Specifically, these applications are Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 and Microsoft Virtual Server 2005.

We explored the use of Virtual PC 2007 in my last article, and will be putting the emphasis on Virtual Server 2005 in this article.

I feel it’s important to state, once again, the focus of these articles. The objective here is to raise awareness that these applications exist, and can be used as effective and resourceful tools to prepare us for certification exams.

I am going to be staying strictly within the boundaries of that scope. As I was preparing this article, I had to be diligent in this, because it was too easy for me to wonder down a path of detail that lost the focus. Believe me … that was a challenge.

My inclination is to teach as much as I can, and often I digress to the point of over-saturation. Therefore, I want to strongly recommend the video training by Train Signal on Microsoft Virtualization.

This CBT is very thorough and complete in its detail and training. If I were to attempt to cover all the important points that are taught in that training, it would take, probably, 25 different articles.

My focus is, specifically, how to use these applications in a practical manner to assist in preparation for your certification exams. Therefore, it’s likely that you may have questions that won’t be answered. I‘ve used the Train Signal virtualization training
on this subject, and assure you that any of those unanswered questions are most likely dealt with in the CBT. I continue to use it today.

If you haven’t already read the previous two articles that focused on an introduction to Virtualization and Microsoft Virtual PC 2007, please select the following links to read them first:

Virtually a Reality — Virtualization in the IT World

Virtual Computing: Best Tools for Certification Preparation

Microsoft Virtual Server 2005

For those of you that have read the first two parts, let’s move onto the next phase of this discussion — Microsoft Virtual Server 2005.

If you’re ready and comfortable, then you can download a free version of this application from the Microsoft TechNet site: Microsoft Virtual Server 2005.

The perspective that we’re looking at this application from is how to set up a closed, isolated Virtual Network, complete with its own Domain Controller, DHCP Server and DNS Server, as well as any number of workstations.

As discussed in the last article, always remember that the resources available to these Virtual Machines (VMs) are entirely dependent upon the resources that are on your Host PC. This was discussed in more detail in the last article, so I won’t repeat myself here.

Suffice it to say, if you only have 2GB of RAM on your host PC, then you’re probably limited to 2 VMs running simultaneously on your host PC. But, in addition to the guidelines that were used for Virtual PC 2007, we also need to be aware of the demands on the host PC’s CPU while running Virtual Server 2005. If you have a Virtual Network (VN) running on your host PC, with 5 different VM’s … you need to take steps to ensure your host PC doesn’t crash because the CPU is over-burdened.

In my own experience with this process, that was probably the trickiest point to get my hands around. Again, this subject is covered in more detail in the video training I’ve already referenced above, so I won’t get bogged down on this point. Please, just be aware of it.

Utilizing Virtual Server 2005 in the Real World

While our attention is toward certification, let me give you a real-world scenario that may find it practical to use Virtual Server 2005.

Suppose you are a business owner, with 8 employees on staff. Your company is into internet marketing. Rather than paying a monthly fee to a web hosting company, and relying on their servers, you want to make an investment into maintaining more control over your own web site. Unfortunately, your current budget only allows you to buy one server, while maintaining a dedicated T1 line into your building.

A practical application of Virtual Server 2005 would be to install it on a buffed-out workstation that has multiple processors running a 64-bit Operating System (thus allowing for the utilization of more than 4GB of RAM on that machine). You could then install a dedicated Web Server within your Virtual Server 2005, isolating your website from the rest of your network, and protecting the rest of your resources from potential hacking.

This is a very simplified description, but it gives you an idea of the potential of this application.

Virtual Server 2005 is just that … an application designed for the purpose of running Virtual Servers on a machine. The merits of making such a decision are best discussed elsewhere, but I just wanted to give you an idea, or reference point to think about this from.

The Virtual Server in Action

Let’s take a look at what the application looks like once it is installed on your PC. Below is a picture of the Virtual Server 2005 Console as it will appear when you open the application.

By default, it will open up to the Master Status, as listed under the Navigation heading on the left side of the console.

You can see the additional subheadings of Virtual Machines, Virtual Disks, Virtual Networks and Virtual Server.

The right side of the console is similar to the Virtual PC 2007 Console, as depicted in the last article, and lists the various VM’s that have been created within Virtual Server.

You can see if they’re running, how long they’ve been running, as well as the CPU Usage of each respective VM. Also, the right side of the console will change as you select one of the respective options on the left side.

These VM’s and Virtual Hard Disks (VHDs) are created in pretty much the same manner as in Virtual PC 2007.

As first discussed in the article on Virtual PC 2007, this process creates two separate files with the same name base name, which you define at the time of creation. The VM file has an extension of .vmc, and the VHD has an extension of .vhd.

A major difference is the listing of the CPU Usage. This can be important if you find your Virtual Network (VN) bogging down, or more significantly, if you find your host PC getting bogged down.

Creating a Virtual Network

In order to use this application in preparation for some of the certifications like MCSA and MCSE, you’ll want to create a VN.

This is done by selecting the Create option under Virtual Networks, as depicted in the picture below.

When you select the Create option, the "New Virtual Network" Network Properties box appears to the right.

Here, you’ll assign the Virtual Network Name at the top. Just below that is an important designation I want to spend a few minutes on … Network adapter on physical computer.

By default, the "None (Guests Only)" option fills the selection box. For our purposes in setting up a VN to use in preparation for certification, this is exactly what we want.

