Solaris 9 certifications

[ajcazz]

Hi,
My employer is pushing me to get a Solaris cert. With no background in Solaris I figured it would be best to go with the latest version - 9 (I can get my hands on some boxes to do labs).
What I want to know is - Is there much difference from Sol8 to Sol9? I've read there's about 20% difference.
Also study guides (If you could choose only one?)- Best to go with Sybex sol9 study guide? Bill Calkins sol9 training guide(Paperback, blue cover)? Paul Watters sol9 exam guide(Hardback, tan cover)?
Thanks guys - any advice would be helpful.
ajcazz

 

[iolair]

I bought the Paul Watters book, and it is really good if you want to set up a webserver or e-commerce site. If you want help with the cert exam, spend your money on something else. I use the Syngress Solaris 8 book, and the Exam Cram book on Solaris 9. I'm also using SelfTest's software exam simulator. So far, I've passed the first test, and am studying for the second test. Don't know about the Calkins book, but I've heard reviews of it that are favorable. As for the difference between 8 and 9 - I haven't encountered anything that's a major difference, just make sure that if a book on 8 says one thing, and a book on 9 says something else, go with what it says in the Solaris 9 book. Good luck.

Iolair MacWalter

 

[ajcazz]

Thanks alot Iolair - that's really helpful

 

[abutifilmnd]

Good idea is to attend Training from Sun.

Section 1: System Concepts
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Match selected system administration terms to their respective definitions: daemons, shell, file system, kernel, and operating system.
Define the effect of using various man command options when viewing online manual pages.


Section 2: The Boot Prom
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


State or recognize the combination of actions required to interrupt a non-responsive system.
State the command strings used to manipulate custom device aliases.


Section 3: Installation
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Describe the sequence of steps required to perform the Solaris 8 Operating System (Solaris OS) software installation on a networked standalone system.
Identify the function of the following package administration commands: pkgadd, pkginfo, pkgchk, and pkgrm.
Identify the steps required to install a patch, verify which patches are currently installed, and remove a patch using the patchadd, patchrm, or showrev commands.


Section 4: Initialization and Shutdown
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Match the Solaris OS run levels to their intended functions.
State the function of the following files or directories and the relationships between them: /etc/inittab, /etc/init.d, /etc/rc# (where # falls in the range of 0 to 6, or S), or /etc/rc#.d(where # falls in the range of 0 to 6, or S).
Identify the commands used to change the run level of a system to a specified state.


Section 5: User Administration
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Identify the following login procedures: log into a system, log out of a system, and change login passwords.
State the command used to identify which users are currently logged into the system.
State the steps required to create user accounts on the local system using the admintool utility.
State the command syntax to add, modify, or delete user / group accounts on the local system with the useradd, groupadd, usermod, groupmod, userdel, or groupdel commands.
Given a user's login shell, list the shell initialization files used to set up a user's work environment at login.


Section 6: Security
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Identify how to search for regular expressions in the contents of one or more files.
List command sequences used to display or modify file and directory permissions.
Differentiate the effect of selected umask values on the permissions assigned to newly created files and directories.
List, in sequence, the steps to create, modify, and delete access control lists (ACLs) on files.


Section 7: Process Control
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


List the commands that display information for all active processes on the system.
State the effect of sending a specified signal to a process.
List the commands used to terminate an active process.


Section 8: File Systems
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


List the different types of file systems in the Solaris OS.
State the effect of the commonly used options of the mount command.
Differentiate between the purpose of the /etc/mnttab and /etc/vfstab files.
Select correct statements about the intended purpose of the /etc, /opt, /usr, /export, and / (the root) directories.
List the steps required to access data on diskettes or CD-ROMs.


Section 9: Files and Directories
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


State the commands used to reduce the size of files and directories for storage to tape.
Match the file types of regular files, directories, symbolic links, device files, and hard links to their respective functions.


Section 10: The Boot Process
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Match the boot command options to their respective functions. Select the command that reports the current run level of a Solaris OS.
Given a sample run control directory, differentiate between the basic activity in a script whose name begins with an uppercase S and a script whose name begins with an uppercase K.


Section 11: Disk Configuration
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Select the command used to add device configuration information for a new disk device without requiring a reboot of the Solaris OS.
Differentiate between the uses of a character (raw) disk (/dev/rdsk) and a block disk (/dev/dsk).


Section 12: Format
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Identify the correct usage of the format command.
Select correct statements about the use of the menu selections for the format command.
Select correct statements about the use of the menu selections for the partition ubcommand under the format command.


Section 13: Backup and Recovery
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Match listed backup, archive, and restore utilities to their respective functional capabilities.
Identify the commands and steps required to backup a file system to tape.
Identify the commands and steps required to restore a file system from tape.


Section 14: Basic Command Syntax
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Using absolute or relative pathnames, select valid command strings to move between specified points within a given directory tree.
Select the metacharacter combinations necessary to construct pathname abbreviations for access to files and directories within the directory tree.
State the commands needed to list the contents of directories and determine the file types within a directory.
List the commands used to create or remove directories. State the commands used to copy, create, rename, or remove files.


Section 15: Editor
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


List the keyboard sequences that are required to switch between the three modes of operation used by the vi editor.
State the vi editor commands used to position and move the cursor, create and delete text, and copy or move text.
Match the correct vi command sequences with their respective search and replace functions.


Section 16: Remote Connection
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


State the command to perform remote system operations such as remote login, remote copy, and remote shell commands.
State the subcommands that are used by the ftp utility to transfer files between a local system and a remote system.