Being in line with IT ways of counting I’m numbering this series of posts starting from 0. As you may already know from I decided to upgrade my Windows client certification to Windows 8.1 and to Windows 10 afterwards leveraging .
As I’m eligible for upgrade track I’ve already scheduled my 70-689 exam.
If you are starting fresh with Windows client certification you have to pass 2 exams to obtain MCSA Windows 8: 70-687 (Configuring Windows 8.1) and 70-688 (Supporting Windows 8.1), 70-689 upgrade path combines topics from both of the previous exam leaving out some which person previously certified on Windows 7 should know very well and where changes are not as drastic, namely: Configure network connectivity, Configure access to resources and Monitor and Maintain Windows Clients domains which are included in 70-687 are not included in 70-689, but all other domains from 687 & 688 are included and almost all weighted equally in case of 70-689 exam:
So for those who starts fresh there are 2 exams: one covering configuration domain and other covering support domain whereas upgrade path offers composite exam. In a way it is similar to route for CCNA certification you may take ICND1 and ICND2 or go for composite CCNA exam with that difference that 70-689 composite exam is not available for people starting from scratch with their certification.
Detailed drop down of topics covered by 70-689 exam looks as follows:
(1) Install and upgrade to Windows 8.1 (25–30%)
Evaluate hardware readiness and compatibility
– Choose between an upgrade and a clean installation; determine which SKU to use, including Windows RT; determine requirements for particular features, including Hyper-V, display, pervasive device encryption, virtual smart cards, and Secure Boot
Install Windows 8.1 – Install as Windows To Go, migrate from previous versions of Windows to Windows 8.1, upgrade from Windows 7 or Windows 8 to Windows 8.1, install to VHD, install additional Windows features, configure Windows for additional languages
Migrate and configure user data – Migrate user profiles; configure folder location; configure profiles, including profile version, local, roaming, and mandatory
Preparation resources:
(2) Configure hardware and applications (25–30%)
Install and configure desktop apps and Windows Store apps – Install and repair applications by using Windows Installer, configure default program settings, modify file associations, manage access to Windows Store
Configure Hyper-V – Create and configure virtual machines, including integration services; create and manage checkpoints; create and configure virtual switches; create and configure virtual disks; move a virtual machine’s storage
Preparation resources
(3) Configure remote access and mobility (20–25%)
Configure mobility options – Configure offline file policies, configure power policies, configure Windows To Go, configure sync options, configure WiFi direct
Configure security for mobile devices – Configure BitLocker and BitLocker To Go, configure startup key storage
Preparation resources
(4) Configure system and data recovery options (25–30%)
Configure system recovery – Configure a recovery drive, configure system restore, perform a refresh or recycle, perform a driver rollback, configure restore points
Preparation resources
(5) Support operating system and application installation (25–30%)
Support operating system installation – Support Windows To Go; manage boot settings, including native virtual hard drive (VHD) and multiboot; manage desktop images; customize a Windows installation by using Windows Preinstallation Environment (PE)
Support desktop apps – Desktop app compatibility using Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT), including shims and compatibility database; desktop application co-existence using Hyper-V, RemoteApp, and App-V; installation and configuration of User Experience Virtualization (UE-V); deploy desktop apps by using Windows Intune
Support Windows Store and cloud apps – Install and manage software by using Office 365 and Windows Store apps; sideload apps by using Windows Intune; sideload apps into online and offline images; deep link apps by using Windows Intune; integrate Microsoft account, including personalization settings and Trusted PC
Preparation resources
(6) Maintain resource access (25–30%)
Support data storage – Distributed File System (DFS) client, including caching settings; storage spaces, including capacity and fault tolerance; optimizing data access by using BranchCache; OneDrive
Preparation resources
(7) Support Windows clients and devices (25–30%)
Support mobile devices – Support mobile device policies, including security policies, remote access, and remote wipe; support mobile access and data synchronization, including Work Folders and Sync Center; support broadband connectivity, including broadband tethering and metered networks; support Mobile Device Management by using Windows Intune, including Windows RT, Windows Phone 8, iOS, and Android
Support client compliance – Manage updates by using Windows Update and Windows Intune, including non-Microsoft updates; manage client security by using Windows Defender, Windows Intune Endpoint Protection, or Microsoft System Center 2012 Endpoint Protection; manage Internet Explorer 11 security; support Group Policy application, including Resultant Set of Policy (RSoP), policy processing, and Group Policy caching
Manage clients by using Windows Intune – Manage user and computer groups, configure monitoring and alerts, manage policies, manage remote computers
Preparation resources
Here is a list of other publicly available resources which may help you to prepare:
(strongly recommended)
Officially approved practice tests (those are not free of charge):
(69$ for 30 days online access / 99$ download)
(79$ for 30 days online access, 99$ for download)
(most expensive, 109$/139$)
I’m going to write number of post about all exam topics as a part of my preparation process – stay tuned