Solaris Administration: A Beginner's Guide

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 407 pages
• Published by: McGraw-Hill Companies
• Edition: 1st Edition February 15, 2001
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0072131551
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0072131550
• Book Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 1 inches
• Weighs: 1.6 pounds

Reader Reviews
I am a senior engineer for network security operations. I read this book to improve my knowledge of Solaris. Previous reviewers express widely differing opinions of "Solaris Administration: A Beginner's Guide" (SA:ABG). These reactions seem to be based on their expectations of the book. If you need an in-depth Solaris reference, buy "Solaris 8: The Complete Reference." If you want an introductory text with more content than "Solaris for Managers and Administrators," try SA:ABG. Solaris users have traditionally suffered a lack of good third-party administration books. While not as useful as the excellent "Linux Administration: A Beginner's Guide," SA:ABG gives the reader enough information to start administering Solaris machines. This is a practical book, showing how to install the OS, use the shell, and add/remove/create packages. As a Solaris advocacy book, SA:ABG also shows Windows and Linux admins how their favorite GUI or command-line features have Solaris counterparts. Certain aspects of SA:ABG pleasantly surprised me. For example, chapter 8 shows how to use 'truss' to trace system calls, and gives brief descriptions of /proc tools like pflags, pcred, pmap, and so on. Chapter 19 explained why NIS and NIS+ are still useful on a DNS-enabled network, and made comparisons to the Windows 2000 Active Directory. I also appreciated learning how to use Samba tools like nmblookup, smbclient, and smbstatus to interface with Windows or Samba servers. On the negative side, SA:ABG's security chapter explained how to disable services started by inetd, but didn't fully describe how to disable non-inetd services using /etc/init.d/ scripts. This sort of advice is critical for newbie Solaris admins. Solaris offers a slew of network services by default; disabling the majority of them is a priority. I also believe the sample bash scripts on pages 113-117 could have used clearer syntax, using brackets where needed. I have yet to read "THE" Solaris administration book, suitable for beginners and wizards alike. If you're new to Solaris, SA:ABG is a good place to start. If you need advanced instruction, keep looking! (Disclaimer: A received a free review copy from the publisher.) Comment | | (Report this)