Included in the Book
We've included several study learning tools throughout the book:
Assessment Test
At the end of this introduction is an assessment test that you can use to check your readiness for the exam. Take this test before you start reading the book; it will help you determine the areas you might need to brush up on. The answers to the assessment test questions appear on a separate page after the last question of the test. Each answer includes an explanation and a note telling you the chapter in which the material appears.
Objective Map and Opening List of Objectives
An objective map shows you where each of the exam objectives is covered in this book. In addition, each chapter opens with a list of the exam objectives it covers. Use these to see exactly where each of the exam topics is covered.
Exam Essentials
Each chapter, just after the summary, includes a number of exam essentials. These are the key topics you should take from the chapter in terms of areas to focus on when preparing for the exam.
Chapter Review Questions
To test your knowledge as you progress through the book, there are review questions at the end of each chapter. As you finish each chapter, answer the review questions and then check your answers – the correct answers and explanations are in Appendix A. You can go back to reread the section that deals with each question you got wrong to ensure that you answer correctly the next time you're tested on the material.
The review questions, assessment test, and other testing elements included in this book are not derived from the actual exam questions, so don't memorize the answers to these questions and assume that doing so will enable you to pass the exam. You should learn the underlying topic, as described in the text of the book. This will help you answer the questions provided with this book and pass the exam. Learning the underlying topic is also the approach that will serve you best in the workplace – the ultimate goal of a certification.
To get the most out of this book, you should read each chapter from start to finish and then check your memory and understanding with the end-of-chapter elements. Even if you're already familiar with a topic, you should skim the chapter; Linux is complex enough that there are often multiple ways to accomplish a task, so you may learn something even if you're already competent in an area.
Interactive Online Learning Environment and Test Bank
The interactive online learning environment that accompanies the book provides a test bank with study tools to help you prepare for the certification exam – and increase your chances of passing it the first time! The test bank includes the following:
Sample Tests
All of the questions in this book are provided, including the Assessment Test, which you'll find at the end of this introduction, and the Chapter Tests that include the Review Questions at the end of each chapter. In addition, there are two Practice Exams. Use these questions to test your knowledge of the study guide material. The online test bank runs on multiple devices.
Flashcards
Questions are provided in digital flashcard format (a question followed by a single correct answer). You can use the flashcards to reinforce your learning and provide last-minute test prep before the exam.
Other Study Tools
A glossary of key terms from this book and their definitions are available as a fully searchable PDF.
Go to http://sybextestbanks.wiley.com to register and gain access to this interactive online learning environment and test bank with study tools.
Conventions Used in This Book
This book uses certain typographic styles in order to help you quickly identify important information and to avoid confusion over the meaning of words such as onscreen prompts. In particular, look for the following styles:
● Italicized text indicates key terms that are described at length for the first time in a chapter. (Italics are also used for emphasis.)
● A monospaced font indicates the contents of configuration files, messages displayed at a text-mode Linux shell prompt, filenames, text-mode command names, and Internet URLs.
● Italicized monospaced text indicates a variable – information that differs from one system or command run to another, such as the name of a client computer or a process ID number.
● Bold monospaced text is information that you're to type into the computer, usually at a Linux shell prompt. This text can also be italicized to indicate that you should substitute an appropriate value for your system. (When isolated on their own lines, commands are preceded by non-bold monospaced $ or # command prompts, denoting regular user or system administrator use, respectively.)
In addition to these text conventions, which can apply to individual words or entire paragraphs, a few conventions highlight segments of text:
A note indicates information that's useful or interesting but that's somewhat peripheral to the main text. A note might be relevant to a small number of networks, for instance, or it may refer to an outdated feature.
A tip provides information that can save you time or frustration and that may not be entirely obvious. A tip might describe how to get around a limitation or how to use a feature to perform an unusual task.
Warnings describe potential pitfalls or dangers. If you fail to heed a warning, you may end up spending a lot of time recovering from a bug, or you may even end up restoring your entire system from scratch.
Sidebar
A sidebar is like a note but longer. The information in a sidebar is useful, but it doesn't fit into the main flow of the text.
Real World Scenario
A real-world scenario is a type of sidebar that describes a task or example that's particularly grounded in the real world. This may be a situation we or somebody we know has encountered, or it may be advice on how to work around problems that are common in real-world, working Linux environments.
Exercise
An exercise is a procedure that you should try on your own computer to help you learn about the material in the chapter. Don't limit yourself to the procedures described in the exercises though! Try other commands and procedures to truly learn about Linux.
The Exam Objectives
Behind every computer industry exam, you can be sure to find exam objectives – the broad topics in which exam developers want to ensure your competency. The official exam objectives are listed here. (They're also printed at the start of the chapters in which they're covered.)
Exam objectives are subject to change at any time without prior notice and at CompTIA's sole discretion. Please visit CompTIA's website (www.CompTIA.org) for the most current listing of exam objectives.
www.CompTIA.org)Exam LX0-103 Objectives
Following are the areas in which you must be proficient in order to pass the LX0-103 exam. This exam is broken into four topics (101–104), each of which has three to eight objectives. Each objective has an associated weight, which reflects its importance to the exam as a whole. The four main topics are as follows: