Red Hat Linux Unleashed [Paperback]

David Pitts (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1997 | Series: Unleashed

This comprehensive reference is the only book a Linux user, programmer, or system administrator will need. The book takes the reader through installation and configuration, to advanced programming and administrating/networking the system. Through the chapters, you will: understand the similarities and differences between Red Hat Linux and UNIX; learn the correct startup and shutdown procedures to avoid damage to applications and work; configure and build your own kernels to enhance operations; connect and control printers for varied print times and locations; utilize Red Hat Linux backup and restore procedures, as well as security issues, to ensure the existence and protection of your work; include more people on your server by establishing user accounts; understand the new Common Desktop Environment; and take advantage of coverage of the top 50 Linux commands and utilities for enhanced efficiency.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Pitts's book guides the Red Hat Linux user through installation, programming, and everything in between. If you want to set up a Linux machine from scratch, this book will ease your task considerably. After explaining how to install the operating system (including an entertaining discussion of Linux loaders LILO, MILO, and SILO), the author explains the mechanics of altering and rebuilding the kernel-key aspects of any Unix environment. He then goes on to discuss the Common Desktop Environment and lots of other Red Hat Linux services, including X Windows, FTP, SMTP, and the popular Apache Web server. Pitts devotes full sections to system administration and the installation of hardware devices. Pitts conclusion covers programming and other automation techniques with scripts, C, C++, Perl, and tcl/tk. The programming tutorials are brief and not the strongest part of the book.

Red Hat Linux Unleashed's only real shortcoming is that it focuses on (and the accompanying CD-ROM contains) Red Hat Linux 4.2, which has been superseded by version 5.0. Much of the information remains useful to the Red Hat 5.0 user. The 1998 edition comes with 5.2 version of Red Hat Linux.

From the Publisher

This comprehensive reference is the only book a Linux user, programmer, or system administrator will need. The book takes the reader through installation and configuration, to advanced programming and administrating/networking the system. Red Hat Linux is the number one Linux system today with a user base of 3,000,000-5,000,000 users

This book is very timely - version 4.2 of Red Hat (based on the 2.0.x kernel), which was released May 1997 This book is published by the official Red Hat Press, a division of Sams Publishing

Includes in-depth coverage of Red Hat Package Manager (RPM), hardware issues, additional installation options, and the latest Linux tools and utilities

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 684 pages
• Publisher: Pearson Sams Publishing; 2nd Bk& version 1.0 CD. edition (December 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0672311739
• ISBN-13: 978-0672311734
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (59 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,455,288 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A reference book for the Linux enthusiast, February 27, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Red Hat Linux Fedora Unleashed (Paperback)

This review is for Red Hat Linux and Fedora Unleashed. When I was considering purchasing this book, I had mostly come across inaccurate reviews referring to older editions that bear no relevance to this one. I am writing this review (the first one I have EVER written) in support of this particular edition of the book.

Before I had purchased this book, I considered myself to be just an average user of Linux. Coming from years of experience in the "Windows" world, including knowledge of scripting and programming languages, I felt that I was ready to explore the Linux world. Sure, I managed to get along rather well, but there was still more that I wanted to know about Linux. This book provided me with the knowledge I needed to get to the next level.

Red Hat Linux and Fedora Unleashed is a book that no Linux wannabe expert should be without. It covers basically everything from installing and configuring a Linux workstation to writing shell and Perl scripts. I could never have done the things that I do now in Linux without the help of this book. You can tell how useful this book is just by paging through the index!

Don't get me wrong, I am still learning as I go along here. But now I have an advantage. In fact, I plan to set up a couple of Linux servers in the near future and I am looking forward to utilizing the several chapters in this book that cover server configuration.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Complete waste of my money, August 3, 2004

By 

M. M WILLIAMS (Africa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Red Hat Linux Fedora Unleashed (Paperback)

I am up to page 190 and am extremely unimpressed with this book. So far it seems to be about 95% padding or waffling, 4% telling you to read the ReadMe's, HowTo's, Tutorials, Manpages, various websites (which any new Linux user has already found, and found wanting, hence buying a book), and maybe 1% useful information.
I wanted a book to teach me Fedora - this is not it.
I feel I have been duped by the authors and the publishers and would very much like my hard earned money back.( It goes without saying that my opinion of Amazon.com has dropped drastically also ).
I live in Africa so I have to go by the reviews I read on line. Maybe those for this book were ramped up.

Martin Williams.
Port Elizabeth.
South Africa.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Erroneous information and lack of depth in some subjects, April 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Red Hat Linux (v 5.2) Unleashed (Paperback)

I bought this book, and found in several instances it was incorrect, or just plan lacked any depth.

Example 1: Page 107 (3rd edition) talks about windows managers, and talks about CDE. Red hat has dropped CDE. Its not even on the Disk. but the book spends about 10 pages talking about it.

Example 2: the discussion of INN is very very lacking. It also, gives steps on setting it up, but doesn't go into how to implement the steps (ooppps). example: "create a new user news and add the user to the news group...." (Excuse me, but I bought this book, because I don't KNOW how do do these things).

I will be returning the book and buying a different one.

Buyer Be ware!,

Probably should have looked to WROX professional series for answers....