tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70026286874214733562024-03-12T23:42:28.210-07:00Catching an Edge - On the Trail to Microsoft Certified MasterThe trail to Microsoft Product Mastery is not easy but with the right conditioning and expert guidance, you can reach the summit.James P Carrionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07704395460934002367noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002628687421473356.post-50206399514470517702012-06-14T04:33:00.000-07:002012-06-14T05:06:33.718-07:00Outsmart the Cert ExamIf you consider yourself a poor test taker - welcome to the Club, as many IT Professionals can run circles around a network but perform poorly on standard multiple choice tests. There is nothing more frustrating than realizing that you know your tech but can't apply that knowledge properly when taking a technical certification exam. This could be because tests give you the heebie - jeebies and you are in constant panic mode during the exam, or it could be that you haven't yet acquired the test taking skills necessary to properly analyze a test question to arrive at the correct answer. I have helped thousands of technical professionals prepare for certification exams and these are the nuggets of test taking knowledge that I have gleaned throughout the years. I hope that they can be of benefit to you when preparing for a cert exam.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Test Prep 101 - Five things you should do before a test:</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">1. Be technically prepared. You should download the exam objectives list from the exam provider and ensure you adequately learn the relevant subject material. NO EXCUSES!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">2. Get adequate rest. You have to be at your best both physically and mentally.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">3. Do some deep breathing to relax your body. There are many online sites that will teach you basic meditation techniques. They are easy and cost nothing, and you need the mental focus, so just do it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">4. Figure out what time of day works best for you when scheduling the exam. Some folks are at their best in the mornings while others need time to get their engines started and do better in the afternoon or evening. Figure it out and schedule your exam to match your most productive time of the day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">5. Review the following analytical approaches to answering test questions. Instill these items in the back of your mind and practice the techniques BEFORE you take the real test.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>A test question is staring you in the face...what do you do?</strong></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">First things first - always read the question carefully and think of an answer
before you read the choices. You either are going to understand the question or not. If you understand right away, then use Approach A, and if you don't have a clue what is being asked of you, then use Approach B. Keep in mind these approaches are for multiple choice type questions.</span></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Analytical Approach A:<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo7; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you understand the question clearly, then
scan the choices for the one that most closely resembles the answer you have
pre-formulated. If you don’t understand the question, go to Analytical Approach
B.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo7; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If your answer is not one of the choices, then
read all the choices carefully and start to eliminate choices. This process of
elimination allows you to arrive at the correct answer by eliminating from
contention those which cannot be correct. Use the dry erase board provided to
write down the question number and cross out the choices that are obviously wrong.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Example: Q1. A,<s> B</s>, C, <s>D</s><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When you narrow your choices to two, try each choice
against the question to see which makes the most sense.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Don’t second-guess yourself. If you make an
educated guess the first time around, don’t go back and start changing your
answers haphazardly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The only time you should ever change an answer
from your original is because you are ABSOLUTELY sure you answered it
incorrectly the first time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Analytical Approach B:<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you are having difficulty even understanding the question,
dissect it first using the following methodology:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Break down the question into its
core components. A multiple choice question is typically composed of three
parts: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Part 1: Body<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l5 level3 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">§<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Choose the simplest interpretation. Do not
overthink the question and make it more complex than necessary. Do not think
“real world”. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l5 level3 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">§<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Be careful with Acronyms. You may already know
the feature by a different name.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">§<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Unfamiliar phrases may describe a familiar
concept or feature but using nontraditional words.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Example: AD Domain Services Installation
Wizard instead of DCPROMO.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">§<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Some questions have incomplete information so be
careful not to make assumptions unless absolutely necessary due to lack of
detail or ambiguity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l5 level3 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">§<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Be careful with distracters. A distracter is
something which compellingly and confusingly attracts in the wrong direction.
Don’t be seduced into focusing on distractive or extraneous information.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Part 2: Emphasis<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There is typically a key phrase or
requirement that the answer choice hinges on. You need to discover the emphasis
of the question in order to select the correct answer choices.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Example Question: “You live in a
rural area. One day around noon, you develop chest pain and suspect you are
having a heart attack. It typically takes an ambulance 45 minutes to arrive at
your home. You need to leave your home and begin travelling to the hospital as
soon as possible. What should you do?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo8; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Get on your bicycle and ride to the hospital.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">B.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Call an ambulance and wait<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo8; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">C.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Wait for the UPS driver who makes deliveries at
12:30 to arrive and take you to the hospital<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 1.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo8; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">D.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Hook up some jumper cables to your car battery
and self-defibrillate<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In this question, the emphasis is
on “You need to leave your home and begin travelling to the hospital as soon as
possible” and therefore the correct answer to the question is answer choice A.
Nowhere in the question did it mention that there was a requirement that you
arrive alive at the hospital.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Part 3: Answer Choices <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l7 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Be careful with a partial choice. This is a
choice that is missing information but may still be the correct choice once all
other choices are eliminated.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 2in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Example Question: “Which of the following will guarantee you financial
freedom?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 2.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo9; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Investing in the Facebook IPO<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 2.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo9; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">B.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Robbing a local bank<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 2.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo9; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">C.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Cashing in your winning jackpot lottery ticket<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 2.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo9; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">D.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Panning for gold in the Colorado outback<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 2.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The best answer here would be C,
because you have in hand a winning lottery ticket even though nowhere in the
question did it say you purchased a ticket. Don’t argue with the question –
just go with it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l7 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Many of the choices are given a look of
superficial plausibility so you must read carefully. A well designed test
question will have distracter information in the body that if you are seduced
into focusing on, will have corresponding answer choices to complete the
seduction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 2in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Example Question: “The American presidential election is held every four
years. Democrats and Republicans typically increase their political attacks
against each other in an election year. In 2008, Barack Obama was elected as
President, defeating John McCain. It is rumored that in 2012, Obama will
declare war on Canada and annex Mexico in an attempt to combat the growing
federal deficit. Which primary issue will voters probably focus on during the
2012 election?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 2.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l8 level1 lfo10; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The state of the economy<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 2.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l8 level1 lfo10; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">B.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The war against terror in Canada and Mexico<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 2.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l8 level1 lfo10; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">C.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The abuses of presidential power<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 2.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l8 level1 lfo10; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">D.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The difficult logistical challenges of adding
two more stars to the American flag<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 2.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l8 level1 lfo10; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">E.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">How the United States is going to fight three
wars at the same time<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 2.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l8 level1 lfo10; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">F.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The morality of dirty politics<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> First you should pick up on the fact that the question is asking about the opinion of all possible voters not just the ones that read rumors off the Internet. So if you ignore the rumor of Obama megalomania, then you can also ignore answers B, C, D, and E. By using basic analysis, you have just eliminated most of the answer choices. Now that you have narrowed it down to A or F, you can make an educated guess that Answer A is a better choice as dirty politics have always been around and have never aroused the passions of the average American as the size of their paycheck does.</span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Who will be tripped up on Multiple Choice Questions?<o:p></o:p></b></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Panickers who inhibit their memory from
operating by failing to read carefully, getting overwhelmed with the breadth of
knowledge and also those who have a hard time visualizing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">People operating by real world instinct instead
of relying on test analysis skills as their instinct will cause them to
overlook stated facts and let emotion override reasoning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">People who are technically unprepared because of
lack of knowledge or experience or both.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Other Test Taking
Tips:<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l6 level1 lfo6; tab-stops: .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Guess intelligently when analyzing a question
doesn’t seem to help:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l9 level2 lfo5; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Don't guess until you've eliminated all the
definitely wrong responses. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l9 level2 lfo5; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Factors that should influence your guess:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Look at the facts and ask yourself, so what?
The issue that jumps out is likely to be the issue that the correct response
addresses. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l9 level2 lfo5; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Beware of distracters. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l9 level2 lfo5; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Beware of certainties: always, never, cannot,
must. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l9 level2 lfo5; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If two answers are opposites - one is probably
true. Look for answer pairing if the question asks for you to choose multiple
answers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.75in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Example Question:
