Customer Reviews

UNIX System Administration Handbook (3rd Edition)

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is the latest iteration of an absolutely essential guide to the art and science of Unix system administration. The authors earn my respect for calling things as they see them; while sometimes this is good for a chuckle (some of their swipes at Sun for nonstandard and stupid things in Solaris), it's even more useful when they're citing best practices. For those familar with Mark Minasi's books on Windows NT/2000, the tone is pretty similar. Though it won't be the largest computer book on your shelf, the information content (or "signal to noise ratio") is very, very high. What's not to like? The price, for one thing: at $68 (list), this is an extremely expensive paperback. The book also makes reference to a number of things on the companion web site (www.admin.com) - but the site itself hasn't been updated since the second edition, so the supplemental materials (which used to be on an included CD-ROM) simply aren't available right now (27-Nov-2000). Hopefully the authors will correct this problem in the not-too-distant future.

I am a senior engineer for network security operations. I read "UNIX System Administration Handbook, Third Edition" (USAH:3E) to improve my knowledge of UNIX systems from a security analyst perspective. I am not a professional system administrator and I am not qualified to refute USAH:3E's advice. Nevertheless, because I deal with FreeBSD, Linux, and Solaris on a daily basis, I found USAH:3E to be insightful and invaluable.

USAH:3E stands out for three reasons. First, it covers the three most popular UNIX operating systems I know: FreeBSD, Linux, and Solaris. (The authors also support HP-UX, but I have no direct experience with that OS.) By comparing the features and configuration of multiple operating systems, USAH:3E is frequently far more educational than a single-OS book. USAH:3E is the one OS book I would include in my incident response kit, along with "Incident Response" by Mandia/Prosise/Pepe.

Second, USAH:3E is written to inform and entertain, and does both very well. While most OS books are content to explain the "what," and few include the "how," USAH:3E also delivers the "why." USAH:3E peers deep into the workings of the OS, but keeps the discussion clear and concise. For example, pp. 48-51 provide an excellent discussion of signals. Table 4.1 lists 13 'UNIX signals that every administrator should know,' showing whether processes can catch or block each. This chart and the text finally illuminated the difference between 'kill PID' and 'kill -9 PID' at the level of the OS. Furthermore, the writing style is direct, with numerous humorous references and personal opinions.

The third unique aspect of USAH:3E is the author's uncanny ability to include relevant hints and trivia. For example, as an intrusion detector, I sometimes see Windows machines appear with self-assigned 169.254.0.0/16 addresses. I also see Windows machines attempt to dynamically "update" DNS entries on uncooperative BIND servers. USAH:3E explains both events, and also how Windows 2000 increased the query load on the root name servers within a week of its release. (Remember, this is a UNIX book!)

As a security professional, I need to be familiar with the common systems and applications I encounter. USAH:3E fulfilled this need admirably. Professional system administrators may prefer to buy single-OS or single-application books.

(Disclaimer: I received a free copy from the publisher.)

If you have the slightest interest in Unix system administration, you NEED this book... it will either equip you for the job or make you consider a new line of work.

The changes in the IT industry over the last five years are reflected in the third edition of this book, as it now focuses only on Solaris, HP-UX, FreeBSD, and RedHat Linux. While this is a good cross-section of all *nixes, users of SunOS, OSF/1, or IRIX looking for platform-specific examples should probably stick with the second edition (and it comes with a CD).

Other significant changes to the book include expanded coverage of networking (for example, TCP/IP and Routing are now two separate chapters) and a new chapter on "hosting the satanic banquet" of a mixed Windows/Unix environment (which I find invaluable). Also, topics of diminishing importance (such as Usenet) no longer have their own chapters, but are still covered in appropriate detail.

I can not praise this book highly enough, and Linus Torvalds agrees with me. What more convincing do you need? ;-)

This book is by far the best book out there for general UNIX system adminstration. The third edition is even better than the second. Whereas the second edition sometimes got bogged down in trying to mention too many different UNIX flavors, this new addition just concentrates on four main ones (HP-UX, Solaris, Red Hat Linux, and BSD). An excellent decision because it nows has great details and specifics about the four types. An excellent reference and it's entertaining to read too! Highly recommended.

After reading the reviews for this book, I rushed out to buyit. I have overseen operations for a Unix system but not been ahardcore administrator per se. Nevertheless I've had to perform basictasks to keep it going. I decided it was time to become much more Unixsavvy. I've read about half the guide and perused the rest. It is aclass piece of work, but in no way do I suggest it for a beginner. The text is written with a tone of sophistication and experience that the beginner will not grasp completely. It is a must to get the basics of Unix down solid before considering this book for administration. The Peachpit Quickstart series has been a great starter for me in many areas and Unix is no different. The book is a superb introduction to Unix...it is TRULY for beginners. Get those basics down and get Unix on your box...then as your second purchase, get the Administrator's Handbook...A first book it IS NOT.

I'm always hesitant to give overly positive reviews but not only is this book a great resource for me, a unix neophyte, I also hear from old unix gurus that this is a truely beneficial installment to anyone's library. I believe the addition of Linux is a wise one and really appreciate the BSD and Solaris help.

I bought this book at the suggestion of a friend back in 1994... it has been the most relavent book I have ever read on unix sysadmin tasks- I have been doing unix sysadmin on just about every flavor of unix for almost 10 years- this is the absolute best. I am sure the newer revisions are just as good! BUT THIS BOOK!

I must confess, I read this book as a novel. My wife thinks I am nuts. Exctied over a SysaAdmin book? This one was not only good USEFUL technical information, but it was easy to read.
What makes this book so useful is that it is filled with information that I can use. It explained some differences with Linux/Solaris/FreeBSD that I needed to see side by side since I support all these. I found the info on kernel tuning, interface tuning and such to be most helpful. I have been supporting various flavors of UNIX for 6 years and this book is the best. I consider this the UNIX Bible.
Especially helpful was the recommendation of a well stocked Company Wine Cellar to cure "System Administrator's Syndrome". I am having difficulty getting this funded however.
In all seriousness, this book belongs on every UNIX admins desk. If you are looking for something to help you setup KDE on Red Hat, this book is not for you. It is for people who admin *ix servers.

I have thousands of dollars in computer books. And as a network security analyst, I used most of them often. But I carry this book in my bag all the time. Since I work in a mixed environment, this book proves invaluable in helping me tackle Solaris, Linux and HP-UX issues. I have not seen another book that covers so much so well in less than 1000 pages. If you use unix, get this book. It will be among your top 5 books in the "best money spent" category!

When asked about what book a junior unix sys admin should purchase first to begin building their technical library, I would always tell them to "get the red book." Now that the third edition is purple, people still refer to it as the red book, and get funny looks from their peers. This book, because it has input from so many authors, has compiled the most comprehensive cross platform unix reference I have encountered. I refer to this book when dealing with an aspect of unix on multiple vendor platforms for implementation tips and just to see the differences in how it works on each flavor of unix. There's now one out for Linux as well, I understand, and that will soon be gracing my shelves.