But, considering that scenario described earlier, if you were actually setting up a Web Server in a Virtual Server environment, you would want to associate the Network Adapter to your actual physical adapter installed on your host PC. This will allow contact with the outside world.

As the "None (Guests Only)" implies, it is a closed, isolated network that is accessible by only the Guest systems, or the VM’s within Virtual Server.

Also, note the Disconnected Virtual Network Adapters. Any VM’s that have been created, but not yet joined to a VN, you can check the "connected" hot box and essentially join them all to that VN at the time you create it.

I would like to point out another important factor as it applies to your closed, isolated VN. When you roll your mouse over the Configure option, under Virtual Networks, you’ll see a listing of all the networks within Virtual Servers, as shown in the screenshot below.

In this picture, you can see two External Networks, one Internal Network (created by Virtual Server 2005) and another called Trip Enterprises (which I created for my own studies and preparation).

It’s the last two I want to take a look at. The following two screenshots are of the Internal Network, and Trip Enterprises, respectively.

The point I want to highlight will be defined by the settings listed at the bottom right side of each network, designated by DHCP Server.

Please note that Internal Network in the above image indicates, to the right of DHCP Server, that "the virtual DHCP server is enabled."

This is because Virtual Server 2005 installs a Virtual DHCP server by default, associated with this internal network. This allows you to set up a network without actually having to install a DHCP server in a VM.

Now if you look at the DHCP Server description for Trip Enterprises above, it shows that "the virtual DHCP server is disabled."

I’m including this picture to demonstrate that you have the ability to turn off the Virtual DHCP server that is installed with Virtual Server 2005, which is what I did.

Because if you go back up to the first picture I included, which shows the Master Status of the Virtual Server Console, you’ll see that one of the VMs in my network is specifically a DHCP server. I did this explicitly for the purpose of learning how to set up a DHCP Server.

Keeping in mind that we are focusing on preparing for certifications, part of the objectives for MCSE is the set up and management of DHCP servers. Therefore, I used this application to do just that.

Practical Application for Certification

Let us now explore the more practical application to our studies and preparations for MCSA and MCSE certifications, as well as gaining excellent real-time and real world practice and experience in a network environment.

To demonstrate that, let’s look a little deeper at what I did myself. Looking back at the Virtual Server Console picture below, you see that I have a network that includes two servers, and 4 workstations.

One workstation is Vista Ultimate and the others are Windows XP Pro. In reality, I seldom run them all simultaneously. This is because the demand on my RAM and CPU resources actually does bog down my host PC as well as the guest VMs.

I do run both the servers, because one is a Domain Controller and DNS Server, while the other is my DHCP server. When I was setting up the DHCP server, I had to designate the scope of internal IP address that it assigns to the respective workstations as they authenticate and log onto the domain that I created.

Now … here is my point.

Just reading through the description above … you can see how "real world" this gets.

Although the network is closed and isolated, it is a real, living, dynamic Domain. I had to set up Active Directory on the Domain Controller, and in a real-time network experience I manage User and Computer accounts, Group Policy Objects which I apply at the Domain and Group levels.

With some users that I created, I was able to push out a controlled, mandatory profile. With others, I am able to log onto the different workstations with their Roaming profiles, and get the changes to the desktop made on a different machine … just like in a real world environment.

And when I forgot a password, and locked one of the users out of the Domain, I used Active Directory to reset the password. These are just some of the experiences I’ve had in this Virtual Network.

As I went through the Test Preparation software and CBT’s that I’ve used, I was able to isolate the test objectives for the respective exams, and focus on the areas that I needed better understanding of.

This Virtual Computing is truly amazing, especially when we apply the technology to our studies toward certification.

I honestly don’t know what I would have done without it.

We need to get that all important experience playing with the ins-and-outs of some OS, such as Linux or Windows Server 2003, but all we have available to us is our own single PC.

No Way! I’m not about to attempt a dual-boot scenario, and put my own system at risk.

Back in the day, as they say, that would have been our only option. Or, we could buy another PC, and install the OS on that system. Better yet, we could do a complete back-up of our system and data, then wipe out our Hard Drive, reformat, and reinstall the new OS.

When we’re done, we just restore the image of our original system, and we’re good to go. Seems like a lot of work, eh?

Welcome to the Virtualized Future

Well, those days are long gone, believe me.

As a matter of fact, you can run a single PC with just 1GB of RAM, and using the various options available to us in the Virtual Computing world of software, install almost every conceivable OS on your computer in its own Virtual PC.

That’s right. One virtual PC for every — and all — versions of Windows, multiple different versions of Linux, Beta versions of any application you would like … the list goes on and on.

You want to try IE8 Beta2? Put it on a Virtual PC. To be even more efficient, create a base-line "template" Virtual Hard Drive, copy it, and go nuts pushing the limits of any application, knowing that, if it crashes your "Virtual Computer," all you have to do is hit the delete button and that computer no longer exists.

Then, copy your template hard drive, and start all over. And NONE of that will ever impact your "Host," or main, computer what-so-ever.

Microsoft Virtual Computing

As I discussed in my last article, today we’ll be focusing on two specific offerings from Microsoft as we explore this virtual horizon — Virtual PC 2007 and Virtual Server 2005 – and how to apply them to our studies and preparations for our certification exams.

And, because this is our focus on the two applications, I won’t be spending time on the details of how to install or configure them. The installation of each program is actually simple and straightforward, and each application has a thorough and in-depth help file included.

