This is a standalone exam in the Microsoft Specialist group. I don’t know if that’s the right name for these exams, but I like to call them that.
The homepage for the exam is located here http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en-us/exam.aspx?id=74-409
It’s a really specific exam, but if you have worked with Windows Server Virtualization and System Center before, it looks like a quite easy one.
You will be tested on four main skills
- Configure Hyper-V (30-40%)
- Configure and Manage Virtual Machine High Availability (15-20%)
- Implement a Server Virtualization Infrastructure (35-40%)
- Monitor and Maintain a Server Virtualization Infrastructure (15-20%)
Happy reading
Some general links
- Microsoft Private Cloud Guided Labs
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/hh913012.aspx - Hands on labs: Microsoft Virtualization with Windows Server 2012 R2 and System Center 2012 R2 – Part 1
http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9840738 - Hands on labs: Microsoft Virtualization with Windows Server 2012 R2 and System Center 2012 R2 – Part 2
http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9840739 - Server Virtualization with Windows Server Hyper-V and System Center
http://www.microsoftvirtualacademy.com/training-courses/server-virtualization-with-windows-server-hyper-v-and-system-center - Building You Cloud Infrastructure: Scenario Overview
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh831441
Configure Hyper-V (35-40%)
Create and configure virtual machine settings.
This objective may include but is not limited to: Configure dynamic memory; configure smart paging; configure Resource Metering; configure guest integration services; create and configure Generation 1 and 2 virtual machines; configure and use extended session mode, and configure RemoteFX
- Hyper-V Dynamic Memory Overview
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh831766.aspx - Hyper-V Resource Metering Overview
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh831661.aspx - Generation 2 Virtual Machine Overview
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn282285.aspx - Virtual Machine Connection – Enhanced Session Mode Overview
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn282274.aspx - RemoteFX vGPU Setup and Configuration Guide for Windows Server 2012
http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/16652.remotefx-vgpu-setup-and-configuration-guide-for-windows-server-2012.aspx
Create and configure virtual machine storage.
This objective may include but is not limited to: Create VHDs and VHDx; configure differencing drives; modify VHDs; configure pass-through disks; manage checkpoints; implement a virtual Fibre Channel adapter; configure storage Quality of Service
- Hyper-V Virtual Hard Disk Format Overview
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh831446.aspx - Storage Technologies Overview
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn610883.aspx - Hyper-V Support for Large Sector Disks Overview
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh831459.aspx - Hyper-V Virtual Fibre Channel Overview
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh831413.aspx - Online Virtual Hard Disk Resizing Overview
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn282286.aspx - Storage Quality of Service for Hyper-V
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn282281.aspx
Create and configure virtual networks.
This objective may include but is not limited to: Configure Hyper-V virtual switches; optimize network performance; configure MAC addresses; configure network isolation; configure synthetic and legacy virtual network adapters; configure NIC teaming in virtual machines
- Hyper-V Network Virtualization Overview
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj134230.aspx - Hyper-V Virtual Switch Overview
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh831823.aspx
Configure and Manage Virtual Machine High Availability (15-20%)
Configure failover clustering with Hyper-V.
This objective may include but is not limited to: Configure shared storage; configure Quorum; configure cluster networking; restore single node or cluster configuration; implement Cluster Aware Updating; upgrade a cluster; configure and optimize clustered shared volumes; and configure clusters without network names
- Configure and Manage Failover Clustering
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj647790(v=ws.11) - Failover Clustering Overview
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh831579
Manage failover clustering roles.
This objective may include but is not limited to: Configure role-specific settings including continuously available shares; configure VM monitoring; configure failover and preference settings; and configure guest clustering
- Failover Clustering Overview
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh831579
Manage virtual machine movement.
