J.C. Mackin - Exam Ref 70-417 Upgrading from Windows Server 2008 to Windows Server 2012 R2

Upgrading Your Skills to Windows Server 2012 R2

J.C. Mackin

PUBLISHED BY
Microsoft Press
A Division of Microsoft Corporation
One Microsoft Way
Redmond, Washington 98052-6399

Copyright 2014 by J.C. Mackin

All rights reserved. No part of the contents of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the publisher.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014936139
ISBN: 978-0-7356-8440-9

Printed and bound in the United States of America.

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This book is written for IT professionals who want to earn the MCSA: Windows Server 2012 certification by passing the Microsoft exam Exam 70-417: Upgrading Your Skills to MCSA Windows Server 2012. Note that in January 2014, this exam was updated to cover the recent technology updates in Windows Server 2012 R2.

Exam 70-417 serves as a path to the Windows Server 2012 MCSA for those who have already earned the Windows Server 2008 certification that is named MCITP: Server Administrator and MCSA: Windows Server 2008. The book is therefore written specifically for IT professionals who have already earned this Windows Server 2008 certification and maintain the associated level of expertise in Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2.

Exam 70-417 also serves as an upgrade path to the Windows Server 2012 MCSA from certifications other than the Windows Server 2008 MCSA. These other certifications include MCITP: Virtualization Administrator, MCITP: Enterprise Messaging Administrator, MCITP: Lync Server Administrator, MCITP: SharePoint Administrator, and MCITP: Enterprise Desktop Administrator certifications. However, the assumed knowledge for readers of this book is only MCSA-level expertise in Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2.

One of the first things you need to understand about the 70-417 exam is that it is a condensed version of three other exams: Exam 70-410, Exam 70-411, and Exam 70-412. This set of three exams allows you to earn the Windows Server 2012 MCSA from scratch, without any prior certification. Together, these three exams include 18 domains of broader skills and 62 more specific objectives. Because the exams are intended for individuals who havent yet earned Windows Server certification, the exams test new features in Windows Server 2012 as well as older features that havent changed since Windows Server 2008 or even earlier.

On the 70-417 exam, only 14 of the original 18 domains and 22 of the original 62 objectives have been adopted from these three source exams. This smaller subset of material corresponds generally to the new features in Windows Server 2012. Approximately 75 percent of the questions on the 70-417 exam will assess your knowledge of new Windows Server 2012 features in some way. Approximately 25 percent of the questions will be review questions about features that have not changed since Windows Server 2008questions you could have seen when you earned your existing certification. The questions that comprise this 25 percent can be taken from any of the 62 original objectives on exams 70-410, 70-411, or 70-412.

In order to create a book that is a manageable study tool, weve focused on covering the 75 percent of material that is new to Windows Server 2012 and that forms the core of the 70-417 exam. After all, the remaining 25 percent of whats covered on the exam draws upon the knowledge you already have already demonstrated when you earned your Windows Server 2008 certification. However, its possible you will need to review some of these older topics, so weve provided guidance throughout the book to help you identify any topics that might require further review.

This book covers every exam objective, but it does not cover every exam question. Only the Microsoft exam team has access to the exam questions themselves and Microsoft regularly adds new questions to the exam, making it impossible for us to cover specific questions. You should consider this book a supplement to your relevant real-world experience and other study materials. If you encounter a topic in this book that you do not feel completely comfortable with, use the links youll find in the book to find more informationand then take the time to research and study the topic. Valuable information is available on MSDN, TechNet, and in blogs and forums.