so yah I picked up the MCSE ‘training kit’ off amazon last week. actually it was a hell of a deal compared to what the book store sells it for.. 80 some bucks compared to 200?! hell yah.

I’m pretty anti-microsoft. I have been ever since I discovered linux about 7 years ago, then in the last year become a mac addict. yah I’m not a big fan of microsoft.. but I guess its one of those if you can’t beat em join em situations.

linux isn’t a very popular platform around here as far as local IT solutions go, so my experience in that field means shit. there are a couple different firms I’d like to work at but a microsoft cert is pretty much a requirement. practically the only one.

lucky for me I already have plenty of experience with group policies, etc from setting up/administering *nix servers. which at the time was not a user friendly experience so you had to know what you were doing. I understand now its gotten much easier. just about everything can be done through a gui.

so I’m pretty far into the first of four books and I’m not scratching my head yet. its all very familiar. I am however learning a lot about what the system can do and I gota say.. I am a little impressed.

after this I’ll get back to my CCNA studies. after after getting into the MSCE book a little and after reading a good portion of my CCNA study guides I’m thinking MCSE should maybe be a pre-req for the CCNA. for instance CCNA talks about setting up things like domain controllers. now the DC could come in a few different forms, and the platform is going to be different in many cases also. perhaps they start on the assumption that you know how to configure a domain controller before you configure your routing equipment.

all I’m saying is before you can route your equipment you need to first know your equipment. you know? your going to have to configure static information into your server, configure local firewalls and forwarding, etc etc. before/while/after you hook up your routers.

I just don’t remember anywhere in the CCNA introduction where it said you should have a firm knowledge of server platforms. I’m not complaining because I think it’ll be a problem for me. I’m acting more like someone who has no previous knowledge of these things. they might pass the CCNA but be fucking useless in the field because they don’t know how to do anything else but set up the routing equip.

ok well.. a simple rant about myself because a long rant about other non-sense.