Exam 70-686:

Windows 7, Enterprise Desktop Administrator

Published:	November 20, 2009
Language(s):	English
Audience(s):	IT Professionals
Technology:	Windows 7
Type:	Proctored Exam

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Overview

Preparing for an Exam

The Microsoft Certification website and this preparation guide contain a variety of resources to help you prepare for an exam. Preparing for and Taking an Exam — FAQ provides answers to frequently asked questions about exam registration ,preparation ,scoring ,and policies , including:

The most effective way to prepare to take an exam.
The relationship between Microsoft training materials and exam content.
Microsoft policy concerning the incorporation of service pack and revision updates into exam content.
Exam question types and formats.
Exam time limits and number of questions asked.

We recommend that you review this preparation guide in its entirety and familiarize yourself with the FAQs and resources on the Microsoft Certification website before you schedule your exam.

Audience Profile

Candidates for this exam should have a minimum of three years of experience installing, configuring, and administering clients in a Windows networked environment and also have experience deploying operating systems and applications. Candidates should be familiar with the client administration capabilities of Windows Server and with management tools such as the System Center suite of products.

Credit Toward CertificationExam 70-686: Windows 7, Enterprise Desktop Administrator: counts as credit toward the following certification(s):

Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA): Windows 7
Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP): Enterprise Desktop Administrator 7

NOTE: The MCITP certification will be discontinued/unable to be earned as of January 31, 2014. The certification will remain on the transcript for those that earn the certification prior to January 31, 2004

Note This preparation guide is subject to change at any time without prior notice and at the sole discretion of Microsoft. Microsoft exams might include adaptive testing technology and simulation items. Microsoft does not identify the format in which exams are presented. Please use this preparation guide to prepare for the exam, regardless of its format.

Skills Measured

Skills Being MeasuredThis exam measures your ability to accomplish the technical tasks listed below.The percentages indicate the relative weight of each major topic area on the exam.The higher the percentage, the more questions you are likely to see on that content area on the exam.

The information after “This objective may include but is not limited to” is intended to further define or scope the objective by describing the types of skills and topics that may be tested for the objective. However, it is not an exhaustive list of skills and topics that could be included on the exam for a given skill area. You may be tested on other skills and topics related to the objective that are not explicitly listed here.

Planning and Managing a Client Life Cycle Strategy (16%)

Plan and manage client licensing and activation.

This objective may include but is not limited to: applications and operating systems; activation method; KMS vs. MAK; prerequisites; choosing a SKU; licensing infrastructure; licensing compliance audits; inventory audits; virtualization licensing considerations; making recommendations for licensing strategy and compliance

Plan and manage software updates.

This objective may include but is not limited to: application updates and operating system updates; evaluating and approving software updates; enterprise applications; designing an update strategy; choosing an update tool; planning and deploying a service pack; schedule considerations; network considerations; test updates; auditing for security compliance

Plan and manage a physical hardware and virtualization strategy.

This objective may include but is not limited to: analyzing existing hardware environment; determining which systems meet minimum requirements; tradeoffs of physical vs. VDI environment; network load considerations; disk space; direct connection vs. brokered connection; determining a VHD strategy; choosing 32 bit vs. 64 bit

Designing a Standard Image (17%)

Design an image creation strategy.

This objective may include but is not limited to: identifying operating system and enterprise applications that will be included with the standard image; thick, thin, or hybrid; role-based or geographic-based images vs. single core image; image localization

Design a custom image.

This objective may include but is not limited to: identifying applications to be installed; identifying features and components to be enabled or disabled; testing the customized image

Define an image update strategy.

This objective may include but is not limited to: performance optimization; security considerations; efficiency; offline servicing vs. online or post-image updates; re-creating; recapturing

Designing Client Configurations (17%)

Design standard system settings.

This objective may include but is not limited to: choosing methods, including logon scripts, startup scripts, and Group Policy; designing profiles; designing error reporting; designing audit policy

Define client security standards.

This objective may include but is not limited to: application control policies; encryption; stopping unnecessary services; designing firewall rules; defining anti-malware settings; changes to Kerberos and NTLM; configuring user rights; defining UAC policy; designing a security template for system lockdown; defining account policies; designing security standards for removable storage

Define Windows Internet Explorer settings.

This objective may include but is not limited to: defining security zones; cache location; branding; in-private mode; restricting or allowing plug-ins; add-ons; privacy policy; browser protected mode

Designing a Windows 7 Client Deployment (15%)

Analyze the environment and choose appropriate deployment methods.

This objective may include but is not limited to: building the infrastructure; advantages of lite-touch vs. zero-touch vs. local install; capacity and scale considerations; determining required changes to the infrastructure

Design a lite-touch deployment strategy.

This objective may include but is not limited to: unicast vs. multicast; auto-cast vs. scheduled-cast; staggered deployment; scheduling considerations; network load considerations; choosing a client boot method for deployment; unattended answer files; restricting who can receive images; choosing a delivery mechanism

Design a zero-touch deployment strategy.

This objective may include but is not limited to: designing and configuring task sequencing; unattended answer files; scheduling considerations; staggered deployment; network load considerations; restricting who can receive images

Design a user state migration strategy.

This objective may include but is not limited to: determining which user data and settings to preserve; local vs. remote storage considerations; determining mitigation plan for non-migrated applications; securing migrated data; testing designed strategy; wipe-and-load migration vs. side-by-side migration

Designing Application Packages for Deployment (17%)

Design a delivery or deployment strategy.

This objective may include but is not limited to: auditing for prerequisites and minimum requirements; choosing a deployment method such as virtualized, Remote Desktop Services, Group Policy, or software distribution; server-based or client-based install; scheduling considerations; staggered deployment; network considerations; package creation standards

Manage application compatibility.

This objective may include but is not limited to: testing incompatibility; choosing a method for resolving incompatibility, such as upgrading, Remote Desktop Services, shim, or VDI; auditing incompatible software

Identifying and Resolving Deployment and Client Configuration Issues (19%)

Identify and resolve Internet Explorer issues.

This objective may include but is not limited to: security zones; Web applications; advanced settings; Group Policy restrictions; certificates

Identify and resolve Group Policy issues.

This objective may include but is not limited to: delegation; inheritance; policies are not effective; blocking; permissions; loopback processing; user vs. computer settings; filtering; performance

Identify and resolve networking issues.

This objective may include but is not limited to: wireless; remote access; VPN; certificates; performance; IP communication; Windows Firewall

Identify and resolve authentication and authorization issues.

This objective may include but is not limited to: user rights; distinguishing between client-based and server-based issues; time synchronization (Kerberos)

Preparation Materials

Preparation Tools and ResourcesTo help you prepare for this exam, Microsoft Learning recommends that you have hands-on experience with the product and that you use the following training resources. These training resources do not necessarily cover all of the topics listed in the "Skills Measured" tab.

Learning Plans and Classroom Training

6294A: Planning and Managing Windows 7 Desktop Deployments and Environments (5 Days)

Microsoft E-Learning

6294AE: Planning and Managing Windows 7 Desktop Deployments and Environments (20 Hours)

Microsoft Press Books

MCITP Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-686): Windows 7 Enterprise Desktop Administrator

Practice Tests

MeasureUp(Measureup.com)

Microsoft Online Resources

TechNet: Designed for IT professionals, this site includes how-to instructions, best practices, downloads, technical resources, newsgroups, and chats.
MSDN: Designed for developers, the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) features code samples, technical articles, downloads, newsgroups, and chats.
Microsoft Learning Community: Join newsgroups and visit community forums to connect with your peers for suggestions on training resources and advice on your certification path and studies.

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