Preface
Why certification?
What is all the commotion about technical certifications? Is it just hype? Is it just 21st century snake oil? Or is there really something to it? What is the true value of a certification? In the quest for competitive advantage among IT professionals, certification is rapidly becoming key to distinguishing between potential job candidates. Here is what industry analysts are saying:
- Certification in leading technologies (such as Solaris) is a key to higher pay. ("Sorting Out Certifications," by Steve Alexander, Computerworld) This reflects a trend where companies are paying more for knowledge, rather than just experience.
- Certification is becoming the new standard for professionalism in business. Although the college degree is still very important, the technical certification is evidence of proficiency with a particular technology or product. Certification is an independent, objective verification of knowledge.
- Having a certification may be the difference in getting invited to the interview. Technologists need differentiators--not just accomplishments, but objective measures of technical proficiency--to stay competitive and stand out from the crowd of wanna-be's.
- Managers value certification because it increases quality and productivity of work. (Gartner/Dataquest, Inc. Perspective report)
- Solaris is the market leader in the UNIX[R] space. ("Sun, About to Unveil UNIX Server, Leads Market," by Andy Newman, ServerWatch)
You need a certification if you want to stay ahead of the competition. This book will guide you to Solaris certification.
Intended Audience
Solaris 8 Certification is intended for experienced UNIX[R] administrators who wish to prepare for the Sun Certified System Administrator for the Solaris 8 Operating Environment, Part I exam.
This book does not teach system administration, nor is it a substitute for systems administration classes taught by Sun Microsystems or its affiliates. Although this book may be a little "teachy" here and there, its purpose is to provide review material to help candidates prepare for the exam.
If you wish to take the exam but feel you need to learn more, contact Sun Education at http://suned.sun.com. There you will find out about training materials and classes in your area. You can also contact Sun Education at:
Sun Education
UBRM12-175
500 Eldorado Blvd.
Broomfield, CO 80021
Phone: (800) 422-8020, or (303) 464-4097
Fax: (303) 464-4490
Registering for the Exam
Follow these steps to register for the exam:
- Purchase a Certification Voucher by calling Sun Education at 1-800-422-8020. Outside the U.S., contact your local Sun Education office. If you do not know the location of your local Sun Education office, you can find it at:
- Schedule your examination by visiting the Prometric Services Web site at http://2test.com/.
- Select Information Technology Certifications. You'll then be taken to a
login page; you must login to continue (you will have an opportunity to create a login if this is your first visit to the site.)
- After logging in, you will see the Certification Program page; select Sun Education from the pull-down menu.
- Select the country where you will take your exam.
- Select 310-011 SUN CERTIFIED SYSTEM ADMINISTRATION FOR SOLARIS 8 PART I from
the pull-down menu. Select the state or province if this appears on your screen.
- The exam is available only in English
- Select the exam location and schedule most suitable for you.
- You'll be given a confirmation, which includes more numbers that you will need in order to take the exam. For U.S. locations, you can also print a map showing the exam location
Taking the Exam
Allow plenty of time to travel to the exam site, including finding a parking space and the location of the exam building and room. It may be advisable to call in advance if you are not familiar with the exam site.
No food or beverages are allowed in the exam room. You must check in any computer, laptop, PDA, calculator, recorder, or cell phone you bring with you. The exam center will supply pencils and one sheet of paper for your to make calculations, draw diagrams, and so on, and you will have to surrender that piece of paper at the end of the exam. You are not allowed to take any notes with you out of the exam.
You will probably be monitored on closed-circuit television while you are taking the exam. An exam center I recently visited had a TV monitor out in the lobby. You will be taking the exam on a GUI-type workstation. You will need to login, and you will need to furnish information from your exam confirmation in order to do so.
First you will be shown the Pre-Test Agreement. You must read and understand the agreement and state whether you agree or disagree. If you disagree with the first question in the Pre-Test Agreement, you will not be allowed to take the exam (you will receive a refund). A sample Pre-Test Agreement appears in Appendix C.
Next, you will be presented with instructions and a sample exam question. This ensures that you are familiar with the exam format and the method for marking answers. You may skip the sample exam question if you wish and proceed to the exam itself.
You will have 90 minutes to take the exam. That's about one and a half minutes per question. The 90-minute time limit will begin once you start taking the exam. The amount of time remaining is always visible on the screen.
You may take a rest room break if you wish (according to rules at the testing center), but the time clock will continue counting.
Exam Questions
The exam contains 57 questions, which are a combination of multiple choice, free answer, and drag-and-drop. There is more than one version of this exam. Each version has questions that were carefully selected from a much larger pool of questions, so that each version of the exam covers the same subject area and has an equivalent degree of difficulty.
