Suse Linux [Paperback]

Chris Brown PhD (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 28, 2006 | ISBN-10: 059610183X | ISBN-13: 978-0596101831 | Edition: First

SUSE Linux: A Complete Guide to Novell's Community Distribution will get you up to speed quickly and easily on SUSE, one of the most friendly and usable Linux distributions around. From quick and easy installation to excellent hardware detection and support, it's no wonder SUSE is one of the most highly rated distributions on the planet. According to Novell, SUSE is installed more than 7,000 times every day, an average of one installation every 12 seconds.

This book will take you deep into the essential operating system components by presenting them in easy-to-learn modules. From basic installation and configuration through advanced topics such as administration, security, and virtualization, this book captures the important details of how SUSE works--without the fluff that bogs down other books and web sites. Instead, readers get a concise task-based approach to using SUSE as both a desktop and server operating system.

In this book, you'll learn how to:

• Install SUSE and perform basic administrative tasks
• Share files with other computers
• Connect to your desktop remotely
• Set up a web server
• Set up networking, including Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
• Tighten security on your SUSE system
• Monitor for intrusions
• Manage software and upgrades smoothly
• Run multiple instances of SUSE on a single machine with Xen

Whether you use SUSE Linux from Novell, or the free openSUSE distribution, this book has something for every level of user. The modular, lab-based approach not only shows you how--but also explains why--and gives you the answers you need to get up and running with SUSE Linux.

About the author:
Chris Brown is a freelance author and trainer in the United Kingdom and Europe. Following Novell's acquisition of SUSE, he taught Linux to Novell's consultants and IT staff and is certified in both Novell's CLP program and Red Hat's RHCE. Chris has a PhD in particle physics from Cambridge.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is excellent starter text for those wishing to explore a readily available introduction to the world of Linux." - Dr Peter J Murray, British Journal of Healthcare Computing and Information Management, February 2007

About the Author

Dr. Chris Brown has been using UNIX for more than 25 years, initially in his role as a Research Fellow at Sheffield University in the UK, where he carried out research into the use of tightly-coupled multi-processor systems for real-time processing of machine vision data. He has been a linux enthusiast, user, and advocate for the last 8 years and holds RedHat RHCE and Novell CLP certifications, in addition to B.A. and M.A. degrees from Cambridge University, and a Ph.D. in particle physics which he hopes won't put you off reading his book.

Chris has authored a number of hands-on training courses on Linux TCP/IP networking, systems programming, and administration. Working for a while in the USA, he managed the development of a linux training curriculum for the training company Learning Tree International. Chris now works mostly as a freelance trainer and writer and has delivered training throughout North America and Europe for companies including Learning Tree, IBM Learning Services, and First Technology Transfer. Chris has been heavily involved in providing technical training within Novell. He wrote two five-day courses on SuSE Linux which he delivered to Novell's consultants and IT support staff within Europe. He was also invited to deliver internal training sessions at Novell's Brainshare conference in 2004. Subsequently, Chris has worked with Novell throughout Europe to provide training to staff on Novell Linux Desktop in support of Novell's internal migration to Linux.

In his spare time Chris enjoys Bach, Jake Thackray, Tom Lehrer, Flanders and Swan, gardening, reading, eating and sleeping.

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: O'Reilly Media; First edition (July 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 059610183X
• ISBN-13: 978-0596101831
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #737,738 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Practical Guide to SUSE Linux, August 5, 2006

By 

Alec Ross - See all my reviews

This review is from: Suse Linux (Paperback)

This book is a highly useful guide to installing and using SUSE Linux. It is aimed at "The enthusiastic pilgrim...", and indeed meets many needs of a Linux beginner and user. The contents are well chosen and described.

The book is very practical, giving detailed instructions for a range of key tasks in the installation and use of SUSE 10.1. But the information given goes beyond this, and is of use with other versions and distributions. For example, the "why" of the tasks is explained in some detail, and there is also a significant amount of command line usage shown.

Beyond the explicit content, the author gives pointers to URLs and more dead tree resources for those that want to explore the topics further.

In short, this book is worth buying, even if you have already have the printed documentation from a Professional version of SUSE.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars VERY VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!, December 16, 2006

By 

John R. Vacca "Tech Write Independent Reviewer" (Pomeroy, Ohio) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Suse Linux (Paperback)

Do you already have a computer running Linux 10.1? If you don't, then this book is for you. Author Chris Brown, has done an outstanding job of writing a book that is a complete guide to Novell's Community Distribution.

Brown, begins by showing you how to install SUSE and get all of your essentials connected and configured. Then, the author covers basic system administration for desktop machines. Next, he describes how to start putting SUSE Linux to work. He also shows laptop users how to get everything set up just right with SUSE Linux. The author continues by describing everything you need to know about package management. Then, he focuses on the server capabilities of SUSE. Next, he dives into network services such as e-mail, file sharing and more. Next, he gives you a comprehensive collection of labs that explain how to keep your system secure. Finally, the author explains other ways you can install SUSE, from dual-boot configurations to virtual machine installations with Xen.

The author has tried to make this most excellent book intensely accessible. Perhaps more importantly, this book's lab-based structure focuses on real, practical activities.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect Book for Small Business and Home Users Only, January 19, 2007

By 

Harold McFarland (Florida) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Suse Linux (Paperback)

Ever since Novell purchased SUSE Linux there has been a whirlwind of activity, press releases, and articles everywhere about what they intend to do with it and where SUSE will go from here. In this book the author guides the reader through the details of the community distribution. The focus is on the desktop user who wants to migrate to SUSE but doesn't know much about Linux. Only minimal computer literacy is assumed and the author walks you through everything from the installation through setting up email, printers, network cards, users, and anything else you might want to configure on your desktop. The section on administration is well done and explains how to do things both from the command line and graphical interfaces. Other areas covered include graphics, audio, video, burning CDs and DVDs, installing and configuring on your laptop, package management, and network services including sharing files, remote access, configuring a web server, name resolution and everything else you would need to install and configure a small business server. SUSE Linux is highly recommended to those who want to learn the basics of this system as a desktop operating system. The server portion is useful for a small business server but for a high-demand server the proprietary version is preferred and not covered in this text.