Customer Reviews

MCTS Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-652): Configuring Windows Server® Virtualization

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The team of Danielle and Nelson Ruest have written another fine book. Not only does it cover the material for the Microsoft 70-652 Windows Server Virtualization, Configuring exam (why didn't MS title this exam `Hyper-V', which is what it is all about???), but it also covers the material you need to take and pass the related Microsoft 70-403 System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM)exam as well. I used the book to help me learn the material, and passed both of the tests without a hitch. You will absolutely need to set yourself up a Hyper-V lab environment and then add SCVMM to it, as this material is too complex to actually master without much practice and experimentation. You should know that Hyper-V requires that you have a server with one or more 64 bit processors with both hardware virtualization and DEP support (be careful here, since not all 64 bit chips support hardware virtualization) and at least 8 gb of RAM to perform adequately, which is a bit more than many people have in their home lab. This is money well spent however, as all of the Microsoft server products going forward seem to require 64 bit processor support. The book is of moderate length (at least as 'geek' books go these days), and is highly readable. It even covers new features that came out with Windows Server 2008 R2, which means that it will be up-to-date for quite some time. It covers the theory, architecture and 'click, click, finish' material you need learn to use these products successfully in the real world. I found the case study style exercises in each chapter to be of particular merit. My hat is off to the author team for writing yet another wonderful book.

Just wanted to let readers know this Training Kit covers not only the 70-652 exam on Windows Server Virtualization (including practice tests), but also includes prep material for exam 70-403 on System Center Virtual Machine Manager, plus Hyper-V R2 content. Nelson and Danielle did an amazing job in making this book an exceptionally good value!

I found the book a bit long winded. As another reviewer noted, it sometimes overkills a subject from all angles. This in itself is not a bad thing for a reference. However, for use on a training kit for preparation to take a Microsoft Exam, not exactly what I was looking for.

The biggest disappointment for me was that it does not differentiate the Practice Exam off the CD between the two different exams it covers. Although it does attempt to provide an outline at the beginning of the book saying what areas are good for each exam. I don't plan to take the 70-403 exam. However, I might consider it seeing as I had to absorb all the knowledge instead of just that of 70-652 for that Practice Exam to even be worth the CD it was burned on.

How much more effort could it have been to separate the two exams into another "Cusom Mode" option on the Practice Test CD? Perhaps it is only questions based on just 70-652 exam as it describes it on the CD. Although I sincerely doubt that based on the 199 available question it polls 45 default questions from each time.

Hi I have got this book and have been reading it for two months now and have also setup a hyper-v and vmm test lab. This book ultimately lives or dies based on how relevant it is to the exam. Well I took both exams today and passed them both. I must say that this book is exceptional, it covers a lot of material and it includes an exam discount voucher as well as testing software. This type of software normally costs anywhere from $50 to $125. So you are getting an amazing deal here. I have used other MS Press self paced books in the past for MS exams and have found them to be great for learning and passing the exams. This has been a great experience as I really knew nothing about this topic, unlike some of the others where you have a lot of knowledge coming into the subject. If you don't want to do an exam, I would still recommend it, because it shows you step by step how to setup your lab and what things to practice so you can learn the product. I don't think any other book out there is as focused on that . Also if I did not say so, this covers two exams and again is even a better deal when you see how much you get for very little cost. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

I'm usually skeptical of Microsoft Press training kits because of past experiences, it is rare to find a training kit that covers each exam objective as well as this book does. I purchased this book to help me pass both 70-652 and 70-403 Microsoft exams which scores well over the passing score of 700! I have about 6 months of Hyper-V experience and wanted a book that would cover more of what was on the exams and help me fill in the gaps. The lessons and information in the book was right on, the book covers each objective for the test and it was the only resource I used for study for the 70-652 exam. I found that I needed more information on System Center Virtualization Manager so I purchased the Sybex book Mastering Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2 for additional reference material. The exam tips that are sprinkled throughout the book are excellent and helped focus my study efforts. I used the electronic book on the CD primarily as a search tool and it is nice to have since I like to travel light. The CD also contains a sample test with about 180 questions which helped me get in the right frame of mind for the real test.

This book covers the Virtualization content required to learn the Microsoft Virtualization Environment and be Productive within this Environment. This book covers the 70-652 and 70-403 exams very well and this book as been a huge benefit in sitting these exams back in 2009. With the coverage this book offers on new exams 70-669 and 70-693 I am finding that a lot of the information is covered but additional resources are needed for these papers. This is not unexpected though, considering this book was released almost 1 year before these exams were written and made available. Great book and one of the best MSPress study guides I have used. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a career with MS Server 2008, not just people looking to get into MS Virtualization. A must read for all MCITP's.

I could not give this book less than 5 stars. The book is Great, yes it is really Great. There are 625 pages of practical knowledge and best practices. This book will bring very good experience and knowledge to your portfolio. Don't even think, get it, read it and be confident you are ready to accept the challanges.
Krumov, Bulgaria

This was by far one of the <ahem> funnest exam preparation books I have ever read. I used it for the 70-652 cert along with the Hyper-V Insiders Guide and passed. The book is concise, (fun) and for the first time that I can recall actually prepared me for the test. The kit calls for 2 x64 computers w/4GB of RAM but I was able to use one with 8GB and an Intel Duo Core 3.00GHZ without a problem. For the most part... What I liked the most about this particular book is that each chapter built upon the previous chapter - yes you can say that that's standard with 90+% tech to learn books, but this one does it better IMO. Not only does it prep (you) for the test but I was able to put most of what I learned to use in my job. I will be using this book to further prep for the 70-403 exam - which means I will go over a few of the scenarios again and again... Had an instructor (CCNA) who used to say; "time versus material equals knowledge." At the time I thought he was being smug (and he very well may have been!)however he was right... Here's a gee whiz link for 70-403-->[...]

As much as I hate to say this (type), this has become my newest bathroom book!!! Many thanks to the authors!!!!!

The technical information is there and appears to be be accurate and up to date. The usual exam tips are there too.

However the style of authors is overly verbose and bordering sometimes on the pompous. The authors clearly don't believe in being succinct, when they can ramble on over several pages. Maybe they were working towards a page count target.

There is a skill in looking at a topic and being able to tease out all the important, essential points and explain them clearly. Being to the point. Remaining focused. Not just waffling on and on and on over pages and pages and pages. Repeatedly saying the same thing or explaining it in a long, roundabout, sort of way. There is also such a thing as robust editing. So, on the whole, not wishing to labor the point, but looking at it from every side, and without wanting to put too fine a point on it, and at the risk of repeating myself .... Well, you get my drift, I think.