The process for developing the exam questions is not trivial. Exam questions are carefully written according to a strict set of guidelines and then tested. There is a whole field of study called psychometrics that is used to measure and evaluate each question. Only after passing careful scrutiny will an exam question ultimately find its way onto the exam.
Questions will appear on the screen one at a time. You will see each question and, in the case of multiple-choice questions, you will will see all of the possible answers. In some longer questions, you can stroll down to see these.
If you are not sure of the answer, you may skip the question and return to it later. You can also "mark" any exam question that you wish to review later.
Multiple Choice Questions
The exam contains two types of multiple-choice questions: some with one correct answer, and some with two or more correct answers. Multiple-choice questions with one correct answer will present radio buttons for selecting your answer, allowing you to select only one answer. If two answers appear to be similar, be very careful only one answer is correct.
Multiple-choice questions with more than one correct answer will specify the number of correct answers. You must select all of the correct answers in order to get credit for the question. These questions present check boxes that allow you to select more that one answer.
Free Answer Questions
Free answer questions require that you type the correct answer into a blank text field. You must be very careful that you get the answer exactly right. But what about the order of options in a command? The exam is smart enough to figure this out--the exam knows about all possible variations.
Drag-and-Drop Questions
Drag-and-drop questions require that you match corresponding items together. The commands on the left are displayed in a movable icon that could be dropped on the descriptions on the right, or vice versa. When you are satisfied that you have matched everything correctly, press "Done" to proceed to the next question on the exam.
Reviewing Test Answers
After you have answered all of the questions, you will see a list of all the exam questions and the answers you selected (or filled in). Each question will have a special marking if you marked it for later review.
You may start at the beginning and review each question, you may review questions you marked earlier, or you may just skip around and check questions in any order you wish. You may unmark questions you marked, and you may mark other questions. You are free to review questions, change answers, and mark and unmark questions until time runs out or you finish the exam early.
Scoring the Exam
Once you have finished the exam, it will be scored immediately. You must answer at least 66% of the questions correctly which is at least 38 of the 57 questions.
You will receive a temporary certificate showing whether you passed or failed the exam. The certificate will include your name and the number of questions you answered correctly. A chart on the lower half of the certificate will indicate how you scored on each subject area. You will not know how you did on any individual question.
Retaking the Exam
If you failed the exam, you may take it again in as little as two weeks, but you cannot take the exam more that three times in a calendar year. You must register and pay for another examination. You can be assured that the version of the exam will not be the same one you took previously.
Conduct
You may not discuss the details of the exam with any other individual. You may not offer or accept help of any kind. A full explanation of conduct may be found in Appendix D.
How This Book Is Organized
Each chapter begins with a list of exam objectives. These objectives were developed by Sun Microsystems; they define the subject matter covered by the certification exam and this book. Here is an example exam objective:
- Using absolute or relative path names, select valid command strings to move between specified points within a given directory tree.
All of the certification objectives appear in Appendix B, along with the chapter number associated with each objective. This will allow you to quickly find the technical information behind each objective.
Filenames, commands, the names of systems, users and groups, and other terms, appear in italics in paragraphs and lists. For instance, the user pmidey on system wallace uses the vi command to edit the /etc/hosts.equiv file.
Commands are explained in a consistent format throughout the book. The purpose of the command is briefly explained, its syntax shown, options and examples explained.
Notes and Warnings are enclosed in boxes so that they will stand out.
Each chapter ends with a Chapter Summary and Test Yourself section where there are ten multiple-choice and two free-answer questions. Because the exam contains a few drag-and-drop questions, no sample drag-and-drop questions appear in this book.
The answers for test questions from all of the book's chapters are found in Appendix A.
Feedback
Despite the presence of reviews and control at every level, from executive direction to copy editing, some mistakes are bound to slip through. That, or an unannounced change in behavior or functionality in Solaris itself, is bound to create a discrepancy between this book, the exam and reality.
If a mistake if found in this book, all is not lost. Changes in the way books are published these days lead to the fact that this book will undergo several printing runs, each of which represents an opportunity to fix a mistake here and there.
Please send us feedback about any mistakes you find in this book, or about any ideas or comments you may have for future editions of this book:
Prentice Hall PTR
Attn.: Editor, Sun Microsystems Press
One Lake Street
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
Disclaimer
This is a book about Solaris 8. Every reasonable effort has been made to ensure that this book is as complete and accurate as possible. This book is offered as-is, and no warranty is implied. Neither the author nor Prentice Hall PTR should be held liable or responsible to any person or entity regarding any loss or damages that may arise as a result of information contained in this book
