Customer Reviews

Administering SMS

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after running through the relatively few sms 2 books out there, i have to say that this is not one i'd buy again. 1) there are glaring errors such as incorrectly numbered screen captures which are integral to understanding the material. 2) blatantly conflicting information such as where sms can be installed. the book actually lists sms will only work on a domain controller and pages later only to correctly state that member server is the preferred location. the sms administrator's companion by steve d. kacmarek is better by far. that book provides hard to find tricks such as specifying the nic for use with remote control and well written and organized throughout. this book is fine for a relative knowledgeable sms person who wants to read through the book for a refresher course but for beginners, it will only confuse and misinform which goes against its' purpose in the first place.

My first reaction to this book is "where was the editor?" Many of my criticisms of this book are forgivable problems for an initial draft, but shouldn't show up in a book on the shelf. For example, on page 10, Mr. Wilkins says:

"Users who decide to hide software by renaming the EXE file will have no luck in their attempt to avoid detection, as the file header won't lie. Files can also be collected and then stored on the site server. (Ouch! I guess noontime game playing is out.)"

This passage has a few problems. First, it's trying to describe a nuance of software inventory that doesn't belong in the introduction. Second, the file collection idea is out of context here. Last, of course, the first person comment about games is not only silly, but in bad taste.

The book, at least the portions I got through before returning it, is filled with things like this. Cute comments can be distracting to a serious reader. Here's another (page 2):

"...SMS works tirelessly in the background, providing administrative support, and to the best of my knowledge, it will not ask for a raise or quit on you suddenly."

Get serious - SMS is simply a product; it doesn't deserve to have personality ascribed to it. These attempts at casual tone are far too overt and serve no purpose.

Another obvious problem is a relatively shallow depth of understanding. How about this quote (page xvii):

"For years, [Novell's] IPX protocol had been the standard in the computer industry."

Right there I question just about everything else in the book, which has the feel of being generated based on other documents rather than real experience. You have to dig to find hard facts, and dig further to find those facts accurately described or applied.

For this book, I'd wait for the second edition if you're looking to actually be an SMS administrator. It may be okay for non-administrators who are interested in the topic, but other titles are sure to give more concrete information to admins who are in the trenches day to day.

I am managing a SMS Site. I bought the book to refresh my memory and it didn't dissapoint me. I don't believe that this book was written to prepare you for the SMS test. However, the title states that it is for administrators of SMS. There are a few mistakes -In a rush to be printed?. If you manage a SMS Site you will probably find some good points for before and after the implementation.

Ok, all computer books are rushed to press. They have to hit the market asap after the release of a software- or they are outdated (especially with MS) in 6 months. But it did lack a good editor.
The author does give conflicting info, and also try to find specifics in the book! What is the chipset that is the minimum required by MS! He mentions in passing maybe a 166? Then states you need a 450. Well which is it. He could have used a better format as other books do- state the required MS hardware, then give the recommended real life needs. He also goes of on tangents that are not imperative to my knowledge of SMS- why explain for pages Windows 2000 and it's use of trees, forests... etc.
The book is not a quick read- I want something that says what SMS is, what it will do, and how to do it in the fewest words possible. I have a stack of books to read and by gosh don't need filler! This book could easily have been half the size it is, and not lost the content.
Ok it is also not something I would consider remotely being a book to pass the MS exams either. There are better books for that.
Basically, if you have time to just read about SMS, the book is good info. But it is not concise in it's approach. And it did put me to sleep once or twice.