Not sure how long this offer will be valid (probably to the end of April, but that's just a guess) -- for now, Microsoft Press has
Understanding Microsoft Virtualization Solutions, an e-book from Mitch Tulloch and the Microsoft Virtualization Teams, available for
free here. Registration is required to download the book in PDF format, or you can view the first chapter without so much as a click. Mighty handy resource if you plan to take
Exam 70-652 TS: Windows Server Virtualization, Configuring.
Are you just taking baby steps with SQL Server? You're probably jumping the gun if you're already thinking about exams. Instead, get a free look at what it takes to tackle basic SQL admin tasks with the free in e-book format Introducing Microsoft SQL Server 2008, by Peter DeBetta, Greg Low and Mark Whitehorn.
Posted by Michael Domingo on 04/02/2009 at 11:59 AM0 comments
IT media was in red alert mode yesterday, waiting for Conficker to strike. I'm sure most of us sighed with a modest amount of relief when
nothing happened yesterday. Better to be prepared for nothing than unprepared for something, my mom used to say.
For MCPs out there who've been keeping an eye out for Conficker, here's something useful to share with users. Slashdot blogs about a Conficker Eye Chart developed by Joe Stewart with the Conficker Working Group.
I tested my machine by running the test in both IE 8 and Google Chrome; IE 8 came through with flying colors, while Google Chrome required two refreshes for the test to turn up negative for Conficker. If only all tests were so easy to conduct -- still, makes me wonder if I'm living with a false sense of security. Offer me some feedback and tell me if your machines appear healthy after taking this simple test.
Posted by Michael Domingo on 04/02/2009 at 11:59 AM1 comments
Add me to the list of people who weren't too worried about worms like Conficker. At least until last Sunday night, when no less than Symantec's Research Labs vice president Steve Trilling appeared on CBS News' "
60 Minutes" and defined the scope of Conficker's potential damage and the ease with which this worm has been spreading and mutating. (Security Watch columnist Jabulani Leffall has been covering the worm extensively as well over the last few months; his latest is
here.)
The worm, said Trilling, is just in 'sleeper cell mode,' waiting for instructions, and it's predicted to cause total destruction or none at all -- of coure, it's the somewhere-in-between that's worrisome. In the TV piece, news anchor Leslie Stahl echoes stats from a study that mentions that one in four Americans have already been hit by some malware out there. Scary, since it means, among the dozen in our Irvine office, at least three of us have a good chance of being victimized (I haven't checked to see if this, in fact, is already the case). Statistics like that continue to reinforce my resistance to do online banking and bill paying and is seriously making me second-guess credit-card purchases over the wire. So, am I wacked or smart to be cautious?
And as MCPs working to keep networks safe, I wonder: Do you think Conficker hysteria to be real or hype? Vote here (using IE or other than IE), or let me know your thoughts by commenting to this post or sending me e-mail.
Posted by Michael Domingo on 03/30/2009 at 11:59 AM0 comments
It's lights out on Saturday, when
Earth Hour takes over the globe. I'd take part in it, but 1) my Outlook Calendar alerts rarely chime in on time and 2) I'm watching "Cops," not in front of my computer.
Not quite in the same spirit is International Shutdown Day, which occurs this year on May 2nd. The organizers of this movement say that the goal is to bring attention to computer addiction. For IT admins, is participating in any of these events worth the trouble? And what happens if you've got mission-critical apps that need to be online 24/7? What to do, then?
Posted by Michael Domingo on 03/26/2009 at 11:59 AM2 comments
Microsoft Learning is
head-down in development on Windows 7 exams. Good thing, too, since
there's some hubbub about Windows 7 actually hitting release candidate stage sometime in May. If Microsoft Learning sticks to the agenda, exams often follow the OS' release around 45 days or so.
Are you planning to take the beta exams? Let me know. If you plan on taking the betas, ping me -- I'd love to keep you in mind when it's time to review those exams.
Posted by Michael Domingo on 03/26/2009 at 11:59 AM11 comments
The Microsoft Learning folks, and, in turn, the
Born to Learn bloggers, have been good to
MCPmag.com. So, in the spirit of cooperation, they've asked any bloggers out there to spread the word to MCPs who want to attend TechEd in Los Angeles that there's one seat -- just one -- on the Career Express. Yep, it's a contest to find an MCP worthy of riding the bus to the Tech Ed event and the contest ends April 6th. Mark your calendar and click
here to find out more.
