethings just don’t have a logical place, like where do you put VPNs, ROUTE or SWITCH or what? QoS also, unless they do L2 QoS on SWITCH and L3 QoS on ROUTE. I’m interested to see the blueprints.
Q:
The troubleshooting exam sounds interesting. That might be a viable option for me renewing my Cisco stuff down the road.
Q:
BSCI and/or BCMSN would be safe exams to work on, as long as you can finish by the cut-off date.
Q:
yeah i agree, it would be interesting to see actual objectives for new exams, i guess we have to wait for cisco’s official announcment which should arrive soon. But i already just started working on BCSI and i have no intentions to stop. Routing protocols havent changed in recent years so its pretty safe to study OSPF, EIGRP, BGP etc.
besides, i think that even after the cut-off date BCSI and BCMSN will be valid for counting towards new CCNP (for some time). im pretty confident i can pass BCSI and BCMSN before july 2010 so i might do BCSI, BCMSN and TSHOOT to get CCNP. will see… cisco’s official announcment should answer all those questions.
Tags: CCNP
Where should I start with MCSE?
Q:
Hello, I am new to this forum. I am looking to get into Networking possibly MSCE and perhaps Cisco but I am doing as much research as I can to figure out where I need to start and what certifications I would need to get into the job market for Networking and IT.
What I am curious about is…what is hot right now in the IT field? What should I be pursing as my first IT cert? What should I avoid? I would like to get as many responses to this thread and keep it up as I have many questions…As for the forum mods if i posted in the wrong section i apologize and move the thread if need be.
A:
now it is mcsa 2003
in the furture ,that is mcitp .
however ,in my opinion ,there is not a hot certification in the IT field .
just some technology is hot ,
IF some technology is popular or on the great demand on the market ,so you can consider about that
besides ,if you have some experience in the IT field ,you’ll understand which technology is hot or fit for u .
if you are new to the IT ,you can see this article “mcse:best suit for green hand in IT.”
A:
Well, in my opinion it’s always best to go for the newest products, especially concerning MS products. Sooner or later the job market will adept to the new generation of MS exams, although it is true, that old credentials like MCSA or MCSE are still very popular regarding the fact that numerous companies are still running 2003 Server environments. However, a company would rather employ someone who has 2008 Server experience rather than a 2003 Server pro…even if they might not even have migrated their environment to 2008 yet.
Currently, I would suggest somewhat of a “go-between” if you want to have best chances on IT market. This is my personal suggestion for your path:
1) Take a client exam:
I strongly recommend taking exam 70-680 (Windows 7 configuring). MS has recently added this exam to the list of possible client exams for MCSA or MCSE!
70-270 (XP) is already outdated and 70-620 (Vista) will be surely replaced by Windows 7 in the near future…so no need to go for that.
Passing exam 70-680 will grant you your first MCTS credential and access to the MCP member site. (Although you will have access to the MCP logo builder, you will receive the official crendential MCP only by passing one of the old generation of MS exams.)
Note that exams 70-620 and 70-680 can also be chosen as elective exam for MCSA. But it must be either client core or elective…it cannot count towards both requirements.
2) Exam 70-290 (Managing and Maintaining a Windows Server 2003 Environment)
(required exam for MCSA)
Passing this exam will earn you the MCP credential (officially)
3) Exam 70-291 (Implementing, Managing, and Maintaining a Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure)
(required exam for MCSA)
4) Choose one elective exam for your MCSA credential.
This might be one of the toughest choices to make, because by choosing your elective exam you select your own field of speciality. Typical choices are security or messaging related exams, but again I would suggest picking one of the new MCTS exams as your elective choice. I personally recommend exams that relate to currently popular MS products like Exchange 2007 or Sharepoint. Following are some good choices. Pick one.
70-236 (TS: Exchange Server 2007, Configuring)
70-351 (TS: Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2006, Configuring)
70-400 (TS: Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2007, Configuring)
70-401 (TS: Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007, Configuring)
70-630 (TS: Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, Configuring)
70-631 (TS: Windows SharePoint Services 3.0, Configuring)
70-638 (TS: Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007, Configuring)
(passing one of those exams earns you another MCTS credential)
Here is an official MS overview for current MCSA requirements:
hxxp://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/certification/mcsa.aspx#tab2
Next I would work on gaining the necessary skills to upgrade your MCSA to 2008. In your case, I think it would not make any sense to aim for MCSE, since this would require some more years of practical experience, which might be too late when you finally reach that credential.
5) Take upgrade exam 70-648:
This exam includes:
70-640 (TS: Windows Server 2008 Active Directory, Configuring) and
70-642 (TS: Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure, Configuring)
Note that by passing this upgrade exam, you will be granted 2 MCTS credentials. However, to gain an equivalent credential to MCSA 2003 in Server 2008 you would have to take exam 70-646 (PRO: Windows Server 2008, Server Administrator).