Which of the following statements are true? Choose 2.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l9 level3 lfo5; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A: Lawn grass grows .5 inches a day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l9 level3 lfo5; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">B: Lawn grass grows 1.5 inches a day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l9 level3 lfo5; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">C: Lawn ornaments are typically seen in Florida.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 1.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l9 level3 lfo5; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">D: Lawn ornaments are typically seen in Saudi
Arabia.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 1in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Even if you didn’t know the growth
rate of grass, you can see that you need to make a choice between A and B answer
choices which are paired, and between C and D which are also paired answer
choices.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l9 level2 lfo5; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Don't get bogged down by things you don't know. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l9 level2 lfo5; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Don’t choose an answer because it looks exotic
and new.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l9 level2 lfo5; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Be prepared physically, be well rested, and eat
well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l9 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Pay attention to timing. Figure how much time
you have per question and keep an eye on the clock to give yourself time to
re-visit the questions you left blank or incomplete. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remember that some exams may have multiple separately
timed sections.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l9 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Maintain your focus and concentration. If you
need to get up and stretch, splash cold water, drink more caffeine, do so.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l9 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If all else fails, choose B or C! A few studies
show that those answers are correct at a slightly higher rate than A or D.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l9 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For lengthy scenario based testlets, read the questions
first before reading the scenario. That way when you do read the scenario, you
will already have an idea of what areas to pay more attention to as you search
for clues that will help you answer the questions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
A final word of advice - keep your cool. If you get to the test center after reading this blog post numerous times and you still find yourself frozen when staring at a test question, it means you are in panic mode and you need to refocus and take control. Have you ever witnessed a martial arts student get into a brawl and forget all their defensive blocks and techniques and instead descend into a blur of flailing arms and legs? That is the equivalent of what you are going through when you can't maintain focus and follow the analytical approaches outlined here. It takes much practice and mental control, but the more you practice, the easier it gets - like anything else in life. <br />
<br />
I wish you much luck on your certification exams.<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Note: Portions of this document are derived
from Michael Josepheson, Evaluation and Grading in Law School, AALS Section on
Teaching (1984).<o:p></o:p></span>James P Carrionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07704395460934002367noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002628687421473356.post-51549491079134531392012-03-22T05:11:00.003-07:002012-03-23T09:23:40.265-07:00Be a Cloud Buster - Get Microsoft Private Cloud Certified<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Being an IT Professional is not for the faint of heart or for the nine to fivers who can’t wait for the work day to end so they can get home on time to catch their favorite TV show. It requires extreme dedication, frequent knowledge building, long hours away from family and friends and a knack at reinventing oneself. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only constant in this industry is change.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So how do you make yourself relevant in this seeming chaos where technology seems to be traveling away from you at the speed of light while your brain cells try to kick-start warp speed in hot pursuit? In one word – certification.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For many, certification seems to be just a resume sorter that differentiates you from the noncertified and although this is a true statement, perhaps a change in perspective will help you to see past the resume stacking. While you are pursuing certification, you are also actively reinventing yourself as an IT Professional. The long hours studying, working through learning labs and memorizing new facts may seem like just an endurance test, but in reality you are getting in shape for the greatest of all IT sports competitions – relevancy. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You would think that the amount of knowledge you have gleaned so far in your career would ensure you job security. Think again. Your current skills have a limited shelf life and unless you are willing and motivated to keep up with the constant changes, then perhaps switching to a less demanding career is in order. I know it is irritating and frustrating and stressful to learn a new skillset but it is also very necessary if you plan on continuing down your chosen career path. On the flip side, if you truly love technology, then keeping current should not be as painful.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Nothing strikes more fear in the mind of an IT Professional than picking up every trade rag and reading a new buzz phrase that is all the rage but they have absolutely little to no expertise in. For many that phrase today is “Cloud Computing”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Worse, there seems to be more types of clouds than can fit in a national weather report. Private cloud, public cloud, hybrid cloud….<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Put your fear aside, and get to work – on getting certified that is. If you are, as I am, an IT Professional who specializes in Microsoft products, you are in luck, because Microsoft’s next line of certifications is all about that dreaded word “Cloud”. In other words, you can fly in the clouds by pursuing the latest Microsoft certification. Don’t argue or try to reason with it, just do it.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you look past at the last 20 years that Microsoft has been in the certification business, their focus has been on keeping you, their greatest technology champion, equipped with the right credentials to not only be competent at what you do but happily employed. That is really what the certification process boils down to – currently skilled IT Professionals in Microsoft technologies plus gainful employment equals Microsoft Market Share.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Microsoft’s Private Cloud certification focuses on just that – those Microsoft technologies that allow your organization to pool resources across the datacenter and the enterprise while providing a flexible usage-based self-service model for your consumers and at the same time simplifying deployment, maintenance, and cost, while increasing agility and power.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">And this paradigm shift in computing means a paradigm shift in the skills IT professionals will need to configure, deploy, monitor, and operate private cloud solutions of today—and tomorrow. The increased capacity and capability of Private Cloud solutions means that IT Professionals and Developers will need to have a new and broader set of skills.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The cool thing about the Microsoft Private Cloud certification is that it builds on skills that you should already have, those skills required of a Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP) Server Administrator. If you have already achieved your MCITP Server Administrator certification, than you are already halfway to becoming Microsoft Private Cloud certified, just two more certification exams required. These two exams are currently in beta and will hopefully be released soon to the IT community.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you want to stay relevant and add some shelf life to your IT career, get started today by reviewing the Microsoft Private Cloud Certification Overview page at </span><a href="http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/certification/cert-private-cloud.aspx"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/certification/cert-private-cloud.aspx</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> . You can prepare and practice for the new certification by signing up for Microsoft’s Private Cloud Jump Start course. Set up a test lab environment while you are at it to simulate your own private cloud, and deal with your fear of the cloud by immersing yourself in it. Soon you will be flying high and effortlessly through the cloud while your IT career finds itself back on solid ground.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Postscript: Microsoft has released some cool "comics" on the Cloud and Powershell and you can download them here: <a href="http://borntolearn.mslearn.net/comics/default.aspx">http://borntolearn.mslearn.net/comics/default.aspx</a></span></div>James P Carrionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07704395460934002367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002628687421473356.post-39750777607085398262011-08-08T16:53:00.000-07:002011-08-08T16:53:45.641-07:00Certified What?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFQYpOyWp5TJlvPsBz1jQlDJOmdn7iPH_x8NVtw5ekuMZq_ER7mkvwDrqkzz_-X7MQ3648UWtuFuYbWSayNjMyKSeTPTJsD7PFTFe6KsADNbvzAYb4rTISMTuPNZFjb_DXfwc1SlsZ-Nzh/s1600/microsoft_certified_master.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFQYpOyWp5TJlvPsBz1jQlDJOmdn7iPH_x8NVtw5ekuMZq_ER7mkvwDrqkzz_-X7MQ3648UWtuFuYbWSayNjMyKSeTPTJsD7PFTFe6KsADNbvzAYb4rTISMTuPNZFjb_DXfwc1SlsZ-Nzh/s1600/microsoft_certified_master.jpg" /></a></div>Well folks. I actually did it, I finally achieved the Microsoft Master's designation after passing the Cert Lab. Ryan Conrad, MCM Program Manager sent me the good word today.<br />
<br />
Now what do I do with this new found acronym? Ask my boss for a raise? Well I am self employed, so that won't work. Shoot for the Microsoft Certified Architect certification? Uh, that would be a big NO at this point.<br />
<br />
Honestly, I feel like running ten miles just to stop the adrenaline flow through my body. What a rush! And after that I feel like sitting in front of the TV for a day with just the clicker in hand. Once I am acclimated back to my normal environment, maybe it will sink in then.<br />
<br />
To all of the guys from my rotation who are still working on achieving the MCM, please don't give up! Keep at it! You can do it, I know you can! James P Carrionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07704395460934002367noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002628687421473356.post-70857071901930359652011-08-08T05:13:00.000-07:002011-08-08T06:44:44.147-07:00I will never do that again...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk8vdy2r6oDOuJpYcFvemMYbeqEag8d5fDdVoUOAyYv321lUgysg2zvrZ1UiVUtoT9nRFq3c5STuiuwAah0OXWeVonpOc4rBi4ReVjTCBkexBq3wMaCLGwWwvtwNVzTEoGXNk2QoX86Uas/s1600/schocked.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk8vdy2r6oDOuJpYcFvemMYbeqEag8d5fDdVoUOAyYv321lUgysg2zvrZ1UiVUtoT9nRFq3c5STuiuwAah0OXWeVonpOc4rBi4ReVjTCBkexBq3wMaCLGwWwvtwNVzTEoGXNk2QoX86Uas/s1600/schocked.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Have you ever woken up after a long night of drinking, mouthing those words to the porcelain God?<br />
<br />
Well I am typically the kind of guy that does a bad thing one time, like sticking a butter knife in a wall socket - been there, done that - once!<br />
<br />
Yesterday, I did a bad thing twice - I retook the MCM Active Directory Lab again, although this time from the comfort of my home. The second time was a little less intimidating, but not painless. I had nightmare flash backs of that first dreadful day in Redmond. The nine hours dragged on while the familiar sound of audible cursing filled the room when my screen didn't refresh fast enough and when a normally simple configuration task turned into a programmed and devious diversion of "not so fast, you just thought that was going to be easy." I have to hand it to the MCM lab designers, if this were the Middle Ages and the Inquisition was recruiting, these guys would have job security.<br />
<br />
Well, that was yesterday, and today I am feeling better...waiting for my results. Looking back at it, maybe it wasn't as bad as I am imagining. On second thought, it was, but I am not one to leave business unfinished and I paid out of pocket for the electric shock therapy, so NOT retaking the lab was not an option. I am as my wife says, the most stubborn person on the face of the earth - persistent is probably a more euphemistic word.<br />
<br />
