Exam Profile: MCTS 70-659: Windows Server 2008 R2, Server Virtualization

Date: Oct 3, 2012

This article profiles the Windows Server 2008 R2, Server Virtualization exam (MCTS 70-659), which tests server virtualization knowledge. Pearson IT Certification provides a variety of exam preparation tools to help our customers in their quest for certification. As part of our service to you, we have developed this Exam Profile series. Each profile is developed based on the testing experience of one of our trainers or authors. You won’t get exact questions or answers, but you will get a real feel for the exam. Each profile describes question forms, trouble spots, hints for exam preparation, and recommendations for additional study resources. Find out what you can expect to see on the exam and how you can better prepare for it.

Virtualization is probably the single most significant trend in IT within the last decade. It should come as no surprise that server virtualization is one of the most sought after skills in the workplace. One way of demonstrating your virtualization knowledge is by passing server virtualization related exams such as 70-659 TS: Windows Server 2008 R2, Server Virtualization.

Exam Details

Number of Questions: Approximately 60 questions (Since Microsoft does not publish this information, the number of exam questions may change without notice.)
Types of Questions: This test format is multiple choice, build-a-tree, reorder, and simulation.
Passing Score: 700
This passing score does not mean that you must answer 70 percent of the items correctly in order to pass the exam. The actual percentage varies from exam to exam and may be more or less than 70 percent. There is no penalty for guessing. No points are deducted for incorrect answers. If a question specifies that you must choose multiple correct answers, you must choose the exact number of correct answers specified in the question in order to earn a point for that item. Some of the questions on the exam may not count toward the calculation of your score. Microsoft will often throw a question in that is meant to gather data that will help them improve the exam.
Time Limit: 120 minutes
How to Register: Prometric.com

Trouble Spots

It is easy to think of this exam as focusing solely on Hyper-V and on server virtualization. However, the exam also places a large emphasis on Virtual Desktop Infrastructure and the Windows Server 2008 Remote Desktop Services. As such, you will need to know how to configure an RD session host, license server, connection broker, and you will need to know how to set up Remote Desktop Web Access.

Another potential trouble spot has to do with the fact that some of the questions on this exam focus on System Center Operations Manager 2007 R2. Microsoft has been getting in the habit lately of updating their exams when new products are released. A new version of System Center Operations Manager is slated for release this year and it is very likely that the exam.

Preparation Hints

Although it may sound cliché, the best thing that you can do to prepare for this exam is to spend some time working with Microsoft’s Hyper-V. It is also a good idea to make sure that you are familiar with various aspects of virtualization beyond just server virtualization. Specifically, make sure that you are familiar with the basic concepts of Virtual Desktop Infrastructure. This exam tests your knowledge of Hyper-V, but in doing so it also assumes that you are familiar with various virtualization related concepts, not just with the Hyper-V interface.

You should also make sure to read through the exam objectives so that you know exactly what subject matter is covered by the exam. This exam is tricky in that it covers some products that you might not expect. For example, even though Microsoft’s Virtual Server 2005 is all but extinct, the exam contains some Virtual Server 2005 related questions. Likewise, the exam tests your ability to manage a VMware environment by using System Center Virtual Machine Manager. This could prove to be a challenge to anyone who has not worked with VMware before.

Recommended Study Resources

Study resources can be somewhat difficult to find for this exam. One potential resource is Mastering Hyper-V Deployment. The book is not specifically related to the exam, but does cover much of the exam related material.

Train Signal offers a Microsoft Server Virtualization Training video that covers many of the exam objectives.

At the present time the only exam specific study resources that seem to be available for this exam are a Microsoft on-site training class and a Microsoft E-learning class.

Exam Objectives

The exam objectives are broken up into six different categories. The 70-659 exam measures your ability to accomplish the technical tasks listed below.

The objectives for Exam 70-659 as stated by Microsoft are as follows:

Installing and Configuring Host and Parent Settings

Add the Hyper-V role on Windows Server 2008 R2.

This objective may include but is not limited to: installing and configuring Hyper-V on Server Core, verifying BIOS settings (i.e. DEP), adding the Hyper-V role using Virtual Machine Manager, configuring Hyper-V Server R2, identifying hardware requirements

Enable remote management.

This objective may include but is not limited to: deploying Virtual Machine Manager Agent, configuring firewall rules, configuring Virtual Network Manager settings

Configure virtual networks and VLAN security.

This objective may include but is not limited to: configuring Media Access Control (MAC) address pools, configuring network locations, configuring VLAN tags, configuring VLAN security, configuring virtual networks

Configure storage.

