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.

For what it's worth

Rating: 5/5

I have not had the chance to take the exams yet, but after reviewing this book and comparing it to the other three complete study guides for solaris 9, this one is the best by far. The other three books seem to be simply study guides to help you simply pass the exams... not learn the OS. The exception is the "All in one title." This actually has some more information than this title, but in all fairness it claims to cover an additional exam. The all in one title seems to also lack practical tips for solaris (not needed for the exams, but great for when you have your own system to administer).

Overall, if you are looking for a book that simply covers the exam and nothing more, go for the all in one guide. Otherwise, this is the book for you. It seems to cover all the exam topics in enough depth, but also manages to relate the information back to the real world. BTW, I have been administering SunOS networks for 7 years, so solaris although I have not worked with solaris 9 in depth yet, solaris is nothing new to me. The examples in this book are well grounded in the REAL IT world.

Buy this one

Rating: 5/5

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.