Author: rlevchenko

FREE e-book – PowerCLI: The Aspiring Automator’s Guide

If you currently use PowerCLI to automate basic tasks with pre-defined scripts, you’ll already know how powerful automation can be. However, taking the next step and customizing scripts to carry out tasks specifically designed for your needs opens a whole new world of opportunities. This new eBook from Altaro takes you there.

Written by VMware vExpert Xavier Avrillier, this free eBook presents a use-case approach to learning how to automate tasks in vSphere environments using PowerCLI. We start by covering the basics of installation, set up, and an overview of PowerCLI terms. From there we move into scripting logic and script building with step-by-step instructions of truly useful custom scripts, including:

  • How to retrieve data on vSphere objects
  • Display VM performance metrics
  • How to build HTML reports and schedule them
  • Basics on building functions
  • And more!

Stop looking at scripts online in envy because you wish you could build your own scripts. Download PowerCLI: The Aspiring Automator’s Guide now and get started on your path to automation greatness!

Passed Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert

Finally, I passed the last required AZ-301 exam and became certified as Azure Solutions Architect Expert. I shared my thoughts on AZ-103 exam about two months ago, but now want to provide my feedback on AZ-301/AZ-300 and the certification path itself:

  • If you thoroughly prepared yourself for AZ-300, you could take AZ-301 on the next day. And, most likely, it’d be pretty successfully. Azure infrastructure exams are partly overlapped. Only AZ-400 stands out from the “crowd” and AZ-103 together with AZ-300 are fundamental exams.
  • AZ-300 has performance sections or simply labs. Be ready to spend 3 hours for taking the exam. More details are here
  • AZ-301 includes 41 questions (2 case studies and test questions). The main topics I had: Azure SQL Database, Site Recovery, Backup, Cosmos DB, Azure migration tools, Azure AD, ExpressRoute, Application Gateway, VPN Gateway, Traffic Manager, Azure Storage, File Sync, Containers, Virtual Machines, Monitor, Logic Apps and Functions.

How to prepare?

  1. Gain a real Azure experience (external/internal projects)
  2. If you don’t have Azure subscription, request a trial, and then activate Azure AD Premium features to explore advanced Identity and Security management. Azure AD should be your start point.
  3. Check the list of free Azure certification training courses. I used Pluralsight, OpenEDX courses (they are based on MCT training guides) and completed Udemy AZ-300 paid course (it’s pretty good, but not required)
  4. If you are not familiar with some of the Azure Services, I’d highly recommend to purchase pBook or download FREE ebook “Learn Azure in a Month Of Lunches” that I reviewed a few months ago. It’s a great all-in-one guide to get started with almost everything in Azure.
  5. The certification will be valid only for 2 years, so keep learning and practice every day! I wish you good luck on the exam and may the force be with you.

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