Customer Reviews

Linux in a Windows World

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This book has well developed details on Linux client configuration for Linux only solutions with some small Windows tidbits thrown in. Given that the scope of this book should be "Linux in a Windows World", I expected more material on connecting Linux to modern Windows infrastructure, especially Active Directory. What coverage that was offered on Windows, e.g. some chapters dedicated to SAMBA, was mostly focused on 10-year older Windows NT era of technologies. I will delve in to some topics to illustrate this.

In Kerberos (Chapter 9), more than 80% of the coverage is about Linux Kerberos solutions and client configuration. There is a measly 2 pages out of 30 on Windows client configuration. In one area (page 216), the author states that Kerberos to Kerberos cross-realm trust to Active Directory would beyond the scope of this book, but I seem to recall that this information took up roughly 5 pages of text in Kerberos, The Definitive Guide by Jason Garman. There is zero coverage on how to configure Linux to use Active Directory KDC, which is something done in about two pages from the same aforementioned book. I'm wondering where's the "Windows World" involved in this as overall coverage is again for Linux to Linux.

For the topic of LDAP (Chapter 8), the coverage is again about configuring Linux clients to use OpenLDAP for authentication. Even within the scope of Linux-to-Linux the information was limited (there's less than adequate coverage about how lack of caching can cause serious problems, or how to use things like SASL for Kerberized authentication of LDAP). There is no mention of using Active Directory LDAP in this chapter for Linux clients. There was some coverage of Windows client configuration through pGina. However, I would prefer to see Windows solutions as this is suppose to be about a "Windows World" book, but get Linux-to-Linux solutions and with pGina, a Windows-to-Linux solution.

On the topic of DNS and DHCP (Chapter 15), only Linux solutions are covered, so there is no information on using Linux with Windows DHCP and DNS backends. In the scope of Linux DHCP, the information is very limited, and there is no information on how to assign IP addresses based on computer names, which is a feature that even Windows DHCP doesn't support. Windows clients spit out names with an appended "0" character to the DHCP server, which could be use for further configuration of services. In the scope of Linux DNS, there is no information about features needed in BIND to make it interoperable with Windows Active Directory, or even Linux Kerberos solutions for that matter. One needs Dynamic DNS, support for SRV records, and in particular for Active Direcotry, one needs support for underscore characters "_", which I heard is a compile time option for BIND9. Additionally, Microsoft has a proprietary WINS record for legacy support that is not supported by BIND. Both Microsoft certification publications and "DNS and BIND" by Albitz and Liu (O'Reilly) offer solution scenarios for this. None of this important essential information was presented, as the predominant focus appears to be Linux-to-Linux.

On the topic of NTP services (Chapter 15), the information is applicable for older Windows 9X/ME/NT systems that used a NetBIOS to locate a non-NTP service from Windows NT. In Windows XP/2003 that is so ancient history and Windows has full support for NTP client and services through the w32tm command. This is completely absent from from the presentation and details on this topic. Also surprising is no mention of why time sychronization is vital to either any Kerberos solutions, including Active Directory; any clients authentication to a Kerberos KDC should sychronize to the clock on that same server, or else users will not be able to log on if their clocks are more than 5 minutes off.

When covering mail technologies (Chapter 13), most of the documentation is an overview of mail technology and a exploration of Linux solutions with sendmail and postfix, which is very good presentation of those technologies. Microsoft Excahnge Server gets an honorable mention of less than 2 pages out of 51 pages. I would have appreciated more scenarios on how to integrate Exchange including for a variety of technologies, and would also have been interested in Windows clients that would hook into Linux solutions. There's no mention that that modern versions of Exchange are dependent on Active Directory -- something of a headache for Linux admins, but important consideration for planning the infrastructure. The Windows interoperability in this area like other chapters was quite lacking.

There are four chapters in Part II "Sharing Files and Printers" dedicated to SAMBA and related technologies like CUPS integration. The coverage here is predominantly focused on 10-year old Windows NT era technologies. One chapter is even dedicated to NetBIOS Network, something even Windows admins wish would have never existed. I don't know but I would hope that interoperability would cover modern technologies that are at least applicable within the last three years (after all, Windows 2003 is about 3 years old now). There only mention of Active Directory, and NONE of the richness found in where Linux boxes can be added to Active Directory domain, authenticate through ActiveDirectory via windbindd (with support for caching), and Windows account sid (security id) to user id (uid) and group id (gid) mapping with LDAP Unix schema support with either SFU 3.5 or AD4Unix in Active Directory (( NOTE: This can be done through SAMBA 3.0.20 and above, but authors haven't a clue )). The interoperability here is for historical network scenarios that is well covered in existing published (and online free) books. I would expect that a book written in this time would offer appicable Windows interoperability.