Posted by Michael Domingo on 03/26/2009 at 11:59 AM0 comments
Sometimes we wonder here at MCPmag.com if there's anyone out there listening. I sure hope so. I know for a fact that the people who write the Born to Learn blog look over here once in a while.
I got an eyeful reading their response based on my last blog about the rumored exam price increase. It's good reading, and has some insights into how Microsoft Learning is running these days (really, they put me in my place with my assumptions).
Posted by Michael Domingo on 03/19/2009 at 11:59 AM0 comments
Imagine reading your high-school chemistry or calculus text book. I equate the reading list for the Microsoft Certified Master, with ... excuse me while I yawn ... "Understanding BDC Method Instances," "What every SharePoint administrator needs to know about Alternate Access Mappings" (in 3 parts!), or "The Role of the Inter-Site Topology Generator in Active Directory Replication."
Okay, do I still have your attention? Then you're a good candidate for one of the Masters-level titles and you should go here to read the further adventures of Greg.
Posted by Michael Domingo on 03/19/2009 at 11:59 AM0 comments
A reader recently joining the MCP game (he's still going for that MCSE; I told him to hurry it up!) asked me whether, through the course of completing his certifications, exam fees would increase. The possibility is there, and I believe the folks on the Born to Learn blog hinted around that it might happen. (Really, I swear I saw it there, but I can't be absolute in my conviction right now.)
That exam prices have remained at US$125 for the most part is a minor miracle, if you ask me. The Microsoft Learning Group isn't a profit center for the company by any measure, and in fact, directors in years past have told us that its goals have been to break even. I can't say that that goal has held fast all these years, but from the looks of things -- reduction in benefits, creation of more virtual and e-based training offerings, to name a few -- the group is doing its best to rein in costs. Still, to keep materials fresh in both the training offerings and exams themselves, especially as products go through new revs, it behooves the group to keep up and maintain relevancy. No, it can't skimp here.
So, while Microsoft might reset the fee upward due to incremental but increased costs in developing and delivering exams (I've yet to ask them point-blank what their plans are here; for now, it's an assumption), the group does its best to ease the burden. Just look at its popular Second Shot program, the delivery of exams through its academic program (it's like taking exams for half the price), free e-training courses (there's gobs of them), and free downloadables from Microsoft Press for quick evidence.
So, don't hate them if they gotta increase prices. It's part of doing business.
Agree or disagree? Chime in here or e-mail me.
Posted by Michael Domingo on 03/12/2009 at 11:59 AM8 comments
No, it's not some new-age therapy. It's a breath of fresh air coming from the Microsoft Learning blogs. The people who gauge the effectiveness of the exam questions and methods with some scientific precision -- the psychometricians -- even they're blogging these days.
One of them is Liberty Munson and she's there to answer your questions about those exams. (I hope I'm right on my gender assumptions, btw.) Have at it!
If you need some help, go ahead and steal these:
- When exams get developed, when in the process do you call in the psychometrician?
- What exam has been the most challenging to develop from a psychometrician's POV?
- What credentials make for a good Microsoft psychometrician?
- 'Psychometrician' lacks that cool factor. Have you come up with any other names for that role?
Posted by Michael Domingo on 03/05/2009 at 11:59 AM0 comments
Want some recognition from your IT peers, plus a little scratch for your empty pockets? Step right up and write for MCPmag.com. Yep, we're looking for people who are savvy with software and have a knack for telling the good from the bad -- and expressing themselves in the process.
As an MCPmag.com reviewer, you also get the chance to try out new software that you might have to deploy some day. It's a good way to get your foot in the door and maybe some deeper access with vendors. (For self-study resource reviewers, you often never have to return books or DVD training materials.)
So, peer recognition and fame outside your cubicle walls awaits. Write me for details.
Posted by Michael Domingo on 03/05/2009 at 11:59 AM0 comments
Just a reminder from the Microsoft Learning folks on its
Born to Learn blog: there's a slew of older .NET and two SQL 2000 exams that will be permanently put out to pasture March 31, 2009.
The retirements came with lots of forewarning; the group's policy is to announce exam retirements at least a year in advance (our original news story is here) when products drop out of mainstream support.
The whole list is here.
Posted by Michael Domingo on 02/26/2009 at 11:59 AM0 comments