Solaris 9 System Administration Training Guide (Exam CX-310-014 and CX-310-015) [Paperback]

Bill Calkins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 12, 2003

Author Bill Calkins is the leading voice of this industry, and he's once again delivered the perfect study companion for UNIX system professionals preparing for the Solaris 9 System Administrator exams (310-014 and 310-015). Readers preparing for this exam find our Training Guide series to be the most efficient self-study tool in the market. This book is their one-stop shop because of its teaching methodology, the accompanying PrepLogic testing software, and superior Web site support at www.quepublishing.com/certification. Training Guides are subjected to rigorous technical review by a team of industry experts, and are Cramsession Approved Study Material!

The accompanying CD features PrepLogic™ Practice Tests, Preview Edition. This product includes one complete PrepLogic Practice Test with approximately the same number of questions found on the actual vendor exam. Each question contains full, detailed explanations of the correct and incorrect answers. The engine offers two study modes, Practice Test and Flash Review, full exam customization, and a detailed score report.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Author Bill Calkins is the leading voice of this industry, and he's once again delivered the perfect study companion for UNIX system professionals preparing for the Solaris 9 System Administrator exams (310-014 and 310-015). Readers preparing for this exam find our Training Guide series to be the most efficient self-study tool in the market. This book is their one-stop shop because of its teaching methodology, the accompanying PrepLogic testing software, and superior Web site support at www.quepublishing.com/certification. Training Guides are subjected to rigorous technical review by a team of industry experts, and are Cramsession Approved Study Material!

The accompanying CD features PrepLogic™ Practice Tests, Preview Edition. This product includes one complete PrepLogic Practice Test with approximately the same number of questions found on the actual vendor exam. Each question contains full, detailed explanations of the correct and incorrect answers. The engine offers two study modes, Practice Test and Flash Review, full exam customization, and a detailed score report.

About the Author

Bill Calkins is a Sun Certified System Administrator for the Solaris 9 operating environment. He is owner and president of Pyramid Consulting, a computer training and consulting firm located near Grand Rapids, Michigan, specializing in the implementation and administration of Open Systems. He has more than 18 years of experience in Unix system administration, consulting, and training at more than 100 different companies. Bill has authored several Unix textbooks, which are currently best sellers and are used by universities and training organizations worldwide: Solaris 2.6 Administrator Certification Training Guide Part I (Publisher: New Riders Publishing, ISBN: 157870085X) Solaris 2.6 Administrator Certification Training Guide Part II (Publisher: New Riders Publishing, ISBN: 1578700868) Solaris 7 Administrator Certification Training Guide: Parts I and II (Publisher: New Riders Publishing, ISBN: 1578702496) Solaris 8 Training Guide (CX-310-011 and CX-310-012): System Administrator (Publisher: New Riders Publishing, ISBN: 1578702593) Inside Solaris 9 (Publisher: New Riders Publishing, ISBN: 0735711011) In addition, he has worked with Sun Press as a technical editor and was a major contributor to the following, recently published, technical manuals: Solaris 7 Reference (Author: Janice Winsor, Publisher: Prentice Hall PTR, ISBN: 0130200484) Solaris 8 System Administrator's Reference Guide (Author: Janice Winsor, Publisher: Prentice Hall PTR, ISBN: 0130277010)

Bill's professional interests include consulting, writing, teaching, and developing Web-based training materials.

Bill consults with Sun Microsystems Professional Services and has assisted in various projects developing training and testing materials for the education division at Sun. Bill has worked as an instructor in both corporate and university settings, and has helped thousands of administrators get their certification. His experience covers all varieties of Unix, including Solaris, HP-UX, AIX, IRIX, Linux, and SCO. When he's not working in the field, he writes Unix books and conducts training and educational seminars on various system administration topics. He draws on his many years of experience in system administration and training to provide a unique approach to Unix training.

Product Details

• Paperback: 1008 pages
• Publisher: Que (April 12, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789729229
• ISBN-13: 978-0789729224
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 8 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,691,377 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #51 in Books > Computers & Technology > Operating Systems > Solaris

More About the Author

I've been writing Solaris books since 1997 and have been working with Solaris since 1984. I began my career in 1983 as a Unix System Administrator with an office furniture company, Haworth Inc, in Holland MI. My first system was a Sun-1 with a motorola 68010 processor and 1 MB of RAM. I was managing 12 diskless clients networked to a few Sun 68010 servers running some very early version of SunOS- 4.x. Like many Unix Admins back then, I had minimal prior computer experience, my experience was in mechanical design/engineering. I had to go back to school and "re-tool".

