Essential System Administration, Third Edition

Book Description

Essential System Administration,3rd Edition is the definitive guide for Unix system administration, covering all the fundamental and essential tasks required to run such divergent Unix systems as AIX, FreeBSD, HP-UX, Linux, Solaris, Tru64 and more. Essential System Administration provides a clear, concise, practical guide to the real-world issues that anyone responsible for a Unix system faces daily. The new edition of this indispensable reference has been fully updated for all the latest operating systems. Even more importantly, it has been extensively revised and expanded to consider the current system administrative topics that administrators need most. Essential System Administration,3rd Edition covers: DHCP, USB devices, the latest automation tools, SNMP and network management, LDAP, PAM, and recent security tools and techniques. Essential System Administration is comprehensive. But what has made this book the guide system administrators turn to over and over again is not just the sheer volume of valuable information it provides, but the clear, useful way the information is presented. It discusses the underlying higher-level concepts, but it also provides the details of the procedures needed to carry them out. It is not organized around the features of the Unix operating system, but around the various facets of a system administrator's job. It describes all the usual administrative tools that Unix provides, but it also shows how to use them intelligently and efficiently. Whether you use a standalone Unix system, routinely provide administrative support for a larger shared system, or just want an understanding of basic administrative functions, Essential System Administration is for you. This comprehensive and invaluable book combines the author's years of practical experience with technical expertise to help you manage Unix systems as productively and painlessly as possible.

Customer Reviews:

Great Overview.......2007-05-08

Used this book as a starter for Unix, already armed with basic knowledge and concepts this book helped me better understand the inner workings of UNIX.

Handy for the mixed-platform sysadmin.......2007-01-24

I spend most of my time administering linux systems, but also the occasional Solaris machine. Having this book is great for times like when I just can't remember the equivalent Solaris command for examining a print queue. It's not the kind of book you're going to read from cover to cover, and I may never look at 600 of its 1100+ pages, but I still consider it a required book on my shelf, and I refer to it a 2-3 times a month. The information in it is consistently clear and accurate.

I recently bought this as a gift for a college graduate who was embarking on a sysadmin career, and it was very well-received.

Good writer. Easy to understand........2006-11-17

Good writer. Easy to understand. Good examples. I also like the examples in Larry L. Smith's "Rosetta Stone Series for Programmers and Script-Writers" (3 books: Bash Shell, Korn Shell, and Perl). The examples in Randal K. Michael's "Mastering UNIX Shell Scripting" are also helpful for serious UNIX-LINUX users.

Worth the money.......2006-11-11

I'll keep this short and to the point, since the numerous other reviews already speak to what this book has to offer: It's not cheap, but it is worth every penny. The book provides a thorough overview on administrating unix/unix-like systems, and will help you become a better sysadmin, period.

An excellent reference for System Administrators.......2006-03-14

Power UNIX and Linux users will want to expand their skills. It's inevitable. Some will get frustrated and drop out and some will work their way through it.

For those who commit to make the transition from power user to system admin, then you will like this book. I don't believe this is the only book a system admin will read or need. But, this is the one you'll go back to over and over.

The author is a system admin herself. She's done the work and continues to do the work. She becomes a partner.

I found this book valuable. I like the publisher and I suggest you will like this book too.

500 Cups: Ceramic Explorations of Utility & Grace (A Lark Ceramics Book)

Average customer rating:

great idea book
Great for Potters and Art Lovers
500 Cups: Ceramic Explorations of Utility and Grace
A formidable tour of the art of ceramic cup-making
Awesome!!!

500 Cups: Ceramic Explorations of Utility & Grace (A Lark Ceramics Book)
Lark
Manufacturer: Lark Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1579905935

Book Description

In the hands of an expert ceramist, the once-simple cup can become an extraordinary work of art--as these 500 magnificent examples so beautifully prove. The exciting pieces come from an international array of artists, each with a unique perspective. The stylishly varied collection has a little bit of everything: the cups range from handbuilt to wheel-thrown, practical to sculptural, round to square. Benjamin Schulman's "Stacked Teacup Set" takes a strictly functional approach, while Heather O'Brien's "Dessert Cups on Stand" focuses on aesthetic form rather than usefulness. Annette Gates' "Espresso Shot Cups with Rubies" has a surface design of simple abstract lines and dots of glaze and jewels. Some are whimsical, others starkly conceptual. Every one is a treat for the eye.

