Apple Training Series: Mac OS X Advanced System Administration v10/5 - A Guide to the Advanced Aspects of System Administration with Mac OS X and the Mac OS X Server

Reviewed by Robert Pritchett

Author: Edward R Marczak

Peachpit

http://www.peachpit.com/store/product.aspx?isbn=032156314X

Released: July 18, 2008

Pages: 383

$65 USD, $71 CND

Requirements: Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, having read both the Server Essentials and the Support Essentials books. Root level access on Macs. Knowledge of the Command Line Interface needed.

Skills Assessment Guide

ISBN: 9780321563149

Strengths: Contents will help in preparing for the ACSA exam.

Weaknesses: Occasional typos in text.

Errata

Introduction

"This in-depth look at advanced topics in Mac network administration shows system administrators and other IT professionals how to use Mac OS X Server v10.5 within a multiplatform, heterogeneous environment. Following the learning objectives of the Apple Certified System Administrator course, this book is a perfect study aid for the Apple Certified System Administrator exam."

What I Learned

This book contains information not revealed in the Server Essentials book, also reviewed this month.

A solid knowledge of the Command Line Interface is needed.

Familiarity with DNS, NTP, firewalls and RADIUS would be extremely helpful.

There is some duplication of information between this book in the first part and that of the Mac OS X Deployment and the Server Essentials book, also reviewed this month.

The importance of this book is how it is laid out with the intent of helping us understand "Apple-think" regarding admin support and in passing the certification exam for the Apple Certified System Administrator.

I also found these sites to also be of tremendous help:

Conclusion

This book tends to be a bit overpriced on the cover, but it does provide a solid foundation for preparing for the ACSA exam.