Customer Reviews

Linux® Quick Fix Notebook

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If you're a Linux administrator who is constantly looking for that practical example or write-up on how to do a specific task, Peter Harrison's Linux Quick Fix Notebook (Prentice Hall) is probably what you're looking for...

Chapter List:
Part 1 - The Linux File Server Project: Why Host Your Own Site?; Introduction To Networking; Linux Networking; Simple Network Troubleshooting; Troubleshooting Linux With syslog; Installing RPM Software; The Linux Boot Process; Configuring The DHCP Server; Linux Users And sudo; Windows, Linux, And Samba; Sharing Resources With Samba; Samba Security And Troubleshooting; Linux Wireless Networking
Part 2 - The Linux Web Site Project: Linux Firewalls Using iptables; Linux FTP Server Setup; Telnet, TFTP, And xinetd; Secure Remote Logins And File Copying; Configuring DNS; Dynamic DNS; The Apache Web Server; Configuring Linux Mail Servers; Monitoring Server Performance; Advanced MRTG For Linux; The NTP Server
Part 3 - Advanced Topics: Network-Based Linux Installation; Linux Software RAID; Expanding Disk Capacity; Managing Disk Usage With Quotas; Remote Disk Access With NFS; Centralized Logins Using NIS; Centralized Logins Using LDAP And RADIUS; Controlling Web Access With Squid; Modifying The Linux Kernel To Improve Performance; Basic MySQL Configuration; Configuring Linux VPNs
Appendices: Miscellaneous Linux Topics; Codes, Scripts, And Configurations; Fedora Version Differences; syslog Configuration And Cisco Devices; Index

Harrison does a great job in hitting the target audience. He is writing to "proficient beginners, students, and IT professionals" who understand the theory but need a little nudge on the command formatting. As a result, there's less emphasis on explaining a lot of "why" material so that he can devote more time and space to the "how to" material. I must say he definitely nails that mark. He also spends a lot of time on troubleshooting issues (Samba, network connectivity, etc) because that's where the average reader is going to be floundering if they don't know the answer. By having a concise volume that covers the major areas of concern, you should be able to either quickly fix the problem or rule out a number of potential issues. Practicality rules in this book...

He also avoids the "which version of Linux are you on" issue by concentrating on the command line interface. The material you'll learn here is applicable to all versions of Linux, because he doesn't work with any graphical interfaces which may or may not have an equivalent in all Linux distributions. So while there might be easier ways to do some of the tasks listed here, you won't be locked out from any of them due to picking the "wrong" distribution.

A very good practical book for Linux admins, and one that should get lots of wear and tear...

Some books are glanced at but then remain on the bookshelf: Not so with this book whcih will be a constant source of valuable reference material providing not only an understanding of how the software underlying basic networking connections works, but also how to set up and troubleshoot file servers, mail servers and web servers. In addition security matters are included, and even excellent tips on VPNs and wireless networking troubleshooting. Of course all of these topics are constantly at the cutting edge, and will move forward constantly after publication of the book, and yet much of the underlying understanding presented in the book remains valid which is what makes this dipping-into source of reference material so useful. This book is ideal for the Linux user who yearns for a deeper understanding of the above topics so that a start can be made into setting up and problem-solving the various networking issues that make a PC into a real workhorse.

This book pulls off what many have not. It is all at once a cookbook, reference, and guide to theory, written in plain language and stuffed with clear, useful, and relevant examples. It covers configuration of services that are common in both home and business environments, and does an amazing job at guiding the reader through typical configuration scenarios for servers living in many different types of networks. It's style and content address equally well both the very experienced Linux/*nix user and the relative novice. I would also highly recommend this book to any level of reader who is making a transition from Solaris, FreeBSD, or other *nix into Linux--it's presentation makes the differences clear and answers the questions that you really need to know to get rolling in the right direction. There's no need to make room on the shelf for this book, you'll keep it on your desk.

The sticky notes I had stashed under the keyboard with all of those quick Linux commands I use are now in the trash! This book is an IT professional's or do it yourselfer's dream come true. The vast wealth of knowledge I now have at my finger tips is incomparable to any other reference book I have in my collection. The instructions are clear and to the point with detailed examples. I wish I had something like this years ago.

Whew !! This is a great book for anyone wanting to get started and moving on to an advanced level with Linux. Installing and configuring the various facets of Linux is explained in such intricate detail that my migration from Windows to Linux was quicker than I expected. It has the exact steps that one would need to setup simple to advanced configurations and I would highly recommended it all sysadmins.
I feel the author has done a tremendous job of understanding what the user needs and then working backwards. I wish more authors would follow this approach.
Great job !!

This is a great book even though it was published in 2005. I was trying to set up an open sshd server and access it from other computers on my home network. I reviewed several newer books that gave some of the theory and the go path for setup and use, but none of them offered any advice on what to look for if things didn't work. This book offered those troubleshooting hints and advice, and I soon solved my problem (a dumb mistake on my part) thanks to the book's suggestion. I wish we had more of these kinds of books where trouble shooting is an integral part of the book. Most Linux books just assume that everything works perfectly the first time out. Thanks Peter Harrison.

It's been two years since I've purchased this book, and I still reference it from time to time.

This book covers many common open-source applications used in conjunction with linux (bind,samba,sendmail,etc).

The examples are well-written. It's a great book for someone who is wanting to educate themselves to use linux.

I will note that the book seems to be red-hat/fedora biased. I use fedora, so that was a plus.

I really enjoy the content of the Book. Since my early days using Linux consult the linuxhomenetworking website for tips & howtos.

This is surely a must have book. It's been a while since I see some book with so much content !!!.

I'm a big fan of the cookbook approach to tech books. I usually don't have time to read a book to get a broad and general understanding of a topic. I'm usually after what this book promises: a quick fix. I want answers to discrete problems. That's what _Linux(R) Quick Fix Notebook_ delivers. When I did have time to read an entire chapter, I learned a lot. When I flipped to random pages, there was a good chance I learned something. It's full of gold nuggets and neat tricks.

I work in IT, and I often show someone something that, to me, is pretty basic. But it saves them a lot of time. This book addresses those gaps in my own knowledge: the basic stuff I never happened to pick up. Sometimes it's so basic nobody bothers to write about it. Until this book.

Unfortunately, I couldn't hold on to the review copy long enough to finish it. But I'm buying a copy for myself. That should tell you something! Especially when I have about a dozen books on linux and unix system administration already. This approach works for me, and this book implements that approach really well.

An excellent resource for getting things going. Within a couple hours of receiving this book I had addressed (and understood) a couple networking and su issues.