4/10/2002 -- With the release of Citrix Systems MetaFrame XP, a new certification test has evolved: Exam #220, Citrix Certified Administrator for MetaFrame XP 1.0. Existing CCAs for MetaFrame 1.8 and new aspiring CCAs will all have to take the same exam. (Note that 1.8 CCAs do not have to upgrade until Citrix announces it is retiring the 1.8 track, which it has yet to do.)

The CCA XP is of medium difficulty if you have the official courseware or a third-party book that is specifically for this exam. It is tougher than the 1.8 exam, but not un-passable if you have knowledge of the product.

This exam is a 40 question, non-adaptive test. In order to pass you must score a 72 or higher. This equates to about 29 correct answers. To this end, here are my top 10 tips that will help make your trip to the testing center a successful one.

Tip #1: Know What's Changed Since 1.8
If you are experienced with MetaFrame 1.8, this test poses a few problems. While for some questions, the answer is the same no matter which version of the software is used, for others it's not. This applies especially to the "extra" products you get with the XPe version of MetaFrame. You should study these secondary products to learn how they work and how they incorporate into the overall scheme of a MetaFrame environment.

Tip #2: Download the MetaFrame Exam Guide from Citrixs Web Site
This guide (found here) contains the MetaFrame XP 1.0 certification exam objectives, which the exam closely mirrors. The objectives cover a wide range of topics, including installation and hardware requirements, Web connectivity and printing. Closely review each objective to be sure that you understand the concepts behind each. (Extra tip: If you've never used Citrix Web connectivity, make sure to set it up in a test lab and try it out.)

Tip #3: Upgrading from MetaFrame 1.8
There are sure to be several questions on the upgrade and migration process, and this is a section that test takers are generally weakest on. To conquer it, make sure you know the upgrade path implicitly. Understand what servers should be upgraded first in a multi-server environment, what mixed-mode is used for and how to integrate MetaFrame XP into a MetaFrame 1.8 farm.

Tip #4: Zones and Data Collectors
Both of these concepts are completely new to MetaFrame. The Zone is, by default, a TCP/IP subnet. And one Data Collector is present per zone. You must understand the roles of the Data Collector, what types of information it stores, and how it is elected. This will also lead into Zone configuration, where you should understand when to add zones and how communications take place between MetaFrame servers in different zones.

Tip #5 Know Your Data Store
The idea of a data store for a MetaFrame farm is another completely new idea to MetaFrame. While great, it adds another layer of administration to a MetaFrame farm and, of course, more questions to the test. Not surprisingly, Citrix expects its CCAs to know the data store requirements for Citrix MetaFrame XP, including the different types of database programs that can be used for the Data Store, what the server requirements are for a particular data store, and how the MetaFrame servers react if the server hosting the Data Store is unavailable.

Tip #6: Get Your Admin Tools Down, Old and New
Several of the "legacy" tools, such as Citrix Server Administration, can still be found in MetaFrame XP. You should not only be aware of how to use the Citrix Management Console, you should also know all of the tools used to administer 1.8 servers in a mixed environment.

The Citrix Management Console is the primary management tool for an XP environment. Basically, with the Console, Citrix has rolled several administrative tools into one Java application. Know how to use it, where it can be installed and what the requirements are for that installation. Hard drive, RAM, protocols and screen resolution are all things that are checked when installing the Management Console.

Tip #7: Make the New Load Manager Your Best Friend
With XP, Citrix has changed the way load balancing is done. You now have several options available to you in MetaFrame's new rule-based load balancing system. Building a solid knowledge of the two load evaluators that are built into the system (default and advanced), what rules they have by default and what they are used to monitor will not only pay off for the exam, but for your work as a CCA. Also know that load balancing rules are no longer just applied to servers -- you can also apply these load evaluators to published applications in the farm.

Tip #8: Understand the Printing Environment
Several new administrative features have been added for controlling client and network printing. Citrix has also added the ability to "import" a network print server into the Citrix farm and assign its printers to the end user. You must understand how all of the new printer administrative tools function and what is required to make it work.

Tip #9: Get To Know the New Licensing Scheme
The license scheme with XP has also changed. Citrix now has product licenses and connection licenses. The Product licenses replace the base server license from previous versions. The trick here is that you only need one product license per farm for any amount of servers (unlike MetaFrame 1.8). The connection licenses replace the "user bump packs" from previous versions. These licenses are still based on concurrent connections, much like the 1.8 user packs.

Tip #10: Beg, Borrow, Steal or Buy the Official Citrix Curriculum
Citrix test writers, unlike Microsoft, actually sit down with their official courseware when they write the questions for the testing pool, meaning that a lot of the questions on the test will come from the materials handed out at official Citrix training classes. If you have the time and money to attend one of these, you can find an official training center near you at www.citrix.com/training.

If you can't get your hands on this curriculum (only available through official classes), two self-study books are available for the MetaFrame XP CCA exam. Both follow the certification guidelines pretty well and can be found on Amazon.com if you do a search for "CCA."

Questions? Comments? Tips of your own to share (without violating the NDA, of course)? Post 'em below!