I want to encourage you, though, to Train Signal’s CBT on Microsoft Virtualization. I’ve gone through the training, and it’s an excellent step-by-step on the theory, installation and use of both applications.

The product is a great learning tool. The section dealing with Virtual PC 2007 is actually at the end, so you’ll want to go through that first.

It should be understood that while these applications are free to download and use, the actual installation of any OS or application in a Virtual PC is still subject to the laws of copyright, and we should always have the proper licensing rights for each respective "Virtual Computer" that is installed.

This is particularly important if we intend to apply the most current security patches or updates. We also must ensure that our computer, itself, meets all the respective hardware compatibility requirements for each respective OS or application.

Microsoft Virtual PC 2007

To begin with, we’ll be discussing Virtual PC 2007, and move onto Virtual Server 2005 in the next article. You’ll want to download the free version of Virtual PC 2007 here.

Below is a picture of the Virtual PC Console, which is what you see once it is installed on your computer, and you’re running the program …

As you can see, I have personally installed 6 different Virtual PC’s (or Virtual Machines – VM, for this article – as they are referred to in the application) listed in the large box to the left, under the Menu Bar.

Initially, this space is blank, and as you select the New button and create a new VM, they’ll be listed like they are in the screenshot above.

The grayed-out thumbnails indicate that the VM isn’t running. When a machine is running, you’ll see a thumbnail of the actual desktop as it is configured on the VM itself. Once installed, all you have to do is double click the respective thumbnail, and the VM starts up like any normal cold boot.

To summarize the process, when you create a VM, you’re actually creating two files. Both have the same name that you designate, but one has an extension of .vmc (for Virtual Machine Console), and the other is .vhd (for Virtual Hard Drive).

Once again, I’m not going to focus on the details of the setup here, but wanted to give you a reference point to work from.

Please keep in mind that the extent to which you can use these VMs depends entirely upon your own PC’s hardware configuration. When you create these VMs and their associated virtual hard drives (VHD), you’ll need to assign how much RAM will be dedicated to that VM, as well as the amount of space you want to assign to the VHD.

Whatever RAM you allocate to the VM is effectively NOT available to your own host PC. Personally, I have 4GB of RAM on my PC, which means that I have 3.5GB available to my OS while my computer is running.

I’ve assigned 5 of the VMs 384MB RAM, and the one Vista Ultimate VM 512 MB. What this means is that if I’m running the two VMs as shown in the picture, with a total of 896MB RAM allocated to the two combined, my own host computer now only has approximately 2.5 GB RAM available for its own processes.

As you use this application to install VMs, you’ll need to keep that in mind, to ensure you don’t cause your own PC to become overburdened by lack of available resources.

Again, for purposes of a reference point, I am including a picture of the Settings dialogue below …

As you can see, the settings I selected were for my Vista Ultimate VM. As you look down the left side at the various settings, you’ll note the amount of the Memory I allocated, and the name of Hard Disk 1 has the .vhd extension I discussed above.

I want to reference a couple of other settings here, because they’re important to keep in mind.

The CD/DVD Drive is usually associated with your first physical Optical Drive on your own machine, by default. You also have the ability to "capture" an image file (such as .ISO files). Either way, you’ll need to install the OS, or respective application, onto the VM just as you normally would on any stand-alone PC.

In order to be able to connect to the outside world, you’ll want to associate the Networking with NAT (Network Address Translation). Again, this is better explained in a more thorough and detailed training product.

Lastly, the Shared Folders is also important. If you want to have access to files on your host PC, then you’ll need to configure a shared folder for each respective VM. In my case, I just made my own My Documents folder a shared folder, and you do this from within this Settings dialogue. You’re not actually making that folder a shared folder on your host PC.

The next picture is of my own host PC’s desktop. You can see the two VMs I initialized running in their own console window …

There are a couple of things to note on this picture. First, you’ll see that my host PC desktop is in the background, and each VM is in its own window.

Each respective window has icons showing … a hard drive, a CD/DVD, a floppy disk, a folder, and a network icon. If you right click on any of these, you’re presented with options that typically open the Settings Dialogue for that respective VM.

Right clicking on the CD/DVD gives you an option to capture an image or use the physical optical drive on your host PC. This will allow you to install the OS at first, and then any applications into the VM environment.

If you look closely at the lower right Task Bar of the Vista Ultimate window, the icon to the right of the "Desktop" toolbar shows an arrow in a half-circle. While I took the screenshot, this VM was actually updating the McAfee signature files in real time. I point this out to emphasize that these VMs function exactly like our own PC’s.

From this last picture, you can see I am running two separate VMs concurrently, all within the boundaries of my host PC. I’ve chosen to allow them to have a connection to the outside world, and anytime they run they’ll download and install updates as normal.

We can choose to keep them specifically isolated and closed, as well, with no contact to the outside. This allows for a completely controlled environment.

Practical Application for Certification Preparation

Now, with all of that said, how do we use this application to assist us in preparing for our certifications?

It’s actually a simple process. For example, suppose you were preparing to take your MCP exam for Windows XP or Vista. After installing Virtual PC 2007 on your host computer, you’ll create a new VM for the respective OS.

If you look back at the last picture, you’ll see that I name my VMs for the OS I’ve installed. If your only intention is to install the OS, without any other applications, my recommendation is to create the VHD to be 3x’s the requirements.

So, for Vista, I would create a .vhd of at least 45GB. Keep in mind that it won’t take up all that space, and you can later configure the drive to occupy only the space it actually needs. In reality, my .vhd for the Vista Ultimate VM occupies only 15GB of space on my physical hard drive.

While I designated 15GB for each of the three Windows XP Pro VMs, the actual size of the .vhd is a little over 3GB. To put it all in perspective, I installed McAfee, Spybot, Ad-Aware 2008 and a few other minor free utilities onto each VM.

This should give you a good idea of what kind of hard drive resources you need to have available.

You can also run each WinXP VM comfortably with 256MB RAM allocated to them. I’m running my Vista Ultimate VM with 512MB RAM. I also installed Office 2K7 on this VM, and wrote my last article on it. I noticed some sluggishness, but not much.

Always remember what I discussed above. You only have so much RAM available to your own PC, and each respective VM will reduce the available RAM to your own PC by the amount you’ve allocated to that VM.

So, once you’ve installed the OS onto the VM, you can then play with the OS without any risk to your own host PC. If you’re studying for the CompTIA Linux+ exam, install a free version of Fedora Linux from this link: http://fedoraproject.org/en/index.

You can also gain further insight into the Fedora project here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fedora_Core.

My personal approach is to create a blank VM and VHD that will meet the requirements of all respective Operating Systems, and save that as a template. Then, when you’re ready to install a new OS, copy the VHD and rename it for the respective OS, and you’re free to start all over (this is covered in good detail in the Virtualization video training that I referenced earlier).

You can get practice installing the different OS’s by repeating this process. Once installed, you can follow your training materials or Test Preparation questions (running on your host PC) to the exact points, and get valuable practical — and visual — experience, allowing you to focus on specific test objectives in a real-world and real-time environment.

As you can see, the practical applications of this software are boundless. If you want to see how beta versions of software function in the different environments — install them on a Virtual Machine.

When you’re satisfied, delete that VM and VHD. It’s as simple as that.

When we pick up next time, I’ll be focusing on how to use Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 to prepare for MCSA or MCSE. Don’t miss it!

Do any of you recall the sci-fi flick, "Total Recall," starring Arnold Schwarzenegger?

Back in 1990, I thought it was one of the most awesome movies of the day, and was enraptured by the concept that one could have memories implanted into their mind. As the movie progressed, you never knew if he was actually living the "vacation as a spy," or just having memories of it.

Today, my son partakes in online games where about half-a-dozen of his friends are playing the same game as a team, separated by dozens of miles and speaking to each other by headset, as they take on other teams from across the country. Amazing!

If you’re willing to part with 400 bucks, you can own a wrap-around set of eye glasses that will purportedly plunge you into the depths of games like Quake 4, Halo 3, Final Fantasy XI, multiple versions of Call of Duty … and the list goes on.

Testimony of some who’ve used it state that all you see from east to west is this gaming world. Amazing!

Virtual Computing

The beauty of all this technology, as it applies to us in the IT world, is that we can also partake in the Virtual experience. And, it doesn’t have to cost us much money at all.

Virtual Computing is the buzz, and it’s taking over so many facets of our industry. Virtual Storage, Virtual Desktops, Virtual Servers … it’s almost as if we’re coming full circle.

Remember when we had those "dumb terminals" hooked up to large, proprietary main-frame computers. Well, the enterprise community is moving in that direction, with virtual "desktop environments" becoming the trend.

Have you heard the term "Cloud Computing?" (Dave Lawlor talks about it in his article Backups Using Cloud Resources) That’s where all the applications are hosted on servers, and pushed out to the workstations, rather than installing the software directly on the PC’s.

Personally, I don’t like that, but it’s the direction vendors like Microsoft want to move in, where we’ll rent or lease the use of the applications.

Getting back on point, I’m actually writing this article to you from within Microsoft Word, on a Vista Ultimate "guest" system residing within the confines of my WinXP Pro "host" main system. As a matter of fact, I have a network comprised of 2 Windows 2003 servers and 4 workstations — all residing inside of my single home computer with 4 GB of memory.

It’s a closed, isolated, private network, and is what I use to get the "admin" experience I need to prepare me for my MCSA/MCSE certification. I’ll get into more details on this set up in a later article, as I discuss how to apply this technology to your own certification goals.

While the potential for all of this is astounding, and most of the articles online and in print deal with this from an Enterprise perspective, there exists a tremendous amount of opportunities for individuals and Small Businesses, alike.

Before we get into the potential benefits and applications, let’s delve into some basics about Virtual Computing. I’m not going to get into detailed descriptions of the variations that come into play, but a good place to start if you want to dig deeper would be here:

• Virtual Machine — http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_machine
• Virtualization — http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtualization

Virtual Memory

Any of you that run Windows would probably be familiar with the term "Virtual Memory." This is the process by which the operating system utilizes a designated portion of your system’s hard drive to store some the information that is held in it’s RAM.

This area is called the Swap File, or Paging File. By default, Windows will allocate a space equal to 1.5x’s the amount of your RAM. So, if you have 2 GB of RAM, your swap file would be 3 GB, thus your total available "Virtual Memory" is equal to 5 GB.

Should your system require more RAM than the 2 GB available, Windows will swap some of that RAM to your hard drive — or, rather, the information held in RAM — and make that RAM available for immediate use by whatever is requiring it. Often times, if your system appears to be bogged down, we’ll check to see how much "swapping" is taking place, and if it’s too high we may determine that you need more RAM on your system.

