UNIX System Administrator's Bible

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 628 pages
• Published by: Wiley Publishing; Pap/Cdr edition July 1998
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 076453162X
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0764531620
• Book Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.8 x 1.8 inches
• Weighs: 2.6 pounds

Product Review
While many books in this series are plodding, multi-author tomes to which editors add tons of ancillary information, Unix System Administrator's Bible is the exception. If you've just been assigned Unix administration duties and have little knowledge of the operating system, this book will get you up to speed quickly.

Authors LePage and Iarrera begin with a quick overview of key system-administration commands, then get into some conceptual information about how various elements (hardware, kernel, etc.) combine to form a Unix system. They pay a lot of attention to networking and include intelligent documentation on the security risks involved in putting a Unix machine on a network.

This book really excels in its coverage of the "soft" (but hardly unimportant) aspects of administration. How do you plan a file system for an academic environment, as opposed to a transaction-intensive business environment? What kind of backup policy do you need? Clearly, much of the real-life information here derives from LePage's experiences as a system administrator at McGill University and Iarrera's experiences in his consulting business. For example, a story about tracking down and solving a POP server performance problem is not only informative, but as much of a page turner as any mystery novel.

The complete BSD (Berkeley software Distribution) 2.2.5, with source, appears on the companion CD-ROM. --David Wall

Book Description
Finally, an all-in-one reference written for UNIX administrators of every level. Gone are the days of rifling through several books looking for the information you need. UNIX® System Administrators Bibles in-depth instructions and detailed case studies will help you tackle all your UNIX challenges, from installing and optimizing your system to achieving year 2000 compliance.

Included with the book is a CD-ROM featuring all of the important resources youll need to get started, such as compilers and debuggers for various platforms, security packages, Internet server software, and the full distribution copy of FreeBSD 2.2.5.

Reader Reviews
It's impossible to cover everything about Unix in one book. And this book should not be you the first or the only Unix sysadmin book. I think that book devoted to a particular flavor of Unix (one that you are using) should be the first one. But this is a very good general book and it does contain information that other books often miss to cover. IMHO the book is slightly biased toward Solaris. A couple of chapters would be interesting for a professional of any level and that IMHO more than justify the cost of the book. For example I especially like Ch.5 (TCP/IP networking), Ch.7 (Administration Roles and Strategies) and Ch 19 (Setting up DNS server). Your mileage may vary. I think the biggest success of the book is Chapter 7: Administration Roles and Strategies.That chapter is a must for a novice sysadmin and is very useful for professionals too. Another interesting part of the book is a very educating case study (a non-trivial POP client troubleshooting case) in the chapter 13. It's one of the best general books on Unix administration. Comment | | (Report this)