Customer Reviews:

great idea book.......2007-01-09

I bought this for a pottery student of mine after she bought the teapot book. Both are great fodder for the potter's imagination, and for me, a wonderful set of examples that get me away from the idea that my own pottery has to be as "perfect" as a wedgwood teacup. The pitcher book will be the next to grace the shelves of my studio library.

Great for Potters and Art Lovers.......2006-12-19

We just opened the pottery area of our store this year. The learning curve is steep: setting up the studio, hiring teachers, choosing clay bodies and glazes, and wheels, repairing kilns and firing other peoples work! So, I have purchased a lot of pottery books recently! This one is very cool. It doesn't teach you how to make anything, but it is a great way to see a huge variety of possibilites. I just love looking through it. There are several cups in there that I want to try to build (when I get better skills). The Lark Ceramics books are excellent resource books-stock your library up with them. You won't be sorry.

500 Cups: Ceramic Explorations of Utility and Grace.......2006-03-23

It is a good reference book for the ceramic artist and collector. It provides wonderful pictures, inspiration, and ideas.

A formidable tour of the art of ceramic cup-making.......2006-02-18

Anyone who thinks there is very little difference between one cup and another would have that notion blown away by simply flipping open any page of this book. When the teacher of a local community college pottery course saw this book, she asked everyone in her classes to refer to it before beginning to design their next cup projects. It opened their minds to some of the infinite possibilities available to practitioners of the potter's craft.

Awesome!!!.......2006-01-16

Lark publishes fabulous books for ceramic lovers and this is no exception. The Cup book is the series' third in my personal library.

Average customer rating:

Best Linux 2.4 Device Driver Book
ITA - La programmazione di moduli del kernel spiegata dettagliatamente
Good overview of linux device driver programming concepts
Good reference on Linux subsystems, not a book for starters
Not useful for a normal coder looking to learn Unix drivers.

Linux Device Drivers, 3rd Edition
Jonathan Corbet , Alessandro Rubini , and Greg Kroah-Hartman
Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0596005903

Amazon.com

Updated to cover version 2.4.x of the Linux kernel, the second edition of Linux Device Drivers remains the best general-purpose, paper-bound guide for programmers wishing to make hardware devices work under the world's most popular open-source operating system. The authors take care to show how to write drivers that are portable--that is, that compile and run under all popular Linux platforms. That, along with the fact that they're careful to explain and illustrate concepts, makes this book very well suited to any programmer familiar with C but not with the hardware-software interface. It's worth noting that the emphasis in the title is on "device drivers" as much as "Linux." This book will make sense to you if you've never written a driver for any platform before. It helps if you have some Linux or Unix background, but even that is secondary as a prerequisite to C skill.

For a programming text--and one concerned with low-level instructions and data structures, at that--this book is remarkably rich in prose. You'll typically want to read this book straight through, more or less skipping the code samples, before sketching out your plan for the driver you need to write. Then, go back and pay closer attention to the sections on specific details you need to implement, like custom task queues. For coding-time details about specific system calls and programming techniques, count on the index to point you to the right passages. --David Wall

Topics covered: Techniques for writing hardware device drivers that run under Linux kernels 2.0.x through 2.2.x. Sections show how to manage memory, time, interrupts, ports, and other details of the hardware-software interface.

Book Description

Device drivers literally drive everything you're interested in--disks, monitors, keyboards, modems--everything outside the computer chip and memory. And writing device drivers is one of the few areas of programming for the Linux operating system that calls for unique, Linux-specific knowledge. For years now, programmers have relied on the classic Linux Device Drivers from O'Reilly to master this critical subject. Now in its third edition, this bestselling guide provides all the information you'll need to write drivers for a wide range of devices. Over the years the book has helped countless programmers learn:

how to support computer peripherals under the Linux operating system
how to develop and write software for new hardware under Linux
the basics of Linux operation even if they are not expecting to write a driver

The new edition of Linux Device Drivers is better than ever. The book covers all the significant changes to Version 2.6 of the Linux kernel, which simplifies many activities, and contains subtle new features that can make a driver both more efficient and more flexible. Readers will find new chapters on important types of drivers not covered previously, such as consoles, USB drivers, and more. Best of all, you don't have to be a kernel hacker to understand and enjoy this book. All you need is an understanding of the C programming language and some background in Unix system calls. And for maximum ease-of-use, the book uses full-featured examples that you can compile and run without special hardware. Today Linux holds fast as the most rapidly growing segment of the computer market and continues to win over enthusiastic adherents in many application areas. With this increasing support, Linux is now absolutely mainstream, and viewed as a solid platform for embedded systems. If you're writing device drivers, you'll want this book. In fact, you'll wonder how drivers are ever written without it.

Customer Reviews:

Best Linux 2.4 Device Driver Book.......2007-01-25

Used this to write my first linux driver on my own with no help. Great book, great layout, very well written. I have not read all of the 3rd Edition, since I am now working on Solaris, and did not work on the 2.6 kernel, but would assume thats good as well.

ITA - La programmazione di moduli del kernel spiegata dettagliatamente.......2007-01-22

Un must per chi si avvicina alla programmazione di moduli del kernel, per chi e' esperto ma ha bisogno di un reference e per chi ne vuole sapere di piu'.

Il libro ha un'alta valenza didattica ed e' scritto in un linguaggio comprensibile e corretto. Gli esempi sono abbondanti e coprono bene gli argomenti trattati.

Good overview of linux device driver programming concepts.......2006-12-07

This book takes a hypothetical device driver and explains the concepts nicely. It provides various fundamentals one needs to know before writing linux device drivers, and valuable information like concurrent and race conditions, and gives ideas for debugging problems in real drivers. It is worth read and I liked it. I had already some experience in kernel programming before reading this book, and it filled holes in my kernel knowledge. This book is also available online[...] and you may check yourself before buying this.

The objections made by other reviewers fall into the following two classes. Once you are a experienced hacker, all you need is kernel sources (books are for fundamentals only and become obsolete as new kernel constructs are added). If you are looking for cut and paste template code to add new driver for another device, again use kernel source of an existing driver.

Good reference on Linux subsystems, not a book for starters.......2006-10-13

This book is not for Linux (kernel) newbies but for those who already know their way around the kernel and seek detailed info on certain parts of it. This book has some good overviews on different subsystems of the Linux kernel. Some sections, like USB, have been expanded since the second edition of this book. I would have liked to see a section on the new 2.6 scheduler.

If you want to start off with Linux kernel programming, I would recommend Linux Kernel Development by Robert Love. These books, together with articles on the web, should certainly help anyone interested.

Not useful for a normal coder looking to learn Unix drivers........2006-08-02

If you are trying to learn how to write Linux Device drivers from scratch, this is probably not the book for you. I believe I am somewhat C/C++ savvy, and I expect sample code that is less than 10 lines of code to compile correctly.
The sample code did not compile, and although the book has a lot of tidbits of good information, overall it is not very useful for a developer.

Average customer rating:

excellent book
Very Useful, but it's Hit-and-Miss
Succinct and clear to understand . . .
Perfect binding keeps the book open at the desired page
It was perfect to get me moving on LINUX

Linux Cookbook
Carla Schroder
Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0596006403
Release Date: 2004-12-01

