Customer Reviews

Linux Administration Handbook

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The first edition of Unix System Administration was a classic. The updated versions have been split into a linux-only version and the original, pan-Unix treatment (including Linux--just not as many variants of Linux as this book covers). I bought the Linux one, but now I wish I had the updated pan-Unix book. The authors' strength is their knowledge of Unix fundamentals, not the (ever-changing) details of various Linux distros. You're better off learning from them how vendor Unices are different in major ways from each other and from Linux. Finally, the authors don't seem nearly as well informed about Linux as they do about the older Unices. While their older book's advice was bulletproof, in this one they miss some important information. The most serious example is their recommendation to use 'dump' for filesystem backups, when Linux Torvalds has explicitly announced that it's not safe to use. 90% of this book is the same as the Unix book, so it's not a loss either way, but I'd recommend you get your Linux info fresh off the net, or in some other book series that's updated more frequently.

This book is good on theory, but is weak on application and implementation.
The book reads well, but when I try to apply or implement the described utilities the necessary details are not there.

This book may work for a class where the tests are given as paper exams, but is weak if you are going to set up an actual machine. Wondering about why this book would be this way I looked at the "About the Authors" section and discovered why:
Evi Nemeth is retired and sailing her sailboat.
Garth Snyder is now an MD.
Trent R. Hein is running a company.

I admire their accomplishments and wish them the best of luck.
However, they have lost touch with Linux. Linux is very dynamic and requires constant attention to keep up with. It appears that they don't have time to stay in touch with Linux. My guess is that they are cutting and pasting from their old books, and maybe have some cheap college students ghost writing for them.

I recommend reading the Linux books by Negus, Sobell, and Jang.

I have owned several editions of Nemeth's 'UNIX System Administration Handbook' (USAH) and I have always been highly impressed by the quality of writing and instruction. In that book, Nemeth et al brilliantly (and humorously) packed material into 853 pages where other lesser authors (J. Winsor comes to mind) have needed several (dry) volumes. Most Unix System Administration books merely regurgitate or re-word 'man' pages and are entirely useless.
So, being as familiar as I am with their past performances, I did not hesitate to buy this their latest work from Amazon. Understand that there are a lot of similarities between Unix and Linux and as such, this book doesn't really differ that much from USAH. There is still the same highly informative prose, the same humorous approach to instructing via the written word. I think this is an attempt by the authors to capitalize on the popularity of the Linux Operating System and in any other author, this would be gauche. Not so with Nemeth and her team of writers. Here, they have again done an extra-ordinary job of instructing both experienced and novice sysadmins in the fine art and science of being that most noble of professions: a Unix/Linux System Administrator.
Good job!

I picked up this book because I have used the 2nd and 3rd editions of UNIX Administration Handbook for years. This book is easy to read and provides some entertainment with the authors' insight into Linux administration. As with it's brother the UAH, this book follows the same format but IS updated to reflect the Linux specifics. I picked it up also because it covers RH 7.2 and the UAH only covered 6.2. This book is a must for people who admin linux servers for large corporations, small businesses, or simply are running their own mail/dns/web server from their DSL connection at home.
If you are looking for a book that gets you setup on KDE or GNOME, this is not the book. If you want to learn and use the power of a networked Linux server, this is for you.
I have worked with UNIX for 6 years, Linux for 5 and recommend this book to anyone who will admin it.

This is an excellent book on the subject; it is comprehensive and very well-written. The authors explain not only how things work, but in many cases they include historical background to explain why things work as they do.

The book is clearly targeted at professional system administrators. There is little discussion of the GUI-based administration tools that come with most Linux distributions, nor are there enough examples to simply use the book as a cookbook.

The book is primarily concerned with server rather than client administration; it won't tell you how to get your sound card to work or configure your desktop environment.

For the amateur trying to configure a home Linux system, this may be the wrong book, but for a professional systems administrator, or a developer curious about the mysteries of system administration, this book is a five-star must-have.

I was not particularly impressed with this book compared to the third edition of UNIX Administration Handbook (which I hold in higher esteem) and which is much thinner.

Although the LINUX Administration Handbook has 200 pages more, it seems more like an excerpt of the above.

I was amazed that in the 1000 pages(!) of the book, only one page was mentioning SElinux -- although there is a dedicated section about "Linux Security". Many distributions switch on SElinux by default.
How can the authors have missed writing about SElinux, where this is an integral part of all new kernels, and it's an integral part of securing LINUX?

