Title "Mastering NetWare 5.1" Authors James E. Gaskin Publisher Sybex Publication Date July 2000 ISBN 0-7821-2772-X Price $69.99 (U.S.) Pros Comprehensive guide to the day-to-day management of NetWare 5.1. Cons Certificaiton-related resources would be a nice addition for certification candidates. Verdict One of the finest books available for managing a NetWare 5.1 network on a day-to-day basis.

James Gaskin has written the definitive resource for NetWare 5.1 administrators called "Mastering NetWare 5.1: The Comprehensive Guide to the Newest Version of NetWare." That word "comprehensive" always raises a red flag for me. However, in this case, it applies. Gaskin manages to cover everything an administrator needs to deploy and manage the NetWare 5.1 OS and its many features. The four sections deal with Setting Up a Network, Managing a Network, TCP/IP and Internet Connectivity and finally Remote Access, New Features and Troubleshooting.

This book has so many strengths that it is impossible to list them all. Having read too many Novell books in my career, I trained myself to see if the author has a unique, yet simplified way to present complex topics. If s/he has, then I recommend it to my students. Gaskin is able to accomplish this with ease. This is evident especially in the discussion of Novel Directory Services (NDS) and Novell's Distributed Print Services (NDPS). NDS is the key to understanding the structure and function of NetWare 5.1. Gaskin presents this complex topic in an organized way that is easily understood, and is supported with superb graphics and tables. A novice administrator will be able to design and administer NDS after reading this discussion. Gaskin's presentation of NDPS makes this printing technology easy to understand.

Throughout "Mastering NetWare 5.1," Gaskin strategically incorporates sidebars and value-added information that gives readers a historical and contextual perspective. One of the best features of this book is a section called "In A Hurry." This invaluable section gives you a list of the necessary steps to accomplish a task. There's no fluff. "In A Hurry" sections are done in a concise how-to manner. For example, there is an "In A Hurry" section for creating an NDPS Manager. In six steps -- just seven lines of text -- you learn exactly how to create an NDPS Manager. Screenshots and discussion follow for reference.

In reading through this text, I found that three things were missing. One is a compilation of all of the "In A Hurry" sections. This can be found on the Sybex Web site, but it would have been a great add-on reference in the text. The second thing I looked for were sections containing review questions and practical exercises. These would have been great for readers preparing for certification exams, but, alas, there are none. The third thing that is missing is an appendix mapping Novell Test Objectives to the topics covered in the lengthy text. This book does not advertise itself as a certification text, but many will use it for test preparation -- it would be a nice addition.

Overall, Gaskin's "Mastering NetWare 5.1" is one of the finest books available for managing a NetWare 5.1 network on a day-to-day basis. It addresses real-world tasks in an understandable fashion, covering the new features of NetWare 5.1 in a manner that is valuable to network administrators. Those managing, designing or troubleshooting networks and those pursuing certification need to have this resource readily available.

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