CNE/CNA NetWare 5 Administration Exam Cram
Authors: Ed Tittel, Doug Bamlett
Venue:  (1999)

From the Book:Welcome to Exam Cram for NetWare 5 Administration CNE/CNA! This book aims to help you get ready to takeand passNovell certification Test 050-639, titled "NetWare 5 Administration." This Introduction explains Novells certification programs in general and talks about how the Exam Cram series can help you prepare for Novells certification tests. Exam Cram books help you understand and appreciate the subjects and materials you need to pass Novell certification tests. Exam Cram books are aimed strictly at test preparation and review. They do not teach you everything you need to know about a topic (such as the ins and outs of designing a Novell Directory Services tree or everything there is to know about Z.E.N.works). Instead, we (the authors) present and dissect the questions and problems weve found that youre likely to encounter on a test. Weve worked from Novells own training materials, preparation guides, and tests, and from a battery of third-party test preparation tools. Our aim is to bring together as much information as possible about Novell certification tests. Nevertheless, to completely prepare yourself for any Novell test, we recommend that you begin by taking the Self-Assessment included in this book immediately following this Introduction. This tool will help you evaluate your knowledge base against the requirements for a CNE under both ideal and real circumstances. Based on what you learn from that exercise, you might decide to begin your studies with some classroom training or by reading one of the many study guides available.Note: When this book was written, there were no study guides on the "NetWare 5 Administration" test. We also strongly recommend that you install, configure, and fool around with any software that youll be tested onespecially NetWare 5 itselfbecause nothing beats hands-on experience and familiarity when it comes to understanding questions youre likely to encounter on a certification test. Book learning is essential, but hands-on experience is the best teacher of all! Novell Professional Certifications Novells various certifications currently encompass six separate programs, each of which boasts its own special acronym (as a would-be certificant, you need to have a high tolerance for alphabet soup of all kinds):  CNA (Certified Novell Administrator) This is the least prestigious of all the certification tracks from Novell. Candidates can demonstrate their skills in any of a number of areas of expertise. This certification requires passing one test in any of five tracks. (Three of the tracks are specific to NetWare versions 3.x, 4.x, and 5; two are specific to GroupWise versions. For the purposes of this book, we assume the NetWare 5 track is the one for you.) Table 1 shows the required test for the CNA certification. For more information about this program and its requirements, visit http://education.novell.com/cna/.  CNE (Certified Novell Engineer) This is the primary target for most people who seek a Novell certification of one kind or another. Candidates who wish to demonstrate their skills in installing and managing NetWare networks make up its primary audience. This certification is obtained by passing six or seven tests, including five or six required core tests (depending on which track you pursue) and a single elective. Table 1 shows the required and elective tests for CNE certification in the NetWare 5 track. For more information about this program and its requirements, visit http://education.novell.com/cne/.  MCNE (Master CNE) Candidates for this certification program must first prove their basic expertise by obtaining CNE certification. To obtain MCNE status, candidates must pass four to six additional tests in any of seven specialized areas. This is Novells most elite certification. For more information about this program and its requirements, visit http://education.novell.com/mcne/.  CIP (Certified Internet Professional) This certification program is designed for individuals who seek to step into one or more of a variety of professional Internet roles. These roles include that of Certified Internet Business Strategist, Certified Web Designer, Certified Web Developer, Certified Internet Manager, and Certified Internet Architect. To qualify, candidates must pass anywhere from one to five required tests, depending on which role they seek to fill. For more information about this program and its requirements, visit http://www.netboss.com/.  CNI (Certified Novell Instructor) Candidates who wish to teach any elements of the Novell official curriculum (and there is usually an official class tied to each of the Novell certification tests) must meet several requirements to obtain CNI certification. They must take a special instructor training class, demonstrate their proficiency in a classroom setting, and take a special version of the test for each certification topic they wish to teach, to show a higher level of knowledge and understanding of the topics involved. For more information about this program and its requirements, visit http://education.novell.com/cni/. Novell also offers a Master CNI (MCNI) credential to exceptional instructors who have two years of CNI teaching experience, and who possess an MCNE certification as well.  CNS (Certified Novell Salesperson) This is a newer Novell certification and focuses on the knowledge that sales professionals need to master to present and position Novells various networking products accurately and professionally. To obtain this certification, an individual must pass a self-study class on sales skills and Novell products, as well as take regular product update training when it becomes available. This level of certification is intended to demonstrate a salespersons ability to position and represent Novells many products accurately and fairly. For more information about this program and its requirements, visit http://education.novell.com/powersell/. Certification is an ongoing activity. Once a Novell product becomes obsolete, Novell certified professionals typically have 12 to 18 months during which they may recertify on new product versions. If individuals do not recertify within the specified period, their certifications become invalid. Because technology keeps changing and new