Crossing my fingers! Will let you know as soon as I get the word.James P Carrionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07704395460934002367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002628687421473356.post-58471238557893690672011-06-08T15:15:00.000-07:002011-06-10T06:58:43.507-07:00Nursing a Sick DC Back to Health<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In<a href="http://adrocketscience.blogspot.com/2011/05/dont-give-me-your-cooties-when-domain.html"> Part 1</a> on DC health, I described the symptoms of a DC that has fallen ill, preventing it fro</span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/" name="_GoBack"></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">m replicating with its partner DCs. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So how do you nurse a sick DC back to health? Triage your actions depending on the symptoms.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Symptom: Schema Version Mismatch</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As I stated in the previous article, this may not necessarily be a symptom of illness but the normal process of DCs making sure that they have the latest copy of the AD building code (schema) before replicating from a partner DC. In other words this is a normal behavior that occurs when the schema is updated and it takes time to replicate the schema changes throughout the AD Forest. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only action required is to wait for a normal replication cycle to take place or if you are not the patient sort, force AD replication to occur.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv08drtSvkf_2wKC3USLkR6o3b5hIzu8C0YCG1gZtfdcyWJb357MJnNzR1MtcWb0qx9J6re_0qHuAAsA-6TGVs-vx8O8lNY0ijzc-UhcAbx2NzXGryXJLhQALzxjN9z4oN9isds0Ll2xuh/s1600/Schema+Mismatch+Error.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv08drtSvkf_2wKC3USLkR6o3b5hIzu8C0YCG1gZtfdcyWJb357MJnNzR1MtcWb0qx9J6re_0qHuAAsA-6TGVs-vx8O8lNY0ijzc-UhcAbx2NzXGryXJLhQALzxjN9z4oN9isds0Ll2xuh/s1600/Schema+Mismatch+Error.jpg" t8="true" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">To find out the Schema version of the Forest, use either ADSIEDIT.MSC or DSQUERY from the Schema Master DC. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1. Using "ADSIEdit.msc " or/and "LDP.exe" tools:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Navigate to: "CN=Schema,CN=Configuration,DC=domain,DC=local" and review the current "objectVersion" attribute.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaApQOqyhuNIpfhXZvW-TK4mkBUE-0zyywwxVwOkzLlNUNc3ua_407oDty2FcDKhs-LtYUSdaWALLvjxgGBspBlkjDUz_3dXtFgmw2l8Fc6p8I_meBXGq4bv4S0I2NO4N2Qph8wbfPGAka/s1600/schema+version+adsiedit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaApQOqyhuNIpfhXZvW-TK4mkBUE-0zyywwxVwOkzLlNUNc3ua_407oDty2FcDKhs-LtYUSdaWALLvjxgGBspBlkjDUz_3dXtFgmw2l8Fc6p8I_meBXGq4bv4S0I2NO4N2Qph8wbfPGAka/s1600/schema+version+adsiedit.jpg" t8="true" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2. Using "DSQuery" command line:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrb-GCPrgCL2qM5IKpNDYBmeRK5PHMqIx9CrBbGW13YGGussfEg6i6YV53sfQegeY6HuDdANVHvFLUFkX2XHNksw_0a5eicbM81u2ljOynC5nygCElfwHGi6vOxEN113QnSm_jekBbkl3D/s1600/schema+version+dsquery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrb-GCPrgCL2qM5IKpNDYBmeRK5PHMqIx9CrBbGW13YGGussfEg6i6YV53sfQegeY6HuDdANVHvFLUFkX2XHNksw_0a5eicbM81u2ljOynC5nygCElfwHGi6vOxEN113QnSm_jekBbkl3D/s1600/schema+version+dsquery.jpg" t8="true" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The following is a list of the schema versions broken down by operating system release but all DCs in the same forest, regardless of OS, should be at the same schema level. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">13 -> Windows 2000 Server</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">30 -> Windows Server 2003 RTM, Windows 2003 SP1, Windows 2003 SP2</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">31 -> Windows Server 2003 R2</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">44 -> Windows Server 2008 RTM</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">47 -> Windows Server 2008 R2</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Symptom: Lingering Objects</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You have basically two options when a DC comes down with a case of lingering objects: either remove the lingering objects or allow the lingering objects to “re-replicate” to the other domain controllers. Which action you take depends on a registry value “Strict Replication Consistency” that is set on each DC.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Think of “Strict Replication Consistency” as a country club restaurant where you would like to take your family for brunch on Sunday. When you call the club restaurant to make a reservation, the Maître D will ask for your name. If the club has strict rules for who is allowed to brunch there and you are not already on the club membership list, you will be re-directed to the nearest Waffle House. If the club has loose rules, and allows anyone to eat at the club restaurant, then your name will be added to the reservation list and you will be welcomed. Similarly a DC either takes a strict or loose stance against allowing lingering objects (non-club members) to replicate to it.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Windows 2000 DCs up until SP4 were always loose and crazy guys, never taking a snob approach when detecting a lingering object. They had a big heart and let anyone in the doors.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Windows 2003 DCs and later are the snobs of the family where strict replication consistency is enabled by default and <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>if a lingering object is detected, they will refuse to replicate it.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now, being a snob can be beneficial at times. In the case of lingering objects you are preventing objects that have been purposely deleted from coming back. Wouldn’t you feel a little irked if you kicked a member out of your country club because they couldn’t play nice but then you have to sit next to the guy at Sunday brunch because of loose club restaurant rules? </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Imagine now that your predecessor was a bad boy admin and was fired and escorted from the building and their AD user object deleted. You probably don’t want to reintroduce the bad admin user account back into AD where they could logon and wreak havoc. Strict replication rules do have their place under the sun.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Enforcing strict replication consistency is the default and the only time you would want to disable it is to purposely reintroduce lingering objects back in the directory like reinstating a club member you previously booted out. In most circumstances, lingering objects should be removed as they were intentionally deleted for a reason. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you go against your better judgment and want to turn of Strict Replication Consistency, you can do so with REPADMIN.EXE.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As you can see in the following graphic, you can enable or disable strict consistency on all DCs at the same time. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5F-pLLFPNlQgJok-L_MQaQtN074nVW3R5lwmfaTIqJgr-qR9P4ae6Bx742xMTujA-Kn_pqoiHrE7Xyckkre5EZ7vl4UP3pEiEIXfb5Xp4zr_fhov1UhQ4dMeArJ4cofe-qKOMtCDQpJMj/s1600/REPADMIN+STRICT+ON+OFF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5F-pLLFPNlQgJok-L_MQaQtN074nVW3R5lwmfaTIqJgr-qR9P4ae6Bx742xMTujA-Kn_pqoiHrE7Xyckkre5EZ7vl4UP3pEiEIXfb5Xp4zr_fhov1UhQ4dMeArJ4cofe-qKOMtCDQpJMj/s1600/REPADMIN+STRICT+ON+OFF.jpg" t8="true" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Before you decide on your next action step, you should first determine why lingering objects are present to begin with. The two primary reasons lingering objects show up are because a DC was restored using an unsupported method (i.e. a virtual machine snapshot causing USN rollback) or the DC failed to replicate for longer than Tombstone Lifetime (TSL). The latter is not so bad, as the DC like Rip Van Winkle is stuck in a time warp that is going to require some “reeducating” while the former is a much more serious problem that involves “zapping” the DC with a “Men in Black” neuralizer. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If it is a TSL issue and you need to erase from the Van Winkle DC, knowledge of objects long since deceased, you can remove the lingering objects with either REPADMIN.EXE or REPLDIAG.EXE.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">REPLDIAG.EXE is the preferred tool as it can clean all Naming Contexts (NCs) from all DCs with one command REPLDIAG /RemoveLingeringObjects. You can download REPLDIAG.EXE from Codeplex at </span><a href="http://activedirectoryutils.codeplex.com/releases/view/18287"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">http://activedirectoryutils.codeplex.com/releases/view/18287</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd8gRHa9TrlwUpPLnH1jAOIfhE1NNa14abDsxnee1For9TNKUaN0HZHGDaIpBizsyiVF4odZbAZ3DnLTEvZZr5VUS_Fd_tvk_ZIlL38bcIQP_wg6GqW1oon55jmLIT1ZauulKVTxmP16Zs/s1600/repldiag+output+lingering+object+removal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd8gRHa9TrlwUpPLnH1jAOIfhE1NNa14abDsxnee1For9TNKUaN0HZHGDaIpBizsyiVF4odZbAZ3DnLTEvZZr5VUS_Fd_tvk_ZIlL38bcIQP_wg6GqW1oon55jmLIT1ZauulKVTxmP16Zs/s1600/repldiag+output+lingering+object+removal.jpg" t8="true" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If using Repadmin.exe:</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">First find the GUID of the DC with the known good replica with REPADMIN /SHOWREPL <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">DCname.</i></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">a.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So if DC1 has the good replica:</span></i></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOMOYpYl0X33e8iBjJTEFPEmXlH0QwEIdDjiyeG4n3vGT4LAeHy9neHvcPkwkmfTGo46IkOgPp-D0ApHazcxo9755P88WQePR7fRrImIBdeb4yxoCHsJ1DMREHrS8xtfUGtrXrQXd9_low/s1600/DC1+SHOWREPL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOMOYpYl0X33e8iBjJTEFPEmXlH0QwEIdDjiyeG4n3vGT4LAeHy9neHvcPkwkmfTGo46IkOgPp-D0ApHazcxo9755P88WQePR7fRrImIBdeb4yxoCHsJ1DMREHrS8xtfUGtrXrQXd9_low/s1600/DC1+SHOWREPL.jpg" t8="true" /></a></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Then run Repadmin /removelingeringobjects <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">DcNameThatMayHaveLingeringObjects</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">GUIDofDCthatHasAKnownGoodReplica</i> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>DomainNamingContext</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBwOI7Hr8mB3twi-m251EIzR-ArSzz3DU0X4LMoEqZ7GRjwTV8qxSpJHFSgQzCD7oHoDK34a8xf_a5uaeDmsNaiH0cku66EYank2eGhNUY2Alx88Chrp-EHpIw9tSLWwL-jMv7ffEcHxjh/s1600/DC2+remove+lingering+objects.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBwOI7Hr8mB3twi-m251EIzR-ArSzz3DU0X4LMoEqZ7GRjwTV8qxSpJHFSgQzCD7oHoDK34a8xf_a5uaeDmsNaiH0cku66EYank2eGhNUY2Alx88Chrp-EHpIw9tSLWwL-jMv7ffEcHxjh/s1600/DC2+remove+lingering+objects.jpg" t8="true" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Check the Directory Service log of the DC that may have the lingering objects for events 1937 and 1939 to see what was removed.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi75FPXi5Rw-ka96sS-ST0qqiKXBHjSb-tlwuo9Wbu5pW6j5vRoVFByBP4dwPWRWSlHWJhuZgz5rQBv9JT0ruvjk7ct7cQX_mKSlgY_OGKmOURG6cDMAgUAyBb8CGSv-XQ8S6kFU8GfJMXU/s1600/DC2+1939+event.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="353" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi75FPXi5Rw-ka96sS-ST0qqiKXBHjSb-tlwuo9Wbu5pW6j5vRoVFByBP4dwPWRWSlHWJhuZgz5rQBv9JT0ruvjk7ct7cQX_mKSlgY_OGKmOURG6cDMAgUAyBb8CGSv-XQ8S6kFU8GfJMXU/s640/DC2+1939+event.jpg" t8="true" width="640" /></a></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">4.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Repeat for each NC (Schema, Configuration, Domain, etc.)</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">After removing the lingering objects, you will need to restart replication by setting the following registry value:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\NTDS\Parameters\</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Create or modify if exists: Allow Replication With Divergent and Corrupt Partner</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">DWORD: 1</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Once replication has successfully occurred, then set the same value to 0.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If the lingering objects are present because of USN rollback, you should take the far more drastic approach of demoting the DC that was improperly restored and promoting it back into the domain from scratch. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just point your neuralizer at it and administer the MIB eye exam ala DCPROMO.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Keep in mind however, that you will have to forcibly remove the DC as a normal demotion will fail (see graphic below) since the other DCs refuse to replicate from it. DCPROMO /FORCEREMOVAL will do the job.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTB7NzDLxaWxCYzVJbo2zrd9ckKePew4sukprdD7Q1UYi5CONL2pIupTloC6okloqVcBi0TTajb3x28L4qbIETUgwRzb1cr1SkUu-Cfq3cbtGFMAeBCF13EWG2147Z-IAeAyl8h0dQT3Mg/s1600/dcpromo+demotion+failed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTB7NzDLxaWxCYzVJbo2zrd9ckKePew4sukprdD7Q1UYi5CONL2pIupTloC6okloqVcBi0TTajb3x28L4qbIETUgwRzb1cr1SkUu-Cfq3cbtGFMAeBCF13EWG2147Z-IAeAyl8h0dQT3Mg/s1600/dcpromo+demotion+failed.jpg" t8="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Post Op Evaluation</strong></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I hope you have learned some DC first aid techniques that will nurse your DCs to their rosy- cheek healthy selves and back in full replication shape. While you are at it, proactively monitor your DCs more closely so that the ailments don’t come back.</span></div></div>James P Carrionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07704395460934002367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002628687421473356.post-30920979264277160872011-05-16T12:24:00.000-07:002011-05-16T17:43:05.121-07:00Don’t give me your Cooties – When a Domain Controller Refuses to Replicate<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you were to walk onto an airplane during the height of flu season wearing a surgical mask and vehemently hacking and coughing, the guy sitting next to you is likely to scan around for an empty seat to move to, as far away from you as possible. Face it: no one wants your cooties.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A Domain Controller (DC) has a similar aversion to getting sick and when a replication partner is showing signs of illness, the healthy DC doesn’t hesitate to quarantine the sick DC by refusing to replicate from it. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So Doctor, what symptoms does the healthy DC check for before it declares its replication partner, persona non grata? </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Symptom Number One – Schema Version Mismatch</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The AD Schema is similar to a building code. If I want to build a home in Fort Collins, Larimer County, Colorado where I live, I can’t just march down to Home Depot, load up the truck with supplies, and start framing a home. There are rules to adhere to. So I start off by finding out what the county building code is and then pay for a building permit which legally requires me to adhere to the code. The local code dictates the rules for building the structure - ceilings have to be so high, electrical outlets placed so many feet apart, the roof pitched so many degrees to support the area’s snow load, etc.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Similarly, the AD Schema is the building code for an AD Forest in that all of the Forest’s domains have to abide by the same set of rules for object creation. Each DC in the forest stores a local copy of the AD Schema in its Active Directory database file, loads it into memory and then consults the Schema when new objects are added to the Forest. The Schema basically dictates the types of objects that can be created and what attributes are allowed for those objects, the same way a city’s building code dictates the types of dwellings that can be built and their allowed characteristics.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">What would happen if you built your home using an old version of the building code that had an outdated electrical compliance section? Simple - when the home inspector checks your home’s compliance with code, you would be told to pull out all the wiring and start over again; otherwise you are not getting a certificate of occupancy.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In AD, a DC will not replicate data from a partner DC if the partner is using a different version of the building code (schema). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before replication occurs, the partner DCs will exchange schema version level information. If the DCs don’t have the same schema version, replication of AD Forest Objects between those partners will be held up until the schema itself is fully replicated and both DCs are at the same Schema version. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In reality, this is not a symptom of illness itself as it just means the destination DC will wait to raise its schema level on par with its partner DC, but it does result in a replication delay. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Symptom Number Two – Detection of Lingering Objects</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now this just sounds nasty. Before you consult the medical dictionary, let me first tell you what a lingering object is.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When you create an AD object like a user object, the object will be assigned attributes or properties, such as common name, password, group memberships, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The object then replicates to other DCs in the same domain. AD Replication happens at the attribute level, meaning that when an attribute changes, only that attribute and not the entire object will be replicated.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A little more background is required before you can understand how a DC comes down with a case of lingering objects. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When you delete an object in AD, it becomes a tombstone object and remains in the AD database for a period of time before it is permanently removed. This “obituary” period is known as the tombstone lifetime (TSL) and is how other DCs learn through replication of an object’s demise. The default TSL for Windows 2008 is 180 days although an Enterprise Admin can set it to whatever they want.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now let’s say that you purposely delete employee Joe’s user object because he just won the lottery and he told you what he really thought of his job before resigning from the company. According to the TSL, 180 days later, object user Joe should be permanently removed from AD. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">But what happens if there is a forgotten DC from the domain that has been neglected and has not replicated for 190 days, longer than TSL? That DC never received Joe’s tombstone obituary notice through replication and therefore did not delete its local copy of the user object Joe, maintaining like some Elvis fanatics that user object Joe is still “alive”. A DC not replicating for 190 days sounds like an unlikely scenario, but trust me, it happens.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">To continue my scenario, let’s say you send a junior admin who was foolish not to participate in the office lottery pool to the branch office to put things in order. Said Junior Admin fixes the replication problem but also decides out of boredom to run a script that sets the “favorite drink” attribute on all domain user objects to Jolt Cola.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When live-user object Joe’s favorite drink attribute is changed and the branch DC notifies its partner DCs of the change, the other DCs will detect during the replication attempt that the branch DC has a lingering object and will halt inbound replication. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">How do they detect this? Because the other DCs will notice that they are trying to replicate “Joe’s favorite drink” attribute for an object they have no knowledge of since they permanently deleted Joe a long time ago. The other DCs are essentially saying: “You are trying to tell me Joe’s favorite drink? – I don’t even know who Joe is!” </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Meanwhile flesh and blood Joe is putting his lottery money to work on a beach in Jamaica where his new favorite drink is now a Pina Colada.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Symptom Number Three – Last replication is greater than Tombstone Lifetime</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Fortunately, a DC doesn’t have to try and replicate changes to a lingering object to notice something is wrong. A Windows 2008 DC will simply keep track of when their partner DC last replicated and if it is greater than TSL, inbound replication from the loafer DC will be halted. Two error messages will be noticed in the DC’s Directory Service log: Error 1864 and Error 2042.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the following example, I configured DC1 and DC2 as domain controllers in the same domain. I also manually set the TSL to 2 days and then shutdown DC2. Three days later, I brought DC2 back online, but by failing to replicate longer than TSL, partner DC1 refuses to replicate from it. The following two errors 1864 and 2042 were recorded in DC1’s Directory Service log as can be seen in the following graphics.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8CAff-HI7untBOM9ZT88i70a26Ltxm2WbQ76022kRpXntdCznUdkqVxBrTm10PPL5611OqXFsQaEPVle9L1Cg6CQMrmasLihrWD4XEYAeduK6RsoKOHeztbn7ICDnIkuuhnsLFidEIXwY/s1600/Error+1864.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="432" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8CAff-HI7untBOM9ZT88i70a26Ltxm2WbQ76022kRpXntdCznUdkqVxBrTm10PPL5611OqXFsQaEPVle9L1Cg6CQMrmasLihrWD4XEYAeduK6RsoKOHeztbn7ICDnIkuuhnsLFidEIXwY/s640/Error+1864.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2FV-IqCc6Rg709wYM5zNAOuLLZK1lwan7DT1Zny52aznKlNqU2rdxLDg-dlGAyclEFilvgpTk-2UZ5kAywUYDQ8XdZZG9ucxxsOyXbmqeCoq-qzhutztbluoybnhFIcOaDMWd6qZWTaqP/s1600/Error+2042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="434" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2FV-IqCc6Rg709wYM5zNAOuLLZK1lwan7DT1Zny52aznKlNqU2rdxLDg-dlGAyclEFilvgpTk-2UZ5kAywUYDQ8XdZZG9ucxxsOyXbmqeCoq-qzhutztbluoybnhFIcOaDMWd6qZWTaqP/s640/Error+2042.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Symptom Number Four – Detection of USN Rollback</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Each DC maintains a copy of the AD database file NTDS.DIT and assigns the database a unique ID called the Invocation ID. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">At the same time, when a DC creates an object or modifies an object’s attributes in the database, it assigns that LDAP write transaction, a unique locally generated number called an Update Sequence Number (USN). </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Each DC maintains its own USN counter and the counter increment is not synchronized with other DCs. Think of the Invocation ID as a Journal and the USN counter as sequential changes to the database recorded in that journal. Each DC maintains its own system of Journals and USNs.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So let’s examine a simple AD database change on DC2 that then replicates to DC1 and see how each DC keeps track of the changes.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Let’s say DC2 starts off the day with a USN counter of 1000 as last recorded in Journal # 1 (its invocation ID). If DC2 then modified three different object attributes at different times of the day, each LDAP write transaction would be sequentially assigned DC2’s next available local USN of 1001, 1002, and 1003 respectively, all recorded in Journal # 1. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">DC1 will then replicate those three attributes and record that the last change it received from DC2 was Journal 1/USN 1003. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">USN rollback occurs when a DC’s database is improperly restored and “undoes” previous changes in the database, for example, if I restore DC2 from a virtual machine snapshot that was taken right before those three attributes were modified. After the improper restore, DC2 is back to believing its current USN counter is 1000 on Journal # 1, effectively forgetting that it had assigned USNs 1001-1003. It’s partner DC1 however still believes the last update it received from DC2 was Journal 1/USN 1003.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When DC1 detects that it has knowledge of a higher USN for DC2 (Journal 1/USN 1003) than DC2 has for itself (Journal 1/USN 1000), DC1 informs DC2 it is in USN rollback and DC2 halts all inbound and outbound replication and also pauses its NETLOGON service.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This will be recorded in the Directory Service Log on DC2 as errors 2095 and 2103 as seen in the following graphics.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_QNTaTLtbLdLU19tn6pPF1aLgxAMBPxxlkoTJaejzQkCyRgjUiHQb8ATbBPwtOGuzVVYsqIe3cAST486_zqOTztesLt036qw26DT6kALQXPTjuxYg7KheqrYddoN1zSPWguk_KIw0i-SQ/s1600/error+2095.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="416" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_QNTaTLtbLdLU19tn6pPF1aLgxAMBPxxlkoTJaejzQkCyRgjUiHQb8ATbBPwtOGuzVVYsqIe3cAST486_zqOTztesLt036qw26DT6kALQXPTjuxYg7KheqrYddoN1zSPWguk_KIw0i-SQ/s640/error+2095.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghuzctgEuurCjmJOicqL0Ci9CtsM5tPlj-AwwcNimvDNnM_EUBxllUM6gjD4XCpR-AoAohEKIhVUgT6FYdmxBHPSjLW_YT-Lw2EwRqgWm-4luQp2GOUp47VkCw1AX-AM6mTbjGumvxvajm/s1600/error+2103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="386" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghuzctgEuurCjmJOicqL0Ci9CtsM5tPlj-AwwcNimvDNnM_EUBxllUM6gjD4XCpR-AoAohEKIhVUgT6FYdmxBHPSjLW_YT-Lw2EwRqgWm-4luQp2GOUp47VkCw1AX-AM6mTbjGumvxvajm/s640/error+2103.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Run, Forest, Run</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So now you know why a healthy DC runs in the opposite direction from one that appears ill, but how do you fix one of these problems and nurse the ill DC back to health? Antibiotic therapy and defibrillation steps will be covered in part 2. Stay tuned.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>James P Carrionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07704395460934002367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002628687421473356.post-44633455799502151822011-05-04T07:07:00.000-07:002011-05-04T12:09:04.368-07:00DTR12 UpdateThe official results of the DTR12 AD Master's class have been published by Ryan Conrad, AD Masters Program Manager at <a href="http://blogs.technet.com/b/themasterblog/archive/2011/05/03/mcm-directory-rotation-12-results.aspx">http://blogs.technet.com/b/themasterblog/archive/2011/05/03/mcm-directory-rotation-12-results.aspx</a><br />
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A hearty congratulations goes out to my two fellow classmates Simon and Chris who excelled and achieved the coveted Microsoft Certified Master's designation. To put in perspective their ahievement, they passsed the two very difficult written exams and they survived the grueling nine hour certification lab during the two week class period - the only two students out of fourteen total attending to do this. With just a 15% initial certification rate, Simon and Chris can feel very proud of what they have accomplished.<br />
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Although I was happy to pass the two written exams the first time and have that behind me, I was bummed that I did not pass the certification lab and have to wait three months before I can attempt it again. I have already started preparing and have been busy practicing every day in my virtual environment and increasing my consulting engagements to be in the best technical shape possible before July roles around.<br />
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To my fellow classmates who are also still in pursuit of the Master's designation, I wish you much luck on exam and lab retakes. Don't give up! Let's meet Simon and Chris at the top of the mountain.James P Carrionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07704395460934002367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002628687421473356.post-2546777536308799512011-04-19T04:58:00.000-07:002011-04-19T04:58:35.267-07:00Microsoft Master's Class - A Mind Blowing Experience<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKxf25p7_gY7MwCNWSo5wlffNxtSiktRylWiH542CCDDDVSS7bXOwY39tk9R3s7TUfCLPJzSOpkKbYAMg-4mSqfuib-QoMhhF0DqO1AsmJlEzyUqEJv7ec3d-S1sadZjJLv0gD6T6R4M-N/s1600/normal+brain.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKxf25p7_gY7MwCNWSo5wlffNxtSiktRylWiH542CCDDDVSS7bXOwY39tk9R3s7TUfCLPJzSOpkKbYAMg-4mSqfuib-QoMhhF0DqO1AsmJlEzyUqEJv7ec3d-S1sadZjJLv0gD6T6R4M-N/s320/normal+brain.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">This is your brain</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhthtk-AdM9FAguQzkUlprcP0fB9Rz8rNW8WtqTmYMOFvUBQD2x37Q82RNM8cWTk-Nk8QT7cJGMtCSfy3pP03SoHwoLgEF4ucIxwnwJ5ygCudfmMr3YuZNCbrWxuAMgvQDxEKAfqJrejuWq/s1600/Master%2527s+Brain.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhthtk-AdM9FAguQzkUlprcP0fB9Rz8rNW8WtqTmYMOFvUBQD2x37Q82RNM8cWTk-Nk8QT7cJGMtCSfy3pP03SoHwoLgEF4ucIxwnwJ5ygCudfmMr3YuZNCbrWxuAMgvQDxEKAfqJrejuWq/s320/Master%2527s+Brain.JPG" width="234" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">This is your brain on Master's</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>James P Carrionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07704395460934002367noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002628687421473356.post-77769791605172993352011-04-19T04:45:00.000-07:002011-04-19T06:03:02.534-07:00Sunday, April 17, Day 14Well, the class has finally come to an end. As promised, here's the recap of the last three days. I know you have been riveted to your chair in suspense, wondering about the outcome of the class, or maybe you have better things to do with your time. <br />
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On Friday we finished up the day with Group Policy in the morning followed by Disaster Recovery. Manny, one of my fellow classmates volunteered to teach the DR section and delivered an outstanding presentation. Way to go Manny! Then it was off to study on our own for written test # 2, that if you have been keeping up with the blog, you know I miraculously passed on Saturday morning.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3wuHzeNvIz8TbzCeNeQ55jQQkfWCODt8h99mT_SnPtHWsc-YQBtpglFuqYN97Rsru9wNDe9o_JiOTUelEefpaiI6PPCwBBFLyXLIYhpxOEZRur2xgqYMP9foGywXjQEz7Sa2aiv6mkIUn/s1600/IMG_2558.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3wuHzeNvIz8TbzCeNeQ55jQQkfWCODt8h99mT_SnPtHWsc-YQBtpglFuqYN97Rsru9wNDe9o_JiOTUelEefpaiI6PPCwBBFLyXLIYhpxOEZRur2xgqYMP9foGywXjQEz7Sa2aiv6mkIUn/s320/IMG_2558.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Manny teaching DR</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: left;">Right after we finished written test # 2 and before going to lunch, Ryan sat us down and gave us a twenty minute prep session on what to expect in our Cert lab. The two things that stuck out for me were "don't waste your time memorizing command line syntax" and "if you don't know it by now, you are not going to know it by tomorrow."</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">We spent Saturday afternoon preparing for Cert lab with these words echoing in our minds. Then all of a sudden, Friday's DR training paid off immediately as we ran into a real disaster. The Hyper-V hosts we were working on all died in the data center, due to a power outage and some Murphy's law reaction by the UPSes.</div><br />
For us AD MCM candidates, it was an annoyance as we just sat around waiting for the servers to come back up so we could continue our practice session. For the Lync Masters down the hall who were in the middle of their real Cert lab, it was a complete disaster, as the outage happened twice. They were sent home after three weeks without being able to complete their labs. I felt bad for complaining about being stressed after seeing what they had to go through.<br />
<br />
I returned to the hotel, making a mental checklist of how I was going to attack the "break and fix" scenarios we would see on the Cert lab: Check the Forest and Domain Functional levels, check schema versions, check replication, check DNS. and on and on and on. I went to bed early that night because as Ryan said (and I believe him most of the time) that if I didn't know it now....<br />
