How to become a quality Server technician?

[Bad Sir Culation]

I want to step up from Desktop Support into a more server oriented role. A friend of mine does server installations, firewall config, router setup etc. and his job always sounds like exactly what I want. Asking him what I should be trying to learn is never very fruitful, however.

I'm just about to get my MCITP Enterprise Desktop Support Technician qualification when I do my next exam, and was thinking about moving onto the exams for the Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Administrator next:

http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/certificat...

Would this be a good move? If I could get the MCITP Enterprise Administrator in the next 6 months I think I'd be in a way better position than I am now, but then where do I go? I feel like i need to know more about firewall config/routers etc. and I hear people at work mentioning access lists a lot. I am 29 now so lagging behind a few younger people but I'd really like to press on with my career. I'm sick of earning bottom-of-the-ladder money. I can't currently see how I'll ever get to £25-£27k, let alone £30k+

I ask a lot of questions of the higher up guys at work, but I only ever get a very brief answer and don't generally learn much from it.

[Bad Sir Culation]

Just realise this should probably have gone into the employment section. Or maybe not? Up to you, mods!

[TurricanII]

Do server type jobs ever come up at your place of work? If not then unfortunately you might be looking at changing your employer. If you perform well at Desktop Support then many employers would keep you in that role until you die or quit!

My recent posts about working for an IT service provider company as opposed to working in house are relevant to you - you can get in at the deep end when working for an IT service provider.

I would ask the server team at your place if you can shadow them while they work, especially on any weekend server upgrades etc. - though I would not expect to be paid for the time spent. You might be able to tell your employer about your plans to get server certified, and they may let you shadow the server team regularly during normal hours. Try and get genuinely friendly with a clever server bod, they will probably go out of their way to explain stuff to you.

All the while you should be practicing the same stuff you see, at home with trial server software from Microsoft. Years ago you could subscribe to Technet to receive the demo software on DVD - you can probably just download it now.

Watch Microsoft technet webcasts. These are videos of servers being configured with narration from Microsoft staff on what settings to change and why. Straight from the horses mouth.

And then I would try to start helping the server team by asking "Do you mind if I install the OS on that for you?", "Do you mind if I run dcpromo on that server with you?", can I configure the backup on that.. Can I create a test mailbox and play with the server side email forwarding/permissions?

Set up a complete home server with DHCP server, DNS resolution, data shares, permissions , group policies, packaged software deployment, backup, etc. etc. When you get stuck, Google your problem.

If you can not move internally then your ultimate goal may be to try and get into a small IT service prover company - and quickly grasp every opportunity to use your server skills and do not sink into doing the basic jobs you are comfortable with.

Whilst learnig on the job, NEVER risk your client's data. Always consider the impact of a serious screw up. Always have a verified backup and test in a trial environment where possible.

[lestag]

Look at the "MCITP: Server Administrator on Windows Server 2008" cert
It will get you a suitable qualification quicker.
Look at this thread
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Cheap way to get a server at home (140 quid). I run one with additional 8gb ram (100 quid), 4x 2TB drives (100 quid each) (no raid as the raid controller is crap on it) and ESX server4.1 (free) booting off a USB stick. I download the evaluation ISOs from MS for windows server win7 etc

I enable remote administration via RDS as the ESX console is too slow

[Bad Sir Culation]

lestag said:

Look at the "MCITP: Server Administrator on Windows Server 2008" cert
It will get you a suitable qualification quicker.
Look at this thread
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Cheap way to get a server at home (140 quid). I run one with additional 8gb ram (100 quid), 4x 2TB drives (100 quid each) (no raid as the raid controller is crap on it) and ESX server4.1 (free) booting off a USB stick. I download the evaluation ISOs from MS for windows server win7 etc

I enable remote administration via RDS as the ESX console is too slow

MCITP Enterprise Server Administrator on Windows Server 2008 is what I plan to do next after this next Windows 7 exam. I'm hoping it will teach me a large chunk of what I need to know. I have actually done an exam in Configuring Exchange 2007, but have never had much chance to use that, besides setting up new mailboxes, changing permissions, changing size limits and so on.

I'd buy that cheap server if I wasn't so skint. I do actually have an old HP Proliant at home though, that will do for now. It's only a single core Xeon, but it doesn't need to be too meaty to play with does it?

Where I work now, I will probably always be in the same position, as there's a small team and nobody will leave. It's a bit of a dilemma, as 1. I have only been here about 8 months, so need to give it at least another 4 months before even considering moving anywhere, 2. They gave me a chance when I was out of work, and I want to fully repay this, and 3. It's the best job I have ever had in terms of actually enjoying it and liking the atmosphere, and people I work with. After doing a couple of stty jobs in the past, with very stuck up their own arses 3rd line/Server techs, this place has been a godsend.

So yeah, a dilemma indeed.

[Bullett]

Get into and understand virtualisation, VMware, Cisco UCS etc. Yes, the OS layers on top but dedicated hardware servers are on the way out, nothing I have done in the last 6 months has gone on to dedicated boxes if at all possible.