Category Informational

Microsoft Virtualization launch

Attend the Microsoft® Virtualization Readiness Launch and Take Home the Latest Software*

Get hands-on with virtualization—on us.
Attend the event that lets you touch, talk about, and experience Microsoft® virtualization solutions. Hear from Microsoft virtualization experts on how Microsoft uses virtualization in its own data centers. Dive into robust hands-on labs and gain a technical understanding of the Microsoft virtualization strategy. Then, take home a valuable set of free products and readiness-focused giveaways to help get you started:*

• A one-year evaluation copy of Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008
• A copy of Understanding Microsoft Virtualization from the Desktop to the Data Center, by Mitch Tulloch**
• Vouchers for Microsoft Server Virtualization Certification exam (70-652) and preparation course (a $316 value)

Find out all about Microsoft virtualization.
Spend a day learning how a well-designed virtualization strategy can help you control costs, improve service levels, and drive business agility. See solutions built on the Windows Server® 2008 operating system with Hyper-V™ technology, System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2007, and Microsoft Desktop and Application Virtualization. And learn how you can leverage end-to-end virtualization to unlock benefits from the data center to the desktop.
The day’s agenda is simple.

• Begin your day with 300-level technical seminars:
  • Session I: Server Virtualization and Management
  • Session II: How Microsoft Builds Dynamic Data Centers
  • Session III: Understanding Virtualization at the Desktop Level
• Spend the afternoon with experts and technology partners in our Solutions Pavilion, and experience Microsoft virtualization via hands-on labs.
• Go home with the knowledge and products you need to start putting Microsoft virtualization into place in your organization.*

*Free Microsoft evaluation software for all event attendees! You’ll take home an evaluation kit with versions of the latest virtualization products. The Microsoft Virtualization Evaluation Kit is available only for attendees of 2008 Microsoft Virtualization Launch event.
**Registered attendees must be an IT Professional or IT Decision Maker and 18 years old by September 8, 2008 to attend this event. Limit one kit per person. All kits must be claimed at the event. This offer is non-transferrable and expires on December 31, 2008 while supplies last. Offer is not redeemable for cash. Taxes, if any, are the sole responsibility of the recipient.

And ofcourse, the fair Platinum Sponsors of the event! Oh, look there’s NetApp and Citrix! :)

Hey everybody! A few updates which will directly impact you that you should know about!

First of all, I’ve updated the Free Testing Archive to age old invalid certs and include new certs – So check it out!

Next of all, we’re getting closer to the availability of the NS1-501 SAN Exam from NetApp.  Prometric has the details published just not available to schedule a test yet.  That should change in the next week or so.   This is an entirely new exam so any old ‘test data’ which one has for it, likely won’t be valid anymore.    I’ll need to rewrite the study guide I wrote for the original version.

Next, welcome the first in a series of .NET 3.5 beta exams!

71-563: Pro: Design & Dev Windows Apps Using MS.NET Framework 3.5 – October 13, 2008 – October 30, 2008 (Code: DW897)

We have a number of folks to thank for this Exam! I’d like to make sure you know about the Beta Exam Blog where this was posted, as well as GerryO who posted about this :)

(This is also posted to the Free Testing Archive!)

Anyone who remembers my Second Chance Promotion post earlier in August (Second Shot)

Well, thanks to the MSL Community and GerryO again for this:

Second Shot now offers two incentives to get certified!
Today, Second Shot provides the benefit of a free retake if you fail a Microsoft Certification exam.
From October 15 – December 31, 2008, you will also be rewarded for passing the exam!
If you pass, you can now use the Second Shot offer to enjoy 25% off a different exam!
The Offer – 3-easy steps :
1.            Register for Second Shot offer and sit for the exam by December 31, 2008!
2.            If you fail the exam you will receive  a free retake exam that can be utilized until June 30, 2009
3.    If you Pass, you will get 25% off a second exam.  You have until February 28, 2009 to utilize the discounted exam.  
Note: If you pass the first exam but fail your 25% off second exam, you will not get a free retake on your second exam.
http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/offers/secondshot/default.mspx

So, there you go! 2 reasons and 3 ways to get you certified in 2008! Get out there, get your Second Chances and get your BETA On!

For those of you who took various betas in the past, the results are in for the following exams:

071-448 – TS: Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Business Intelligence Development and Maintenance

071-432 – TS: Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Implementation and Maintenance

071-660 – TS: Windows® Internals

With those exams being officially released as far as ‘Who has passed, who has failed’ you can now login to your Prometric site to see how you did!