products continually supplant old ones, this should come as no surprise to anyone. Certification is not a one-time achievement, but rather a commitment to a set of evolving tools and technologies. The best place to keep tabs on Novells certification program and its various certifications is on the Novell Web site. The current root URL for all Novell certification programs is http://education.novell.com/certinfo/. If this URL doesnt work, try searching for "certification" or "certification programs" from Novells home page (www.novell.com). You will then find the latest, most up-to-date information about Novells certification programs. Taking A Certification Exam Alas, testing is not free. Each computer-based Novell test costs $95, and if you dont pass, you may retest for an additional $95 for each additional try. In the United States and Canada, tests are administered by Sylvan Prometric and Virtual University Enterprises (VUE). Heres how you can contact them:  Sylvan Prometric Sign up for a test through the companys Web site at www.slspro.com. In the United States or Canada, call 800-233-3382; outside that area, call 612-820-5706.  Virtual University Enterprises Sign up for a test or get the phone numbers for local testing centers through the Web page at www.vue.com. In the United States or Canada, call 800-511-8123 or 888-834-8378; outside North America, call 612-897-7370. To sign up for a test, you need a valid credit card, or contact either company for mailing instructions to send them a check (in the U.S.). Only when payment is verified, or a check has cleared, can you actually register for a test. To schedule a test, call the number or visit either of the Web pages at least one day in advance. To cancel or reschedule a test, you must call before 7 p.m. Pacific Standard Time the day before the scheduled test time (or you may be charged, even if you dont show up for the test). When you want to schedule a test, have the following information ready:  Your name, organization, and mailing address.  Your Novell Test ID. (Inside the U.S., this means your Social Security number; citizens of other nations should call ahead to find out what type of identification number is required to register for a test.)  The name and number of the test you wish to take.  A method of payment. (As weve already mentioned, a credit card is the most convenient method, but alternate means can be arranged in advance, if necessary.) Once you sign up for a test, youll be informed as to when and where the test is scheduled. Try to arrive at least 15 minutes early. You must supply two forms of identificationone of which must be a photo IDto be admitted into the testing room. All tests are completely closed-book. In fact, you will not be allowed to take anything with you into the testing area, but you will be furnished with a blank sheet of paper and a pen or, in some cases, an erasable plastic sheet and an erasable pen. We suggest that you immediately write down on that sheet of paper all the information youve memorized for the test. In Exam Cram books, this information appears on a tear-out sheet inside the front cover of each book. Youll have some time to compose yourself, to record this information, and even to take a sample orientation test before you begin the real thing. We suggest you take the orientation test before taking your first test, but because theyre all more or less identical in layout, behavior, and controls, you probably wont need to do this more than once. When you complete a Novell certification test, the software will tell you whether youve passed or failed. Results are broken into topical areas that map to the tests specific test objectives. Even if you fail, we suggest you ask forand keepthe detailed report that the test administrator should print for you. You should use this report to help you prepare for another go-round, if needed. If you need to retake a test, youll have to schedule a new test with Sylvan Prometric or VUE and pay another $95. The first time you fail a test, you can retake the test the next day. However, if you fail a second time, you must wait 14 days before retaking that test. The 14-day waiting period remains in effect for all retakes after the first failure. Tracking Novell Certification Status As soon as you pass one of the applicable Novell tests, youll attain Certified NetWare Administrator (CNA) status. Novell also generates transcripts that indicate which tests you have passed and your certification status. You can check (or print) your transcript at any time by visiting the official Novell site for certified professionals through its login page at http://certification. novell.com/pinlogin.htm. As the name of the Web page (pinlogin) is meant to suggest, you need an account name and a Personal Identification Number (PIN) to access this page. Youll receive this information by email about two weeks after you pass any exam that might qualify you for CNA or CNE status. At the Novell certification site, you can also update your personal profile, including your name, address, phone and fax numbers, email address, and other contact information. You can view a list of all certifications that youve received so far and check a complete list of all exams youve taken. Benefits Of Novell Certification Once you pass the necessary set of tests (one for CNA, six or seven for CNE, four to six more for the MCNE), youll become certified (or obtain an additional certification). Official certification normally takes anywhere from four to six weeks, so dont expect to get your credentials overnight. When the package for a qualified certification arrives, it includes a set of materials that contain several important elements:  A certificate, suitable for framing, along with an official membership card.  A license to use the appropriate Novell certified professional logo, which allows you to use that logo in advertisements, promotions, and documents, and on letterhead, business cards, and so on. As part of your certification packet, youll get a logo sheet, which includes camera-ready artwork. (Note: Before using any artwork, individuals must sign and return a licensing agreement that indicates theyll abide by its terms and conditions.)  A subscription to the NetWare Connection magazine, which provides ongoing data about testing and certification activities, requirements, and changes to the program.  