Learning to Troubleshoot Mac / Use Server

Hi everyone.
It is possible that I'll be getting a job as an assistant IT consultant somewhere, however the firm uses Mac's and Mac servers.

I won't express my opinion of Mac's here in order to avoid being brutally slaughtered, but I am more than willing to work with them in this sort of role. The issue is, beyond basic troubleshooting and operation of the Mac, I may as well be considered a 'newbie'.

Don't get me wrong, I have always been able to pick up new computer environments very easily. I can use Linux with no problem after having spent a few hours getting used to the feel. I am more than confident that I'll be able to look after a network of Mac's.

But, lets get to the point. I was wondering if there was any free online articles or tutorials about troubleshooting, maintaining, and advanced operation of Mac's and Mac Servers around that I could use to research and get myself a head start. Thanks for your help!

Regards
Rhys A

You found this forum right?

You're better of googling a specific issue than trying to find a top ten list of what goes wrong in mac land. That goes for PC's too,...right?

yeesh.

Peachpit Press has certification books, try that.

i don't know if its something you would be interested in or not but the apple certification classes are fantastic and worth every dime. Its all hands on learning in small class enviroments.

If you're familiar with Linux, learning to support Macs should be a cake walk as the underlying OS is BSD, which is another UNIX variant. Beneath the pretty veneer, OS X is a UNIX and the same command line tools, concepts and services (including SAMBA).

If you're trying to qualify for a position in which Mac support will comprise the majority of your workload, only then would I consider certification.

If you're looking for a decent book, try Amit Singh's Mac OS X Systems Internals..

O'Reilly's Running Mac OS X Tiger by James Duncan Davidson and Jason Deraleau is also excellent for those of us well-versed in IT.

yea, once you hit # it's pretty much all the same.. with minor variations (lack of procfs etc) but that's true of all *nix environments anyway.

Hi guys
Thanks for your help - I don't really have the time to take a course, as I think most of my learning will come through hands-on experience if I get the job. I'll keep a look out for those books, but I'm sure there's not much to it.

Thanks again
Rhys Andrews