Let’s Host a Party

For our purposes, again, we will be focusing on the type of Virtual Computing that refers to a Host System and a Guest System.

As that logically implies, the Guest system resides on, or within, the Host system. It is Isolated, and for all intents and purposes, immunizes the Host system from any failures that might otherwise cause a computer to lock up, crash, or possibly burn.

For example, one can be running a Vista "PC" within the environment of an XP system. That Vista PC could become infested with a system-killing virus, and the XP computer that is "hosting" it will be completely clean.

Think of a submarine out in the ocean. Hundreds of human beings live inside that machine, with their own ventilation, electronic and plumbing systems built in. All that separates — or isolates — that system from the ocean that surrounds it is the skin of the submarine. The sealed walls keep the water out, and hold the electronic and human world within.

This is exactly how Virtual Computing works, in the context of Hosts and Guests. In this case, though, the walls that are erected to separate the two worlds are usually in the form of a software application, such as Microsoft’s Virtual PC or products developed by VMware.

I would like to draw a line of separation, here. For the most part, VMware products are developed and marketed with the corporate and enterprise community in mind. As this technology pertains to this series of articles, and our focus, I will be referring to the Microsoft applications Virtual PC and Virtual Server.

These are the applications I use, personally. Mainly, because they are both free to download and use. You can get these products here:

• Virtual PC 2007
• Virtual Server 2005

My purpose is to help you utilize this technology to achieve your certification and personal goals. I want to highly recommend the products that Train Signal sells on Microsoft Virtualization and VMware. I’ve used them, and they’re quite excellent. The instructor does an awesome job walking you through the specifics of each vendor’s offering.

Next week, we’ll cover the more practical benefits and applications to us as individuals. I’ll share my own experiences in setting up both Virtual PC and Virtual Server, and how I’ve used them in my own certification endeavors.

Until then, my best advice to parents of gaming teenagers — acknowledge from the start that they rule. Maybe, then, they’ll have mercy on you. Otherwise, don’t expect to get out of that "Virtual Reality" alive. EVER!

I believe that wholeheartedly. How we prepare, though, can determine just how high that price may be. Seriously, who wouldn’t want to be able to achieve some goal or objective in half the time, at half the cost?

Granted, there are those with an endless bankroll, but for the rest of us, we usually have to make lemonade out of the lemons in our bank account. If you’re like me, you hate to spend money without seeing some kind of benefit.

As we look at the approach I’ve used to achieve my own certifications, you’ll find that I have a philosophy of efficiency: Work Smart, Not Hard.

Where Do I Want To Go? How Do I Get There?

When we last got together for a discussion of How to choose the IT certification that’s right for you, I proposed that we would be exploring the two questions:

• Where do I want to go?
• How do I get there?

We spent some time discussing the idea that we need to know ourselves — our strengths, weaknesses, likes, dislikes, etc. — in order to make the best decision on what certification path to follow; thus, we explored the first question: Where do I want to go?

As we contemplate the second, you’ll see that I’m pretty narrow in my vision. Hence, the focus of this article is going to be on how to achieve your certification goals with the greatest ROI (Return on Investment).

Once again, though, we have to break this down into manageable compartments. For our current purposes, let’s consider these three categories:

1. Experienced, with no training
2. Educated, with no experience
3. No Experience, with no training

The first two can be approached much differently than the third, and if you make the right choice in your resources, you can actually pass any respective exam with total confidence in 3-4 weeks.

You may ask yourself, "If I’ve got experience or education, why will it still take 3 to 4 weeks?" My answer to that is simple and direct. You’re not testing your knowledge of the "real world," per se. You’re preparing for an exam developed by exam writers, working for their respective organizations (such as CompTIA, Microsoft, Cisco, etc.), with specific and narrow guidelines as spelled out in the exam objectives.

This is true for all three categories above — whether you’re lacking experience, training or both — but the third will need to apply themselves more extensively, and will take a bit more time than 3-4 weeks.

IT Certification — Return on Investment

I mentioned ROI earlier. Remember this term, because as you get further into the field, you’ll find that ROI drives almost every budgetary decision your company or department will face.

By its very nature, IT isn’t necessarily a profit-margin department. Unless you work for a Service company, IT is usually a cost center, or expense, to their company, so the ROI in that respect is in the efficiency that is garnered company-wide by the work we do.

As it relates to certifications, ROI is achieved after the fact … by the jobs we get. We must first spend money, and expend time and energy, in order to gain that return on our investment later down the road.

Test Preparation Software for IT Professionals

For those of you that have experience or training, but not both, the most efficient method toward getting your certification is through the use of Test Prep resources. Suffice it to say that you can bypass the need for in-depth materials, and jump right into practicing for the exams.

This is exactly what I did. I had a fair amount of experience, but no training at all. I needed only to be able to convert that experience into the correct answers on the exams. So, I scoured the internet, and eventually decided upon three different vendors whose products were thorough, and more than adequate to prepare me for my exams.

Granted, there’s a plethora of options, but most of them are just not adequate. If it’s "free," then I don’t recommend it. Remember the adage, "You get what you pay for." Trust me on this, I’ve learned the hard way.

Also, I highly recommend that you get two different vendor’s product. I’ve found that each company has a particular methodology in their test prep software. Using two vendors allowed me to cover a wider array of questions and knowledge.

I know this is my own opinion, and my own approach … but it has served me well. I’ve never failed to pass an exam on the first take.