Now here’s the interesting part…If you want to go for an MCSE equivalent credential in Server 2008 instead (this is called MCITP Enterprise Administrator), you can skip exam 70-646 instead. I really recommend this, since going for a lesser credential would be just a waste of money. Take exam 70-646 only if you want to do Server 2008 administrative tasks. But in that case, it would be the last exam to pick anyway.
Now let’s assume you want to go for the MCITP Enterprise Administrator credential. Following exams are still required:
6) Exam 70-643 (TS: Windows Server 2008 Applications, Configuring)
(earns you another MCTS credential)
7) Exam 70-647 (Windows Server 2008, Enterprise Administrator)
(finally earns you the MCITP Enterprise Administrator credential)
Note that it would be necessary to select one of the following client related exams to earn your MCITP Enterprise Administrator credential: 70-620, 70-624 or 70-680. Since we assume that you have already wisely picked exam 70-680 during your MCSA path, you have already fulfilled this requirement.
Of course, if you want to skip MCSA, you might already yant to aim for MCITP Enterprise Administrator. This would require you to study for, gain practical experience and then finally take following exams:
70-680 (recommended), 70-640, 70-642, 70-643 and 70-647
Please note that these are only my personal recommendations. This should not be regarded as guideline, but I recommend this selection of exams as being an IT Trainer and consultant in MS related products for more than 10 years. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to PM me any time or simply reply to this topic.
Tags: MCSE
MCDST-What you need to know?
A lot of people have been asking about what resources are needed for the MCDST. In this article/post I’ll try to outline what you’ll need to get started and where to find it.
The MCDST (Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician) certification consists of 2 MCP exams, the 70-271 (Supporting Users and Troubleshooting a Microsoft Windows XP Operating System) and the 70-272 (Supporting Users and Troubleshooting Desktop Applications on a Microsoft Windows XP Operating System). The exams test you on installing, configuring and troubleshooting Windows XP, Microsoft Office (2003) and the applications that come with the operating system (Internet Explorer, Outlook Express etc).
Requirements and objectives
First up, let’s look at the requirements and exam objectives for both exams. You can find them here,
MCDST Requirements
Exam Objectives 70-271
Exam Objectives 70-272
Learn them well. It should be noted here that there are some objectives not covered in any courses or the MS Press training books. This was designed (as I was told) so that you will have to research it for yourself and thereby help yourself to become a better technician.
Books
Let’s start with the official MS Press training kits.
MS Press: MCDST Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-271) I personally used these 2 books
MS Press: MCDST Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-272) and found them to be very good.
Sybex: MCDST: Exams 70-271 and 70-272
Exam Cram: MCDST 70-271 and 70-272 Exam Cram 2 BundleSeems to be rather dated
PrepLogic Mega-Guide for 70-271
PrepLogic Mega-Guide for 70-272
Unfortunately there is not very much material available and most of it is rather old. Also, don’t forget to read some of the reviews.
MCDST FAQ
Q. How many questions are in the exams?
A. the exact number varies with each exam taken but is usually between 40 and 60.
Q. What is the percentage mark required to pass the exams?
A. The pass mark is 700.
Q. What is the price per exam?
A. The price varies depending on where you live and take the exam and also dependant on other factors such as discount vouchers.
Q. When I pass both exams does that give me the MCDST automatically?
A. Passing both exams gives you the MCDST certification automatically.
Q. How many hours would you say is required before you should take the exam?
A. It depends on the individual and on the experience of that person.
There are also a lot of other good resources out there but Google and the TechNet library are your best friends.
Tags: MCDST
642-901 exam adding 12 more questions
As a group that always demands high on itself, our released the latest 642-901 update. In the newly released version, we add 12 more questions on the previous one so as to make candidates get fully prepared on the exam. Also, we gave a new illustration for question 3, topic6, and changed the picture for question 56 in topic4.
642-901, the exam code of Building Scalable Cisco Internetworks, is associated with CCNP, CCIP and CCDP. The exam proves candidates’ knowledge and skills in using advanced IP addressing and routing in implementing scalability for Cisco ISR routers connected to LANs and WANs.
642-901 BSCI exam lasts for an hour and a half, and during which time, candidates should finish 50-60 questions. The exam is now available in both English and Japanese. Candidates can register the exam in the site of Pearson VUE.
The test types contain multiple-choice single answer, multiple-choice multiple answer, drag-and-drop, fill-in-the-blank, testlet, simlet and simulations. And the topics cover advanced IP addressing, routing principles, multicast routing, IPv6, manipulating routing updates, configuring basic BGP, configuring EIGRP, OSPF and IS-IS.