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

Product Description
Ideal for Windows or Linux administrators looking to learn Solaris, this beginner's guide covers the basics of Solaris single host administration and explains how to manage Internet and intranet services. "Provides users of Solaris with an easily comprehended guide for installing and setting up Solaris. This is also a valuable resource for learning how to employ Solaris's many features." --Steven M. Christensen, Ph.D., Founder, sunfreeware.com

Back Cover Copy
Set up, run, and support a Solaris system using this practical guide

Install, configure, and manage Solaris across your network with this hands-on comprehensive resource. You'll find everything you need to get up and running with Solaris--including both Intel and SPARC versions of Solaris 8. Beginning with a Solaris overview, this practical guide will show you how to install the system, set up Internet services, build and distribute third-party software, and much more. And, the handy 8-page blueprint section explains the differences between Solaris and both Linux and Windows 2000. If you are a professional administrator familiar with other operating systems--and new to Solaris--and want to introduce Solaris into your network, then you will find this book invaluable.
*Learn to install Solaris 8--both SPARC and Intel versions
*Understand single host administration and manage jobs and processes
*Set up Internet services and configure Sendmail
*Secure a Solaris system and evaluate security risks
*Manage, add, and modify users and groups
*Configure the DNS server and allocate hostnames and IP addresses
*Prepare a network for DHCP
*Manage both storage and print services, and restore data

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.)