But wait, what else is new? There’s another new NetApp exam coming :)

It’s not visible yet, but I have a feeling it’ll be here soon.

NS1-501 NCIE-SAN from NetApp!

This exam was in beta last year, and I imagine the stakes have changed and the test has gotten harder! Last time I took it (Last August) I got 100% (booyah!)

So, Look forward to seeing that come out somewhere in the next few weeks!

I took these two beta exams this past week, and let me start off first by saying, Wow! These are quite possibly some of the most polished exams I’ve ever seen!

The content was clear and concise, the questions were spot-on, and the delivery was amazing! I had no comments to offer other than "Wow, great exam" (I’m paraphrasing!:))

However, going past that, we get into the depths of the Post-Mortem.

071-451 was an excellent exam, the questions were very focused on your ability to Design, Optimize, and continually work on making sure that your data was delivered in a consistent fashion while also validating for performance and a number of other figures.   If you’re a day-in-day-out DBA who looks at improving your SQL Data, then this is the exam for you.

071-450 was also an excellent exam, the questions were very focused on your ability to actually manage your data, be it in clusters, clustered and non-clustered indexes, mirrors and especially the ability to back up your data.   If you happen to wear the hat of managing the databases and spending less time writing queries, this exam is spot-on and will be a breath of fresh air to you.

In all, I have nothing special to offer you outside of "If you know you’re stuff, you’ll be ready for these exams"

However, I did encounter something disturbing.   While taking 071-450 an exam focused on "Designing, Optimizing, and Maintaining" a database environment, I encountered a considerable volume of "How do I back this up" type of question, equally followed by a series of "How do I restore and get back into operation" type of questions.

Which leaves me to think, it’s 2008 already, is this seriously still a question?    I hear it in the field all the time as well, and I’m seriously disturbed.    The amount of data we have is growing, our windows – shrinking.   There are options and opportunities to ensure you have a quick, efficient and effective backup, restore and operational window.   When it’s still a question on the table – especially in an emerging product like SQL 2008, I have to seriously ask, Are we taking steps backwards instead of adopting the innovations available to us over the years?

Yes I work for NetApp, and yes I’ve seen the light offered by amazing solutions like SnapManager for SQL, and SnapManager for Oracle, and a series of other products to protect everything important within every small, medium and enterprise business.    And to be honest, this isn’t rocket science (Rocket Science is FAR easier) especially when you compare it to the number of "backup" options available to "try" to protect your SQL environment only to leave you scratching your head and still unsure about your availability and recoverability.  

And to be honest, this isn’t a commercial, whereas in reality that test was a wake-up call of "WTF is going on?!" I don’t want to be in this same position 2 years from now in 2010, and 12 years from now in 2020 and having it still be a question on the table of "How do we protect and recover our data?"   

Another verbatim theft from Beta Blog!

You are invited to take beta exam 71-433: TS: Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Database Development. If you pass the beta exam, the exam credit will be added to your transcript and you will not need to take the exam in its released form. The results will not appear on your transcript until several weeks after the final form of the exam is released. The 71-xxx identifier is used for registering for beta versions of MCP exams, when the exam is released in its final form the 70-xxx identifier is used for registration.

71-433: TS: Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Database Development counts as credit towards the following certification(s).

· Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: SQL Server 2008, Database Development (earned when passing 70-433)

· Microsoft Certified IT Professional: Database Developer 2008. In order to earn this certification you must also pass exam 70-451: PRO: Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Designing and Optimizing Database Solutions.

Find exam preparation information: http://www.microsoft.com/learning/exams/70-433.mspx

Availability

Registration begins: September 19, 2008

Beta exam period runs: September 22, 2008– October 10, 2008

Receiving this invitation does not guarantee you a seat in the beta; we recommend that you register immediately. Beta exams have limited availability and are operated under a first-come-first-served basis. Once all beta slots are filled, no additional seats will be offered.

Testing is held at Prometric testing centers worldwide, although this exam may not be available in all countries (see Regional Restrictions). All testing centers will have the capability to offer this exam in its live version.

Regional Restrictions: India, Pakistan, China

Registration Information

Please use the following promotional code when registering for the exam: F589G
You must register at least 24 hours prior to taking the exam.

To register in North America, please call:

· Prometric: (800) 755-EXAM (800-755-3926)

Outside the U.S./Canada, please contact:

· Prometric: http://www.register.prometric.com/ClientInformation.asp

Test Information and Support

You are invited to take this beta exam at no charge.
You will be given four hours to complete the beta exam. Please plan accordingly.