Customer Reviews

Sun (R) Certified System Administrator for Solaris (TM) 10 Study Guide (Exams 310-200 & 310-202)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I'd say this book, is one of the worse SCSA study guides I've read.

*So, far I've corrected a good amount of the selftest questions/answers.

*VERY limited information about SMF. There's TONS of information that's 9 related. Statements about starting SSHD via /etc/init.d/sshd SORRY Solaris 10 uses 'svcadm -v enable ssh' NOT an init script. Coverage on settng up rlogin/rsh tools with no password. However, NO mention of SSH doing the same over an encrypted line. Talk about misleading! The covering of inetd implies that you can use the 'standard' /etc/inet/inetd.conf script. NO mention of the inetconv only the inetadm. There's also NO mention of the '-r' flag that starts everything that a service needs. Hence, 'svcadm -v enable -r nfs/server'.

*What's with 'how to setup NIS'? NIS is DEAD that's POOR material for Solaris 10 (maybe 7/8), how about LDAP setup coverage? Even Sun has dropped support of NIS. They don't provide the ldap client SMF mention in the book. They suggest the client is started with the 'ldapclient' command where it's 'ldap.client'. MOST things he implies are standard init scripts where MOST are wrappers for SMF. This SHOULD be mentioned since most newbies will probably miss it.

*SVM coverage doesn't really explain 'how' to create volumes. The tools they mention in a setup (how to do it) use SMC MOST people or seasoned SAs will use the command line tools. There's NO mention to the fact two disk mirror of the root doesn't work right in Solaris 10 (known bug and waiting patch for).

*The coverage of Jumptart & Zones are fast and brief. It's more like a 'summary' then an actual insight of the two.


Page: 160

Question 2.)

Correct answer should be A, BUT the device name is incorrect it should be.

/dev/rdsk/c0d0s0 NOT /dev/rdsk/c0d0s3

Page: 161

Question 7.) Grammatical error: 'mountall' command should be 'umountall'

Page: 178

There is NO -D useradd default option for "shell" never has probably never will be.

useradd -D -s /bin/ksh does NOT work there IS NO -s command.

I'm using Solaris Express Nevada latest release and it doesn't have it either. Someone thinking Linux?

Page: 210

There is NO /etc/init.d/sshd for Solaris 10 EVER! It's always been

svcadm -v enable ssh

Someone was clearly thinking Solaris 9 on this.

Page: 229

Question 11: The "real" correct answer is B, head will report the 'first three' most recent reboot commands, last will report the 'first' from the creation date of the file.

Page: 498

Question 4.)

Should A,B,C be within /etc/security/ NOT just /etc/?

These are the 'quick' skim from the book of notes I made. When I got tired I said I'd go back and make more corrections, but haven't had the chance yet. Probably won't got what I needed out of the book which wasn't much.


I can go on and on.

Don't waste your time on this book. If you're a 'newbie' to Solaris, great. If you're a seasoned SA looking for "Real 10" material, read all the docs.sun.com Solaris 10 information. However, save your money and attempt the Bill Calkins release (still being delivered to me, hopefully better then this waste of money) or as mentioned docs at Sun. This is a total disappointment for anyone 'really' wanting to know the juice of Solaris 10. Coming for a guy who's wrote a lot of stuff for BigAdmin and what not this is a waste. Contact me if you want 'specifics' on this search for William Pool rotaecho@yahoo.com

This is a great Solaris 10 system administration book. First, I used this book to prepare for the two exams to get my SCSA certification for Solaris 10, and yes, I passed the exams. Now, I'm using this book as a textbook for the Solaris 10 course that I treach to help others to learn basic Solaris 10 system administration. The nice thing about this book from my perspective is that I can teach the course without compromising my teaching style. I, like most of the teachers/trainers, would like to define concepts before diving into the thick of things, and I like to cover topics in a logical sequence. Students learn the most by making connections, to what they already know. The pieces should fit together nicely to build the big picture. This is exactly what this book does. Not only the chapters are in a perfect logical sequence, but so are the sections inside each chapter. I like it how the author starts each chapter by raising three points, the whole chapter revolves around those three points, the three points are concluded at the end of the chapter, and in the process you learn a topic with adequate depth without getting bored. I love the author's overall style: very refreshing. There are enough number of visuals/graphics that help understand a concept and make it stick.

