Overview

Language(s):	English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Chinese (Simplified)
Audience(s):	IT Professionals
Technology:	Windows Server 2008
Type:	Proctored Exam

Audience Profile

A server administrator is responsible for the operations and day-to-day management of an infrastructure of Windows Server 2008 R2 servers for an enterprise organization. Windows server administrators manage the infrastructure, Web, and IT application servers. The Windows server administrators use scripts and batch files written by others or those that they occasionally write themselves to accomplish tasks on a regular basis. They conduct most server management tasks remotely by using Remote Desktop Server or administration tools installed on their local workstation. A server administrator’s primary tasks include:

Managing the server operating system, file, and directory services
Software distribution and updates
Profiling and monitoring assigned servers
Troubleshooting

Server administrators also support engineering projects. Server administrators are responsible for server builds and configuration. Their job role involves 60 percent operations, 20 percent engineering, and 20 percent support tasks.

Credit Toward Certification

Exam 70-646: Pro: Windows Server 2008, Server Administrator counts as credit toward the following certification(s):

Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP): Server Administrator

Note This preparation guide is subject to change at any time without prior notice and at the sole discretion of Microsoft. Microsoft exams might include adaptive testing technology and simulation items. Microsoft does not identify the format in which exams are presented. Please use this preparation guide to prepare for the exam, regardless of its format.

Skills Measured

Planning for Server Deployment (19%)

Plan server installations and upgrades.

This objective may include but is not limited to: Windows Server 2008 edition selection, rollback planning, Bitlocker implementation requirements
Plan for automated server deployment.

This objective may include but is not limited to: standard server image, automation and scheduling of server deployments
Plan infrastructure services server roles.

This objective may include but is not limited to: address assignment, name resolution, network access control, directory services, application services, certificate services
Plan application servers and services.

This objective may include but is not limited to: virtualization server planning, availability, resilience, and accessibility
Plan file and print server roles.

This objective may include but is not limited to: access permissions, storage quotas, replication, indexing, file storage policy, availability, printer publishing

Planning for Server Management (23%)

Plan server management strategies.

This objective may include but is not limited to: remote administration, remote desktop, server management technologies, Server Manager and ServerManagerCMD, delegation policies and procedures
Plan for delegated administration.

This objective may include but is not limited to: delegate authority, delegate Active Directory objects, application management
Plan and implement group policy strategy.

This objective may include but is not limited to: GPO management, GPO backup and recovery, group policy troubleshooting, group policy planning

Monitoring and Maintaining Servers (20%)

Implement patch management strategy.

This objective may include but is not limited to: operating system patch level maintenance, Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), application patch level maintenance
Monitor servers for performance evaluation and optimization.

This objective may include but is not limited to: server and service monitoring, optimization, event management, trending and baseline analysis
Monitor and maintain security and policies.

This objective may include but is not limited to: remote access, monitor and maintain NPAS, network access, server security, firewall rules and policies, authentication and authorization, data security, auditing

Planning Application and Data Provisioning (19%)

Provision applications.

This objective may include but is not limited to: presentation virtualization, terminal server infrastructure, resource allocation, application virtualization alternatives, application deployment, System Center Configuration Manager
Provision data.

This objective may include but is not limited to: shared resources, offline data access

Planning for Business Continuity and High Availability (19%)

Plan storage.

This objective may include but is not limited to: storage solutions, storage management
Plan high availability.

This objective may include but is not limited to: service redundancy, service availability
Plan for backup and recovery.

This objective may include but is not limited to: data recovery strategy, server recovery strategy, directory service recovery strategy, object level recovery

Preparation Materials

Learning Plans and Classroom Training

6433A: Planning and Implementing Windows Server 2008 (5 Days)

Microsoft E-Learning

6433AE: Planning and Implementing Windows Server 2008 (15 Hours)

Books

MCITP Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-646): Windows Server 2008 Server Administrator (2nd Edition)

Practice Tests

MeasureUp (Measureup.com)
Self Test Software (Selftestsoftware.com)

Microsoft Online Resources

Windows Server 2008 - Learning Portal: Find special offers and information on training and certification.
Product information: Visit the Windows Server 2008 Web site for detailed technology information
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.