<br />
The next morning, we nervously entered into the classroom, wondering if the Data Center staff had put their Disaster Recovery plan in operation and we would be spared the Lync Master's fate. They did and I breathed a sigh of relief, although my relief was short lived as you will understand a little later. Please read on and don't be tempted to stop no matter how appealing that episode of "Dancing with the Stars" is on TV right now. Tivo it.<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ryan handed each person a large white envelope with our name on it and explained that it contained our lab scenarios. We had exactly nine hours to finish. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">At 9:15 AM, I opened up the envelope and read through the multi page list of items I needed to work on. After reading through what I was supposed to do, and making a mental calculation about what I could realistically accomplish, I began to triage the scenarios and prioritize my next moves. Unfortunately, my orderly and disciplined approach soon descended into chaos.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You know one of those movies where the world is coming to an end and everything goes wrong and finally the hero saves the day at the last split second? Well, it wasn’t one of those days. My cert lab world was a friggin’ disaster as I worked as fast as I could through the scenarios yet things weren’t getting fixed fast enough. I took no breaks during the nine hours except to get up, grab a slice of pizza, and sit back down again. I swore often and hit the keys on the keyboard a little harder than I normally do. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In one scenario I tried to use a script to accomplish the requirement but no matter what I did, the script although word for word exactly what was needed, would not work. I remembered something that instructor Mark Cooper had said about Notepad doing some strange things to scripts. I contemplated doing COPY CON (old DOS users know what this means) but ruled it out as the time ticked down. My frustration level went through the roof.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When the lab clock stopped at 6:15 PM, I looked around the room and could tell by my classmates’ frustrated looks that I was not the only one who had trouble getting through the scenarios. We gathered in the hallway and everyone talked about how many lab items they never even got to do because they ran out of time.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Although the mood was somber, slowly it sank in that finally the class was over, and that normal life could resume. Ryan had told us earlier that it would take him some time to adequately grade the labs so we wouldn’t know our results until Tuesday night. So for now we could just kick back and relax and at least relish the fact that we didn’t crack and call it quits, but stuck it out to the very end. From that point of view, we ALL “passed the test”.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">From the classroom we went straight to Bellevue’s world famous Daniel’s Restaurant where Ryan had booked us a private room overlooking the city. Bill Gates’ favorite table was just outside the room, but tonight he wasn’t there. Now it was time to let loose and to shake off all of the stress that had been hanging on us for the last two weeks. Beer, wine and mixed drinks flowed freely and soon enough everyone was smiling, joking and laughing, not to mention eating the best steak I have ever had in my life. You could sense and feel the camaraderie in the room. DTR12 had gone to technical hell and back and we had made it through as a team.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Group pictures were taken. Heartfelt goodbyes were exchanged. DTR12 then left the building.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So how do I sum up my experience at the Microsoft Master’s class? In one word: REWARDING! I am not talking about the certification, but to the unequaled learning and networking experience that this class offers. I feel that it has taken my technical proficiency to a whole new level and that I also made an awesome group of like minded friends in the process. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sure, getting the certification is a goal, but as cliché as it may sound, it is always the journey and not the destination that defines our lives, personally or professionally. Microsoft Master’s class was a positive, sickening, amazing, frustrating, gratifying, mind numbing experience that I heartily recommend to anyone who thinks they are on their technical game. Make the most of your experience if you have the privilege of attending a rotation, and please tell the rat pack of instructors Ryan, Matt, Steve, Mike, and Mark, that DTR12 sent you.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPU0pmtNB-i9VJitGCtf6p7cHEixPcpFcWBTDPdh_TFMNKfaq4D_hmukP6wIVGEraGQ2b3m1O-Pjj4licFszXjOJaEBTkYYOGvqzXO3aB07t2w5XeuXlgTuoGxF0A_-u0yxg5eXvRU23n1/s1600/IMG_2559.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPU0pmtNB-i9VJitGCtf6p7cHEixPcpFcWBTDPdh_TFMNKfaq4D_hmukP6wIVGEraGQ2b3m1O-Pjj4licFszXjOJaEBTkYYOGvqzXO3aB07t2w5XeuXlgTuoGxF0A_-u0yxg5eXvRU23n1/s320/IMG_2559.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Our view from Daniels restaurant</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg81aPtQ-7AdhDt2I6Mymby8UUyiUkanoFg0ntaCH8nreLUwcfrujxoYdyy41qYYjxLlgd0eurCaT1mfPXRTGcPom6m1CquyYlV_9T5kUCt0pUU5Me4fX48XM0kJBI7b_KO9nXi9f0coCs6/s1600/IMG_2560.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg81aPtQ-7AdhDt2I6Mymby8UUyiUkanoFg0ntaCH8nreLUwcfrujxoYdyy41qYYjxLlgd0eurCaT1mfPXRTGcPom6m1CquyYlV_9T5kUCt0pUU5Me4fX48XM0kJBI7b_KO9nXi9f0coCs6/s320/IMG_2560.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Our private room at Daniels</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd5_drtAHpDGL0Fi4h3a0OIl8iTjnuMkM_2XIzF8czuySyIC2QoGbzrRsreVOTsE-8XuFDJqPI-i4883xK6x8Qv9WMUWOSlnrEueu06t7ZbIQ6iJZUEWkjhGFBcA3PPuk-yHQUc8q-o7_Q/s1600/IMG_2561.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd5_drtAHpDGL0Fi4h3a0OIl8iTjnuMkM_2XIzF8czuySyIC2QoGbzrRsreVOTsE-8XuFDJqPI-i4883xK6x8Qv9WMUWOSlnrEueu06t7ZbIQ6iJZUEWkjhGFBcA3PPuk-yHQUc8q-o7_Q/s320/IMG_2561.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">De-stressing from the last two weeks</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuSZyEu4hg5Rzeg3BAGkul366bbzf5Kptk6mRWMR1ewjY-PsY9K7jqZpnynDDI1L1TIUb6MLWcA0AkgtfOuivxvxk1Pao1QDOn0EKtsacl4LBG6kFdjM-tsdFOO8wK5yCjNjrFtcS3L2ww/s1600/IMG_2562.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuSZyEu4hg5Rzeg3BAGkul366bbzf5Kptk6mRWMR1ewjY-PsY9K7jqZpnynDDI1L1TIUb6MLWcA0AkgtfOuivxvxk1Pao1QDOn0EKtsacl4LBG6kFdjM-tsdFOO8wK5yCjNjrFtcS3L2ww/s320/IMG_2562.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The wine is flowing and we all feel good</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7PBGAvQtLUv6LZSguFdXr3ExZhd3qz23P8p8-EeNgJe-Omz-VW-WKBsZstCfPg6cOjn-E9AhcE2RMQU4cfbTwKKrqs5z8OClheAelRodacDHeHrXA4WoI9Nsym30L9DLMVz6utDHNPOSL/s1600/IMG_2563.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7PBGAvQtLUv6LZSguFdXr3ExZhd3qz23P8p8-EeNgJe-Omz-VW-WKBsZstCfPg6cOjn-E9AhcE2RMQU4cfbTwKKrqs5z8OClheAelRodacDHeHrXA4WoI9Nsym30L9DLMVz6utDHNPOSL/s320/IMG_2563.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Manny and Ryan</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVA3vodwwFe9jTwnwlMAsdcAMjoV-SR_mPuyAwlsp_FV9o3ZqivO8_b3E48MSjC34VPENLMeDp0kDtOSvXkWIso7E1enJvrFrCratJKqtSDvGF8jyY4pA6ufuWwKmfXbSDfLCDOa9ykT0f/s1600/IMG_2567.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVA3vodwwFe9jTwnwlMAsdcAMjoV-SR_mPuyAwlsp_FV9o3ZqivO8_b3E48MSjC34VPENLMeDp0kDtOSvXkWIso7E1enJvrFrCratJKqtSDvGF8jyY4pA6ufuWwKmfXbSDfLCDOa9ykT0f/s320/IMG_2567.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Instructor Steve Patrick</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF_MzvV4R0mFOEQKyfz4sJZgsNHfWjINf5LatPRI6-65GgCgbIq16DEsGeNo-pRSxmAmW5shoR9i_gJ1pDeBsUhLKdXH4cgrcclrmmOFsuDmbtoi7kt-Kl1adlVFUlLgjbzuRnDN9XF_H8/s1600/IMG_2568.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF_MzvV4R0mFOEQKyfz4sJZgsNHfWjINf5LatPRI6-65GgCgbIq16DEsGeNo-pRSxmAmW5shoR9i_gJ1pDeBsUhLKdXH4cgrcclrmmOFsuDmbtoi7kt-Kl1adlVFUlLgjbzuRnDN9XF_H8/s320/IMG_2568.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">DTR12 sans instructors</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFZMmzZPwmyyHh2FKDZ24JoDgNRy9L9zT3t28degGpp1_EehqJiaLgQ8L4MrgOH377R2feT8oNRaaF-WQqDpEAUy5rReU7pdtiH3NRQCUPYEp3QEzCTfcIXXvNHEnVP9_Z4n9q-z-8Q82h/s1600/IMG_2570.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFZMmzZPwmyyHh2FKDZ24JoDgNRy9L9zT3t28degGpp1_EehqJiaLgQ8L4MrgOH377R2feT8oNRaaF-WQqDpEAUy5rReU7pdtiH3NRQCUPYEp3QEzCTfcIXXvNHEnVP9_Z4n9q-z-8Q82h/s320/IMG_2570.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">DTR12 with instructors Steve and Ryan</span></td></tr>
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</div>James P Carrionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07704395460934002367noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002628687421473356.post-3570917819132751492011-04-16T18:13:00.000-07:002011-04-16T18:13:56.931-07:00Saturday, April 16, Day 13<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC8bMLDmJSJNiFVkFheUqCsNrFkvIzLmhyphenhyphenudAQMedgqH14WgAJEZ-PwtQtguAIUlmx4kNvykwIw1vh_fHjbTKq8Nxb5bfZlDrJ-T8XH75L25exseQRziSlrGjHiCYtRKx5YxryM9Gi2lha/s1600/pass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="284" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC8bMLDmJSJNiFVkFheUqCsNrFkvIzLmhyphenhyphenudAQMedgqH14WgAJEZ-PwtQtguAIUlmx4kNvykwIw1vh_fHjbTKq8Nxb5bfZlDrJ-T8XH75L25exseQRziSlrGjHiCYtRKx5YxryM9Gi2lha/s320/pass.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I take back what I said in a previous post. Written exam number one was not the hardest Microsoft exam I have ever taken. Written exam number two now takes that place of honor. <br />
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Somehow, the Test Gods smiled down upon me again and I managed to pass.<br />
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I don't have time (again) to fill you in on the gory details because tomorrow is Cert lab which promises to be nine more hours in the torture chamber and I have to get ready for being stretched on the rack. I promise, really, that I will write a synopsis of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday when I am on the plane home on Monday. I won't have time tomorrow night after the last exam because the whole class is going out to dinner and celebrating our liberation.James P Carrionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07704395460934002367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002628687421473356.post-73245326737657354012011-04-15T07:56:00.000-07:002011-04-15T21:02:36.823-07:00Thursday, April 14, Day 11<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYCNdPcljq5xw9JWJgp1s27I4zS8pov0VxhTyC316LACDsJAmKOrSzFLZo73iWyG2u0HI2P_4ewNA0rP61tafkhtNawPGvTwYdFFUtZtNcEsVcF2qwBD9bRqf1u6_GmCkjoqviqifr_lYJ/s1600/bsod.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYCNdPcljq5xw9JWJgp1s27I4zS8pov0VxhTyC316LACDsJAmKOrSzFLZo73iWyG2u0HI2P_4ewNA0rP61tafkhtNawPGvTwYdFFUtZtNcEsVcF2qwBD9bRqf1u6_GmCkjoqviqifr_lYJ/s320/bsod.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I apologize for the non-post yesterday but I was the victim of technology - the hotel's Internet was down. I will fill in the blanks later on today. Stay tuned.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">UPDATE!!!!!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The Internet is up but my brain cells are not. Tomorrow is the second written exam and I have migrated to middle earth to my normal study hole, so there will be no news again, until after the test. See you on the other side!</div>James P Carrionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07704395460934002367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002628687421473356.post-37537835852825046372011-04-14T01:20:00.000-07:002011-04-14T07:23:46.986-07:00Wednesday, April 13, Day 10It is very late, I am exhausted, and I need to get some sleep.<br />
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Before I drift off............................................................................................................<br />
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Sorry, I just dozed off there and now there is drool all over my keyboard. <br />
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Before, I head off to la-la land, let me recap the day. Today was PKI, which stands for "Please Keep it Interesting". Fortunately, our new instructor, Mark Cooper, did just that, and it didn't take more than fifteen minutes of his delivery for me to be impressed with his subject knowledge.<br />
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I teach PKI in my own classes, and I can tell you from experience, that there are two kinds of people in this world - those that love PKI and those that hate it. I can usually tell which camp the haters are in by their deer in the headlights stare. Normally, when I start talking public-private key pairs, these PKI challengened individuals throw their arms up in despair screaming "What the FEK, we have to learn this stuff?" <br />
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Yes Dorothy, you are not in Kansas anymore and PKI is a necessary evil, hence the day and a half that the Master's class spends on it.<br />
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Mark knows his stuff when it comes to PKI and I spent the whole day in "knowledge gap fillin' mode" as he connected all the dots for me. Cool! Now I have even more material to drive my students up the certificate wall.<br />
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Right after class, as I walked towards the coffee machine for my tenth cup, past the very elaborate lunch buffet the Lync Masters were so nicely treated to, I thought of the upcoming exams.<br />
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Our second written exam is on Saturday morning which gives me just two days to be in top shape. It's going to be tough because there is no study day like there was last week. I am beginning to think the Master's instructors actually enjoy inflicting this pain on us. Bunch of rat bast................................................<br />
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Oops, drifted off again. What was I saying? Oh yeah, me thinks Matt, Glenn, Ryan, Steve, Mike, and Mark occasionally get together for a beer and plot new ways to make Master candidates squirm. Tomorrow, I am calling Microsoft counseling services to see if there is a Sadism support group that I can refer them to.<br />
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Simply no rest for the weary.James P Carrionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07704395460934002367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002628687421473356.post-13833110970134747872011-04-13T06:00:00.000-07:002011-04-14T11:05:49.407-07:00Tuesday, April 12, Day 9Rather than bore you with what we learned in class today (FRS, DFS-Namespace, DFS-Replication), I thought I would spend this blog post talking about the people I have had the privilege to share this experience with so far, my fellow AD Master candidates.<br />
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Let me start off by saying that I am blown away by the amount of experience and technical know-how of my classmates. Some of these guys are leaps and bounds beyond me, which I guess you could interpret as meaning their "beanie propellers" spin faster than mine or simply that they are braniacs and techno-whizzes. More importantly they are real, down-to-earth guys. Let me break it down for you.<br />