Another thing that I like about this book is the commitment to the scope. Having involved in running some projects, I know the importance of scope management. Each course has a syllabus which is its scope like the scope of a project. Both the teacher and the project manager would fail to accomplish the objectives they were set out to accomplish, if they do not stick to the scope. For a basic course in Solaris system administration who can set the syllabus (scope) better than Sun itself? This book covers the Solaris 10 system administration within the scope set by Sun, that is, the exam objectives for the SCSA exams. You cannot teach everything in one course or in one book; if you try you will not be able to do justice with any topic. Because this book covers the scope set by the SCSA exam objectives, and presents the material in a classroom training fashion, that is why I use this book as a text book. After completing the course, the students can go out and take the SCSA exam if they wish: that's a bonus.

While preparing for the exam, I especially liked the following features: The Two-Minute Drill and From Inside the Exam that summarize the main points in the chapter from the exam view point, the Scenarios and Solutions that re-enforce important concepts in the form of an example or a short exercise, and the complete practice exams that come with the book.

This is a self contained book. So, if you have this book, you don't really need a teacher, but a book can never replace a teacher; we teachers always find ways to add value :-).

I've read the positive and the negative reviews about this book, and took the chance by buying the book. I do not regret because I have passed both the exams after preparing from this book. Here is my experience:
* Because I read the reviews about errors in the book, I downloaded the Errata (there is a link to Errata in Amazon Connect section of this page). I agree with some of the reviewers that mostly these errors are typos and there are in fact a very few factual errors.
* For the exam, it's important to remember the command options and file names given in the book.
* I like the author's style very much. Sounds like, he has the art of making difficult concepts simple and connecting different concepts to each other to help you make sense of the topic.
* There is a reasonable number of visuals/graphics in the book which sometimes explain simple things such as an entry in an important file, but mostly the complex things such as the lifecycle of a zone. These visuals on one hand explain an otherwise complex topic, and on the other hand make the material stick in your mind. Most system admin books (especially in UNIX) do not do such things.
* The practice exams that come with the book were very helpful. The answers are very explanatory: why the correct answer is correct and the incorrect answers are incorrect; all explained. These answers and explanations re-enforce the important concepts.
* I quickly went through the Two-minute drill and Inside the Exam sections just before the exam. It helped refresh the important concepts.

The presentation style of the book makes it a good Solaris 10 System Admin book even if you are not planning to take the exam.
Just ignore chapter 1 if you are an advanced admin and want to prepare for the exams.

I used this book to prepare for the SCSA Solaris 10 exams and passed both the exams (75% and 77%). I would like to share my experience about this book and the exams with those who want to get certified. First, these are not easy exams. Study this book carefully and also make use of the practice exams that come with this book. The questions in the practice exams definitely helped me to improve my score. They are more of the type of the questions asked in the real exam. Also the detailed answers to these questions re-enforced the important concepts that I had forgotten. It's a good idea to quickly go through the Two-Minute Drill and Inside The Exam sections (at the end of each chapter) just before taking the exam. It will refresh the important points and concepts. Make sure you know the names of the crucial files (the full pathnames) and the important command options discussed in the book.
This book also helped me to understand some concepts better about which I was confused before. The book weaves all the system admin concepts together into a big picture in a very nice way. It's like that old saying: have your cake and eat it too.

There are some typos (or copy edit errors), and I don't think they are more or worse than any average book. You can download the Errata from the Amazon Connect section of this page (by clicking on a link).

Yes, there are typos in this book. If you are one of those people who throws a book out for that reason, then this is not the book for you. However, this is a very good book for both exam-prepping and for general reference. I used this book almost exclusively, and I managed to pass both exams. I expect my decoder ring in the mail within a few weeks. If you want a Solaris 10 book now, get this one. It is the best available. Maybe in a year or so, there will be another book that is the definitive on this subject, but for now, this is the one!

I have both the English and the Japanese versions of this book, and I love it. First, I used this book to obtain my SCSA Solaris 10 certification; now I use it to teach a basic Solaris course. This book is very easy to understand. It's an excellent exam study guide and a reference book to learn the basics of the Solaris 10 OS.
I recommend it highly.