Access to a special Web site, commensurate with your current level of certification, through the http://certification.novell.com/pinlogin.htm login page. Youll find more than your own personal records hereyoull also find reports of new certification programs, special downloads, practice test information, and other goodies not available to the general public. Many people believe that the benefits of Novell CNA or CNE certification go well beyond the perks that Novell provides to newly anointed members of these elite groups. For years, job listings have included requirements for CNA, CNE, and so on, and many individuals who complete the program can qualify for increases in pay and/or responsibility. As an official recognition of hard work and broad knowledge, any of the Novell certifications is a badge of honor in many IT organizations, and a requirement for employment in many others. How To Prepare For An Exam Preparing for any NetWare-related test (including "NetWare 5 Administration") requires that you obtain and study materials designed to provide comprehensive information about the product and its capabilities that will appear on the specific test for which you are preparing. The following list of materials will help you study and prepare:  The objectives for the course that relates to Test 050-639 appear in the information that Novell provides for Course 560: NetWare 5 Administration. You can read these objectives on the Novell Web site at http://education.novell.com/testinfo/objectives/560tobj.htm. These will also define the feedback topics when you take the test, so this document should be an essential part of your planning and preparation for the exam. You might even want to print a copy and use it along with your other study materials.  General information about Novell tests is also available, including what type of test will be delivered for each topic, how many questions youll see on any given test, the minimum passing score (which Novell calls a "Cut Score") for each test, and the maximum amount of time allotted for each test. All this information is compiled in a table called "Test Data" that you can read at http://education.novell.com/testinfo/testdata.htm. In addition, youll probably find any or all of the following materials useful as you prepare for the "NetWare 5 Administration" test:  Novell Course 560: NetWare 5 Administration Novell Education offers a 5-day, in-depth class that covers the materials for this test at a level intended to permit experienced IT professionals to learn how to install, configure, and manage NetWare 5 with little or no prior experience.  The Novell Support Connection CD This monthly CD-based publication delivers numerous electronic titles on topics relevant to NetWare and other key Novell products and topics, primarily, "Monthly Update" CDs (there are two at the time of this writing). Offerings on these CDs include product facts, technical articles and white papers, tools and utilities, and other information. A subscription to the Novell Support Connection costs $495 per year (a $100 discount is available to all CNEs and MCNEs as one of the benefits of certification), but it is well worth the cost. Visit http://support.novell.com/ and check out the information under the "Support Connection CD" menu entry for more details.  Classroom Training Although youll find Novell Authorized Education Centers worldwide that teach the official Novell curriculum, unlicensed third-party training companies (such as Wave Technologies, American Research Group, Learning Tree, Data-Tech, and others) offer classroom training on NetWare 5 Administration as well. These companies aim to help you prepare to pass Test 050-639. Although such training runs upwards of $350 per day, most of the individuals lucky enough to partake (including your humble authors, whove even taught such courses) find them to be quite worthwhile.  Other Publications Youll find direct references to other resources in this book, but theres no shortage of information available about NetWare 5 Administration. To help you sift through the various offerings available, we end each chapter with a "Need To Know More?" section that provides pointers to more complete and exhaustive resources covering the chapters subjects. This should give you some idea of where we think you should look for further discussion and more details, if you feel like you need them. By far, this set of required and recommended materials represents a nonpareil collection of sources and resources for NetWare 5 Administration and related topics. We anticipate that youll find that this book belongs in this company. In the next section, we explain how this book works, and we give you some good reasons why this book counts as a member of the required and recommended materials list. About This Book Each topical Exam Cram chapter follows a regular structure, along with graphical cues about important or useful information. Heres the structure of a typical chapter:  Opening Hotlists Each chapter begins with a list of the terms, tools, and techniques that you must learn and understand before you can be fully conversant with that chapters subject matter. We follow the hotlists with one or two introductory paragraphs to set the stage for the rest of the chapter.  Topical Coverage After the opening hotlists, each chapter covers a series of topics related to the chapters subject title. Throughout this section, we highlight topics or concepts likely to appear on a test using a special Exam Alert layout, like this: This is what an Exam Alert looks like. Normally, an Exam Alert stresses concepts, terms, software, or activities that are likely to relate to one or more certification test questions. For that reason, we think any information found offset in Exam Alert format is worthy of unusual attentiveness on your part. Indeed, most of the information that appears on The Cram Sheet appears as Exam Alerts within the text as well. Pay close attention to any material flagged as an Exam Alert. Although all the information in this book pertains to what you need to know to pass the exam, we flag certain items that are especially important. Youll find what appears in the meat of each chapter to be worth knowing, too, when preparing for the test. Because this books material is highly condensed, we recommend that you use this book along with other resources to achieve the maximum benefit. In addition to the Exam Alerts, we have provided tips that will help you build a better foundation for NetWare 5 Administration knowledge. Although the information may not be on the exam, its certainly related and will help you become a better test-taker. This is how tips are formatted. Keep your eyes open for these, and youll become a NetWare 5 Administration expert in no time!  