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Simon sits quietly off in the corner near the window and doesn't say much, but when he does, you had better pay attention because it is going to be something significant and very insightful. I put my pen down when he speaks up so I can listen carefully - I can't miss his distinct voice as he is the only one in class speaking the Queen's English. <br />
<br />
Right next to Simon is Michael or "Mr. Service Pack" as I have dubbed him because he seems to know when every hotfix, OS tweak and knob was released across all Microsoft product lines. Michael also bears, at least I think, a strong resemblance to a younger Patrick Stewart, the Captain Jean Luc Picard of Star Trek fame. I almost expect Michael to command his computer to "Engage!" as he wonders around the operating system in search of new lifeforms.<br />
<br />
Behind Simon is Chris. On the first day of class, I was partnered up with Chris for our very first lab doing AD Schema modifications through a script. Chris commandeered the keyboard, then expertly navigated through the script at lightning speed. I could barely keep up.<br />
<br />
In the back row is Brandon, who can really talk tech and who has an uncanny ability to take a highly complex scenario that the class has been arguing about for ten minutes and laying in out in easy to understand terms that sound as smooth as butter.<br />
<br />
Next to Brandon is Ambers, our resident comedian. Ambers is a smart techno geek but with a keen sense of humor with impeccable timing and delivery that had me rolling on the floor more than once. If he ever gets burned out on tech, he should consider a stint as a standup comedian.<br />
<br />
Across the aisle in the back row is Tyson, also smart as a whip and who isn't afraid to challenge the instructor on a concept that is not clear. Tyson asks the question, and then rephrases the question, and then tweaks the question until the instructor understands the confusion. Thank God for that, because it is through Tyson's questions that every one else who is confused, achieves clarification.<br />
<br />
Next to Tyson is Asen. Asen also sits quietly, but when he does ask a question or makes an observation, it is obvious that it has the weight of experience behind it.<br />
<br />
In front of Asen is Mark, Mr. PKI, who has been chomping at the bit for Wednesday and Thursday to roll around, the two days we are covering PKI. Mark is an all around smart tech guy and he is a Microsoft PFE for a reason.<br />
<br />
Sitting right next to Mark is another PFE - Manny, the consummate tech guy. Manny is the kind of person who has the need to learn how something works in its entirety and he is not satisfied until he does. I can now tell when Manny's curiosity is running in high gear because his eye lids flutter at a fast rate. You had better have your game on when you talk shop with Manny.<br />
<br />
Then come Jun who also doesn't talk much but who also knows his stuff. Yun sits right across from me and sometimes I will glance over and catch him scanning through tech article after tech article, while somehow still tracking the conversation in the classroom.<br />
<br />
In front of Mark is Matt who seems to have worked on everything and has a tremendous amount of real-world in the trenches experience. When we discuss some obscure technical problem that I have never heard of before, Matt will pipe up and explain how he ran into it and fixed it. I think I will knight him "Sir Been There, Done That."<br />
<br />
Finally, we have Martin, quiet and unassuming, you would never know he is a techno-geek because he doesn't look the part. Don't judge a book by its cover - he's been in the field a long time and he has the experience and know how to back it up.<br />
<br />
I have spent every night since I got here, holed up in my hotel room with my nose stuck in Technet, trying to keep up with the in-depth class material. I wish there was more time to socialize with these guys because as our first instructor Matt so astutely pointed out on the first day, this experience should not just be about focusing on technology but about building relationships with your classmates. I also have the feeling they would be a fun group to go out drinking with.<br />
<br />
I hope that after we part and go our separate ways on Sunday, that I can keep up with everyone going forward and know how they are doing. It has been a real pleasure sharing this experience with them and I wish all of them the best. DTR12 rocks!James P Carrionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07704395460934002367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002628687421473356.post-75312891842605525552011-04-12T00:19:00.000-07:002011-04-12T07:13:13.378-07:00Monday, April 11, Day 8The test gods were good to me. I passed the first exam. <br />
<br />
The experience was not pleasant, in fact it was most distasteful. First, there was the pretest anxiety. After having spent the morning flipping through what seemed like ten million flashcards, trying to tuck away in the back of my mind the one obscure fact that would make or break the exam for me, I was feeling the stress. <br />
<br />
Then there was the test itself. Obviously, I can't go into specifics but suffice it to say that it was the hardest Microsoft exam I have ever taken, and I have taken my fair share throughout the years. I'm a visual learner and I can't just read a bunch of text on screen and then scan for the correct answers - I need to "visualize" the scenario first,which requires a lot of diagramming out on paper. I used up every second and barely had enough time to review all the questions.<br />
<br />
Since we didn't get our exam scores right away, the class decided to head to "The Commons" and grab some lunch. I was still shaking from the experience and the adrenaline was still pumping through my body. Oh yes, that reminds me. I forgot to mention one thing that made the test experience that much more "exciting".<br />
<br />
I take Niacin pills as a natural supplement to control cholesterol and ten minutes into the exam, the pills caused a very unpleasant "flush". I felt my body temperature rise what seemed like ten degrees and I felt like I was going to erupt in flames. The hot flash subsided in about five minutes. Meanwhile I was imagining the next morning 's headlines: "Microsoft candidate spontaneously combusts during test."<br />
<br />
The mood at lunch was subdued at times and also filled with nervous laughter. Our exam scores were going to be emailed to us by noon and everyone had their phone out and were constantly checking their inbox. I didn't have my IPhone with me, so I would have to wait until I got back to the classroom to satisfy my curiosity.<br />
<br />
By the time we got in the shuttle that would take us back to Building 41, some already knew their scores. Upon returning to the classroom, I grabbed my IPhone from my bag and after reading the good news, I let out a very audible "Yes!" that even the Lync masters down the hall must have heard. I think it was more the adrenaline talking and me feeling a tremendous sense of relief, that the non-stop studying had actually paid off. In a moment, I realized that others were not so lucky and I felt guilty for expressing my joy.<br />
<br />
Ryan reminded us that we needed to "reset" after the experience because we were back to a clean slate, meaning that those who were smiling today wouldn't necessarily be smiling on Saturday or Sunday for that matter, when test days rolled around again. Then it was back to the grind.<br />
<br />
Surely we will have a short lecture day after such a dreadful test, I thought to myself. <br />
<br />
No such luck. It was FRS and DFS-N all afternoon with our new instructor Mike Stephens. As I trudged out of the classroom at 7:30 PM, I could barely hear myself think. I felt like I needed to find the closest diving decompression chamber and spend some time slowly re-acclimating to normal atmosphere. Six more days of this...just six more days...<br />
<br />
Today was a victory, but it was too early to celebrate, rather it was time to hunker down again for the next exam.<br />
<br />
Don't worry Manny, if you are reading this, drinks are still on me.James P Carrionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07704395460934002367noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002628687421473356.post-72429535774138389612011-04-10T10:15:00.000-07:002011-04-10T19:59:46.834-07:00Rolling Blackout Due to Overloaded Brain CircuitsSorry folks, but I don't have time to post yesterday's shenanigans of the MCM class due to time constraints. Tomorrow is the first written exam and I have been glued to a chair studying since I got back to the hotel from class last evening, interrupted only by sleep. My next blog update will be tomorrow AFTER the exam and AFTER I know my score. Wish us all luck! We are going to need it in the "chamber of pain".<br />
<br />
<img height="200" id="il_fi" src="http://frobinett.edublogs.org/files/2011/01/test_anxiety-1748t65.gif" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="172" /><img height="191" id="il_fi" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ42NBOSSyxoEQXraIBfMwCTLmYH21IDX5flXrRyN4HJpQ0knl20tZmqY2QmDO_GOliVjxARprcO35MSjozxHD4wY3sGnGAKI1B_n3qgr-lNQ1qWWn4WIOqbm_HyaVd0Rnk0NPfy0oCg98/s200/test-dream-copyright3.gif" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="200" /><img height="200" id="il_fi" src="http://tests-anxiety.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/gettyimages_unv0313.jpg" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="175" />James P Carrionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07704395460934002367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002628687421473356.post-48606012986425828012011-04-09T20:53:00.000-07:002011-04-10T07:38:05.405-07:00HALO Bash - AD Masters vs. Lync Masters<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ct4QceeB7rc/TaESQX-fi3I/AAAAAAAAADg/3iHzeN94a4s/s1600/IMG_2541.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ct4QceeB7rc/TaESQX-fi3I/AAAAAAAAADg/3iHzeN94a4s/s320/IMG_2541.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The war has started</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ryan and Matt kicking Lync Master butt</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Manny and Ambers enjoying a brew</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Sensei Glenn and Michael trying out the Fat Tire.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Sensei Ryan and Sensei Glenn defending the honor of AD MCMs.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--HEjaEZM0Ss/TaESUVu-dcI/AAAAAAAAAD0/XZY-Cqq-T2A/s1600/IMG_2544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--HEjaEZM0Ss/TaESUVu-dcI/AAAAAAAAAD0/XZY-Cqq-T2A/s320/IMG_2544.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">AD MCM candidates hard at work</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LxLvksrfgEk/TaESTlx3AlI/AAAAAAAAADw/8bJs0rFeSE8/s1600/IMG_2543.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LxLvksrfgEk/TaESTlx3AlI/AAAAAAAAADw/8bJs0rFeSE8/s320/IMG_2543.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Tyson doing a lab with Fat Tire in hand.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Jn42SG_z1uo/TaESW6yc6kI/AAAAAAAAAEA/yDwOoQtYAao/s1600/IMG_2546.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Jn42SG_z1uo/TaESW6yc6kI/AAAAAAAAAEA/yDwOoQtYAao/s320/IMG_2546.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Jun and Chris</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hYarR4abE5s/TaESbjMjQSI/AAAAAAAAAEY/VnOU35g46Vw/s1600/IMG_2553.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hYarR4abE5s/TaESbjMjQSI/AAAAAAAAAEY/VnOU35g46Vw/s320/IMG_2553.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">In the enemy's camp - Lync Masters getting trounced in HALO</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W_exfDyyC9Q/TaESb-F-V5I/AAAAAAAAAEc/Ym1CVj3MmW0/s1600/IMG_2554.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W_exfDyyC9Q/TaESb-F-V5I/AAAAAAAAAEc/Ym1CVj3MmW0/s320/IMG_2554.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Pizza everywhere</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-188v0Q0sKg4/TaESdYqlrDI/AAAAAAAAAEg/-wnN4TOzN5g/s1600/IMG_2557.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-188v0Q0sKg4/TaESdYqlrDI/AAAAAAAAAEg/-wnN4TOzN5g/s320/IMG_2557.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Chamber of Pain</span></td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div align="justify"></div>James P Carrionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07704395460934002367noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002628687421473356.post-17692911093532239152011-04-09T03:06:00.000-07:002011-04-09T21:10:50.585-07:00Friday, April 8, Day 5It's 2 AM and I just finished making a hundred freakin flashcards to study over the weekend, and that was just for the Directory Core Concepts. On Saturday evening and on Sunday, our "day off", I will finish up the rest. On Monday morning, right after the test, I plan on pulling a <span style="font-family: inherit;">Mr. Creosote from Monte Python's "The Meaning of Life" and upchucking all the miscellaneous AD trivia swirling around my head. It had better be a big bucket. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">On second thought maybe that's not a good idea - I'll probably need it for the hands-on cert lab next week.</span><br />
<br />
So what happened in class today? Well, what I can I say - it was another outrageously exciting day of not seeing the sunlight while glaring at an overhead projector for ten hours. I did find the content a little more interesting today - RODCs and Trust Relationships. Sorry Steve, it's not that I dislike Authentication but it is a little too abstract for me. Now an RODC, that's a real server that I can touch, feel and love on even if it doesn't want to replicate that love back.<br />
<br />
Glenn was back at the podium doing his thing. I scanned the room to see what everyone else was up to. Fatigue was obviously setting in as evidenced by the fact that the right side of the room was not asking as many questions as they normally would. The top talkers, Manny and Tyson, were well just a little less talkative today.<br />
<br />
Ryan came in to remind us that there was a pizza/beer party and HALO match that evening right after class - AD Master's class against the Lync Master's class that was just down the hall from us. Master against Master.<br />
<br />
"Class won't start till 9AM tomorrow," Glenn informed us after the Pizza had arrived. Cool, I thought, that means I can go to bed at 3AM instead of 2 tonight.<br />
<br />
The HALO game began, but no one in the classroom was playing. Some students were still doing labs or flipping through their Power Points, while others were hanging out drinking beer and swapping IT war stories. It was obvious that a battle was raging in the game anyway so I guess it was Lync Masters killing Lync Masters. "We have better things to do with our time," joked a fellow student, "Those Lync guys must have an easier class." Slowly the fatigued looks gave way to relaxation and beer smiles.<br />
<br />