This objective may include but is not limited to: configuring Multi Path Input Output (MPIO), executing the mpiocpl.exe command, dynamic I/O redirection, iSCSI initiator, executing the iscsicli.exe command

Configuring Child Settings

Configure child resources.

This objective may include but is not limited to: configuring disks, networks, CPU, and memory

Configure child storage.

This objective may include but is not limited to: configuring Dynamic VM storage, creating differencing disks, configuring pass-through disks, taking snapshots, managing GUIDs, managing logical unit numbers (LUNs), editing VHDs, copying physical disks to VHDs

Configure child network adapters.

This objective may include but is not limited to: creating synthetic and emulated network adapters, configuring MAC spoofing, configuring VLAN ID, configuring Jumbo frame, configuring TCP Offloading Engine (TOE)

Create and deploy virtual machines.

This objective may include but is not limited to: creating, cloning, deploying, and saving virtual machines using Virtual Machine Manager; creating virtual machines using Hyper-V Manager, configuring Self-Service Portal, scripting and deploying virtual machines using Windows PowerShell

Managing and Monitoring Virtual Environments

Solve performance and resource issues.

This objective may include but is not limited to: configuring Performance and Resource Optimization (PRO), monitoring the environment by using System Center Operations Manager 2007 R2, configuring event triggers, allocating resources by using Virtual Machine Manager, monitoring performance and diagnosing issues by using Performance Monitor or Resource Monitor

Configure delegation of rights.

This objective may include but is not limited to: creating user policies for Self Service Portal, creating and managing templates, managing and replicating libraries in Virtual Machine Manager

Create roles and configure authorization rights.

This objective may include but is not limited to: creating roles and delegating rights using Authorization Manager (AzMan), delegating rights manually

Manage non-Hyper-V-aware virtualization hosts.

This objective may include but is not limited to: managing ESX/VI3 VMware hosts by using Virtual Machine Manager, managing Virtual Server 2005 R2 hosts using Virtual Machine Manager

Ensuring High Availability and Recoverability

Manage snapshots.

This objective may include but is not limited to: taking, reverting, merging, deleting, and applying snapshots; configuring storage locations

Manage backups.

This objective may include but is not limited to: managing online and offline backups by using DPM, Windows Server Backup, or Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS)

Perform non-clustered migrations.

This objective may include but is not limited to: performing a SAN migration of child partitions, performing a network migration of child partitions

Configure quick and live migrations.

This objective may include but is not limited to: configuring network and storage for clustered Hyper-V setup, enabling Cluster Shared Volumes (CSV), configuring dynamic I/0 redirection

Performing Migration

Perform physical-to-virtual (P2V) migration.

This objective may include but is not limited to: configuring Virtual Machine Manager Intelligent Placement, performing online and offline migrations

Perform virtual-to-virtual (V2V) migration.

This objective may include but is not limited to: configuring Virtual Machine Manager Intelligent Placement, performing online and offline migrations

Perform import/export migration.

This objective may include but is not limited to: migrating virtual machines between Hyper-V hosts using the Export/Import feature in Hyper-V

Configuring Remote Desktop (RD) Role Services Infrastructure

Configure RD session host.

This objective may include but is not limited to: configuring session host settings, network-level authentication settings, license settings; restricting users to single remote session; allowing time zone redirection; configuring resource redirection, configuring encryption, configuring multi-monitor support

Configure RD licensing.

This objective may include but is not limited to: activating and deactivating Remote Desktop License Service, installing and revoking client access licenses (CALs), reporting on CAL usage

Configure RD Connection Broker.

This objective may include but is not limited to: installing the RD Connection Broker, configuring DNS for Connection Broker, configuring Connection Broker farms, integrating with RD Virtualization Host role service

Configure RD Gateway.

This objective may include but is not limited to: configuring RD Gateway, integrating RD Gateway with network access protection (NAP), configuring authentication authorization

Configure RD Web Access.

This objective may include but is not limited to: configuring RD Web Access, configuring authentication options (forms, single sign-on), configuring per-user RemoteApp program filtering, configuring public and private computer options

Where to Go from Here

Those who pass exam 70-659 earn the Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: Windows Server 2008 R2, Server Virtualization certification. Additionally, this exam counts as credit toward the Microsoft Certified IT Professional: Windows Server 2008 R2, Virtualization Administrator certification. In order to earn this certification, candidates must pass the following exams:

70-669 TS: Windows Server 2008 R2, Desktop Virtualization
70-693 Pro: Windows Server 2008 R2, Virtualization Administrator

And either

70-659 TS: Windows Server 2008 R2, Server Virtualization

70-652 TS: Windows Server Virtualization, Configuring