Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This book should get lots of wear and tear over time..., April 18, 2005
If you're a Linux administrator who is constantly looking for that practical example or write-up on how to do a specific task, Peter Harrison's Linux Quick Fix Notebook (Prentice Hall) is probably what you're looking for...
Chapter List:
Part 1 - The Linux File Server Project: Why Host Your Own Site?; Introduction To Networking; Linux Networking; Simple Network Troubleshooting; Troubleshooting Linux With syslog; Installing RPM Software; The Linux Boot Process; Configuring The DHCP Server; Linux Users And sudo; Windows, Linux, And Samba; Sharing Resources With Samba; Samba Security And Troubleshooting; Linux Wireless Networking
Part 2 - The Linux Web Site Project: Linux Firewalls Using iptables; Linux FTP Server Setup; Telnet, TFTP, And xinetd; Secure Remote Logins And File Copying; Configuring DNS; Dynamic DNS; The Apache Web Server; Configuring Linux Mail Servers; Monitoring Server Performance; Advanced MRTG For Linux; The NTP Server
Part 3 - Advanced Topics: Network-Based Linux Installation; Linux Software RAID; Expanding Disk Capacity; Managing Disk Usage With Quotas; Remote Disk Access With NFS; Centralized Logins Using NIS; Centralized Logins Using LDAP And RADIUS; Controlling Web Access With Squid; Modifying The Linux Kernel To Improve Performance; Basic MySQL Configuration; Configuring Linux VPNs
Appendices: Miscellaneous Linux Topics; Codes, Scripts, And Configurations; Fedora Version Differences; syslog Configuration And Cisco Devices; Index
Harrison does a great job in hitting the target audience. He is writing to "proficient beginners, students, and IT professionals" who understand the theory but need a little nudge on the command formatting. As a result, there's less emphasis on explaining a lot of "why" material so that he can devote more time and space to the "how to" material. I must say he definitely nails that mark. He also spends a lot of time on troubleshooting issues (Samba, network connectivity, etc) because that's where the average reader is going to be floundering if they don't know the answer. By having a concise volume that covers the major areas of concern, you should be able to either quickly fix the problem or rule out a number of potential issues. Practicality rules in this book...
He also avoids the "which version of Linux are you on" issue by concentrating on the command line interface. The material you'll learn here is applicable to all versions of Linux, because he doesn't work with any graphical interfaces which may or may not have an equivalent in all Linux distributions. So while there might be easier ways to do some of the tasks listed here, you won't be locked out from any of them due to picking the "wrong" distribution.
A very good practical book for Linux admins, and one that should get lots of wear and tear...
|
|
|
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A valuable reference work giving understanding of Linux networking issues, October 24, 2005
Some books are glanced at but then remain on the bookshelf: Not so with this book whcih will be a constant source of valuable reference material providing not only an understanding of how the software underlying basic networking connections works, but also how to set up and troubleshoot file servers, mail servers and web servers. In addition security matters are included, and even excellent tips on VPNs and wireless networking troubleshooting. Of course all of these topics are constantly at the cutting edge, and will move forward constantly after publication of the book, and yet much of the underlying understanding presented in the book remains valid which is what makes this dipping-into source of reference material so useful. This book is ideal for the Linux user who yearns for a deeper understanding of the above topics so that a start can be made into setting up and problem-solving the various networking issues that make a PC into a real workhorse.
|
|
|
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sorry, O'Reilly, April 29, 2005
This book pulls off what many have not. It is all at once a cookbook, reference, and guide to theory, written in plain language and stuffed with clear, useful, and relevant examples. It covers configuration of services that are common in both home and business environments, and does an amazing job at guiding the reader through typical configuration scenarios for servers living in many different types of networks. It's style and content address equally well both the very experienced Linux/*nix user and the relative novice. I would also highly recommend this book to any level of reader who is making a transition from Solaris, FreeBSD, or other *nix into Linux--it's presentation makes the differences clear and answers the questions that you really need to know to get rolling in the right direction. There's no need to make room on the shelf for this book, you'll keep it on your desk.
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
by Evi Nemeth
