Customer Reviews

UNIX System Management Primer Plus (Primer Plus (Sams))

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

 

 

If the Gandalf the Wizard were a Unix Systems Administrator, and wished to teach Frodo Baggins the art, he would acquire this book from Cirdan of the Havens, and make a gift of it to his favorite apprentice. I've worked alongside some of the finest Unix Systems Administrators in the United Kingdom, in the some of the largest data centres in the world, and I was always amazed by how much they knew and how much they did to keep everything working smoothly. As an Oracle DBA who occasionally had to double up as a SysAdmin, when they were away, this book has revealed to me many of their magical secrets. And what I particularly like is the way it gets right in there, from the first page, from the mundane and nitty gritty of cable management and air conditioning systems right through to the esoteric of network load balancing, high availability RAID systems and the human aspects of managing your users. Superb. If you're a SysAdmin in the outer circle, who wishes to join the inner ranks, you won't find a better book than this, written by a dedicated, concise and precise exponent of the art, to help you on your way. Recommendation? Buy.

Horwitz wrote a book that I had always wished for and had considered writing myself. It discusses the *practice* of managing and administering servers, rather than focusing on operating system commands and utilities. While written for Unix sysadmins, many of the lessons discuss elements generic to all operating systems.

In the first half of the book, he discusses the basics of planning, setup and impact to the data center, testing, and a support organization. It is an IT Management 101. In the latter half, there is more focus on Unix, but even then, most of the material is relevant to all operating systems. He discusses communications, procedures, and documentation.

This is a must-read for a manager of system administrators or for a lead or lone administrator of a small shop. In fact, I would recommend every sysadmin read this book, as the cutbacks typical of this tough economy are forcing more and more IT employees to broaden their scope of responsibility from the mechanics of the OS to general computer operations.

To all the SyaAdmins out there who are looking for real world examples and non of the same old information that is stright from a man page, this is the book of all book. NO JOKE!

I am the Owner and CEO of webhosting company call LogicInternet.Com, Through out the years I have trained all our SysAdmins personally so that I know that they are ready to handle the type of responsibility that being a SysAdmin has. I will now start using this book as required reading for all current and new SysAdmins that we employ.

Jeff has obviously had a wealth of experience to share to the world of SysAdmins and is truly intelligent enough to know what information is necessary to know and what isn't.

Thanks for your dedication and hard work that you have done that contributes to our profession. Also thanks to all your loved ones for supporting the work of a much need book.

<sputter> you mean that happened to you to??? Man -- This book is littered with real-life senarios of how things go wrong. Jeff takes a thoughtful look at being a systems administrator and all that goes with it. This book is especially helpful to Admins who aren't really beginners, and are looking to get a broader view of what administration can really mean. I think this book could really help propel mid-level admins up a couple notches on the professional ladder. Heh - He even covers parking at colocation facilities folks -- this book is loaded with examples of gotchas, and how to avoid them. Bravo Jeff!

Much more than a nuts and bolts how to book. Jeff does a fantastic job of helping the reader to understand the practicality of real life day to day UNIX system administration.
Jeff goes beyond the typical cookbook approach to systems management books and breaths life into the roles and tasks of a system administrator. If there truly was a UNIX administrators guild Jeff would be burned at the stake for revealing its inner most secrets. This book serves not only as a how to and a reference manual but also provides anecdotal and informative real world stories from Jeff's vast store of experience.

An excellent overview on the 'what' and 'how' of performing Unix system administration in the real world.

I wouldn't give good marks on the report card for this author. There were not enough information about internal operation of Unix operating system. I was expecting more. Many good reviews. I don't know why.

Much more than a nuts and bolts how to book. Jeff does a fantastic job of helping the reader to understand the practicality of real life day to day UNIX system administration.
Jeff goes beyond the typical cookbook approach to systems management books and breaths life into the roles and tasks of a system administrator. If there truly was a UNIX administrators guild Jeff would be burned at the stake for revealing its inner most secrets. This book serves not only as a how to and a reference manual but also provides anecdotal and informative real world stories from Jeff's vast store of experience.