Book Description

This unique and valuable collection of tips, tools, and scripts provides clear, concise, hands-on solutions that can be applied to the challenges facing anyone running a network of Linux servers from small networks to large data centers in the practical and popular problem-solution-discussion O'Reilly cookbook format. The Linux Cookbook covers everything you'd expect: backups, new users, and the like. But it also covers the non-obvious information that is often ignored in other books the time-sinks and headaches that are a real part of an administrator's job, such as: dealing with odd kinds of devices that Linux historically hasn't supported well, building multi-boot systems, and handling things like video and audio. The knowledge needed to install, deploy, and maintain Linux is not easily found, and no Linux distribution gets it just right. Scattered information can be found in a pile of man pages, texinfo files, and source code comments, but the best source of information is the experts themselves who built up a working knowledge of managing Linux systems. This cookbook's proven techniques distill years of hard-won experience into practical cut-and-paste solutions to everyday Linux dilemmas. Use just one recipe from this varied collection of real-world solutions, and the hours of tedious trial-and-error saved will more than pay for the cost of the book. But those who prefer to learn hands-on will find that this cookbook not only solves immediate problems quickly, it also cuts right to the chase pointing out potential pitfalls and illustrating tested practices that can be applied to a myriad of other situations. Whether you're responsible for a small Linux system, a huge corporate system, or a mixed Linux/Windows/MacOS network, you'll find valuable, to-the-point, practical recipes for dealing with Linux systems everyday. The Linux Cookbook is more than a time-saver; it's a sanity saver.

Customer Reviews:

excellent book.......2007-03-26

Excellent Linux book! Gives step by step answers to common Linux problems in a "Problem - solution" style way. I'm a tad disappointed in the SAMBA section, but that really is a topic deserving of a book of its own.

Very Useful, but it's Hit-and-Miss.......2006-09-11

Because this is a "cookbook," it gives you recipies -- step-by-step instructions for performing specific tasks.

This makes Linux Cookbook EXTREMELY useful when it has a recipie you need, and it often gives you a good starting point when you need to do something that isn't specifically covered.

For example, let's say you need to setup a mail server, which you've never done before. As long as you're willing to use the mail tools she describes (which are perfectly good tools), then this book is the fastest way to get the job done. She also shows you how to make sure the server will be secure.

I'm glad I have this book on my shelf, I recommend it, and I refer to it whenever I need to do something new in Linux. The problem is, you can't have a step-by-step recipie for everything. When this book hits the mark, it's the best book you can have, but you cannot rely on this as your only Linux book.

Succinct and clear to understand . . ........2006-05-10

A well-organised and clearly written collection of useful commands and solutions to help one along with the often exasperating arcana of Linux. Covers all flavours and is a 'must have' book.

Perfect binding keeps the book open at the desired page.......2005-09-28

... which comes in real handy considering how often I reference it.

Chapter 10 (Patching, Customizing, and Upgrading Kernels) and Chapter 12 (Managing the Bootloader and Multi-Booting) helped me recompile my kernel for the first time. Not only are the instructions clear, but the author also made sure to explain each step so I knew why I was typing a certain command. There's even a section on how to create an initrd image for SCSI drive users, which I had a hard time finding on the web.

This book does an excellent job covering all the basics, and it's worth spending the time to read it from beginning to end. I certainly see myself getting a lot of mileage from it.

It was perfect to get me moving on LINUX.......2005-08-10

I wanted to become more experienced with UNIX so I had the Ubuntu distribution installed in my computer. I spent six months having a hard time getting simple things done until I came accross this book.

It is organized in such a way that it is easy to get to do what you want/need and, what's better, the explanations provided give you insights on how UNIX works. After a while, you will find yourself doing new stuff on your own.

If you want to get into UNIX but knows little about it my advice for you is: get this book and jump into LINUX - it is worth it!

Linux Server Hacks, Volume Two: Tips & Tools for Connecting, Monitoring, and Troubleshooting (Hacks)

Average customer rating:

More specialized than Volume 1
This book totally rocks!
VERY VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Oustanding Linux Companion Guide
An offering of over a hundred fresh, new hacks in a second volume to expand Linux opportunities

Linux Server Hacks, Volume Two: Tips & Tools for Connecting, Monitoring, and Troubleshooting (Hacks)
William von Hagen , and Brian Jones
Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0596100825

Book Description

Today's system administrators deal with a vast number of situations, operating systems, software packages, and problems. Those who are in the know have kept their copy of Linux Server Hacks close at hand to ease their burden. And while this helps, it's not enough: any sys admin knows there are many more hacks, cool tips, and ways of solving problems than can fit in a single volume (one that mere mortals can lift, that is).

