Exam 74-679:

Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Hosted Environments, Configuring and Managing

Published:May 05, 2009
Language(s):English
Audience(s):IT Professionals
Technology:Windows Server 2008
Type:Proctored Exam

How To Get It: Schedule your exam through the following exam provider:

Take exam

Show all itemsHide all items
Preparing for an Exam
This exam is scheduled to retire on July 31, 2013.
 
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.
Exam Topics CoveredThis exam validates the skills of IT professionals who have familiarity with operational best practices such as those described in the Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF) or Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL). Candidates can configure and manage: IIS, AD, storage, Network/security infrastructures, Win2008, Multiple web sites, managed and unmanaged servers, static and dynamic web sites, automate administrative tasks.
Audience Profile
Candidates for this exam include IT professionals who have two or more years of experience in managing a Windows-based network in addition to at least 12 to 18 months of hosting experience.  Candidates should be familiar with different types of hosting, including shared, dedicated, and virtual hosting. Candidates should be able to:
  • Configure and manage Microsoft Windows Server 2008
  • Configure and manage IIS 7.0
  • Configure and manage storage
  • Configure and manage security
  • Load balance servers
  • Automate administrative tasks
Additionally, candidates should have a basic understanding of Active Directory, TCP/IP networks, SQL Server administration, and Windows SharePoint Services.
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 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.
Provisioning and Configuring a Server (23 percent)
  • Deploy a server.
    • This objective may include but is not limited to: create a server image; choosing a deployment method; automate server build; installing server roles, role services, and features; deploying virtual servers; deploying virtual hosts; configure HTTP.sys for a hosted environment; server deployment tools such as Windows Deployment Services (WDS), the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT), and the Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK)
  • Configure server security.
    • This objective may include but is not limited to: system hardening; allow third-party application access; enabling exceptions; configure appropriate ports in a firewall; Security Configuration Wizard; IPSec; URLscan; Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA)
  • Configure IIS default settings.
    • This objective may include but is not limited to: determine default IIS modules/packages; caching; implement application pool and site defaults; set up feature delegation; configure logging; enabling remote management; SMTP
  • Configure IIS for applications.
    • This objective may include but is not limited to: ASP; ASP.NET; Fast CGI; FTP 7; ISAPI; PHP; ASP.NET trust levels
Creating and Configuring Hosting Services (27 percent)
  • Provision a Web site
    • This objective may include but is not limited to: create accounts in Active Directory; prepare file system; create and configure an application pool in IIS; create and configure Web site in IIS; delegate administration
  • Create and configure a database.
    • This objective may include but is not limited to: Microsoft SQL Server databases; ASP.NET integration; testing connectivity; database security
  • Configure site security.
    • This objective may include but is not limited to: view and modify NTFS permissions; configure authentication for Web site directory; SSL certificate generation and install; SSL certificate export and import to migrate to another server; database protection
  • Configure publishing services.
    • This objective may include but is not limited to: Microsoft FTP Publishing Service for IIS 7.0; Microsoft WebDAV Extension for IIS 7.0; FrontPage Server Extensions (FPSE)
  • Configure Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services.
    • This objective may include but is not limited to: choose between host header and subfolder mode; Active Directory account creation mode; move to multiple site content databases
Managing a Hosting Infrastructure (26 percent)
  • Configure Active Directory.
    • This objective may include but is not limited to: add a domain controller to an AD domain; configure and modify AD users and groups; configure group policy; design an organizational unit (OU) structure
  • Manage virtual servers.
    • This objective may include but is not limited to: manage and create virtual machines; configure virtual network; Hyper-V Manager vs. System Center Virtual Machine Manager; manage virtual machine snapshots
  • Manage updates.
    • This objective may include but is not limited to: Windows Software Update Services; download locally vs. centralized deployment; reporting; scheduling; approval of updates
  • Configure storage.
    • his objective may include but is not limited to: local storage; Storage Area Network (SAN); Network Attached Storage (NAS); centralized content; creating a DFS namespace; create and configure FSRM quotas; content replication
  • Configure high availability technologies.
    • This objective may include but is not limited to: network load balancing; failover clustering; server farms; design a DFS path to ensure availability of a UNC share; replicate or back up content by using DFSR; validation and decryption machine keys
Monitoring and Maintaining a Hosted Environment (26 percent)
  • Manage backup and restore.
    • This objective may include but is not limited to: shared vs. dedicated; IIS configuration; SQL; system state; content backup; restore from backup
  • Monitor Web services.
    • This objective may include but is not limited to: monitor all relevant ports; monitor state of Windows services; configure remote error messages; configure failed request tracing; monitor Web site response times
  • Monitor resources.
    • This objective may include but is not limited to: measure baseline performance; disk space; memory usage; processor usage; disk IO; performance monitoring; application pool usage; monitor network connections; monitor server response times
  • Monitor security.
    • This objective may include but is not limited to: enable auditing; review event logs; review HTTP logs; review request filtering logs
  • Move services within hosted environments
    • This objective may include but is not limited to: migrate from Windows Server 2003; migrate from other platforms; move a site from a shared to a dedicated server; move user accounts to a new server; migrate content and configuration settings
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 There is no classroom training currently available.
Microsoft E-Learning There is no Microsoft E-Learning training currently available.
Microsoft Press Books There are no Microsoft Press books currently available.
Practice Tests There are no practice tests currently available.
Have Questions? For advice about training and certification, connect with peers: For questions about a specific certification, chat with a Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP): To find out about recommended blogs, Web sites, and upcoming Live Meetings on popular topics, visit our community site:
Exam index