MCSE Studying - Week 12

Overview
I have completed week twelve of studying for my MCSE exams. With it still being quite hectic, I decided to focus on the KnowledgeNet courses this past week. I finished sessions 3 & 4 of the 70-411 Live Learning course from KnowledgeNet. I did, however, take time to listen to the PowerScripting Podcast episodes 277 & 278.

Cool Stuff
The cool stuff learned this past week was not specifically from a course, but did require quite a lot of research and testing in order to get it to work right. I had to figure out how to setup a Windows Server 2012 R2 PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) with a Standalone Root CA (Certificate Authority) and an Enterprise Issuing CA. The biggest hurdle came when trying to import the certificate for the Issuing CAs from the Root CA. An error was generated that indicated that the Issuing CA could not contact the CRL (Certificate Revocation List) for the Root CA. The key  to solving this problem was in this TechNet article, that detailed how to import the CRL and root certificate into Active Directory. It was very cool to see that certificate import without an error after correctly configuring the environment.

Stats
Total time studying: 10 hrs. 15 min.

• Exam 70-411: 6 hrs. 5 min.
• Certificate Services (70-412): ~2 hrs.
• PowerShell: 2 hrs. 10 min.

Resources used:
KnowledgeNet Live Learning Course: Administering Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2

TechNet Article - AD CS Step by Step Guide: Two Tier PKI Hierarchy Deployment 
PowerScripting Podcast - Episodes 267 & 278

In Closing
Once again, it was nice to be able to apply some of my recent training to real world problems. Studying is still progressing at a slow, but steady pace, which is definitely better than it coming to a screeching halt. Learning to balance my study time with home life and work has been as important as learning how to configure a DNS server.

I am also taking advantage of the broader IT community to enhance my skills. I have an opportunity this upcoming Friday to attend a short one hour study session with a couple of mentors and some other students that are also taking the 70-410 exam. I am really looking forward to that!


Have a great week everyone!