Which is why we created Linux Server Hacks, Volume Two, a second collection of incredibly useful tips and tricks for finding and using dozens of open source tools you can apply to solve your sys admin problems. The power and flexibility of Linux and Open Source means that there is an astounding amount of great software out there waiting to be applied to your sys admin problems -- if only you knew about it and had enough information to get started. Hence, Linux Server Hacks, Volume Two.

This handy reference offers 100 completely new server management tips and techniques designed to improve your productivity and sharpen your administrative skills. Each hack represents a clever way to accomplish a specific task, saving you countless hours of searching for the right answer. No more sifting through man pages, HOWTO websites, or source code comments -- the only resource you need is right here. And you don't have to be a system administrator with hundreds of boxen to get something useful from this book as many of the hacks apply equally well to a single system or a home network.

Compiled by experts, these hacks not only give you the step-by-step instructions necessary to implement the software, but they also provide the context to truly enable you to learn the technology. Topics include:

Authentication
Remote GUI connectivity
Storage management
File sharing and synchronizing resources
Security/lockdown instruction
Log files and monitoring
Troubleshooting
System rescue, recovery, and repair

Whether they help you recover lost data, collect information from distributed clients, or synchronize administrative environments, the solutions found in Linux Server Hacks, Volume Two will simplify your life as a system administrator.

Customer Reviews:

More specialized than Volume 1.......2007-07-08

This is a very good book. These remarks are for Linux users on the way up. If you are already an über-üser, well, you will probably like this book anyway.

If you don't have the first volume, you might want to start with it. It has some simple but very useful things that apply to just about anyone with their own Linux box and a command line.

This volume is much more advanced, and most of the tricks and techniques deal with much more specialized problem domains, ie. things you might not have run into yet. One advantage of this book over the first is that it is very up to date in its recommendations of existing software to use.

This book totally rocks!.......2006-11-18

I can't say enough about the work done in Linux Server Hacks vII by the two Bs. Bill and Brian have hit the ball out of the ballpark with this one.

Just the section on LVM (Logical Volume Management) have saved my bacon!

Every single "hack" (read tip) is extremely practical, applicable and relevant to managing and administering Linux systems whether "servers" or not!

The absolute best part of this book is that you get really useful, insightful views into the experiences of seasoned veterans of Unix systems. If you sit in a NOC or if you're the 24x7 guy/gal on a server farm, this book is an occupational requirement! Everyone else will appreciate it if they're running Linux. In my modest network of perhaps 30 Linux systems, I can tell you that I saved hours of effort with just two of the hacks included in this volume. Considering the time savings, buying this book saved my company more than 300% on the cover price.

VERY VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!.......2006-09-12

Are you a system administrator? If you are, then this book is for you! Authors Bill Von Hagen and Brian K Jones, have done an outstanding job of writing volume two of a book that focuses on cool hacks they developed or used in their server and system administration careers.

Von Hagen and Jones, begin by exploring the authentication options that are available to you in heterogeneous networked computing environments and simplify administering user accounts and passwords. Then, the authors explore ways of connecting to remote systems. Next, the authors explain how to set up central servers that do things like synchronize the time on all the systems in your environment, deliver IP addresses to newly connected hosts, and integrate these services with existing ones. The authors then present a variety of cool sysadmin tips and techniques that they've accumulated over the years, including how to keep processes running without writing a daemon or staying logged in, how to use PXE to netboot Linux, how to share information with fellow sysadmins in a centralized fashion, how to get the most out of classic but incredibly useful terminal-oriented applications, and so on. They continue to explore some cool ways of making it easier for you to manage storage, deploy new systems, do backups of today's huge disks, and even reduce the need for some of the restore requests that occasionally clog every sysadmin's inbox. Then, the authors provide some tips and tricks for managing distributed storage and making sure the administrative environments on your servers are synchronized. They then discuss a wide range of security tools and techniques that can help you sleep at night and protect your systems at the same time. Next, they provide techniques for optimizing system performance, whether by figuring out who's hogging the entire CPU and shooting down that user's network sessions or by using cool knobs in the /proc filesystem to tweak system performance or using journaling filesystems to minimize system restart time. Then, they include hacks that enable you to centralize log information in a variety of ways, be warned when problems arise, and get the most out of system status information, whether it's log information, internal disk controller status data, or remote hardware status information that you can collect via SNMP. Finally, the authors show you how to boot crippled systems so that you can diagnose problems, repair munged filesystems, and even recover deleted files of data that was stored on disks that have gone belly up.

