Want a server job

c4rm0

c4rm0

c4rm0

Associate
Joined
27 Sep 2005
Posts
103
Ive been working in Desktop support now for 8 years and want to make the move into server support during this time in Desktops i have gained a a lot of experience in servers and Exchange

what would i need to do ?? it seems a server job is the holy grail for a desktop guy but you cant gain any experience unless you work with servers on a daily basis

Did anyone play with servers at home via Virtual machines ? or shall i just bite the bullit and do a MCSE ?
 
Last edited:
I have VMworkstation at home so will get it setup and have a play can i have the Domain controller + Exchange on same Virtual machine ? or shall i have a dedicated domain controller and a dedicated exchange server
 
c4rm0 said:
I have VMworkstation at home so will get it setup and have a play can i have the Domain controller + Exchange on same Virtual machine ? or shall i have a dedicated domain controller and a dedicated exchange server
Click to expand...

Exchange wont install on a DC ;) *Thats for 2008
2003 has no such qualms
 
LizardKing said:
Exchange wont install on a DC ;) *Thats for 2008
2003 has no such qualms
Click to expand...

It will we have it running in our office, although its not advised ,we were on a tight budget, but it will work. We currently have 2 servers for redundancy, both exactly the same, with AD, DC , DNS, EXCHANGE and RRAS/VPN. I definatly wouldnt advise it unless it is completely necassary such as in our domain ( remember not every problem can be solved by the same solution)
 
If you already have good experience then try applying for a few positions and see what happens.
VMWare though is useful too so well worth playing around. Use the free VMware Server on Windows 7 PC or you could try the full blown Vsphere hypervisor which would give you experience of a proper virtual environment, but it requires its own hardware rather than installing in Windows.

MCSE is probably good if less experience and need to prove skills, but I think often companies want to see the experience in practical situations.
 
Buy a cheap PC that supports AMD-V or VT-x and 4Gb of RAM, install ESXi on there, get yourself a copy of 2k8, download exchange trial, and tinker, look at doing the first MCITP exam, as this shows you know the basics, it'll cost you £80-90 for the exam, and you can easily get the source materials.

Also, there are a lot of things which you won't get experience with i.e. backup strats, backup software, restoration etc.. Get a bit of Linux experience as this will prove valuable. Install it on your home workstation and force yourself to use it instead of icky windows. I'm essentially a Windows SA (it says so in my job title :p) but now I've dealt with being a Linux SA, I must say I prefer it a lot more than Windows.
 
Last edited:
Yeah just start applying for jobs, obvously go for the more junior/basic ones don't go applying for any technical lead type roles :p

Even if they ask for experience, you've got 8 years IT experience so will have had at least some exposure in that time which will be enough to get you going.
 
I'd say do both. There are things you can learn a lot quicker being taught and things you can learn more effectively hands on.

Experience is good, and probably more useful later in life than a cert, but if it comes down to employing someone any company right now will be able to pick and choose and if someone has a little less experience but a solid cert, they'll likely get it. So it's worth getting some shiny paper. Though perhaps not an MCSE as this does take time to get and is expensive. So I'd look at something a bit more basic like the mentioned MCITP then get the company to put you through the MCSE.

It's also worth looking at smaller companies too as bigger ones will sit you in your box and not let you out. Smaller enterprises will often let a desktop guy do server work if you show you're capable and that lets you build relevant experience (and sometimes switch into their server support team)
 
If you want a good task, get a 2003 domain up and running with exchange including a few mailbox's and GAL then go about upgrading it to a 2008 domain with Exchange 2010.
a lot of my clients are doing this at the moment and if you can do this then your pretty much set :)
 
Skidilliplop said:
Though perhaps not an MCSE as this does take time to get and is expensive. So I'd look at something a bit more basic like the mentioned MCITP then get the company to put you through the MCSE.
Click to expand...

Starting down the MCITP route to then be put onto an MCSE track would be a step backwards imho.

Also people keep saying MCITP without ever mentioning which one! Ok I'm assuming the Server or Enterprise admin ones, but still remember there are others out there.

And the MCITP is not basic, it's the replacement for the MCSE being based on 2008 rather than 2003.

Like the MCSE was made up of MCP exams, the MCITP is made up of MCTS exams so maybe look into doing one of those?

The MCSE is for 2003 and whilst lots of places are still doing this if I were to train up now I'd be putting my time and money into a 2008 based cert.
 
Ev0 said:
Starting down the MCITP route to then be put onto an MCSE track would be a step backwards imho.

Also people keep saying MCITP without ever mentioning which one! Ok I'm assuming the Server or Enterprise admin ones, but still remember there are others out there.

And the MCITP is not basic, it's the replacement for the MCSE being based on 2008 rather than 2003.

Like the MCSE was made up of MCP exams, the MCITP is made up of MCTS exams so maybe look into doing one of those?

The MCSE is for 2003 and whilst lots of places are still doing this if I were to train up now I'd be putting my time and money into a 2008 based cert.
Click to expand...

MCITP Covers lots of former certs the MCDST, MCSA and MCSE certifications being the main ones. I was suggesting doing the 3 Exam flavour, Equivalent to the old MCSA qualification. Which you can then add two further ones to and get the MCSE equivalent.
I agree doing a 5 module MCITP and then an MCSE would be absurd. Primarily as the MCITP is actually less work with only 5 exams required as opposed to the 6 required for the MCSE.

I apologise for being unclear. Been around the block a bit and still think in terms of MCSA, MCSE.
 
Skidilliplop said:
MCITP Covers lots of former certs the MCDST, MCSA and MCSE certifications being the main ones. I was suggesting doing the 3 Exam flavour, Equivalent to the old MCSA qualification. Which you can then add two further ones to and get the MCSE equivalent.
I agree doing a 5 module MCITP and then an MCSE would be absurd. Primarily as the MCITP is actually less work with only 5 exams required as opposed to the 6 required for the MCSE.

I apologise for being unclear. Been around the block a bit and still think in terms of MCSA, MCSE.
Click to expand...

Less modules doesn't mean it's easier, MCITP:EA stuff has gotten considerably harder than MCSE, as there are a lot more complexities and features added in 2008 (R2)

Starting off with the one which I suggested would be best to show that you know what you're on about enough for a company to leave you in charge of their backups and creation of users :)
 
Yeah its rather confusing. to clarify. I'd recommend getting an MCITP:SA. Then once you have some experience and are confident working with AD in a 2008 environment then do the additional two exams required for the MCITP:EA or VA depending on the career relevance.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom