Customer Reviews

Exam Cram for NetWare 5 Administration CNE/CNA (Exam: 50-639)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Another book rushed to the market before adequate technical editing was done...

I picked this book up from my instructor's desk during a break - he happens to be a MCNE and MCNI and is (only now, after it has been published) technically editing this book.

Well, the errors are volumous; he mentioned that his editing comments amounted to about seven pages, if I remember correctly. I saw LOTS of red ink. Coreolis will eventually make the errata file available to you on their website, of course. But do you want to download all of this and correct the book before using? That should be Coreolis's job BEFORE you buy it. The odd error, sure - but this is ridiculous.

I can't comment on whether this will get you through the test or not, but Coreolis shouldn't be rewarded for such poorly published work with your hard earned dollars. Technical editing should be done BEFORE publishing - not after you've bought it...

I am an experienced 4.11 CNA, but was not able to make an acceptable score on any of the practice tests after reading this book until I bought CNE Clarke Notes book. With the Clarke Notes book I passed the exam with a 93. Don't waste your time or money with the Exam Cram for CNA 5 book. However, I did find the Exam Cram for NDS Design & Implementation book very, very helpful in passing that test.

I recommend this book highly because of the way the information is presented, but I was able to find a number of factual errors (I was also a Netware 4.11 CNA, so I was familiar with most of the material). This book makes an excellent review tool, but it probably should be supplemented with a good set of computer-based tests, since the practice questions in this book don't bear much resemblance to the ones on the CNA test. Combined with the number of errors in the test, that means that this book should not be your only source of information if you want to pass the test (which I did without much trouble).

I thought the Exam Cram for NT Server 4 was the key to my success in getting my MCP, so I thought the same would apply to an Exam Cram for Novell... Wrong!... This book has some good information in it, but it has HUGE holes in the presented information which is hopeless for the exam... The sample tests are nothing like the actual, and the book has many mistakes in it... Initially I read this book along with David James Clarke's CNA Study Guide (which is excellent)... This book only confused me because it seems to follow it's own study path which didn't flow with the Clarke book... The Clarke book was written specifically for the Novell exam and is authorised by Novell... That should say it all...

When I threw this book away and concentrated on the Clarke book my study began to flow again...

The information in this book is well laid out and the explanations of many topics are very good. However, the book has many problems that keep me from recommending it to anyone. First of all, I think it doesn't have enough detail. Unless you are already familiar with the topics (and in that case, why are you reading this book?), you might have a hard time understanding some of the explanations. For example, the very brief explanation of disk suballocation could only be meaningful to someone already pretty familiar with that topic. In addition, there isn't enough detail to help you with some of the test questions! Ugh. I think there is enough to pass if you review the book carefully and combine it with other books and resources. Next, there are way too many errors in this book. The author and editors should be embarrassed. I know I would be embarrassed to have my name on anything with so many glaring and confusing mistakes. For example, the two-page example of file security, which is supposed to help summarize and clarify the chapter, is totally wrong. You can see in part of the example the rights "flowing down" or being inherited, as they should be, and in the piece of the example next to it, where nothing is different, the rights are not being inherited. Many of the end-of-the-chapter review questions have the wrong answers and explanations. Some chapters have contradictory, wrong, or vague information. In some places, the book unexpected changes terms and starts using the wrong terminology...as if the person who typed the book up was confused. I found myself constantly turning to other NetWare 5 reference books and Novell's webpage to figure out where the book was wrong or to clarify vague points. In the end, I felt like I couldn't trust the information in it. I threw it away right after taking the test--because of all of the errors, it is not very helpful as a reference and I wouldn't want to give it to someone else to use. I still give the book two stars, because if you combine it with another, better book, use other sources, and are already somewhat familiar with NetWare, you could find the book helpful.

As a CNA (certified in 4.11) I highly recommend this book. It's very well laid out and gets to the point very quickly. One word of caution for people getting there CNA for the first time WITHOUT any experience is USE THIS BOOK with SelfTests BIGRED test prep, BIG Red offers you simulations which are exactly like the actual Netware GUI. Knowing how to the answer multiple choice answers isn't going to help you in the work place. The CNA exam has simulations which requires you to know HOW TO DO IT unlike MICROMONOPOLY aka Microsoft's. So if you use this with Big Red you will pass. I did!!

This sould not be a tool you use to pass the exam!

I usually use the Exam Crams on the last week before the exam. After using this book I was lucky I passed. It has example questions that are wrong and many mistakes. One questions about Country being a required objects is answered 2 different ways.(it is not a required object!)

The technical editors shoud be embarased. If this book was proofread at all.

Excellent book for understanding how Netware 5 is structured and how it functions. Easy to understand and to the point. There aren't many third party books available on this subject, unlike the MCSE tests. Exam Cram books helped me to gain my MCSE so I figured that I'd give them a try with my quest for CNE. I'm glad I bought this book. It is a great supplement to the official Novell course book.

The only problem is that it is full of type 0's. Many of the test questions at the end of each chapter have incorrect answers too. This book needs to be corrected and re-released. I gave it 4 stars because of the limited # of third party books available.

I loved this book and I love the whole Exam Cram series. All the certification tests I have passed can be directly credited to the help this series. It is true that this particular book has several typographical/editorial errors. This can be a little frustrating at times. I subsequently loaned this book to two other individuals that have passed their certification tests with this book's assistance. The consensus among us is that, in a peculiar way, the typographical/editorial errors force you to verify your understanding of the materials. If you are unaware of these errors, your grasp of the subject matter is simply too loose to attempt to take the exam. It is nice to know that you understand the material even when the book is wrong. These typographical/editorial errors are a very small part in proportion to the comprehensive coverage and testing contained in this book. I would highly recommend this text to all parties interested in becoming certified. I have great faith in the whole Exam Cram series and will continue to use them in my test preparation.

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