I was also amazed that the section about LDAP and OpenLDAP is very thin as well.
The section about "Wireless Networking" is totally inadequate for providing any practical help with setting up clients on laptops.

Looking at the book makes me wonder if the authors get payed by the page, rather than content.

This book seems more like "cut + paste" art, than a complete LINUX reference.

I agree with 'Book Reader "JRR"'s assessment: the authors seem to be out-of-touch with LINUX / UNIX.

--- DISCLAIMER: This is a requested review by PTR, however any opinions expressed within the review are my personal ones. ---


4 Years ago I used the LAH (1st Edition) as an intermediate user on work and was quite impressed with the lots of technical information. Now its almost 5 years after the 1st Edition came out and I have the privilege to review the 2nd Edition.

While I dont have the 1st Edition next to me while writing the review this are the impressions recalled from my memories how the books contents changed towards the 2nd edition.

I think the 1st edition gave the impression of a hands down book filled with many straight-to-use technical advice, while the 2nd edition version is tending to be less technical but rather offering more whole sighted professional overview like explanations (methods).

This comes with its benefits and its downsides.

1) The COVERED topics are explained very nicely and easily understandable, especially for novice users.

2) Many topics can not be covered at all or as depth as advanced readers would like to see them.

f.e. The very first topic I approached was something simple as "Adding a hard disc" (Chapter 7).

I was surprised that the book spends a luxury 40 !! pages on that topic alone.

The explanations are very well written and so I started to read the chapter.

Unfortunately the chapter lacks info f.e. about NAS, SAN, SAS, a Software vs. Hardware raid comparison etc. which I found a bit disappointing after the technology is out there now for years.

Summary:

if I recall that correctly than the books contents shifted from more technical focused contents in the 1st Edition towards technical-educational contents in the 2nd Edition. This is going to be very helpful for teachers and tutors in colleges and high schools and laboratories.

Technicians and engineers might still find it a valuable introduction, which lays the ground if you quickly need to brush up on a topic.

I assume that PTR was trying to focus with the 2nd version on a healthy balance of basic technical issues.

Advanced readers (3+ years usage of Linux) might find that the book doesnt offer enough "meat" for them for their everyday work.

There is a lack of certain topics like f.e NAS, SAN, SAS, SE Linux, grsecurity, ...

Specific topics will need to be read up on the internet or additional books.

Overall it seems like the book got a brush up, but also a whopping extra 100+ pages were added it doesnt seem like to much contents was added. I cant help it but got the feeling that the book is 2-3 years behind - if not all than at least on advanced technical issues.

However there is ONE AREA WHERE THE BOOK REALLY SHINES.
The current included contents will serve useful for educational teacher or tutors at colleges or SOHO environments.

I frequently refer to this book and have found it very useful and informative on just about every subject that is Linux. I would have given it 5 stars except that the index of the book is broken. I use the index of reference books, like all other admins, to quickly find the page of the subject for that I am looking. The page numbers that are referenced in the index are incorrect. This is VERY frustrating! This book shouldn't be the only Linux book on your shelf, but I do recommend having it.

Want to understand how a Linux system works? Want to understand the considerations in the care and feeding of a Linux system? Want to see how it all comes together underneath the covers? Then buy this book.

Finally, a book on Linux system administration that does not start with explaining command prompts, the vi and emacs editors, and more mind-numbing descriptions of common utilities like ls.

I wished that there would be a chapter on the setup and administration of X, KDE and GNOME, but alas, the authors did not deem it necessary.

The "Dummies Unleashed in 21 days" crowd will find this book too full of serious material for their liking. And horror of horrors, they will find that there is no CD at the back of the book with a Linux distribution. For the others, this is a delightful book that treats you like an intelligent person. Worth the money you spend.

Just got this book and opened it to the security chapter with the purple, Unix System Admin Handbook opened to the same chapter. The new Linux Admin Handbook follows the exact same, time-tested layout as the Unix book. Fans will feel right at home. However, it has lots of new info for Linux users.

This is a great overview of the useful and important things you need to know.

If you are new to Linux, I recommend this be your second book. Your first book should teach you how to install Linux and get your system up and running with an overview of all the basics.

My two favorite things about this book is that it is very easy to read compared to other tech books and it gives you what you need very quickly without diving into a ?rabbit hole? of impractical information.

Thank you Evi, Garth and Trent.