Microsoft has released information for exam 70-660, TS: Windows Internals.  This might be an odd sounding title to anyone who has never heard of Mark Russinovich or Sysinternals.  From the MS Learning site:

 

This exam validates deep technical skills in the area of Windows Internals. Including troubleshooting operating systems that are not performing as expected or applications that are not working correctly, identifying code defects, and developing and debugging applications that run unmanaged code or that are tightly integrated with the operating system, such as Microsoft SQL Server, third party applications, antivirus software, and device drivers.

If that makes little sense take a look at Mark’s blog on Technet and you’ll see the type and depth of content they are talking about.

 

Candidates for this exam are engineers, developers, or IT staff who work with Windows at a level that requires Windows Internals knowledge. Candidates for this exam are typically in the upper echelon of the technical staff at their companies. These individuals typically hold such positions as escalation engineer, technical lead, and software design engineer. Their level of knowledge spans products both inside and outside the Microsoft Corporation.  These individuals are involved in resolving problems that require deep understanding of Windows Internals rather than problems about planning and infrastructure development or how to use or configure a product that runs on Windows.

Sounds like a pretty tough exam, and the preparation looks even tougher.  Though the exam is (apparently) available from October 10th this year, currently the preparation materials listed are as follows:

• 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.

So that makes preparing for a tough exam pretty difficult.  But its a pretty safe bet that the exam is going to cover the topics listed in Mark’s two books, Windows Internals 4th Edition (for 2000, XP, and 2003) and Windows Internals 5th Edition (for Vista and 2008).

This morning I sat the Microsoft certification exam 70-350 for ISA Server 2004.  I’d been putting this one off for a while, having already worked through the Microsoft Press training guide, a lot of whitepapers, and worked with the product for a lot of different customers over the last couple of years.  I passed the exam with plenty of room to spare.

Someone gave me the tip that the exam is not particularly difficult.  I tend to agree, but that would largely have to do with all of the work and study I’ve put into it beforehand.  ISA Server 2004 is a great product, and the new versions are excellent too.  The biggest hurdles in understanding it seem to be early on when you first start using it.

If you’re looking to do some training on ISA Server 2004 with the goal of certifying then I would strongly recommend the Microsoft Press training guide.  The books contents will thoroughly prepare you for the exam provided you work through the material properly and don’t skimp on the practical exercises or review questions.

You can also make use of the extensive ISA 2004 Technical Library on the Microsoft website.  The documentation there could be used for all of your training instead of using the training guide, but won’t take you through the subject in the same fashion.  However it does make for excellent complimentary material for your training and for your real world work with the product.

I would give you tips on which areas to focus on but really the exam questions I faced pretty well broadly covered the entire product.  There was no particular areas to focus on to the exclusion of others.  I would certainly recommend though that you do not sit the exam until you are thoroughly familiar with fundamental networking concepts such as subnetting and routing, and with the ISA Server 2004 networking model.

Secrets and Lies: Digital Security in a Networked World is written by the internationally renowned security expert Bruce Schneier.  Bruce has authored several books on security and this one is a fascinating read that is sure to open your mind up to new ways of thinking about security in everyday business matters.  This book has definitely had a positive impact on the way I approach security in my daily work.  I feel it has opened up more potential for my career and has made some aspects of my job much more interesting and challenging.

You can read more about the book here.

# Secrets and Lies: Digital Security in a Networked World
# Hardcover: 432 pages
# Publisher: John Wiley & Sons; 1 edition (August 14, 2000)
# ISBN: 0471253111

Protect Your Windows Network: From Perimeter to Data is written by two of Microsoft’s top security personnel - Jesper Johansson and Steve Riley.  Note that Jesper has left Microsoft for a new security role at Amazon.com.  I have been in the audience when both of these guys have presented and they always deliver a captivating and entertaining performance.  This book is no different - as someone who works in the Microsoft space I had a few eye-opening experiences in this book and loaded myself up with plenty of ammo to take into the workplace.

# Protect Your Windows Network: From Perimeter to Data
# Paperback: 608 pages
# Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional; Bk&CD-Rom edition (May 20, 2005)
# ISBN: 0321336437

If security interests you then these books make a great starting point, much better than just diving in with a hardening guide or technical whitepaper.