The classic way of breaking into UNIX system administration is by getting a job in a university's computer lab, where you keep an eye on machines and users and in the process learn the essentials of what may be the world's most reliable operating system. If you've managed to bypass that career path and still want to prepare yourself for a career in UNIX, consider a professional certification. Sun Certified System Administrator for Solaris 8 Study Guide will prepare you for Sun Microsystems' entry-level Solaris certification by teaching you the fundamentals of UNIX. You may find this book too basic if you've worked with Solaris or another UNIX variant on the job--much of the coverage consists of basic command usage--but you'll welcome it's friendly approach if you've not done a lot of work with UNIX.

Author Peter Gregory likes to head his sections with task-oriented titles ("Creating Files Using Output Redirection") and then explore the task with a combination of command-line listings and text commentary. He'll typically show a generic case explicitly, then list alternative switches and options as bullet points. This listing method isn't particularly conducive to memorisation, but it's okay for reference. More useful for test preparation are the mini-quizzes at the end of each chapter, most of whose questions give some facts and ask which of several options is true. --David Wall

Topics covered: The basics of Sun Solaris administration and of UNIX administration generally, including file management, user administration, process-watching, kernel recompilation, and troubleshooting.