Customer Reviews

Linux System Administration Handbook with CDROM

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

 

 

Oh, it's this book...

I picked up this book in a bookstore. The introduction promised it to be a great guide to everything you need to get done on a linux system. On a quick flip through the chapters were logically laid out and is seemed to be a friendly read.

Unfortunately, this book has almost no depth to it. Even for experienced sys admins this book would be of little value.

Do Not Buy This Book.

This book was on discount sale at my local bookstore and I see why now. For someone who has never touched Linux or Unix and wants to read a glorified advertising brochure about its potential, this is a good text. It answers the question "what is possible if I were to buy Linux" and maybe "how would I get started if all goes well"...not the real system admin questions like "what can I do exactly" or "how do I do the following...". If you are an experienced Linux user (like even 2 days experience) you'll be offended by this book.

When this book came out I was somewhat new to Linux and having a lot of trouble using the other admin. books. I had to have a quick and easy way to get network services up. It was the only book that taught me how to get up all the services I needed.

It covered a lot of important things that are left out of the other books, at least important things to beginners. Most important he has a section on AppleTalk. Other books don't even give hints on this. This is important if you work in publishing, advertising, graphics etc... and need to get a server up in a hurry. What this book does is teach you to get the basic services up and running and then points you to where you need to go to get the real info. I recommend it.

this book is down there with linux unleashed. It tries to cover every linux topic under the sun, while subtly missing everything useful about every topic.

this book should be completely avoided at all costs. the authors (I can't imagine how it took two to write) have just gleaned information from the intros in every howto.

get the howtos. if you want it in hardcopy, get a printer. or get the latest linux bible.

actually, I would have given this book 0 stars if that was an option.

This book is good as an introduction to Linix administration for readers who are completely new to Linix. I concur with a number of the readers in that this book does lack depth. For myself, it was useful in terms of the breadth of information provided. If you are completely new to this operating system, this book suffices as an overview of common administrative tasks. You will get a basic feel for what needs to be done, but you won't learn operating-system specifics for your particular distribution of Linix. My recommendation is that if you are new, use this book as a start. Identify why you are setting up a Linix server (or workstation) and then jump to the appropriate chapters on that topic. The book is well-organized, so you'll have no problem finding your way around. When you're ready, buy another book that focuses on what you're interested in.

I've been searching for a useful resource in setting up a network using several platforms. This book offered nearly all the information I needed all in one place. It also helped with setting up the printers and other network peripherals I needed.

I found this book to deal with several importiant issues. The problem that I had with the book was the lack of real world examples. I have learned more about surfing the internet than I did from this book.

As a beginner to Linux, I bought this book 5 months ago, mainly because it promised "practical advice from expert system administrators" and on browsing, was very readable. However I found later to my disappointment that this book did not deliver good practical guide to installing or administrating Linux. It covers a lot of topics but most of them in a superficial manner. For problems I came across and turned to this book, I had in most cases, not been able to find the answers. I definitely do not recommend it to someone who needs help to learn and setup a Linux system from the ground up.

I'm a pretty experienced computer interested in setting up and running my first Linux based server. This book sets out to be the 'ultimate' Linux book, but neither addresses the immediate needs of novices nor the specific technical needs of an advanced user. You'd be better of just reading the Linux 'Howto' docs and other information freely available on the Internet than buying this doorstop.

On page 2 of this useful but undistinguished Linux work, the authors grandly announce that "This is not just a Linux book. This is the Linux book." It is hard to see on what basis this claim can be substantiated. For instance, using a networked printer, i.e., one with its own IP address and Ethernet card, is not a trifle in many Linux installations, yet the authors devote virtually no time to the topic. To quote, "Be sure that if you do get a network printer, there are drivers, or some other interface to allow Linux to talk to it." As true as this is, it hardly makes the Linux sysadmin's life easier. In short, this book adds little to the quality of a Linux administrator's working life, all the more so if he has access to other, more thorough texts.