Overview

Language(s):	English
Audience(s):	IT Professionals
Technology:	Windows 7
Type:	Proctored Exam

Audience Profile

Candidates for this exam should have a minimum of three years of experience installing, configuring, and administering clients in a Windows networked environment and also have experience deploying operating systems and applications. Candidates should be familiar with the client administration capabilities of Windows Server and with management tools such as the System Center suite of products.

Credit Toward Certification

Exam 70-686: Pro: Windows 7, Enterprise Desktop Administrator counts as credit toward the following certification(s):

Microsoft Certified IT Professional: Windows 7, Enterprise Desktop Administrator

Skills Measured

Planning and Managing a Client Life Cycle Strategy

Plan and manage client licensing and activation.

This objective may include but is not limited to: applications and operating systems; activation method; KMS vs. MAK; prerequisites; choosing a SKU; licensing infrastructure; licensing compliance audits; inventory audits; virtualization licensing considerations; making recommendations for licensing strategy and compliance

Plan and manage software updates.

This objective may include but is not limited to: application updates and operating system updates; evaluating and approving software updates; enterprise applications; designing an update strategy; choosing an update tool; planning and deploying a service pack; schedule considerations; network considerations; test updates; auditing for security compliance

Plan and manage a physical hardware and virtualization strategy.

This objective may include but is not limited to: analyzing existing hardware environment; determining which systems meet minimum requirements; tradeoffs of physical vs. VDI environment; network load considerations; disk space; direct connection vs. brokered connection; determining a VHD strategy; choosing 32 bit vs. 64 bit

Designing a Standard Image

Design an image creation strategy.

This objective may include but is not limited to: identifying operating system and enterprise applications that will be included with the standard image; thick, thin, or hybrid; role-based or geographic-based images vs. single core image; image localization

Design acustom image.

This objective may include but is not limited to: identifying applications to be installed; identifying features and components to be enabled or disabled; testing the customized image

Define an image update strategy.

This objective may include but is not limited to: performance optimization; security considerations; efficiency; offline servicing vs. online or post-image updates; re-creating; recapturing

Designing Client Configurations

Design standard system settings.

This objective may include but is not limited to: choosing methods, including logon scripts, startup scripts, and Group Policy; designing profiles; designing error reporting; designing audit policy

Define client security standards.

This objective may include but is not limited to: application control policies; encryption; stopping unnecessary services; designing firewall rules; defining anti-malware settings; changes to Kerberos and NTLM; configuring user rights; defining UAC policy; designing a security template for system lockdown; defining account policies; designing security standards for removable storage

Define Windows Internet Explorer settings.

This objective may include but is not limited to: defining security zones; cache location; branding; in-private mode; restricting or allowing plug-ins; add-ons; privacy policy; browser protected mode

Designing a Windows 7 Client Deployment

Analyze the environment and choose appropriate deployment methods.

This objective may include but is not limited to: building the infrastructure; advantages of lite-touch vs. zero-touch vs. local install; capacity and scale considerations; determining required changes to the infrastructure

Design a lite-touch deployment strategy.

This objective may include but is not limited to: unicast vs. multicast; auto-cast vs. scheduled-cast; staggered deployment; scheduling considerations; network load considerations; choosing a client boot method for deployment; unattended answer files; restricting who can receive images; choosing a delivery mechanism

Design a zero-touch deployment strategy.

This objective may include but is not limited to: designing and configuring task sequencing; unattended answer files; scheduling considerations; staggered deployment; network load considerations; restricting who can receive images

Design a user state migration strategy.

This objective may include but is not limited to: determining which user data and settings to preserve; local vs. remote storage considerations; determining mitigation plan for non-migrated applications; securing migrated data; testing designed strategy; wipe-and-load migration vs. side-by-side migration

Designing Application Packages for Deployment

Design a delivery or deployment strategy.

This objective may include but is not limited to: auditing for prerequisites and minimum requirements; choosing a deployment method such as virtualized, Remote Desktop Services, Group Policy, or software distribution; server-based or client-based install; scheduling considerations; staggered deployment; network considerations; package creation standards

Manage application compatibility.

This objective may include but is not limited to: testing incompatibility; choosing a method for resolving incompatibility, such as upgrading, Remote Desktop Services, shim, or VDI; auditing incompatible software

Identifying and Resolving Deployment and Client Configuration Issues

Identify and resolve Internet Explorer issues.

This objective may include but is not limited to: security zones; Web applications; advanced settings; Group Policy restrictions; certificates

Identify and resolve Group Policy issues.

This objective may include but is not limited to: delegation; inheritance; policies are not effective; blocking; permissions; loopback processing; user vs. computer settings; filtering; performance

Identify and resolve networking issues.

This objective may include but is not limited to: wireless; remote access; VPN; certificates; performance; IP communication; Windows Firewall

Identify and resolve authentication and authorization issues.

This objective may include but is not limited to: user rights; distinguishing between client-based and server-based issues; time synchronization (Kerberos)

Preparation Materials

Learning Plans and Classroom Training

6294A: Planning and Managing Windows 7 Desktop Deployments and Environments (5 Days)

Microsoft E-Learning

6294AE: Planning and Managing Windows 7 Desktop Deployments and Environments (20 Hours)

Books

MCITP Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-686): Windows 7 Enterprise Desktop Administrator

Microsoft Online Resources

TechNet: Designed for IT professionals, this site includes how-to instructions, best practices, downloads, technical resources, newsgroups, and chats.
MSDN: Designed for developers, the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) features code samples, technical articles, downloads, newsgroups, and chats.
Microsoft Learning Community: Join newsgroups and visit community forums to connect with your peers for suggestions on training resources and advice on your certification path and studies.