Posts Tagged ‘MCTS’

MCTS 70-643 Exam Cram: Windows Server 2008 Storage(2)

Wednesday, October 15th, 2008

Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks (RAID)

To help with data protection and system reliability, there are redundant arrays of inexpensive disks (RAID) that use two or more drives in combination to create a fault tolerance system to protect against physical hard drive failure and to increase hard drive performance. A RAID can be accomplished with either hardware or software and is usually used in network servers. Hardware RAID offers better performance and is transparent to the operating system. However, it costs more to implement because you need a RAID controller. Software RAID is inexpensive and easy to configure because it has no special hardware requirements other than multiple disks.

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There are several levels of RAID. The first one is RAID 0. RAID 0 stripes data across all drives. With striping, all available hard drives are combined into a single large virtual file system, with the file system’s blocks arrayed so they are spread evenly across all the drives. For example, if you have three 500MB hard drives, RAID 0 provides for a 1.5GB virtual hard drive. When you store files, they are written across all three drives. When a large file is written, a part of it may be written to the first drive, the next chunk to the second drive, more to the third drive, and perhaps more wrapping back to the first drive to start the sequence again. Unfortunately, with RAID 0 there is no parity control or fault tolerance, so it really is not a true form of RAID. If one drive fails, you lose all data on the array. However, RAID 0 does have several advantages because it has increased performance through load balancing.

A common RAID used in networked PCs and servers is RAID 1, known as disk-mirroring. Disk-mirroring copies a partition onto a second hard drive. As information is written, it is written to both hard drives simultaneously. If one of the hard drives fails, the PC still functions because it can access the other hard drive. You can then replace the failed drive, and data is copied from the remaining good drive to the replaced drive.

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MCTS 70-643 Exam Cram: Windows Server 2008 Storage(1)

Wednesday, October 15th, 2008
Learn what options are available and how to configure a server’s physical and virtual disk drives so that the server can meet the needs of network applications while providing reliability.

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Terms you’ll need to understand:
  Virtual Disk Specification (VDS)
  IDE Drives
  SCSI Drives
  Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks (RAID)
  network-attached storage (NAS)
  storage area network (SAN)
  iSCSI
  fibre channel
  Storage Manager
  iSCSI initiator
  partition
  Master Boot Record (MBR)
  GUID partition table (GPT)
  basic disks
  dynamic disks
  diskpart.exe command
  simple volumes
  spanned volumes
  striped volumes
  mirrored volumes
  RAID-5 volumes
  mount points
  (more…)

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Choosing A Microsoft Certification

Friday, July 11th, 2008

Choosing A Microsoft Certification

The certification you choose will be very dependant upon your current position or planned career path. Microsoft certifications are designed to take advantage of specific skills and enhance your expertise.

So what is your job title? The information below should help you decide what certification path is right for you.

Software Application Developer

The MCAD (Microsoft Certified Application Developer) and MCPD (Microsoft Certified Professional Developer) certifications are for you. The MCPD establishes you as an expert developing on a variety of platforms using Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0. The MCAD encompasses the application lifecycle from development to maintenance. If you are interested in analysis and design, go for the MCSD (Microsoft Certified Solution Developer). An MCSD has full knowledge of the application lifecycle from analysis through design, development, testing and maintenance.

Systems Engineer

Depending upon the level of knowlege you need, an MCSE or MCSA are great choices. The MCSE is an industry standard and provides the skills to do everything from analysis of business requirements to design and implementation of infrastructures. The MCSA is one step down and takes out the analysis and design, focusing on managing and troubleshooting system environments.

IT Business Analyst

A Microsoft Office Master combined with a MCP or MCSD would be very useful for most business analysts. An Office Specialist certification would demonstrate expert knowledge of Microsoft Office products. A MCP would be a great starting point for additional certifications. Be sure to choose an exam that will apply to any future cert tracks you may take. The MCSD would be the ultimate certification because it encompases the entire application lifecycle from analysis through design, development, testing and maintenance.

Systems Analyst

As a Systems Analyst you will perform many rolls and could need a MCAD or MCSD depending upon which stages of the application lifecycle you will need to know. The MCAD (Microsoft Certified Application Developer) encompasses the application lifecycle from development to maintenance. However, for an analyst, the MCSD (Microsoft Certified Solution Developer) may be necessary to encompass the full application lifecycle from analysis through design, development, testing and maintenance.

Software Engineer

As a MCSD you would be the decisive expert on all aspects of the application lifecycle. You would know how to design and develop using Microsoft development tools, technologies, and platforms. As an MCSE you would have the knowledge to do the analysis, design, and implementation of infrastructures. Depending upon the demands of your job or where you want to go with your career, either of these certs is an excellent choice.

Database Analyst/Administrator Web Application Developers Internet Developers

The obvious choice is the MCDBA (Microsoft Certified Database Administrator). It is the most respected certification for those who are responsible for the implementation and administration of Microsoft SQL Server databases.

Technical Consultant

Depending upon your career path and direction there are several certifications that would enhance your skill set. Start with an MCTS which will target a Microsoft technology and continue to the MCITP, which will demonstrate your skills in hanling all aspects of IT infrastructure.

Another route would be to get an MCTS and continue to the MCSD, MCSA, or MCSE. As a MCSD you would be the decisive expert on all aspects of the application lifecycle. You would know how to design and develop using Microsoft development tools, technologies, and platforms. As an MCSE you would have the knowledge to do the analysis, design, and implementation of infrastructures. The MCSA is one step down from the MCSE and takes out the analysis and design, focusing on managing and troubleshooting system environments.

Network Adminstrator

The MSCE is targeted to any Network Administrator who uses Microsoft Windows and backoffice applications. As an MCSE you would have the knowledge to do the analysis, design, and implementation of infrastructures.

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