Also, there is one thing that is absolutely essential as you choose your test prep software. The program must — I repeat, must — give thorough explanations of both the correct answers and the incorrect answers. This will serve as another source of training and knowledge.

The few products that I’ve come to rely on not only give those explanations, but often link directly to their own in-depth training materials. To be honest, I continue to go back to this software to refresh my knowledge and understanding.

Learning with Training Videos (CBTs)

For the person in the third category above — with minimal experience and training — it is important to precede this "Self Test" phase with proper training, in order to lay the foundation for the test preparation.

I would like to say something here that I feel very strongly about. Take your time. Research the companies and the products.

The number one rule in choosing decent training resources should be focused thoroughness. Remember, we’re training to take exams. We want to make the most of the money we spend, and be able to take the exams as soon as possible.

Make sure that the products cover all the respective exam objectives. They should include intuitive teaching, with adequate "hands on" exercises that allow you to practice what they are teaching.

It’s unfortunate that so many vendors don’t include free demos of their products. The most reputable and effective vendors will always include links to free streaming demos on their web site, or allow you to download modules to view on your own.

I’ve purchased some that turned out to be woefully incomplete, and once again have learned the hard way. If the products are worth their price, then the vendors will not hesitate to let you see what you are getting.

Bringing It All Together

This subject is one that can quickly become convoluted and confusing. Just remember that any journey always begins with the first step.

In our case, that first step is taking the time to research the companies that sell certification preparation products. Don’t rush into a decision. When you think you have chosen a vendor, take another week to continue looking.

Your success depends less on outside help than on your own self-reliance. Set a specific date and goal; don’t waste your time.

I found that if I schedule the exam, I’m absolutely going to prepare for it. Once you have chosen a resource to help you prepare for the test, then just go for it.

Good luck, and live your dream!

In unison, I received a barrage of answers. "Dion’s," my oldest exclaimed. He loves this awesome local Pizzeria.

"The Golden Arches," chimed in my youngest. She loves their fries.

"I’m not hungry," was the response from my middle child. She’s going through a phase, now, and food isn’t worth thinking about.

Within minutes, I could have donned a black-and-white referee shirt, as the conversation digressed from dinner choices to who had the worst case of acne. Is this what is meant by "quality time" with my kids?

Sitting there in my idling car, it appeared that we couldn’t decide what to do; so, I made the decision for them. We went to my favorite restaurant.

IT Certification — Where Art Thou?

This illustrates the crossroad that we all come to in our lives, whether it has to do with picking a place to eat, or choosing the appropriate IT certification and resource materials.

Decisions must be made. Your choices impact how you go about achieving those certifications, becoming proficient as an IT professional and, ultimately, the path you’ll follow.

This article, and the next one to follow, will cover two basic questions:

• Where do you want to go?
• And, what’s the best way to get there?

I believe if we take a look at some basic principles of human nature, then we can make the choices a bit simpler.

Technician, Know Thyself

There’s a saying, "Physician, heal thyself," that implies that we must attend to our own issues before trying to fix those of someone else.

I would like to take that principle, and apply it in this manner; know yourself … your personality, your temperament, your strengths and your weaknesses. Then, once you’ve loaded your quiver with those arrows, you can begin to shoot for a target.

Okay, Louis, we didn’t come here for a philosophy lesson. Well, actually, to make the best choices in what IT certifications to take, it’s important to have an understanding of these aspects of who you are, because then you can be efficient in your actions and time.

For example, let’s look at two different technicians. One is outgoing and likes to joke with people, while the other is more of a reserved and quiet type. Both have excellent technical skills.

Given just that information, whom do you think would be better suited to a desktop support role that requires a lot of interaction with technically challenged end users? Probably the first technician, because the interpersonal skills that come with being outgoing lend themselves to making people feel comfortable.

On the other hand, that technician may not find much satisfaction at a depot with their nose to the motherboard, while the second technician may flourish and excel in that environment.

Neither one of them is better than the other, but don’t try to force a square peg into a round hole. Know yourself, then choose your path.

The Devil is in the Details

I’m sure many of you are in the same boat I found myself in. I worked in one field, but my skills with computers and software kept putting me in the unenviable position of filling two roles. I was hired to do one job, but everyone kept asking me to take care of IT issues.

Eventually, I began to visit sites like Train Signal to find direction and guidance. For those of you in that situation, let’s look at the A+ certification, and see if we can help guide you toward a productive and appealing solution to your dilemma.

The truth is that regardless of our own inclinations, if we want to get work in the IT field, we have to have the A+ certification. Every company appears to use that as the baseline.

But, with the recent changes made to the A+, there are more options to consider. The A+ Essentials exam is, well, essential. It is required. Beyond that first test, we have a choice of three different "specializations" to finish out the certification:

• IT Technician,
• Remote Technician,
• and Depot Technician.

If you look at the three exams, the Remote Tech is geared toward a higher level of human interaction, and has a higher percentage of exam objectives that reflect that (20%).

The Depot Tech, on the other hand, has the least amount of objectives geared toward human interaction (0%), and deals explicitly with hardware issues.

The IT Tech exam is a mix of both. So, based on those arrows in your quiver, you can begin to isolate the certification path you may want follow.

For more info on CompTIA A+ Certification, check out CompTIA.org.

Your Niche Will Determine Your Certification Path

If you’re a people oriented individual, you may choose to get the A+ Remote Tech certification, and then follow that with some Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certifications.