In the scope of printing through CUPS (Chapter 4), there's no mention that I can tell of Windows support for IPP, the same technology that CUPS uses. Linux clients can connect directly to Windows IPP printer without even touching SAMBA (just have to use port 80 in the URL as Microsoft implemented their solution before the RFC was finalized). Some redeeming qualities of this section was how to do free PDF-Gernation printer share on Linux, and also how to implement Microsoft RPC facility (through SAMBA) for auto-insstallation of printer drivers on Windows clients.

Overall, given that the focus is predominantly Linux for Linux solutions, this book maybe should be called "Linux in a Linux World". If you need an overview of Linux technologies and solutions, then this is a decent book, but if you want modern real-world details on interoperability to Windows, then there are far better books in this space.

The desktop sure has changed in the past decade. Whereas Linux was once resolved to be an OS for pure hobbyists and those who wanted to "escape from Redmond", it now sits side-by-side with Microsoft Windows in many corporations and homes. The goal therefore of the new O'Reilly book "Linux In A Windows World" is to show how to get the two operating systems on speaking terms with each other.

What is the most common thing people do on any OS? You got it -- print! Yet, time and time again, we have seen that even the simplest thing such as printing a document can be a nightmare when you have two different operating systems competing for the same printer. This is just a small real-life example of the type of task you will find while reading this book. You will be taken through the steps to get your Linux system working happily with that Windows printer down in Accounting.

Throughout the book the author does an excellent job of tackling a common system administrator task, such as using Active Directory (Windows Domains) for authenticating users on the Linux boxes. Not only does he cover the most common ways of doing the task, but he also goes into detail about alternative methods and "extras" that your system might need depending on your environment.

What I really enjoyed most of all in this book is the author does not favor one OS over the other. When the task is appropriate, or easier, on either Windows or Linux, he outlines how to do it and make the other OS utilize that service or feature on the host OS. This is where many other books fall short, in that they try and convince you that everything must be done under one or OS versus the other instead of just laying out the map and letting the users see which is the best choice.

Overall, this is a great reference work for any system administrator facing the challenge of having a mixed Windows and Linux environment. Although it doesn't cover all the possibilities that could exist, it will cover the most common tasks as well as hitting up on one of the most important -- security. Well worth the price for the number of gray hairs you will save in accomplishing some of these tasks in your mixed environment.

Linux in a Windows World by Roderick Smith (O'Reilly) is an excellent aid for anyone trying to work in a heterogeneous environment. It is targeted at administrators who would like to add the flexibility, security and stability of Linux to existing Windows networks. While primarily focused on integrating Linux servers in the enterprise, to add functionality or replace Windows servers, Smith also addresses the addition of Linux workstations and thin clients to a Windows network.

The text begins with a brief discussion of the available options for leveraging Linux in a Windows-dominated environment and when and where such applications are appropriate and effective.
Smith walks you through Samba file and print sharing, authentication with LDAP, Kerberos, NT domains, followed by remote access methods, and a medley of additional server applications for mail, backups and network management. I found the format very accessible; simple and clear enough for those new to Linux, but with sufficient detail to get up-and-running with a basic configuration.

The tone was refreshingly objective. Windows and Linux options were presented in an even-handed way, absent was the Windows bashing that frequently enters Linux literature. I was somewhat disappointed that the book spent so much time on increasingly obsolete NT Domains and so little with Active Directory, but it is understandable as the proprietary nature of Windows necessitates a lag time in the development of interoperable open source technologies.

Overall I found Linux in a Windows World to be an excellent resource for mixed networks. I would consider it a must read for anyone thinking about adding Linux to their Windows network. It covers all the bases, giving the reader an overview of the available options before delving into the most common solutions. I personally found it useful in configuring several servers in my all-Linux network.

Linux in a Windows World by Roderick Smith (O'Reilly)

Linux in a Windows World is targeted at anyone with some knowledge of Linux who wants to run various network services on a Linux server, for example sharing files and printers, user authentication, and email. The format is very much task based. There is no need to read this from cover-to-cover; instead you can focus on the service of interest to you. The writing is clear and easy to understand, and you are spared any evangelizing of Linux vs Windows. Instead you get a fair presentation of the strengths and weaknesses of the various technologies along with enough information to get an initial configuration up and running.

After an initial discussion on how and where Linux can fit in to a Windows network the book moves on to basic Samba configuration and sharing files and printers. Most tasks that you will want to accomplish using Windows will need Samba so the first few chapters are essential reading. From there you can learn about using Linux as a NetBIOS server and the Primary Domain Controller; using NT Domains for Linux authentication; or even configuring LDAP on Linux for centralized authentication. Next there is a section on using Linux remotely and as a desktop, and then the book finishes with how to configure a medley of servers that may be run on Linux including DHCP, DNS, mail, and NTP.