After 12 years, I got a bit fed up with the corporate life and decided to break away and go out on my own. I also understood, that to really get good in this field, I had to be exposed to many different environments and flavors of Unix. Therefore, I began my real training when I started Pyramid Consulting in 1994- providing Unix consulting and training services to corporations. Since then, I've worked at over 200 companies providing Unix and Open Systems support on just about every flavor of Unix that's been put into production. Because corporations only call on consultants when there are problems to be solved, the training I've received over the past 12 years has been priceless. Where else do you get paid to learn! I've also trained hundreds of system admionistrators in Solaris, HP-UX, and AIX.

I began writing Solaris books in 1998. Why Solaris? It's not that I favor one version of Unix over another, besides, as a consultant, I need to be unbiased. The publisher was looking to fill the void on Solaris books and I thought "Why not a certification study guide". At the time there were countless books on Microsoft certification, but nothing on Unix. I had also just attempted to pass the Solaris cert exams unsuccessfully. In Solaris, there are countless ways to accomplish a task; many are correct, but Sun was looking for their answer- not mine. The only way to get these answers were to take Sun training courses or buy a course guide in the aftermarket for $500. As a small business owner, this was an expensive proposition. So I decided to write my own training guide. Not a cram book, but a book that really taught you the material. Something that could also serve as a daily reference guide. I remember how it was to learn this topic, so I've made these books as easy to understand as possible. I believe that's the niche I have in this market- I know the material very well, I have a great deal of experience, and I can communicate the material to new users in a way that they can understand it. I consistently receive 5 stars on my training courses because I make the material relevent and understandable.

Over the years readers have written me with what they've liked and disliked about the book. Now, seven revisions later- we have a textbook that is perfect for those wanting to learn Solaris Administration. It's also a great book for those admins that want to learn more about their craft. I guarantee, every experienced admin will learn something from this book. Every time I update this book I learn new things, I'm convinced you will too. It's written in a way that new Admins can understand it. My goal is not to impress the reader with what I know, it's to present the material in clear, easy to understand terms. I provide lots of step by step examples (in my courses I call them mini-labs) that are relevant to daily operations. The material is presented the same way I present it in the classroom, in fact, it's the same material I use in the classroom.

I hope you enjoy my books- some tell me it's one of the only technical manuals they've been able to cuddle up to a fire with. Well, I personally have better things to cuddle up with, but to each their own. Enjoy the read and, whether you decide to pursue certification or not, good luck!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy this one, June 23, 2004

By 

R. Sendall "Rowan" (Johannesburg, Gauteng South Africa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Solaris 9 System Administration Training Guide (Exam CX-310-014 and CX-310-015) (Paperback)

This is the best book available to prepare you to pass the Solaris 9 certification exams (it's better than the Exam Cram book which, as its title suggests, is a bit sketchy and doesn't have anything like the kind of depth of explanation that Calkins' book does).

I'm really surprised that even a couple of people have indicated in their reviews that they think the Exam Cram book is better. By all means buy the Exam Cram book if you can afford to, it's a handy supplemental text, but if you have to choose only one book then get Calkins' one, it's a hands down better choice.

Calkins' book sticks rigidly to the certification topics, introducing no extraneous material. The certification topics are covered and explained in detail; if you study the book, you will really LEARN something, and you can rest assured that whatever you learn will help you to pass the exams. Important issues of practical experience aside, if you study this book well, I can't see you not passing the exams. I passed them both well, this book was my primary preparation.

Good luck to everyone.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MCSE that got his Solaris Certification, April 10, 2004

By 

Thomas Wolferd (Denver, CO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Solaris 9 System Administration Training Guide (Exam CX-310-014 and CX-310-015) (Paperback)

I'm prevously an MCSE. I used this book to learn Solaris and to take the Part1 and 2 Sun cert. exams. I finalized my certification by taking the Solaris 9 SysAdmin Part 2 test this morning in Denver, and passed with a score of 85. I felt well prepared in all of the objectives for both exams. This book not only prepared me for the cert exam, but will remain a valuable reference on my shelf.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why take a class, September 9, 2003

By 

Ice Man "wanman7" (Herndon, VA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Solaris 9 System Administration Training Guide (Exam CX-310-014 and CX-310-015) (Paperback)

In short, the book covers the how to part with "step by step" instructions. There are exercises with what to type.

Often when seeking help or learning, you just want to how to perform a task. And this book comes thru. Learn by doing. Not by memorizing endless forgettable facts.

Questions at the end of the chapter to help reinforce the material.

So it's READ, DO, QUIZ.

I've got Microsoft, Novell and Cisco Certs, but don't recall a book that provides the detail that this one provides.

Give me screen captures and "step by step" instruction over endless paragraphs of mind numbing text.

Good Job Bill. We appreciate the extra effort.