I teach a course in Solaris 10 administration in a vocational college and the course has no pre-requisite. The students are absolute beginners. It is not a certification course, but I am SCSA certified, so I wanted to add value to the course. I was looking for a book that will be suitable as a text book for this course and will also help preparing the students for the SCSA certification: two in one, as they say. Well, I'm glad I found this book. It starts from scratch, and covers well all the Solaris 10 concepts and topics within the scope of the SCSA exam objectives. The presentation is cohesive, concepts are defined and explained, and the book overall is self contained. That's what makes it a good textbook. It has a focus on the exam objectives, and it comes with full practice exams. That's what makes it a good exam book. We're going to use it in all our colleges across the country.
I won't worry too much about the errors that some other reviewers have pointed to (over and over again). I have several years of teaching experience and have not yet found a book that does not have errors in it. As another reviewer said, just go to the Errata link in the Amazon Connect section of this page, and download the Errata. There are in fact, a very few (much less than an average book)factual errors in this book.

Thanks to this boook, I've passed the first exam of this certification. I find this book very much to-the-point. I'm new to Soalris; actually new to UNIX altogether. So chapter 1 was very helpful for me. Being a beginner, I appreciate the fact that the book explains every concept. Even the entries in some important files are explained with diagrams. And everything is connected togehter like a story. Some Tips: Go through the practice exams on the CD, and memorize the file names and command options given in the book.
Well, everyone is entitled to his/her own opinion (reading the criticism on this page) but I have all the Solaris 10 documentation on my laptop and I can tell you that this book is 100% compatible with Solaris 10. I'm sure it may have some errors, but then which book does not? I'm sure the publisher will make the Errata available.
On to preparing for the second exam!

Well, after waiting 12 months for a good Solaris 10 book to hit the market, I'm disappointed with this one. Here's why:
1) 1 page (2 sides) devoted to the Service Managment Facility. This is one of the most major changes in Solaris 10- for $50,is it asking too much to get a few pages on it? The author devoted more time to the the topic of logging in and getting started commands (21 pgs) such as cd, pwd, and ls - which should not even be in this type of book.
2) Too much fluff. 20 pgs devoted to The History of Solaris- how is this an exam objective? The last chapter ends at 550 pgs. By the time I remove the index, how to register for the exam,etc. there is not much left. A book on this topic should be twice this number of pages to do justice on any topic.
3) Poor job of describing the difference between SPARC and x86 platforms. Author has 1 paragraph on x86 disk naming conventions stating that they are "slightly different" than SPARC devices. Why then are there 16 disk devices on x86 and only 8 on SPARC? Also, no discussion of PC disk partitions (ie. c0t0d0p2). Must be more than a subtle name difference, don't you think?
4) SVM - 14 pages devoted to volume management concepts, but only 5 pgs of it is close to being informative toward the exam objective. Why spend so many pages on describing RAID, or defining mirroring and only 1 pg on state databases. Two pgs are devoted to creating a mirror. Author tells me to use the GUI or command line- but provides no examples other than command syntax that I can find with man pages. I NEED EXAMPLES and EXPLANATION. Isn't the command line where I'm going to be tested (not the GUI)? This book is very light on examples and heavy ofn fluff.

Summary - Does anyone have a good recommendation for a Solaris 10 book and does anyone want to buy a copy of Sun Certified System Administrator for Solaris 10?

It is quite disconcerting to finish a book like this thinking it has helped prepare you for a related exam, and then begin to find out that you have been studying information that is flat wrong in some cases. I should have read the others reviews before buying, I usually do and I have learned my lesson. As someone else stated, this book is more accurate for Solaris 9 than Solaris 10. The exams at the end of each chapter have numerous errors throghout and while this is not "lethal", its does nothing to inspire confidence in the accuraccy of the text as a whole. Here are a few examples of problems with this text:

a. The study guide never mentions the "nice" command and practice exams regularly refer to this command.

b. I could be wrong but I don't remember "aset" or "fuser" either which came up in practice exams.

c. SMF/SMC systems are important to Solaris 10 and the exams, this book has very little coverage of them, only a few pages.

d. 64 MB of ram is listed as the minimum when 128 MB of ram is the actual minimum per the Solaris 10 documentation. (link to documentation not included because URL's in reviews are against amamzon policy).