Finally, Ryan, Matt and Manny jumped into the game. Meanwhile, Tyson was still working on a lab and asked Manny if he knew the syntax for a command. Manny didn't miss a beat, blurting out the answer while gutting a Lync Master at the same time. Multitasking is not a gift, it is a virtue.James P Carrionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07704395460934002367noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002628687421473356.post-31986387887024060812011-04-07T22:18:00.000-07:002011-04-08T13:31:01.772-07:00Thursday, April 7, Day 4Another day, another new instructor in this tech paradise called Microsoft Masters.This time it was Steve "Spat" Patrick who was going to give us the low down on Windows Authentication and all of its inner workings. Kerbing my enthusiasm, I slouched down lower in the chair and prepared for the information deluge, and indeed it was. Not that it wasn't interesting stuff, as interesting as Gina and her friends get, but I can only hear so much about ticket this or ticket that before I find myself daydreaming of taking a ride on the Polar Express.<br />
<br />
We learned how to troubleshoot and configure Kerberos constrained delegation and protocol transition, and a whole lot of new stuff like how to configure Authentication Mechanism Assurance. It was also cool to see how Steve analyzed authentication related network traces in Network Monitor. "Exercise your curiosity" Steve was fond of saying as he lead us down another rabbit hole to Tech Wonderland. Grinning like the Chesire Cat, he would emerge from the exercise satisfied that he had put yet another technical doubt to bed.<br />
<br />
I don't know why but I was under the impression that our first written exam was this Saturday. How did I fat finger that one? I wondered. As it turns out, Ryan gave us the option of either taking the two written tests the same day on the last Saturday of the class or splitting them up and taking the first exam on Monday. Well, that's a no-brainer: If given a choice of falling from a one story or a two story building, which are you going to take?<br />
<br />
Some of my classmates worried about failing the first exam and the impact it would have on their mental state and morale going forward. Ryan had a fix for that - he would change the exam so that no one would get their pass/faill result at the end of the exam. Those who wanted to know their results could have their exam score emailed to them the same day and those that did not, would get their results at the end of the course. I am not a patient person when it comes to such matters and chose the instant gratification. Wearing a blindfold in front of an execution squad typically doesn't make the outcome any less painful... I reasoned.<br />
<br />
Class ended at 7:30PM, <em>again</em>. I could tell by the look on everyone's face that they were stressed and that I was not the only one feeling the drag. Well, at least I can sleep in on Sunday, I thought to myself, thankful that there was one non-lecture day to look forward to over the horizon. But right now I had to focus on reviewing the lecture items that I didn't have a good grasp on today. Back to the grind.James P Carrionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07704395460934002367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002628687421473356.post-47124538420837935842011-04-06T22:45:00.000-07:002011-04-07T06:01:08.024-07:00Wednesday, April 6, Day 3If this were a regular work week, today would be hump day, but there is no such thing in the life of a Microsoft Master rotation. Instead, it was another day of punishing lecture that lasted from 8AM to 7:30PM, this time dished out by our new instructor Glenn Lecheminant who descended on us like a rat on a cheetoh. Now I can see that Matt's "easy" DNS Case Study from the day before was a psychological ploy to lure us into a sense of false security. That was cruel Matt, very cruel. <br />
<br />
You see, Glenn is REPL-MAN, champion of efficient Active Directory replication everywhere and fighter against disjointed databases and lingering objects throughout the free world. Glenn made it clear that no self-respecting IT Professional can don the cape of a Microsoft Master unless they thoroughly understand how AD replication works, how it can be tweaked and most importantly how to troubleshoot it, and it was his job to make sure we did.<br />
<br />
OK, I have a little confession to make. I never really understood how AD replication really worked until the last couple of days. Sure I knew the basics, but terms like High Watermark, UptoDatenessVector Table, and InvocationID never seemed to make any sense to me. The light bulb finally came on today in class. I felt embarrassed that I had never properly understood these concepts before, but then again I never had the privilege to hear it explained so authoritatively before either.<br />
<br />
This is one of the things I like most about this class. From a learning perspective, you could spend months culling through hundreds of Technet articles, Internet blogs and Microsoft protocol specs to get the deep technical information you need to understand Active Directory replication or you can get it all collated, cooked up, demoed and served nicely to you in the Master's class by an authority like Glenn .<br />
<br />
In fact, I would venture to say, that even if you don't give a darn about certifications and acronyms on your business card, attending a Master's class purely from a learning perspective is well worth the money. Of course, everyone in this rotation and I am sure the one's before had as their goal certification, but it is the learning that produces the real value add. I know walking away from this course, the insight and skills I have learned here will help me be a better trainer and a better consultant regardless of the certification outcome.<br />
<br />
Another thing I noticed is that the six Microsoft PFEs that are attending this class all really seem to know their stuff. While I am scribbling feverishly to put down on paper a technical concept I just heard of, the PFEs are laid back in their chairs with their arms folded, all knowingly nodding in unison at what the instructor is saying. What do these guys eat for breakfast, Technet Cheerios?<br />
<br />
Now, I am back in the hotel room, dreading having to revisit the copious notes from today, all too aware that I am already mentally exhausted and it is only the end of day three. Another pot of coffee is already brewing, Seattle's best of course, and it won't be the last pot tonight. Sleep is just a luxury anyway, right?James P Carrionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07704395460934002367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002628687421473356.post-28847908192378544002011-04-06T12:27:00.000-07:002011-04-07T06:04:45.974-07:00Tuesday, April 5, Day 2When I woke up this morning after less than five hours of sleep, I rubbed my eyes and looked around the room for some duct tape to wrap around my head to prevent yesterday's overload of technical information from leaking out. I looked in the mirror and noticed the bags under my eyes and contemplated taking before and after "Pre and Post Master's course" photos to demonstrate that the grueling event would have a physical impact on my body.<br />
<br />
As I walked the short distance to building 40, I mumbled technical acronym after technical acronym to myself like some new age mantra, except I wasn't feeling particularly enlightened but more like in a dazed fog. "Don't forget that one!" I thought. "Dammit, what was it that Matt said we should remember about that one!" One day down, four to go till T1 - Written Test number one.<br />
<br />
When I entered the classroom, the same Powerpoint Slide was still on the screen - LDAP. Matt stood at the podium with a sly smile on his face like a drill sergeant glaring down at his raw recruits. "They have no idea" I could almost hear him thinking.<br />
<br />
Breathe. Focus. Breathe. Focus.<br />
<br />
"Most IT pros don't know LDAP as well as they should" Matt started off saying, but which I heard as, "Get ready, I am about to shove LDAP technical knowledge down your throat until you can do LDAP queries with your eyes closed." Turns out that I was right and we spent the whole morning using LDP.EXE to gingerly get AD to feed back only what we wanted. We also learned how to build custom AD database indexes and measure their performance impact.<br />
<br />
"Here's a test tip" Matt said abruptly. All activity in the room ceased as fourteen pairs of eyes focused on him. NDA mode on. "Good to know" I mused. NDA mode off. Then it was off to the technical races again as Matt delved into Client Server interactions of DC Locator.<br />
<br />
As I mentioned in yesterday's post, the instruction is phenomenal, but I am not only impressed with the instructor but with my fellow classmates as well. There is a wealth of knowledge and experience in this class and it is refreshing to be able to talk shop with folks whose eyes don't get glazed over with the technical details. One Microsoft PFE is responsible for a HA Active Directory implementation. HA doesn't stand for High Availability but is synonymous with "large".<br />
<br />
The afternoon was spent learning all of the intricacies of DNS. If you think you know DNS, you don't. You have to come to a class like this one to really get a feel for all of the nuances that Microsoft has layered on the service. "I am going to give you a case study to do" Matt said as he divided up the class into two teams. Each team is responsible for coming up with a DNS design for a large corporation and here are the requirements. <br />
<br />
Each team huddled to its side of the room and began to plan its implementation. Matt seemed surprised that my team was done so quickly and came over to see if we were goofing off. He then called over the other team, which also had finished quickly, to our side of the room. After I described our well thought out DNS solution, Matt thought carefully and said: "Well, I don't see anything wrong with your approach."<br />
<br />
Then we moved to the other side of the room to see how the other team fared and it turned out that their DNS design was identical to ours. Again Matt gave the thumbs up. Both teams broke out in smiles and grunts like the surviving pigs in a game of Angry Birds. Wahoo!!!!! <br />
<br />
"Don't celebrate too early" I told myself through my oinks and grunts. The Birds are about to get angrier.James P Carrionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07704395460934002367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002628687421473356.post-69547267823755374162011-04-04T22:14:00.000-07:002011-04-07T06:03:58.025-07:00Monday, April 4 - Day 1I was the first to arrive at 7:15 <em>AM </em>at the classroom in building 40 and was met by Matt Reynolds, our first day instructor, who pointed out the free hot breakfast served in the other room. Seating was prearranged and after finding my name card, I sat down and pulled out my laptop to do so some last minute reading. One by one my fellow classmates trickled into the classroom and we exchanged brief greetings - fourteen total students, six of them Microsoft field engineers and the other eight, including myself, from various other organizations around the world.<br />
<br />
Class began promptly at 8AM with MCM Program Manager Ryan Conrad kicking things off by setting or better said "resetting" our expectations for what was to come. <br />
<br />
Ryan started by telling us that this was going to be the deepest and best Active Directory technical training we would receive from the best instructors on the planet. The goal of the course is to instill knowledge; in other words, we were here to learn and anything else, i.e. certification was just icing on the cake.<br />
<br />
The Master's program, Ryan elaborated was based on the following core beliefs:<br />
<ul><li>A Microsoft Master must be able to establish credibility quickly with a customer.</li>
<li>A Microsoft Master must be able to take charge of the customer's situation.</li>
<li>A Microsoft Master must take responsibility for the customer's situation.</li>
</ul>"You have to know what you know and know what you don't know and be able to differentiate between the two" Ryan stated. "Admit when you don't know something and always act with integrity."<br />
<br />
Right before we entered the classroom, we had signed a Non-Disclosure Agreement with Microsoft and Ryan informed us that 20-30% of what the class covered would be under NDA.<br />
<br />
We all held our collective breath as Ryan discussed what most were anxious to hear about - the MCM certification process. He didn't try to sugar coat the potential outcome and I suddenly felt like a soldier on a volunteer suicide mission when the General gravely defines the situation - "Men, I ain't going to lie to you - some of you won't make it back."<br />
<br />
"Of the 150 plus who have come through the AD rotations, 94 are currently MCM certified," Ryan revealed, "but first time pass ratios are not very high, so don't expect to pass both the two written tests and the nine hour certification lab during your stay here. It is likely that you will have to retest after the rotation is over."<br />
<br />
"The class does not cover all the content on the exams and the class does not teach to the tests. In the last rotation we had 10 students and only 4 passed the first written test on the initial try and only 3 passed the second written test on the initial try." Ryan stated. "Each exam can be attempted three times."<br />
<br />
Gulp! This was not exactly what I wanted to hear on day one. I looked around the room and could tell by the sober expression on every one's face that I was not the only one with a lump in my throat.<br />
<br />
"Homework may be assigned and should be completed by 8 AM the next morning", he continued. "Labs are optional but highly recommended. We have seen a correlation between those that work on the labs and those that successfully pass exams. Class will typically run until 7PM."<br />
<br />
"The MCM Delivery Philosophy is that of the material presented, 70% will focus on conceptual understanding, 15% will focus on design and implementation and 15% will focus on troubleshooting." Ryan said as he flashed another PowerPoint slide on the screen. "Here are some tips for success":<br />
<ul><li>Put all other work aside</li>
<li>Redefine your definition of "success"</li>
<li>Contribute to discussions</li>
<li>Don't waste time</li>
<li>Don't go out drinking unless you can work with a hangover</li>
<li>Work together and help each other out</li>
<li>Ask questions</li>
</ul>While mulling all of this over, I took a look around the room. I was impressed with the classroom setup where each student had four monitors, two workstations and remote desktop access to a Hyper-V server that had 64GB of RAM. Each student would work in their own virtualized environment with a lot of VMs (42 total in 5 different Forests). We also had access to a Sharepoint site where lab files and other student files would be posted.<br />
<br />
Day one and two would cover Core Active Directory concepts. After a short break, Matt Reynolds took the floor for the first day's technical presentation. Wap! Bang! Kapow! Holy AD, batman! I thought I knew AD but I was blown away by Matt's technical prowess and the depth of his AD knowledge. Over the next nine hours I saw AD in a whole different light and many of the nagging questions that always lingered in the back of my mind about how or why something in AD worked the way it did were answered in that first session. <br />
<br />
The lunch break afforded us a trip to secure our Microsoft badges and a trip to the cafeteria, and then we were back at in the classroom, slugging out with LDIF syntax, database inner workings and LDAP queries out the gazoo. I made a mental note to self: "Now you know what you don't know because your knowledge gaps were painfully laid bare."<br />
<br />
