Customer Reviews

Linux Samba Server Administration (Craig Hunt Linux Library)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ok, firstly, I am *not* a fan of Microsoft File Sharing (SMB/Samba) as it is usually set up poorly, and quite insecurely. That said...

There are times where one has no choice but to use Windows Networking, and truth-be-told, the Samba implementation of the SMB protocol (Windows Networking) is (in my opinion) faster, less buggy, and more secure than the native Windows version.

Now, as with any network file sharing scheme, the System Admin *must* know how to properly configure & secure the system. That is where this wonderful book comes in.

Within these 600+ pages, Mr. Smith shows he understands his topic like the back of his hand, deftly helping newbie and experienced SA alike with both the basic configurations of file & print sharing, as well as esoterica of the SMB protocol suite.

Another feature about this book that I find exemplary is that the author speaks to *Nix admins about Windows file sharing like *Nix admins, not Windows admins trying to figure out how to share a file with a Unix user. This is very important to keep the number of pages about how to use "cat" "less" "vi" or other common tools to a minimum...

Overall, this is one of the best Samba books I have found, and highly recommend it to anyone deploying Windows file sharing in a mixed environment.

This is by far the best book I have read covering Samba. The beauty of this book is that it covers the topic from a Linux Admin's point of view, but explains the Windows networking and client setup -- including how to do logon scripts, etc. It also explains how to set up a Domain Server using Samba. I was dissapointed though is that it hasn't yet been updated to the current version of Samba 2.2. I was really hoping for up-to-date information on Domain Configurations -- however, the information was complete and I have found the book to be very helpful.

There was only one question in the advanced setup that I could think of that this book didn't answer. That was how to deal with a multi-domain set-up and the impact that has on browsing.

I was very pleased that this book even had a section on the protocols and how to integrate or block these messages for use over a VPN or how to keep the bad-guys out with firewaling.

Basically, very complete and explains every thing clearly. I would just appreciate a second edition (even a subscription to this book's editions).

I ordered this book and found it quite helpful in setting up Samba on my TurboLinux server. This is my first attempt at what may be replacing Novell and NT file and print servers. The book offered plenty of helpful information on the SWAT and manual editing of smb.conf file. I now have 2 servers up and running in test mode and introducing them slowly into production as I learn more by reading this helpful book.

This book actually taught me more about Active Directory and NT domain administration than I learnd in MCSE class.
It thoroughly covers setup from simple file sharing to integrating Macintosh computers into an smb network, creating a domain controller and using a windoze domain to control the linux shares, using the linux box for roaming profiles, etc..
I usually buy these books, look up a few things in them and shelve them, but I actually read this from cover to cover.
I don't know how newbie friendly it is for linux, as it assumes a bit of knowledge as far as how to work with linux directory permissions, linux file structure and the like.

My background is that I'm a former UNIX admin and now just have a small home (windows) network with a Linux server. I just wanted to set up a simple Samba configuration to share files. I looked in some of the all-purpose Linux books and they mainly devoted 4-5 pages tops to Samba, which I found to be insufficient, even for my simple needs.

This book on the other hand is kind of overkill (for me). It's 600 pages devoted to nothing but Samba, and things related to samba. It goes through all kinds of networking topics, describing the history of all the different networking layers, what they do, and so forth.

The strength of the book is that it takes you through windows and Linux networking in great detail, and if you read it cover to cover I'm sure you'll really know your stuff. The examples in the book are sufficient, but not great. Rest assured that whatever you need to know about Samba you'll find in this book (eventually).

The weakness of this book is that it's not organized in such a way that it will serve as a very good reference, and it's extremely verbose.

This book, like the rest in the series, is clear, comprehensive and best of all, the information includes a lot of real world scenarios.

Linux is exploding, and its market share is increasing, and more and more system administrators are looking at alternatives to file sharing and storage solutions that work, but without hefty licensing fees. Samba Server Admnistration will therefore be a blessing for companies wishing to dwell deeper into the intricacies of Samba.

The book is well organized, and you can find info very quickly by thumbing through the TOC or the Index. Though it is a reference guide, the author's style is so readable that you don't mind reading it just for the knowledge, not when you need to seek out information in an emergency.

I think this is the best book for someone whose about to replace an NT server with a Linux box. The added bonus is if you're sharing Samba with Netatalk or NFS. Great tips for how to make 'em all coexist.

I hope a version covering the 2.2 Samba series comes out soon!

Wait for the next book or else go to their website and get the manual.

Wait for the next book or else go to their website and get the manual.

I AM RUNING A WINNT BOX AND TWO REDHAT BOX. USING SAMBA TO MAKE THE CONNECTION POSIBBLE IT IS A GREATE TASK, I HAVE A ( USING SAMBA ) MANUAL WITH VERSION 2.5 BUT I AM RUNNING SAMBA 2.7 & 2.8 ON EACH OF MY REDHAT BOX IT WORKS FINE FOR ME. THERE IS SOME LOOKING FOR SAMBA 2.2, YOU COULD PIGGYBACK FRORM 2.5 TO 2.2 WITH THE SAME MANUAL WITH EASE OF USE