Although the book is mostly aimed at Windows administrators this is also useful to Linux administrators who want similar functionality. For example this describes how to use LDAP for a central repository of user authentication information; Kerberos for single sign on; and contains the simplest PAM tutorial I have ever seen.

This is an excellent summary of many of the services that are needed by both Windows and Linux, and how to run and configure them under Linux so that they can be shared by both OSes. I would buy it as a first book for getting started and then look for more detailed resources as necessary.

This is a well written and researched book that covers all of the aspects of Linux/Windows interop. File and print sharing are covered in detail. Authentication and LDAP, which can be very problematic, are given solid coverage. Definitely a good buy and an informative read for anyone in IT looking for information on mixing Linux and Windows boxes in a heterogeneous environment.

On the road to World domination, the humorous comment from Linus Torvalds, Linux faces one or two minor challenges. One of these is the competition from Windows. This book is aimed at the network administrator in a Windows world. Any network administrator that isn't living in a dream world has to at least be aware of Linux. And he probably knows things like the increased stability, lower cost, faster performance of Linux.

The problem is that very few administrators have the authority (or are willing to put up with the complaints) of changing the desktop machines. This book might be called the guerilla warfare approach to bringing Linux into the network. It says to define a background application such as file, web, or mail server to set up using Linux. Set up one Linux box to handle this task. The rest of the network remains Windows oriented. As you get more experience with Linux, pick another background application to convert.

Alternatively you can bite a big bullet and change all the machines. Appendix B gives some hints and tips on things like what desktop software is available, how to run Windows programs under Linux, file system compatibility and so on. It doesn't tell you what to do when the boss's secretary comes screaming at you for changing her desktop.

O'Reilly has a nice book that fills the niche of Windows admins looking on how to apply Linux to their environment. The book is Linux In A Windows World by Roderick W. Smith.

Chapter List:
Part 1 - Linux's Place in a Windows Network: Linux's Features; Linux Deployment Strategies
Part 2 - Sharing Files and Printers: Basic Samba Configuration; File and Printer Shares; Managing a NetBIOS Network with Samba; Linux as an SMB/CIFS Client
Part 3 - Centralized Authentication Tools: Using NT Domains for Linux Authentication; Using LDAP; Kerberos Configuration and Use
Part 4 - Remote Login Tools: Remote Text-Mode Administration and Use; Running GUI Programs Remotely; Linux Thin Client Configurations
Part 5 - Additional Server Programs: Configuring Mail Servers; Network Backups; Managing a Network with Linux
Part 6 - Appendixes: Configuring PAM; Linux on the Desktop

The thing that I like most about this book is that the author picks a target audience and purposes, and then successfully fights the temptation to try and tell too much. He's writing for a Windows administrator with a basic understanding of Linux administration. The book is designed to help that person figure out how best to integrate Linux into that network environment *without* being an end-all guide to every people of software mentioned. He's very open about the fact that if you want to do more than the basics, you'll probably need to get specific books to explore that area. And that's OK. If he wanted to write a 1500 page book, he could have expanded the target. But what he covers in less than 500 pages is excellent.

If I were a Windows admin who wanted to figure out how to blend in Linux for certain task, this would be one of two books that I'd want. This one would show me what I could do, and the other book would have the in-depth details of how to do it. If you fit the target of this book, you'll do well to check this book out.

Smith is doing outreach to someone like a sysadmin of a Microsoft Windows network, As older Microsoft operating systems become no longer supported, you face upgrade choices. The gist of this book is in trying to persuade you that linux may be a cheaper and yet viable choice, for some tasks. Actually, he thinks most tasks. But he's providing you with choices that can be performed incrementally, as a safer, conservative route. Good. He's not doing a hard sell.

Suppose though that through the efforts of this book and others, linux gains (more) market share from Microsoft. The security issues for linux may increase. Smith points out that "linux isn't vulnerable to the worms and viruses that plague the Internet today". Forward looking, you have to anticipate that this will not remain true.

If you are indeed this hypothetical Microsoft Windows sysadmin, be reassured that you don't have to digest the entire book. Consider focusing on one task that you might want to migrate. Then read that section of the book carefully to see if it makes sense to implement.

I found this to be a very well written book for someone with a Windows experience migrating to a Linux environment. System administrators coming from a Windows world would find this very useful. The author has done a good job briding the Windows-to-Linux gap and has covered a lot of material that will be relevant on a day-to-day basis.

This book says it's a system administrator's guide. Since I'm not a sysadmin but more of a hacker with Linux, I found lots of details seemed to be glossed over. If you are looking for a high level explanation of making Linux work with a Windows network, this book is for you. Most Linux books seem to assume you know more than you (I) do. I haven't found any one Linux book that tells me everything I need to know to get some server running, such as Samba. This book adds to the picture. It would be good to use with other books.