While writing this book, I have tried to explain all system administration concepts in reasonable detail. Many examples are presented in each section of a chapter to help the user understand what happens when a particular command is executed. Commonly used command-line switches are also listed wherever appropriate. You will also find many screen shots showing what happens when you select a menu or press a button in the GUI windows. I have also tried to explain each system and network administration task using both command-line utilities and System Administration Manager (SAM). Most "old-fashioned" people would like to carry out many tasks using the command-line interface, which is also very important for passing the HP-UX certification examination.
The book is organized such that it progresses from simple-to-understand concepts to more-difficult and complicated ones. The same strategy is also implemented in each chapter. Figures, tables, and examples are presented wherever helpful to communicate the concept. The first few chapters contain more examples than the later ones to give a user a good start.
Another consideration in the organization of the book is logical relevance and order of the chapters. If an idea or concept depends on another concept, it is placed later in the book.
This book is intended to be the most comprehensive book on HP-UX. It not only covers the HP-UX certification exam, but it also serves as a reference book for even the most experienced HP-UX system administrators. The first part is designed with the most basic concepts so that anybody who is new to HP-UX can get the full benefit. The next two parts cover more-complicated system and network administration tasks. Both novice and experienced users will find interesting things here.Part 1: Fundamentals of UNIX Systems