Day one was a wake up call for me. This was going to be one hell of a learning experience and I had to up the ante, and force my neuron synapses into high gear if I was going to successfully play this Master's game. Who volunteered me for this suicide mission anyway? Oh, yeah, I forgot - I did.<br />
<br />
Back at the hotel, I stopped in at the lobby to grab some extra coffee packets. I was going to need the extra caffeine for what I anticipated would be a very late night.James P Carrionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07704395460934002367noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002628687421473356.post-67756717517944945972011-04-03T18:53:00.000-07:002011-04-07T06:02:39.673-07:00The Mountain AwaitsI arrived in Seattle early this morning after an all nighter from Sao Paulo, Brazil with a two hour layover in Dallas. As the American Airlines 777 came in for its final approach, I glanced out the window at magnificent Mount Rainier and wondered if some intrepid souls were attempting its ascent. At the same time I contemplated my own trek, albeit more mental than physical, that would soon begin.<br />
<br />
It was a short shuttle ride to Redmond to the Homestead Studio Suites on the edge of the Microsoft Campus. The conversation with the shuttle driver was focused on the earthquake proneness of the area and when the next big one would hit. Harbor Island, he informed me was smack dab on the fault line and would slide into the sea if given the chance. He assured me I would be safer in Redmond.<br />
<br />
I checked into the quaint little suite that would be my home for the next two weeks. After unpacking, I made a mental note of the supplies and rations I would need. I began to get the sinking feeling that if I was not in class, I would probably be sequestered in my hotel room every evening, knee deep in more technical mumbo jumbo that I had ever wished to be in. The thought was sobering. An email from a fellow classmate came in on my IPhone, wanting to know if anybody was up for dinner. The thought was tempting but then I remembered that my pre-reading was not complete and that I would be sorry if I didn't finish it. Two laptops on the bed, one wired and one wireless, into the not-so-fast "cheap" Internet, spewed out tech acronym after tech acronym and I felt my mind begin to hurt. Geez, it's not even day one, yet, and my brain is already beginning to rebel.<br />
<br />
I set the alarm for 6AM and decided to call it a night, praying that my jet lag would resolve itself by the next morning and thankful that at least I traveled north across three time zones instead of six plus as some of my international classmates had done. I sure hoped they had arrived yesterday instead of today. <br />
<br />
I am both anxious and excited at the same time - anxious because I don't know exactly what to expect tomorrow, but also excited because I would be with a group of techno-peers and instructors who were accomplished and full of wisdom and experience that I felt would infuse a one of a kind learning experience.James P Carrionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07704395460934002367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002628687421473356.post-9166756531764546112011-03-30T09:59:00.000-07:002011-04-07T08:57:26.798-07:00Meet the Team<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh23E07_soI_QGmKpmsO1emb0E2rgI7Oq5mM8yBW12e7b-b8aYssKyqDP-5FIUA1VV_gkgTYznIUUAt2kf6JV-9zTeK4NBq9tmtfYiLrGX_Lj0Gj9ZTy-A8RxDy-V4kKDXVdzxUbJ_ttcib/s1600/Asen+Petrov.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh23E07_soI_QGmKpmsO1emb0E2rgI7Oq5mM8yBW12e7b-b8aYssKyqDP-5FIUA1VV_gkgTYznIUUAt2kf6JV-9zTeK4NBq9tmtfYiLrGX_Lj0Gj9ZTy-A8RxDy-V4kKDXVdzxUbJ_ttcib/s320/Asen+Petrov.jpg" width="222" /></a></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #1f497d;">Asen Petrov</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1f497d;">, </span><span style="color: #1f497d;">MCITP:<b> </b>Enterprise Administrator</span><span style="color: #1f497d;"></span></span></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: inherit; font-size: 10pt;">Windows Deep Technical Support</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1f497d; font-size: 10pt;"></span></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1f497d; font-family: inherit; font-size: 10pt;">Best Shore ITO DO Bulgaria Center</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1f497d; font-size: 10pt;"></span></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1f497d; font-family: inherit; font-size: 10pt;">HP Enterprise Services </span></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvxLIlcOS3zh3KilMwEUsFEZEFWmC6y5SJAGA-p-Hk3BXNOELMuW8caBZY_KcVFa87GLpdTjpEOn6I3wEGHJEcoM21P1XSKa59y0fUZ8UPQsF0F1NXwfzSvrvOoBfjrMgZBRjbroexXziF/s1600/Tyson+Leslie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvxLIlcOS3zh3KilMwEUsFEZEFWmC6y5SJAGA-p-Hk3BXNOELMuW8caBZY_KcVFa87GLpdTjpEOn6I3wEGHJEcoM21P1XSKa59y0fUZ8UPQsF0F1NXwfzSvrvOoBfjrMgZBRjbroexXziF/s1600/Tyson+Leslie.jpg" /></a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7j_g1IOQC608cZNIZR4IS_5iVd9Zx_eW4ZodLxy31Zo4YlYRlhcV8hG1W_74H3NqCo5PISTJ97-zagIo7myT45_1JuFVczrHwTAAw8J8xAx_weuFSb8ILgDhaLKw8R2wn3c1ty1UvNv4J/s1600/Hiddo+de+Vreeze.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7j_g1IOQC608cZNIZR4IS_5iVd9Zx_eW4ZodLxy31Zo4YlYRlhcV8hG1W_74H3NqCo5PISTJ97-zagIo7myT45_1JuFVczrHwTAAw8J8xAx_weuFSb8ILgDhaLKw8R2wn3c1ty1UvNv4J/s320/Hiddo+de+Vreeze.jpg" width="229" /></a></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hiddo de Vreeze:MCITP: Enterprise Administrator, </span></span></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">CEO Asapnet Network Solutions.</span></span></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Netherlands</span></span></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.asapnet.nl/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0068cf; font-family: inherit;">www.asapnet.nl</span></a></span></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="ecxMsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3lZALwYSv8DKvnPGMyhwscnzH8OoZsddP24ImicDx_hX2JJV3iFGUhmSOfd-V9ltQhUWVJLxX-k8dK6xusU4RLHsoateMSB4v8Vy1MkStId7PiTmiK_hQG4LQUfqSeCgPEoOJLOe0y0GW/s1600/NORTHAMERICA_mannys_LThumb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3lZALwYSv8DKvnPGMyhwscnzH8OoZsddP24ImicDx_hX2JJV3iFGUhmSOfd-V9ltQhUWVJLxX-k8dK6xusU4RLHsoateMSB4v8Vy1MkStId7PiTmiK_hQG4LQUfqSeCgPEoOJLOe0y0GW/s1600/NORTHAMERICA_mannys_LThumb.jpg" /></a></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Manny Sandhu: Microsoft PFE based out of Canada since Oct 06</span></span> </div><div class="ecxMsoListParagraph" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Primary focus is AD</span></span></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr93gum_ysWv9loKrm6qK9oickaI8pnoaJBeFpVzpSZNYWXztuKqwBkHrg6IbQvCc9QmJV4iK2dU8_3YqtmActkAx2m4X74oF95eDvn1B0OyTb0DuPkilGhelAJ88oJgp_flhw2QVZJFOo/s1600/Chris+Yu.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr93gum_ysWv9loKrm6qK9oickaI8pnoaJBeFpVzpSZNYWXztuKqwBkHrg6IbQvCc9QmJV4iK2dU8_3YqtmActkAx2m4X74oF95eDvn1B0OyTb0DuPkilGhelAJ88oJgp_flhw2QVZJFOo/s1600/Chris+Yu.png" /></a></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Tahoma", "sans-serif";">Chris Yu</span><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Tahoma", "sans-serif";"></span></span></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Tahoma", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Premier Field Engineer</span><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Tahoma", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"></span></span></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Tahoma", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">GCR South Premier Field Engineering</span><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Tahoma", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"></span></span></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Tahoma", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Microsoft Services</span><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Tahoma", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"></span></span></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3jKBbDGssQEZNAtBAFlZDjbdx7D_C1KHjFM44Gs8mGkWK-4_p_zfDMjn9tN3JuHCwqIpkorxHUskZ2sqsVyQwTlkYy2thfrEoEXJhlR6y4DI6jkwN_ybsCzYFG77OIY9HEeYAv75yYhsO/s1600/Ambers.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3jKBbDGssQEZNAtBAFlZDjbdx7D_C1KHjFM44Gs8mGkWK-4_p_zfDMjn9tN3JuHCwqIpkorxHUskZ2sqsVyQwTlkYy2thfrEoEXJhlR6y4DI6jkwN_ybsCzYFG77OIY9HEeYAv75yYhsO/s320/Ambers.JPG" width="211" /></a></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ambers Ferrara</span></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVQzevutQei23d55AdtMcJ8sUr6xQ8GFnkDbQXx0sSEMubb8-a8KVPQ3YRxaqfm8VEM3IyYVN992jqu41lxckmdhiecqjgGOmI8yVtMc7QsrLHlh6pIn3BBPlInyusR6AgHFun1iIVMlMU/s1600/Brandon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVQzevutQei23d55AdtMcJ8sUr6xQ8GFnkDbQXx0sSEMubb8-a8KVPQ3YRxaqfm8VEM3IyYVN992jqu41lxckmdhiecqjgGOmI8yVtMc7QsrLHlh6pIn3BBPlInyusR6AgHFun1iIVMlMU/s320/Brandon.JPG" width="217" /></a></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Brandon Wray</span></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal"><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijly6hH5rXsR0-4ObY8OeRm19Z7TUVOtazdWiqVXRUj8k5NipREv0hlQzGKQ0C2iiB5O1wN6_6R81NrDMnlPfD_EID4nk-uJxJmriePuGFlgoBKBB8Z2BmgckfOCeeZ4jnHZoKaabpJeQ_/s1600/Martin.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijly6hH5rXsR0-4ObY8OeRm19Z7TUVOtazdWiqVXRUj8k5NipREv0hlQzGKQ0C2iiB5O1wN6_6R81NrDMnlPfD_EID4nk-uJxJmriePuGFlgoBKBB8Z2BmgckfOCeeZ4jnHZoKaabpJeQ_/s320/Martin.JPG" width="225" /></a></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal">Martin Solis<br />
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</div><div class="ecxMsoNormal"></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb7mFFUWC6GBgQzqiCsz30pYZqvxGv7T56JkluQ8oIBcnIhXYyWMmU6tuosunRnvmlWjBTHgh_cVyTEHL4BT_6F8dke2PnqDnpDP3pQ-_AGa0nhTW414N4d1ZQOkgJTyFtGHB8fAXsG_cq/s1600/Matt+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb7mFFUWC6GBgQzqiCsz30pYZqvxGv7T56JkluQ8oIBcnIhXYyWMmU6tuosunRnvmlWjBTHgh_cVyTEHL4BT_6F8dke2PnqDnpDP3pQ-_AGa0nhTW414N4d1ZQOkgJTyFtGHB8fAXsG_cq/s320/Matt+1.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal">Matthew Tisdale</div><div class="ecxMsoNormal"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtBwEkh-n2Q_sRsh5h2okV9Xz4GLXZp2AmKAAgbtNUmeXBAwZxNGMkehrSfGgjgj10LXGdNT52W155pMB_ehQS0mJo5O4PrupCYj3-VvQZjegYzHtA2iKuwJHHPFkyTYgZmQE5AzrwxOj8/s1600/Michael_Koeppl.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtBwEkh-n2Q_sRsh5h2okV9Xz4GLXZp2AmKAAgbtNUmeXBAwZxNGMkehrSfGgjgj10LXGdNT52W155pMB_ehQS0mJo5O4PrupCYj3-VvQZjegYzHtA2iKuwJHHPFkyTYgZmQE5AzrwxOj8/s320/Michael_Koeppl.JPG" width="219" /></a></div>Michael Koeppl </div><div class="ecxMsoNormal"><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz9xcYu9cC3psxKpc4mc5p7nDX7NoavLjXOJR4TQZY_-hN32Ls4FZwwBsEyU7i5o8p32e__x5MtJ6iV5KgjYKpL1-Zm1CtacSi2WyxlsECMAPl0fuZ8WfRfAvAGkvfv6QSZyO7oQSsNv0_/s1600/Simon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz9xcYu9cC3psxKpc4mc5p7nDX7NoavLjXOJR4TQZY_-hN32Ls4FZwwBsEyU7i5o8p32e__x5MtJ6iV5KgjYKpL1-Zm1CtacSi2WyxlsECMAPl0fuZ8WfRfAvAGkvfv6QSZyO7oQSsNv0_/s320/Simon.JPG" width="228" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Simon Winterborn</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiojYrQHbeAAbTgpq5Ycjkez9eJgq7TuBolZ6iIG42HPtnCNUzMPhyphenhyphenVmpD32pqt6BScuIBStA2oAD3jz48NimkzeYKoknrSRUFEMP-k8JpLUFj8NImZr8Pu69wFKrVtctKdR5jG0TQsoL8M/s1600/Jun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiojYrQHbeAAbTgpq5Ycjkez9eJgq7TuBolZ6iIG42HPtnCNUzMPhyphenhyphenVmpD32pqt6BScuIBStA2oAD3jz48NimkzeYKoknrSRUFEMP-k8JpLUFj8NImZr8Pu69wFKrVtctKdR5jG0TQsoL8M/s320/Jun.jpg" width="232" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Jun Yao</span></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Microsoft PFE in China since 2010 Aug. </span></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal"><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Specialties are AD, Debugging, Networking, Virtualization and System Center products</span></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="ecxMsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxN78jDdXLxuPQrtPr1nnrV3d3xp8WAEV4TdzgxjF7tww-EYRtvpIZeM8Jy1Qcl8sCa1CK0UEYX4ZcubOd4MNFkjEzh7lHmpFoF-3utvVp_K9W0h2yxjblvzG8lHgXD14n99qtjFdfkC17/s1600/Mark.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxN78jDdXLxuPQrtPr1nnrV3d3xp8WAEV4TdzgxjF7tww-EYRtvpIZeM8Jy1Qcl8sCa1CK0UEYX4ZcubOd4MNFkjEzh7lHmpFoF-3utvVp_K9W0h2yxjblvzG8lHgXD14n99qtjFdfkC17/s320/Mark.JPG" width="292" /></a></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal">Mark Wilson</div><div class="ecxMsoNormal">Senior Premier Field Engineer, Microsoft</div><div class="ecxMsoNormal"><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_a-q9woOOyu1Qs9DoCsDyjheHGv6FAm3o5gu5h-hTL0gk4Oc59XMZof_cfidBJ_ewRYHhWm9m1BkC-8Hd2tbqJN1M9jG7EAavjIievqJ32Z_XFluTI9vJwroeaB3AkZPOIV5R6LvMdDxo/s1600/James+Carrion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_a-q9woOOyu1Qs9DoCsDyjheHGv6FAm3o5gu5h-hTL0gk4Oc59XMZof_cfidBJ_ewRYHhWm9m1BkC-8Hd2tbqJN1M9jG7EAavjIievqJ32Z_XFluTI9vJwroeaB3AkZPOIV5R6LvMdDxo/s1600/James+Carrion.jpg" /></a></div></div></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1f497d; font-family: inherit;">James Carrion, MCITP: Enterprise Administrator, Microsoft Certified Trainer</span></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1f497d; font-family: inherit; font-size: 10pt;">Mountain View Systems, LLC.</span></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1f497d; font-family: inherit; font-size: 10pt;">Fort Collins, Colorado</span></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1f497d; font-family: inherit; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www.mntview.com/">http://www.mntview.com/</a></span></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>James P Carrionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07704395460934002367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7002628687421473356.post-52046582162150500452011-03-29T13:12:00.000-07:002011-03-29T13:27:20.350-07:00Microsoft Certified Master - The Journey BeginsOn April 4, I begin the ascent to achieving Microsoft's most coveted professional technical certification - the Microsoft Certified Master (MCM) designation. I chose the Active Directory Server 2008 R2 MCM but other MCM offerings include Exchange Server 2010, Sharepoint Server 2010, Lync and SQL 2008.<br />
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The MCM program is not for the feint of heart - not only do you have to meet the stringent prerequisites as defined <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/certification/master.aspx">here</a>, but once accepted, there are also significant pre-reading requirements. For the AD R2 program, this is a 4 page list of technical articles comprising some 3000 pages of techno-grizzle to digest before you even take the first step to the summit.<br />
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Base camp is Microsoft Campus, Building 40 in Redmond, Washington where 13 fellow climbers and I will attempt the ascent together. They are already experienced Active Directory administrators and architects from all over the world: China, Bulgaria, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, Netherlands, United Kingdom, and the United States. This is not an individual journey but a team effort and our goal is for all 14 of us to stand together on the summit and celebrate our success. It won't be easy and it will tax our limits - so wish us luck as we begin our journey together and keep track of our progress along the way.James P Carrionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07704395460934002367noreply@blogger.com1