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Book Review: Linux Administration: A Beginner's Guide, Fourth Edition
Book Review: Linux Administration: A Beginner's Guide, Fourth Edition
Submitted by James Pyles
One of the things I look for in a beginner's guide is a well rounded content selection. When I'm trying to learn how to administer Linux, nothing is more frustrating than to pick up a book that's advertised as a complete guide, only to discover that either there are holes in the information base or that each subject is treated far too lightly to really learn anything. At first blush, Shah and Soyinka's Linux Administration: A Beginner's Guide 4th Edition is neither of these. Like most techs, I am a very linear thinker. I like my content to be well organized and easy to find. This is true whether I'm writing the content or reading it. Happily, Linux Administration is broken down into five broad categories or parts: Installing Linux as a Server, Single-Host Administration, Security and Networking, Internet Services, and Intranet Services....
RFID+ to Launch Next Week
RFID+ to Launch Next Week
After more than a year of development, the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) announced it will release its RFID+ certification next week. CompTIA commenced development of the credential in response to demand among its member organizations for a reliable indicator of professional skill with radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, and that need has only grown, said David Sommer, CompTIA vice president of electronic commerce. We see a real looming shortage of people skilled in RFID technology, he said. We performed a survey in the January-February time frame that showed that 75 percent of our membership believes there isnt a sufficient pool of talent in RFID technology. We are serving a purpose by providing foundational, baseline knowledge for people to measure themselves against. It will help the industry address the lack of a sufficient pool of talent. Its going to be attractive to...
Vista and the Quest for More Memory
Vista and the Quest for More Memory
With Windows Vistas anticipated launch later this year, a concern on everyones mind is how Vista will tax existing PC platforms. Although the new graphical user interface will require DirectX 9 support, and Intel G965 (or better) graphic accelerators, the real question mark in everyones minds is where DRAM requirements will head for Windows Vista. Baseline Vista offerings will require 512MB of DRAM just to install, with a 1GB recommendation -- but is there more to this story?
Find out more about this Here
Hackers get Windows XP on Apple computers
Hackers get Windows XP on Apple computers
As expected, hackers have found a way to run Microsoft Corp.'s Windows XP operating system on new Macintosh computers, winning an ad hoc contest and a $13,854 cash prize to boot. Or, make that dual-boot - the way to make a computer switch between two operating systems. Some users of Apple Computer Inc.'s Macs have clamored for such a solution since Apple said it would be switching its computers to Intel Corp.'s chips, putting the feat within reach. Their reasons vary, but a common denominator is that they would like to run Windows-based programs on their Macs. Colin Nederkoorn, a shipping broker in Houston, says he just wants to streamline his work: instead of using his Apple PowerBook computer for some programs and a Windows PC for other tasks, he'd like to just use one machine.
Read the rest of the story Here.
Reducing Pre-Exam Stress and Anxiety
Reducing Pre-Exam Stress and Anxiety
In his classic 1953 work Zen in the Art of Archery, philosophy professor Eugen Herrigel applied the wisdom of the East to the simple act of shooting a bow and arrow. Herrigel, who lived in Japan for six years, exhaustively practiced both archery and flower-arranging using non-Western techniques and condensed those lessons into a short book. The singular theme that emerges from Zen in the Art of Archery is that great archers fundamentally aim at themselves rather than the targetthat is, they focus more on their own execution of the task than a positive end result, which should flow naturally from a flawless performance. If people concentrate too much on the objective and not enough on the steps required to reach it, then theyll fall short every time.
To find out how to manage those pre-exam jitters, click...
Microsoft Exams 70-447, 70-536 Now Available
Microsoft Exams 70-447, 70-536 Now Available
Microsoft has released two more exams in the last few weeks, one that can benefit those already at work on their MCDBA credential. Exam 70-447, UPGRADE: MCDBA Skills to MCITP Database Administrator by Using SQL Server 2005, is aimed at MCDBAs who want to take the short path to achieving MCITP: Databased Administrator status. In fact, it's the only exam that those who have the MCDBA need to take to achieve the new-generation MCP credential. The exam has been available since the first week of March.
Read the rest Here.
Security jobs heat up
Security jobs heat up
Industry observers watching the IT security job market are pointing to up-and-coming areas such as computer forensics and wireless security for the hottest jobs. The better-paying positions overall, however, are going to security professionals with management responsibilities rather than simply technical roles. Those are the findings from separate studies by the SANS Institute and the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium (ISC2), which are professional organizations offering security certification. Their recent reports on how IT security jobs stack up indicate that security is gaining more clout with managers. "To be a chief information security officer takes good technology understanding but also business understanding," says Rolf Moulton, president and CEO of ISC2, which has 40,000 members. To move up the corporate ladder, security professionals must spend more time speaking with their...
The Rumors Spread -- Has Vista Slipped?
The Rumors Spread -- Has Vista Slipped?
An overzealous Microsoft employee may have inadvertently let the cat out of the bag as to when the company plans to release Windows Vista, when he posted to a Microsoft blog on Monday stating it will come out in November. If so, that would be a month later than the previous scuttlebutt, which had it pegged at the first week of October. Microsoft officials could not be reached immediately for comment, but when contacted for the "October" reports, a spokesperson called any attempt to predict delivery dates to be merely "speculation."
Read the rest Here.
The Basic Elements of Cisco Certification
The Basic Elements of Cisco Certification
Cisco certification is a worthwhile investment. From an employee's perspective, it means a leg up on your IT competitors and, simply stated, brass in pocket. From an employer's perspective, having network administrators or designers with industry-respected competency credentials adds excellent value in an already much-under qualified employment marketplace. After all, depending on whose statistics you are reading, Cisco owns between 75 and 80 percent of the IP routing market. How does the Cisco Career Certifications program work? If you've done some preliminary research on the Web, then you've probably been flooded with a never-ending sea of acronyms: CCNA, CCNP, CCIE. Practically speaking, what do these certifications mean to you, the prospective employee? Or to you, the prudent employer? In this article I attempt to cut through all the extra marketing fluff and extraneous technical information to give you a...
Moving From One Area of IT to Another
Moving From One Area of IT to Another
Information technology is in a perpetual state of unrest. Professionals in the industry must be prepared to adjust their careers accordingly, which involves being able to take on new knowledge and skills very quickly. People who can achieve proficiency in another area of technology the fastest have an indisputable competitive edge in the IT job market. Matt McGrath, a senior education consultant with Kansas City, Mo.-based Centriq Foss Training Center, helps techies make that transition on a regular basis. He works with several current and prospective IT professionals every week to determine how they should pursue their desired career. About half are what we call career changers, who want to get into IT from a different field entirely, and then the other half are experienced IT professionals who want to make a horizontal career movement within IT, he said.
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