Microsoft is offering a free book (left) designed to familiarize readers with its Windows Embedded Standard (WES) 2009 operating system. The “Preparation Kit,” the first chapters of which are available now, is a primer for a new MCTS (Microsoft Certification Technology Specialist) exam, the…
company says.
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The newly announced Preparation Kit, said to have been written for Microsoft by Israeli company Pacific Software R&D, is primarily intended to prepare candidates for an MCTS certification exam, details of which appear later in this story. However, the “kit” is a six-chapter book that should be of interest to anyone wanting to work with the WES 2009 operating system.
According to Microsoft, the kit’s six chapters are as follows:
* Chapter 1 — Creating and customizing the configuration
* Chapter 2 — Managing the development environment
* Chapter 3 — Integrating embedded enabling features
* Chapter 4 — Creating components
* Chapter 5 — Generating and deploying an image
* Chapter 6 — Adding Windows functionality
Of these, the first three are available now in English, while the next three will be available in mid-April, the company says. French, German, Japanese and simplified Chinese versions will be available “over the next few months,” the company adds.
Sample pages from Microsoft’s WES 2009 Preparation Kit
(Click either to enlarge)
As the above pictures suggest, the Preparation Kit is amply illustrated, and includes lesson summaries and chapter reviews. Of those that are downloadable today in PDF format, Chapter 1 is 40 pages in length, Chapter 2 has 72 pages, and Chapter 3 has 108 pages.
The WES 2009 certification exam
Microsoft says its MPC #70-577 certification exam, announced last month, can validate the skills and experience of professionals working with WES 2009. Those who pass the two-hour exam receive MCTS status, said to be “an excellent proof point of IT skills when competing for consulting opportunities, jobs, or advancement.”
According to Microsoft, candidates should have one or two years of experience working with Windows XP Embedded, including a “deep understanding” of the operating system’s internal workings and registry. Candidates should have functional knowledge of how to configure and build operating system images, deploy them to a variety of hardware platforms, and troubleshoot device driver installations, the company adds.
Those taking the exam should have experience with the following, according to Microsoft:
* Windows security
* Componentization
* The role of packages, groups, and repository sets
* Application-level development on Windows XP and Windows XP Embedded
* Deployment options and methodologies
* Embedded enabling features (EEFs)
* Working at the hardware level
* The WES Component Database Manager
Experienced Windows XP Embedded developers who are merely new to WES 2009 should be able to prepare for the exam “with little additional work,” Microsoft says. However, those who are new to both Windows XP Embedded and WES 2009 should sign up for an introductory class, the company adds.
Microsoft’s WES 2009 operating system combines a Windows XP codebase with new drivers and the following updated technologies:
* Service Pack 3 (SP3)
* Network Access Protection (NAP)
* Silverlight
* .NET Framework 3.5
* Remote Desktop Protocol version 6.1
Last year, Microsoft announced an MCP certification exam for Windows CE 6.0, and subsequently offered a downloadable, 358-page book for those interested in taking it.
Microsoft says its MCP (Microsoft Certification Program) is now nearly 15 years old, having certified three million IT professionals and developers in products that include Windows NT, Exchange, SQL Server, Windows XP, and Vista.
