Exam Cram for Advanced NetWare 5 Administration CNE (Exam: 50-640)

A study guide for intermediate to advanced computer users who are planning to certify or recertify as a Certified Novell Engineer for the company's Netware Five package by taking Exam 050-640. Austin-based senior technical training consultant Hoag discusses the nature and details of the test itself, reviews the technical material that will be tested, and provides sample questions and answers. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Though it delves into much more sophisticated topics than its sister publication on basic NetWare 5 administration, Exam Cram for Advanced NetWare 5 Administration manages to maintain the same pragmatic tone. For example, in the discussion of upgrading individual servers as well as entire networks to NetWare 5, readers will find material on minimum hardware and configuration requirements for the latest version of the Novell operating system. In addition, there are lists of pre, during, and posts steps, some of which, such as powering down servers before upgrading them, may be obvious to more seasoned administrators but are good reminders nonetheless.

The sections that cover more radical departures for NetWare--in other words, the ability to exist in a pure IP network--are also well constructed. Good, succinct explanations of IP addressing, DHCP (dynamic host configuration protocol), and DNS (domain naming service) and their interdependence, followed by detailed directions on how they are implemented in NetWare 5, make for a solid combination.

An addendum to each chapter contains related Web sites and the number and titles of relevant Technical Information Documents, or TIDs. The sample questions and answers at the end of each chapter are also helpful, as are the excellent glossary and appendices on commands, utilities, and sample configuration files. --Sarah L. Roberts-Witt

Topics covered: NetWare 5 upgrades and migrations; server, security, and NDS issues; and Internet-related services and protocols, such as FTP and DNS.