Windows Scripting

How important is windows scripting esp. ADSI and WMI is in your routine
admin task and do think it should be cover on the exams (or maybe an
elective exam)?

 

I have been working all morning on extracting users from one forest and
creating exchange contacts in another forest for those users. We use csvde
for that, so it is very important for my job. csvde and ldidfe are great
tools for getting things done much quicker than you can do it by hand.
Knowing a little visual basic or other programming language doesn't hurt
either when the data needs massaged.

John R

 

Scripting paradigms will change with the release of Windows Server 2008. I
would think it difficult to build a case around the need and expense
justification of putting in development time now based on WMI/WSHCom when
next year we will be discussing scripting with Monad/Powershell extensions
surrounding Longhorn and its DC capabilities.

 

Admittedly, I know very little about Server 2008. However, I do know that
the question of scripting importance really depends on the shop you work at.
Those progressive shops that already have or are about to embrace Server
2008 will probably change as Wayne points out. Many non-progressive shops,
i.e. mine, will be on 2003 for a long time. Shoot, we didn't even move to
2003 until last year, and we moved from NT. I don't really see us moving to
2008 until at least 2011. Even if you do move to 2008, if you have an
environment where you help support your customer's networks, you have to
know how to do things quickly on their network, not necessarily yours. That
being said, I think if you are taking a test on 2000 or 2003 active
directory, being tested on scripting is appropriate. At least to the point
that you understand the basics such as the fact that csvde can use
comma-delimited files, etc. Because, sooner or later, in a 2000 or 2003
environment, it's going to help you when you need to automate creating 2 or
3 thousand objects at a time.

John R

 

While I understand and recognize the ongoing value to understand scripting at
a professional leve in most environments, I was actually responding more
specifically to the possibility of creating an exam for scripting on the 2003
platform. Given that 2008 is just around the corner (end of the calendar
year), the expense that goes along with developing an exam is just too great
to justify building a niche exam on an older platform when the main thrust of
certification development dollars right now are going to the new 2008 server
track and associated technologies and the updated developer tracks.

I absolutely agree with you on a technical basis that there is a lasting
value to understanding scripting itself and that MOST environments will not
even be thinking about moving to 2008 until 2009/2010 however in terms of
where Microsoft is going to be putting exam development dollars, I just have
a hard time seeing them go back to the 2003 track for scripting when they
could concentrate more specifically on an MCTS on the powershell platform.

 

Absolutely. I completely missed the OP alluding to an elective exam on
scripting. I agree with you whole-heartedly, it ain't gonna happen.

Microsoft (back in the NT days) used to have an exam that was just on
networking concepts. I forget the number. At any rate, it got to the point
where Microsoft dropped MCP status for passing that test. They said (and
this is loosely paraphrased at best) that passing that test did not really
demonstrate any particular knowledge of Microsoft products, and therefore it
didn't really qualify for MCP status. That really irked a lot of people,
especially those that took the time to pass it (read "pay for the test")
only to get absolutely no return on it, not even a pretty certificate of
appreciation. (One guy I work with passed it shortly after that decision,
only he didn't know about it until after he took the test).

To develop an entire test just on scripting, naw. Even if you created a
test with scripting, support tools, MBSA, ILM, etc and called it 'Supporting
the Windows Server and Network Environment', the utility of such an exam
probably would not be appreciated in the real world. MCSAs and MCSEs are
already expected to know that stuff, you don't need a specialist in it.
And, let's face it, most of that stuff is just a google or a PDF away.

Thanks for straightening me out Wayne

John R