Oracle Solaris certification in India: A guide

The past few decades have witnessed several mission critical applications performing optimally on Oracle Solaris operating system (OS). With an increasing number of enterprises deploying applications such as customer relationship management (CRM) systems and others expanding existing CRM, the need for skilled manpower to set up and manage Solaris server environments is on the rise. Noting this trend, Oracle has designed technical certifications for professionals who want to validate their Solaris skills, along with programs for those looking to move to the Solaris administration. This guide is a starting point towards helping you prepare for the Solaris certification exam.

There are no eligibility criteria for taking the Solaris certification exam. Anyone who aspires to be a Solaris administrator can appear for the Solaris certification exam, after attending training programs or reading books. Also, freshers keen on acquiring a competitive edge in the IT industry can take the exam.

Solaris certification exam course contents

Aspiring candidates have to clear two exams to obtain the Solaris certification—System Administration for the Oracle Solaris 10 OS, Part 1 and System Administration for the Oracle Solaris 10 OS, Part 2.

The Oracle Solaris 10 OS, Part 1covers:

• Introducing the Solaris 10 OS directory hierarchy
• Managing local disk devices
• Interface configurations
• Managing Solaris OS Unix file system (UFS)
• Introduction to the ZFS file system
• Performing mounts and unmounts
• Performing Solaris 10 OS package administration
• Managing software patches on the Solaris 10 OS
• Using boot PROM command
• Using the Grand Unified Bootloader
• Performing legacy boot and shutdown procedures
• Using the service management facility
• Performing user administration
• Controlling system processes
• Solaris 10 operating system installation requirements

The Oracle Solaris 10 OS, Part 2 covers:

• Managing swap space, core files and crash dumps
• Configuring NFS
• Configuring AutoFS
• Describing RAID
• Configuring Solaris volume manager software
• Configuring role-based access control (RBAC)
• Configuring system messaging
• Using name services
• Configuring name service clients
• Introduction to zones
• Introduction to LDAP
• Configuring JumpStart installation using the Solaris 10 OS
• Performing Live Upgrade Using the Solaris 10 OS

Preparing for Solaris certification exam

Candidates can opt for any of the following study options to prepare for the Solaris certification exam.

• In India, classroom training is provided by Oracle as well as one of the certified education partners, RPS Consulting.
  
  • Oracle training details

System Administration for the Oracle Solaris 10 OS, Part 1

System Administration for the Oracle Solaris 10 OS, Part 2
     

Oracle Education Services contact information: 1800 103 4775, +91 80 4108 4709

• • RPS Consulting training details

System Administration for the Oracle Solaris 10 OS, Part 1

System Administration for the Oracle Solaris 10 OS, Part 2

In India, RPS Consulting is based in Bangalore and Hyderabad.

             Address and contact details

RPS Consulting Pvt Ltd, 4th Floor, HJS Chambers, 92, Richmond Road, Bangalore-560 025, India, Tel: +91 80 40577782

             RPS Consulting Pvt Ltd, 204, 02nd floor, Surekha Chambers, Opposite 
             VIP Showroom, Ameerpet, Hyderabad – 500016. 
             Tel: 040-40037472/73/74
             Mobile number: +91 (0) 9959558850
             E-mail: info@rpssoft.com

• Self study material provided by Oracle Education Services

Candidates can also order the below-mentioned CDs to prepare for the Solaris certification exams:

System Administration for the Oracle Solaris 10 OS, Part 1 - Rs 56,113
System Administration for the Oracle Solaris 10 OS, Part 2 - Rs 56,113

• Books

Numerous books are available in the market to help you prepare for the Solaris certification exams. The following two are considered the best:

• • Sun (R) Certified System Administrator for Solaris (TM) 10 Study Guide (Exams 310-200 & 310-202) by Paul Sanghera
  • Solaris 10 System Administration Exam Prep: CX-310-200, Part I and Part 11 (2nd Edition) by Bill Calkins

Solaris certification exam details

• The code for the Oracle Solaris 10 System Administrator Certified Professional Exam, Part 1 is CX-310-200 and for the Oracle Solaris 10 System Administrator Certified Professional Exam, Part 2 is CX-310-202. 
• Duration for Oracle Solaris 10 System Administrator Certified Professional Exam, Part 1 is 140 minutes. The exam has 63 objective-type questions and the passing score is 66%.
• Duration for Oracle Solaris 10 System Administrator Certified Professional Exam, Part 2 is 105 minutes. The exam has 48 objective-type questions and the passing score is 63%.
• The Solaris certification exams cost USD 125 each.

Aspirants can appear for the Solaris certification exams at any of the Pearson Vue Testing Centers.

Useful Solaris certification resources

http://my.safaribooksonline.com/book/certification/solaris/0789734613

http://my.safaribooksonline.com/book/certification/solaris/9780768690798

http://my.safaribooksonline.com/book/certification/solaris/9780768686340

http://flylib.com/books/en/4.272.1.1/1/

http://www.scribd.com/doc/18226029/Certification-Solaris

http://www.scribd.com/doc/4001702/Solaris-10-System-Administrator-Collection-System-Administration-Guide-Devices-and-File-Systems

About the author: Anuj Sharma is an EMC Certified and NetApp accredited professional. Sharma has experience in handling implementation projects related to SAN, NAS and BURA. One of his articles was published globally by EMC, and titled the Best of EMC Networker during last year's EMC World held at Orlando, US.