Eventually, you could shoot for your MCDST (Certified Desktop Support Technician – WinXP) or the new MCITP (Certified IT Professional – Vista). Please note that MCITP for Desktop Support also two options, also. One geared toward the Consumer Market, and the other toward the Enterprise Market.

If you take the A+ IT Tech Certification, then you could follow that up with CompTIA Network+, Security+ and Server+, then Microsoft’s MCDST, and ultimately move toward MCSA (Certified System Administrator) and MCSE (Certified System Engineer).

If you’re a total gear-head, and get your A+ Depot Tech certification, you may be more inclined toward Network+, followed by Cisco CCENT (Certified Entry Networking Technician), CCNA (Certified Network Associate), CCNP (Certified Network Professional) and beyond.

For more info on the Microsoft Certifications, check out Microsoft Learning.

And here’s a link to the Cisco site and the information regarding their certification paths: Cisco Learning Network.

Work Smart, Not Hard

To find the greatest success, remember … know your own characteristics. This will help you tremendously in choosing the right path for you.

Next week, I’m going to get into some specific approaches that I’ve used to achieve my own certifications. I’ll be making some recommendations on resources to use, based upon what your experience and knowledge may already be.

There are many ways to approach certifications, but for me the number one rule of thumb is: work smart, not hard.

I’m about to dig in and feast, when this commercial comes on. The guy on the screen is a caricature of a Gypsy fortune teller, wearing a hideous hat with colored beads all over it, and tassels hanging down about 2 inches around the brim. He’s holding an envelope next to his temple, with his eyes closed, and giving a terrible rendition of a strong "Indian" accent.

"Thank you for calling, and although you have an elementary ability to understand my English dialect, I will take you through a script for the next hour, before I inform you that your problem isn’t covered by your system’s warranty."

He then opens the envelope and reveals that what came before was "what you get when you buy a computer from one of those impersonal computer stores or manufacturers." The commercial then cuts to a picture of his local Computer Store, and goes on to tout the personal service it offers, along with guaranteed response times, pick up and drop off service, etc.

Once I got past the obviously insulting, stereotypical and bigoted attitudes of this proprietor, I had to acknowledge a fundamental truth in that commercial. The real message was that beyond the actual technology, and the skills of any respective technician, what ultimately is being sold is Customer Service.

Personal, caring, attentive … Customer Service. As a matter of fact, some of those major PC manufacturers will "up sell" American-based tech support, thus promoting a more positive "customer experience" for the buyers of their products.

Why Is Customer Service So Important in the IT Field?

Just a couple weeks ago, I was doing some work for a local Computer Service company. At the end of the project, I asked the owner if I had performed the job satisfactorily. His response was interesting, and emphasizes the point of this article. He didn’t discuss my technical skills at all, or the speed at which I performed the project.

No, he indicated that he’d spoken to his client, and they were very pleased with my efforts to be helpful, my professionalism and my courtesy. He was pleased, because they were pleased.

Customer Service — it’s a much needed skill and ability which is often overlooked in our industry. While I worked for one of those major PC manufacturers, I received two awards for "Exceptional Customer Service." I also received a couple hundred extra bucks for those awards, which was nice. While my "Resolve Rate" averaged around 93%, which was in the top 5% of all technicians at that campus, I never once received compensation or awards for that.

What sets the Champions apart from the average in our industry — or any industry, for the most part — is exceptional customer service. Granted, this includes the speed and accuracy of our performance, along with our technical skills and knowledge; but, the hard, cold statistics at that company revealed that the attitude and behavior of the technician toward the customer — tone of voice, courtesy, respect, etc. — was the most important factor in ensuring a "great customer experience."

Customer Service and IT Certifications

Now, you may be asking yourself what any of this has to do with preparing for certifications and the exams we take to achieve them. Let’s take a look at just a few of them, specifically some of the entry-level CompTIA certifications.

For the A+ certifications, approximately 15-18% of the total Exam Objectives deal with Professionalism and Communication.

The PDI+ (Printing & Document Imaging) certification allots 8% toward this objective. While the CDIA+ (Certified Document Imaging Architect), Project+ (Project Management) and CTT+ (Certified Technical Trainer) exam objectives don’t specifically have that classification, if you were to look at them closely, about 80% of them include some kind of relational interaction as a part of their objectives.

Don’t believe me? See for yourself — you can download exam objectives for all of the CompTIA certifications here: http://certification.comptia.org/resources/objectives.aspx

So Why the Free Pizza?

You also may be thinking that this subject really isn’t apropos, not on a web site that sells training videos for IT certifications and skills.

The fact that you have all these blogs to read is a prime example of excellent customer service. Train Signal isn’t just selling a product. They’re earning lifetime customers, and these articles and the free training videos demonstrate their commitment to us. This is the reason why I keep coming back to this site.

Also, you might be considering … we’re technicians (or aspire to be), and we spend our time dealing with hardware and software issues. Well, I would venture to say "that ain’t so."

Quite often, something the customer did resulted in the problem, even if they don’t think so. Malware is a classic example. Usually, they’ve downloaded or installed the culprit. Of course, we can’t emphasize that point too strongly, or we risk losing a customer.

Also, consider the customers you may have — be they doctors who treat illnesses, CFO’s that manage finances for billion-dollar companies, or grandparents that let their grandchildren play games on their PC’s. In every case, bar none, there’s some kind of interaction with other human beings, and their PC’s are the tools that allow them to meet the needs of those people.