This objective may include but is not limited to: Perform Live Migration; perform quick migration; perform storage migration; import, export, and copy VMs; configure Virtual Machine network health protection; configure drain on shutdown; manage Physical-to-Virtual (P2V) and Virtual-to-Virtual (V2V) migrations; and implement virtual machine migration between clouds
- Configure Live Migration and Migrating Machines without Failover Clustering
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj134199.aspx - Virtual Machine Live Migration Overview
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh831435.aspx
Implement a Server Virtualization Infrastructure (35-40%)
- Getting Started With Cloud and Datacenter Solutions
http://technet.microsoft.com/nb-no/cloud/hh162047 - Overview of System Center 2012 – Virtual Machine Manager
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg671827.aspx - Administering System Center 2012 – Virtual Machine Manager
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg610615.aspx
Implement virtualization hosts.
This objective may include but is not limited to: implement delegation of virtualization environment (hosts, services, and virtual machines) including self-service capabilities; implement multi-host libraries including equivalent objects; implement host resource optimization; integrate third-party virtualization platforms; and deploying Hyper-V hosts to bare metal
- Adding and Managing Hyper-V Hosts and Scale-Out File Servers in VMM
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkID=211117 - Managing Citrix XenServer Overview
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkID=214038 - Managing VMware ESX Hosts Overview
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkID=214039 - Creating Host Groups in VMM
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkID=212409 - Configuring the VMM Library
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkID=212014
Implement virtual machines.
This objective may include but is not limited to: Implement highly available VMs; implement guest resource optimization including shared VHDx; configure placement rules; create a Virtual Machine Manager template
- Creating and Deploying Virtual Machines and Services in VMM
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg696970.aspx
Implement virtualization networking.
This objective may include but is not limited to: Configure Virtual Machine Manager logical networks including virtual switch extensions and logical switches; configure IP address and MAC address settings across multiple Hyper-V hosts including network virtualization; configure virtual network optimization; plan and implement Windows Server Gateway; implement VLANs and pVLANs; plan and implement virtual machine networks; and implement converged networks
- Configuring Networking in VMM
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkID=212012
Implement virtualization storage.
This objective may include but is not limited to: Configure Hyper-V host clustered storage; configure Hyper-V virtual machine storage including virtual Fibre Channel, Internet SCSI (iSCSI), and shared VHDx; plan for storage optimization; and plan and implement storage by using SMB 3.0 file shares
- Configuring Storage in VMM
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkID=212013
Manage and maintain a server virtualization infrastructure.
This objective may include but is not limited to: Manage dynamic optimization and resource optimization; integrate Operations Manager with System Center Virtual Machine Manager and System Center Service Manager; update virtual machine images in libraries; implement backup and recovery of a virtualization infrastructure by using System Center Data Protection Manager (DPM)
- Monitoring and Reporting in VMM
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh881887.aspx
Monitor and Maintain a Server Virtualization Infrastructure (15-20%)
Plan and implement a monitoring strategy.
This objective may include but is not limited to: planning considerations including monitoring servers using Audit Collection Services (ACS) and System Center Global Service Monitor, performance monitoring, application monitoring, centralized monitoring, and centralized reporting; implement and optimize System Center 2012 Operations Manager management packs; and plan for monitoring Active Directory
- Configuring Operation Manager Integration win VMM
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkID=225145 - System Center Operations Manager
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh205987.aspx
Plan and implement a business continuity and disaster recovery solution.
This objective may include but is not limited to: plan a backup and recovery strategy; planning considerations including Active Directory domain and forest recovery, Hyper-V replica including using Windows Azure Hyper-V Recovery Manager, domain controller restore and cloning, and Active Directory object and container restore using authoritative restore and Recycle Bin; and plan for and implement backup and recovery by using System Center Data Protection Manager (DPM)
- Protecting Hyper-V virtual machines
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh757970.aspx - Running Domain Controllers in Hyper-V
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/virtual_active_directory_domain_controller_virtualization_hyperv(v=WS.10).aspx - Hyper-V Replica Overview
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj134172.aspx - Windows Backup and Hyper-V in Server 2012
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/virtual_pc_guy/archive/2013/02/18/windows-backup-and-hyper-v-in-server-2012.aspx
Just want to say, thanks for this great guidelines…keep up the great work!