News
New MCP Titles Highlight Exchange Expertise
Microsoft adds two new specialist titles to its MCSA/MCSE tracks, follows up with some details on two new Exchange 2003-based exams.
Microsoft this morning announced new specialist titles, MCSA: Messaging
and MCSE: Messaging, for the systems administrator and systems engineer
certifications. The titles are aimed at certification candidates who seek
a title that denotes skills in planning and administering a messaging
system based on Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server and Exchange Server 2003,
the company's newest messaging software system that will be officially
released mid-October.
Both Exchange 2000 Server and Exchange Server 2003 versions of the MCSA:
Messaging specialist titles require four exams:
MCSA:
Messaging on
Windows 2000 |
|
Core: Client (1 required)
|
-
70-210, Installing, Configuring,
and Administering Windows 2000 Professional
or
-
70-270, Installing, Configuring,
and Administering Windows XP Professional
|
Core: Networking Systems
(2 required) |
-
70-215, Installing, Configuring,
and Administering Windows 2000 Server
-
70–218, Managing a Windows
2000 Network Environment
|
Messaging Specialization
(1 required) |
-
70-224, Installing, Configuring,
and Administering Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server
or
-
70-284, Implementing and Managing
Exchange Server 2003
|
|
|
MCSA:
Messaging on
Windows 2003 |
|
Core: Client (1 required)
|
-
70-210, Installing, Configuring,
and Administering Windows 2000 Professional
or
-
70-270, Installing, Configuring,
and Administering Windows XP Professional
|
Core: Networking Systems
(2 required) |
-
70-290, Managing and Maintaining a Windows
Server 2003 Environment
-
70-291, Implementing, Managing,
and Maintaining a
Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure
|
Messaging Specialization
(1 required) |
-
70-284, Implementing and Managing
Exchange Server 2003
or
-
70-285, Designing a Exchange
Server 2003 Organization
|
|
|
Both versions of the MCSE: Messaging specialist titles requires six exams,
but the Windows 2000 version lists two pairs of exams that can be used
to fulfill the messaging specialization component:
MCSE:
Messaging on
Windows 2000 |
|
Core: Client (1 required)
|
-
70-210, Installing, Configuring,
and Administering Windows 2000 Professional
or
-
70-270, Installing, Configuring,
and Administering Windows XP Professional
|
Core: Networking Systems
(3 required) |
-
70-215, Installing, Configuring,
and Administering Windows 2000 Server
-
70–216, Implementing and Administering
a Windows 2000 Network Infrastructure
-
70–217, Managing a Windows
2000 Network Environment
|
| Core: Design (1 required) |
- 70-219, Designing a Windows 2000 Directory Services
Infrastructure
or
- 70-220, Designing Security for a Windows 2000 Network
or
- 70-221, Designing a Windows 2000 Directory Services
Infrastructure
or
- 70-226, Designing a Windows 2000 Directory Services
Infrastructure
or
- 70-297, Windows Server 2003 Active Directory and
Network Infrastructure
or
- 70-298, Designing Security for a Windows Server
2003 Network
|
Messaging Specialization
(2 required) |
-
70-224, Installing, Configuring,
and Administering Exchange 2000 Server
and
-
70-225, Designing and Deploying
a Messaging Infrastructure with Exchange 2000 Server
or
-
70-284, Implementing and
Managing Exchange Server 2003
and
-
70-285, Designing a Exchange
Server 2003 Organization
|
|
|
MCSE:
Messaging on
Windows 2003 |
|
Core: Client (1 required)
|
-
70-210, Installing, Configuring,
and Administering Windows 2000 Professional
or
-
70-270, Installing, Configuring,
and Administering Windows XP Professional
|
Core: Networking Systems
(4 required) |
-
70-290, Managing and Maintaining a Windows
Server 2003 Environment
-
70-291, Implementing, Managing,
and Maintaining a
Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure
-
70-293, Planning and Maintaining
a Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure
-
70-294, Planning, Implementing,
and Maintaining a Windows Server 2003 Active Directory
Infrastructure
|
| Core: Design (1 required) |
- 70-297, Windows Server 2003 Active Directory and
Network Infrastructure
or
- 70-298, Designing Security for a Windows Server
2003 Network
|
Messaging Specialization
(2 required) |
-
70-284, Implementing and Managing
Exchange Server 2003
-
70-285, Designing a Exchange
Server 2003 Organization
|
|
|
With those new titles come two new Exchange 2003 exams: 70-284, Implementing
and Managing Microsoft Exchange Server 2003, and 70-285, Designing a Microsoft
Exchange Server 2003 Organization. Exam 70-284 isn't new; Microsoft added
the title to the MCSA on Windows 2003 requirements page sans detail back
in July (see "First Exchange Server 2003 Exam Announced" in
the News archive or click
here to read more). Both exams fulfill what Microsoft calls
"prescribed"
paths for the new titles, but are also electives on the general MCSA/MCSE
tracks.
According to an updated FAQ (click
here) on the specializations, Microsoft will officially recognize
current titleholders who have already fulfilled the requirements for the
messaging specialist titles, but the company was unable to provide comment
in time for this writing.
The messaging specializations make up the second batch of titles that
Microsoft has created specifically for its core sysadmin/systems engineer
audience. In June, Microsoft announced the first of its specialist titles
for Windows 2000, MCSA: Security and MCSE: Security (see "Certifying
Your Security Expertise" in News or click
here). In conjunction with the announcement of the Exchange
specialist titles, Microsoft also has released details on Windows 2003
versions of the security specialist titles (click here to read it).
To look at the detailed requirements guide on Microsoft's MCP site, click
on the following links:
To read the exam objectives guide for 70-284, click
here; a 70-285 guide was unavailable as of this announcement.