Lab Partners FAQ

[Phil]

Lab Partners FAQ

What is Lab Partners ?
Lab Partners is a forum aimed at bringing together Members studying the same material to practice in a Lab environment.

How does it work ?
Lab Partners is a new project currently fermenting in the "new projects" vats here at Certforums. So far the idea is that a common exercise is set for between 2 and as many people who are interested. A common network environment is agreed upon, then the exercise worked through with discussions of problems and solutions encountered here in the Lab Partners forum.

What sort of material is being covered ?
At the moment lab environments are being based on Windows 2000 aimed at the Windows 2000 MCSE certification track, starting with topics covered in the 70-210 and 70-215 (Windows 2000 Professional/Windows 2000 Server), with the aim of building the lab to enterprise network simulations. However there is no reason why future lab projects couldn't encompass other network environments such as Linux, Windows XP or Windows Server 2003.

Who decides what the Lab Projects will be ?
There is an agreed "leader" to co-ordinate each project, however the subject and goals of each project are decided by the Members taking part.

How will the Members of each project communicate ?
Members can post questions and comments in this forum. However, we have found the best way to provide the projects with a sense of momentum is to have live chat sessions. There is a chat component to the Certforums website which is made live at a time and date that the members agree.

Where is the Chat room on Certforums ?
The Chat room can be found in the Site Navigation drop down menu at the top of the Certforums Homepage. However it is only available at times designated for meetings to discuss Lab Partners projects. Times of forthcoming Chat sessions are available in advance by clicking on the Chat room link.

So who can take part ?
Any registered Member. Post into the Lab Partners forum if you're interested in joining a current project, or wish to start your own partnership project.

Will there be time limits ?
Timeframes may be enforced, but this will be decided by the individuals taking part in each project.

Do I need any equipment ?
Yes, you will need a certain framework of test equipment. At least 2 PC's capable of running Windows 2000, or a PC with VMware capable of supporting at least two virtual machines. However you may need more, depending on the complexity of the exercise.

What is VMware ?
VMware is powerful virtual machine simulation software for the desktop. Optimised for the power user, VMware Workstation runs multiple operating systems, including Microsoft Windows, Linux, and Novell NetWare, simultaneously on a single PC, as fully networked, portable virtual machines. vmware.com

What software will I need ?
You will need the software that the Lab you are taking part in covers. For the Labs working towards MCSE we would suggest you have Windows 2000 Professional and Windows 2000 Server available to build the test environments. 120 day trial versions of most Microsoft OS Software are available and can be obtained either from Microsoft directly, or are usually shipped with the Microsoft study guides. If you don't have Windows 2000 Professional the 120 day trial of Windows 2000 Server can be used just as well as a client.

Why do I need Lab Partners ?
True, you could, and should, build your own test network without needing goals set by Lab Partners. There is one great advantage of Lab Partners though - feedback from your peers. With Lab Partners, everybody is working towards a common goal and will hit the same problems. Simulating enterprise situations and problems alone on a couple of test PC's can seem pointless and visualising how the situations will affect an enterprise network can be difficult. With Lab Partners, you will get more immediate feedback from other people hitting the same problems and possibly advice from people who have seen these situations in a live environment.