Ultimately, there’s a relationship that requires "service" to one degree or another. Such is the case in our line of work, every day. We all need to master the ability to articulate, communicate and facilitate.

It behooves us to lay aside our preconceptions, and help that person without insulting them or intimidating them. That is what Customer Service in the IT Field is all about — treat people with respect, and dignity, and you’ll usually keep that customer for life.

As a matter of fact, that pizza I ordered — it didn’t come the way I wanted it. It was late, burnt and didn’t have one vital component … meatballs. I was hungry, and upset. In the end, the store manager needed to use some kind of customer management skill to appease my dissatisfaction.

I just love getting free pizza.

Why I Do What I Do

Closing my eyes, my chin fell to my chest. The world was closing in all around me, and the sound of the ceiling fan spinning above my head seemed to grow louder with each heartbeat that pounded within. Slowly, I took a deep breath. I knew it would be like this, but, still … you’re never really prepared. Even slower, I exhaled, opened my eyes, and tried one more time.

"Dad, please don’t panic."

Choosing my words carefully, I spoke deliberately.

"The mouse is the oval shaped component that is on your desk, next to the keyboard. It has a wire coming out of the top, and if you look at the shape, and the wire, it sort of looks like a mouse with a tail. Do you see it?"

"This thing my hand is resting on?"

"Yes, pops … that’s it." For the third time, I attempted to get him to turn off his computer. "Now, please roll the mouse down to the start button in the lower left corner, and then left click on the start button."

"You want me to roll this hand-held thingy over the left corner. But I’m right handed, and it’s on the right side of my typewriter. I’ll have to cross my arms …"

"The typewriter," I asked in confusion, "do you mean the keyboard?"

"Whatever! The thing I type on."

He was frustrated. My nearly-75-year-old father was regretting making his first foray into the world of computer technology.

"I said I was ready for a computer, son, but I didn’t want to have to type anything," he told me. "Remember? And this talking software that came with it, it never gets my words right. And what happened to the picture on my screen? It’s gone!"

I was wishing I had chosen to become a baker, about this time. After 40 minutes of trying to explain to my ole’ man what a mouse was, and how to use it, I had come to the same conclusion that he was muttering every five minutes.

I hate computers!

Actually, it’s more like a love/hate relationship. Always has been. But the experience I was having with the man that gave me life epitomizes what I love about my work, and why I chose to enter this field. I’m a teacher at heart, and find a tremendous amount of satisfaction when I can enlighten a person to the power of the PC, and the associated software and hardware that come with it.

Therein lays the ultimate objective of my IT quest – to help others become the master of these beasts that, in just one generation, have become the bedrock of our daily existence. Even that person that never uses a computer … uses one to log his or her hours at the end of the week, thus putting the bacon on the table.

This has been the case for me for quite some time, and is the impetus for my career change a couple of years back. I had been working in accounting for twenty years, and hating every minute of it. Because of my knowledge and understanding of computers, though, I always found myself performing dual roles.

It seemed that once others became aware I could build and fix computers, teach them about Windows and their software, and help them become more efficient at their own jobs, I was spending as much time performing IT and Desktop Support as I was the Month End Close.

Eventually, I was putting together networks, and teaching groups how to use them. So, I just quit. I pushed aside the 10-key and dedicated six months to getting my first 3 CompTIA certifications. Then I completed the cycle, and started working in IT. Now I have a couple of Microsoft certifications, and am focusing on my MCSA; this, to be followed up by the upgrade to Win2K8, CCNA and then MCSE. Ultimately, I hope to continue into the security side of this field.

I don’t desire to work in the corporate world, though, earning 6-figures. I can live comfortably on half that amount. No, I hope to fill the gap for the small business owner, the sole proprietor … the woman that owns her own floral shop, and the guy that has his own landscaping business. These are the folks that spend all their time and energy following their own dream, their own vision, and their own passion. And they don’t have the time, or the budget, for an IT department.

I believe in these people. They’re the bedrock of every community. Sure, the big corporations employ a lot of people, but the small businesses are the lifeblood of our towns and our cultures. My desire is to offer them the same level of professional expertise that the corporations can afford, but in a way that is well within their own budgets and incomes.

It’s so much more personal, too. Who knows, maybe I’ll be paid with a nice bouquet of flowers, and a backyard waterfall to enjoy the fragrance and sunset.

Well, my Pops … he just called me back again. It seems his taskbar is now on the right side of his screen. And that "typewriter" of his, it keeps putting out Chinese letters.

1400 miles away, and I’ve got to log onto his PC and fix the mess … while he watches Tiger play his greatest tournament. I’m so glad I took a week off from work!

Admit it, though. We love coming to the rescue, don’t we? C’mon … Admit it!

Hey! It’s why I do what I do.

…

R. Louis Costley III (MCP, MCDST, A+, Network+, Security+) recently relocated back to New Mexico from Nashville, Tennessee where he worked for one of the top PC manufacturers in the world. Currently Louis works as a Contractor Associate for a Computer Services company whose main focus is the small and medium business community in Albuquerque.

He’s also working on a motion picture project called Damascus Road, of which he also authored the screenplay. Louis is a multitalented individual — an IT professional, a writer and a musician. He’s published a novel as well as released a soundtrack demo CD, both entitled "Damascus Road".

Here’s Trip (as his friends like to call him) behind his drum set.