First post of the new year!
This exam is based around Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 and configuring it for use in an organisation. It deals a lot with Network Infrastructure and also with ideas such as a clustering and network load balancing.
It is a good exam to have as your elective for MCSA/MCSE and it is a requirement for those heading to do the
Microsoft Certified Master in SharePoint.
Developers sometimes find this exam a bit on the tough side as it requires a good understanding on system administration and not just WSS 3.0
So where do you start.
First off, I would suggest reading this
post on how to prepare for your exams.
Normally I would suggest getting a book, and this time there are a couple of very handy free options. You can download free books from MS
here on Windows SharePoint Services. Also you can access the SharePoint Services technical
library which contains lots of articles in relation to WSS. A downloadable book covering installation can be found
hereYou can see what is required for the exam from the exam
matrix. As you can see from it, it covers quite a bit in relation to system admin.
Now as with any server based exam it is a good idea to set up your own network. For this, use a copy of your preferred virtualisation software such as
Virtual PC and get a copy of
Windows Server 2003,
SQL Server 2005 (or
Express Edition) and
Windows Sharepoint Services 3.0 with SP1 applied. More information on editions and support for SQL 2008 can be found
hereI would suggest making a base Windows image, and then a base with SQL Server 2005. This allows you to quickly set up a server farm when you need to start looking at bigger deployments. Also you should make sure that the lab is running as a functioning domain rather than in workgroup mode as this will allow better (and easier) options in relation to account setup etc.
You can learn how to deploy WSS 3.0 using this virtual
lab.
Hope that helps