Practice Questions Although we talk about test questions and topics throughout each chapter, this section presents a series of mock test questions and explanations for both correct and incorrect answers. We also try to point out especially tricky questions by using a special icon, like this: Ordinarily, this icon flags the presence of a particularly devious inquiry, if not an outright trick question. Trick questions are calculated to be answered incorrectly if not read more than once, and carefully, at that. Although theyre not ubiquitous, such questions make occasional appearances on the Novell tests. Thats why we say test questions are as much about reading comprehension as they are about knowing your material inside out and backwards.  Details And Resources Every chapter ends with a "Need To Know More?" section, which provides direct pointers to Novell and third-party resources offering more details on the chapters subject. In addition, this section tries to rank or at least rate the quality and thoroughness of the topics coverage by each resource. If you find a resource you like in this collection, use it, but dont feel compelled to use all the resources we cite. On the other hand, we recommend only resources we use on a regular basis, so none of our recommendations will be a waste of your time or money. But purchasing them all at once probably represents an expense that many network administrators and would-be CNAs and CNEs might find hard to justify. The bulk of the book follows this chapter structure slavishly, but there are a few other elements that wed like to point out. Chapter 16 includes a Sample Test that provides a good review of the material presented throughout the book to ensure youre ready for the exam. Chapter 17 is an Answer Key to the Sample Test that appears in Chapter 16. We suggest you take the sample test when you think youre ready for the "real thing," and that you seek out other practice tests to work on if you dont get at least 77 percent of the questions correct. In addition, youll find a Glossary, which explains terms, and an index that you can use to track down terms as they appear in the text. Finally, the tear-out Cram Sheet attached next to the inside front cover of this Exam Cram book represents a condensed and compiled collection of facts and tips that we think you should memorize before taking the test. Because you can dump this information out of your head onto a piece of paper before taking the exam, you can master this information by brute forceyou need to remember it only long enough to write it down when you walk into the test room. You might even want to look at it in the car or in the lobby of the testing center just before you walk in to take the test. Novell Terms While studying for your "NetWare 5 Administration" test, you may come across terms that we represent a certain way in our material, but that are represented differently in other resources. Some of these are as follows:  NetWare Administrator You may see this referred to as NWAdmin in some resources; however, NWAdmin is not acknowledged by Novell as a copyrighted term. Try not to confuse NetWare Administrator with NETADMIN, which is the text-based version of NetWare Administrator.  Network board A network board is also called a network interface card (NIC), network adapter, network card, and network interface board. Novell uses the term network board most often. However, the network board vendors usually refer to network boards as NICs.  Novell Directory Services (NDS) You may also see this service referred to as NetWare Directory Services (it even appears as such on Novells own Web site, www.novell.com). However, the official trademark name is Novell Directory Services.  NDS tree The NDS tree is also called the Directory tree and sometime its simply referred to as the Directory (with a capital D).  Object Trustees property This is also called the ACL, and youll sometimes see it referred to as the Object Trustees (ACL) property. One general source of confusion (as is the case with NDS) is that sometimes an "N" in an acronym is thought to stand for "NetWare" when it really stands for "Novell." As long as you know the specifics of the utility itself, you should be okaythe name isnt going to be a huge issue. How To Use This Book If youre prepping for a first-time test, weve structured the topics in this book to build on one another. Therefore, some topics in later chapters make more sense after youve read earlier chapters. Thats why we suggest you read this book from front to back for your initial test preparation. If you need to brush up on a topic or you have to bone up for a second try, use the index or table of contents to go straight to the topics and questions that you need to study. Beyond helping you prepare for the test, we think youll find this book useful as a tightly focused reference to some of the most important aspects of the "NetWare 5 Administration" test. Given all the books elements and its specialized focus, weve tried to create a tool that will help you prepare forand passNovell Test 050-639, "NetWare 5 Administration." Please share your feedback on the book with us, especially if you have ideas about how we can improve it for future test-takers. Well consider everything you say carefully, and well respond to all suggestions. Send your questions or comments to us at cipq@coriolis.com or to our series editor, Ed Tittel, at etittel@lanw.com. He coordinates our efforts and ensures that all questions get answered. Please remember to include the title of the book in your message; otherwise, well be forced to guess which book youre writing about. And we dont like to guesswe want to know! Also, be sure to check out the Web pages at www.certificationinsider.com and www.lanw.com/examcram, where youll find information updates, commentary, and certification information. Thanks, and enjoy the book!