Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing for an ORA book
Review: I purchased this book online, and was very disappointed in the depth into which this book delves into Solaris. I bought the book b/c of the ORA name, which normally works out VERY well for me, but this time was definitely an exception. This is an OK book for general SA knowledge, but there are definitely other books that are better for general SA knowledge (such as UNIX System Administration Handbook).
Rating: 
Summary: One of weaker O'Reilly's books
Review: I wonder who the targeted reader of this book is:
Beginner will not find nearly enough technical information to learn
any of the tipics mentioned and book by no means can be used as
a shelf reference for more advanced user.
Cannot recommend it to anybody.
Rating:
Summary: Overview without deep information
Review: I'm quite disappointed from this O'Reilly book. I expected technical information for a professional system administrator but got a fast overview. The author tries to cover everything form networking to Java in just 300 pages.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Practical With Few Screenshots
Review: If there's one thing I hate about computer books it's screenshots. I mean, if I'm a UNIX admin, I know what a screen looks like right? That's why I hate those 1000+ page books - full of fluff and no detail. This book is compact, few screenshots, it has lots of good examples (like installation worksheets) and a (rarely found) discussion on sizing. Downside: no discussion on VPNs which I would have expected since firewalls and encryption are covered. Almost five stars.
Rating:
Summary: Waste of money
Review: If you know _anything_ about Solaris, this book is useless for you. I understand an administration book should talk about /etc/services. What is not so understandable is to have a _whole_ services file displayed in more than two pages of the book. What for? What is the purpose? I can "cat" it if I need to see it complete. That happens with many files, and many pages. Of the 400 pages of this book, 200 are wasted paper, and the other only cover very basic stuff. Look elsewhere for a Solaris admin book.
Rating:
Summary: LOOK carefully at this book before you buy it!
Review: It covers lots of obscure network ideas, and omits lots of practical topics. I'd suggest you look it over VERY closely before you buy it. This is one of the few ORA books I will not buy.
Rating:
Summary: Administrator's Guide - NOT!
Review: Solaris 8 General Networking Overview would be a better title. The book does not even mention disk formatting (except fdisk for Intel boxes), logical volumes of any type, nothing about patching or the care and feeding of Solaris. If you're looking for a good Sun/Solaris Admin Guide - pass on this one....
Rating: 
Summary: This book covers lots of ground quickly
Review: Some people are trashing the book for a few insignificant flaws. Personally, I think he spends too much time on Java, doesn't cover PAM, RBAC or other new features to Solaris 8. On the whole, though, the book covers alot of good ground for intermediate level system adminstrators - those who have some experience with Solaris, but want to know what features are relevant to Solaris 8 and Solaris networking. The author summarizes his aims in the preface: "This book illustrates how Solaris services are used to build networks." This focus mirrors SUNs focus for Solaris 8 expressed by the slogan 'The Network is the Computer'. The book covers the following in enough depth to be useful, while not getting bogged down in too much detail:
* networking - theory and practical setup
* installing solaris, configuring network cards
* Solaris services: dns, nfs - file sharing, email, interacting with NT, nis, nis+, ldap
* backups
* security
* hints on troubleshooting and best practice sysadmin work. It isn't a good introduction to Solaris, nor a comprehensive reference book, but it has alot of useful information, especially about networking Solaris version 8.
Rating:
Summary: Another Quality O'Reilly Publication
Review: There is only one type of computer book I buy - O'Reilly. Every UNIX administrator knows the same thing. My bookshelves are crammed with sed & awk, sendmail, and all of the cool bookshelf series. This new Solaris book is an excellent addition to my library. It gives an overview of what Solaris is all about, how to get it running, and most importantly, how to support common network services. Security and storage are covered. You should not expect to learn everything about Solaris from this book. But it's the best summary I've seen to date.
Rating:
Summary: Another Quality O'Reilly Publication
Review: There is only one type of computer book I buy - O'Reilly. Every UNIX administrator knows the same thing. My bookshelves are crammed with sed & awk, sendmail, and all of the cool bookshelf series. This new Solaris book is an excellent addition to my library. It gives an overview of what Solaris is all about, how to get it running, and most importantly, how to support common network services. Security and storage are covered. You should not expect to learn everything about Solaris from this book. But it's the best summary I've seen to date.
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