This most excellent book has presented hacks that are techniques that the authors have used at various times. More importantly, they view these techniques as time- and hassle-savers that are usually downright fun and cool.

Oustanding Linux Companion Guide.......2006-06-07

'Linux Server Hacks Volume Two' by William von Hagen is an outstanding companion guide for ALL Linux users and administrators. Packed with over 450 pages and 100 new hacks not in Volume 1, these aren't just known by everybody things that you can do with Linux, these are hot tips and tricks that most any Linux freak can excel from learning about.

Chapters Covered:

01. Linux Authentication
02. Remote GUI Connectivity
03. System Services
04. Cool Sysadmin Tools and Tips
05. Storage Management and Backups
06. Standardizing, Sharing, and Synchronizing Resources
07. Security
08. Troubleshooting and Performance
09. Logfiles and Monitoring
10. System Rescue, Recovery, and Repair

Pick this book up now, you will NOT be disappointed in this delcious Linux FEAST!!

***** HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

An offering of over a hundred fresh, new hacks in a second volume to expand Linux opportunities.......2006-06-05

The second volume of Bill von Hagen and Brian K. Jones' Linux Server Hacks: Tips & Tools For Connecting, Monitoring, And Troubleshooting takes the original volume one step further, following up with an offering of over a hundred fresh, new hacks in a second volume to expand Linux opportunities. Hacks here only take a few minutes to read through but provide many answers to problems ranging from remotely running a GUI Linux desktop environment for end users to centralizing Windows font resources and combining network storage areas on new servers.

Average customer rating:

Great Linux/Windows Integration Reference
NetBIOS? I say again NetBIOS?!?
Very good book
A pertinent intro to using Linux in a heterogeneous environment
Linux in a Linux World (re-submit)

Linux in a Windows World (Linux)
Roderick Smith
Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0596007582

Book Description

Linux's unparalleled functionality and adaptability have made it the main alternative to Unix and Microsoft Windows operating systems. And with good reason. System administrators realize that this robust alternative can greatly improve their operating system's reliability and save them money, too. Linux systems are even less vulnerable to attacks by computer viruses and worms. Not surprisingly, businesses, government agencies, schools, and a wealth of other institutions are all looking to Linux to replace the Windows desktop for these same benefits. Linux in a Windows World takes an in-depth look at exactly how Linux can be brought into an organization that's currently based on Microsoft Windows systems. Featuring a litany of insider tips and techniques, Linux in a Windows World dispenses all the practical advice you need to migrate to this revolutionary open source software. Author Roderick W. Smith, himself a renowned system administrator and Linux convert, understands that the skills required to install, deploy, and maintain Linux are not easy to find. That's why he has tapped the absolute best source of information available: the Linux server experts who have made it their life's work to build and manage the Linux system. The latest in O'Reilly's line of bestselling Linux titles, Linux in a Windows World is an invaluable companion for any system administrator interested in integrating Linux into their Windows environment.

Customer Reviews:

Great Linux/Windows Integration Reference.......2006-08-10

This book did not favor any one Linux OS over another (good). Most Linux configuration was via commandline (which most will advocate in a Unix environment) and direct editing of conf files. Each chapter has a great balance of common practices, breaking down the common config parameters, then implementing. Overall, a great reference.

NetBIOS? I say again NetBIOS?!?.......2006-02-26

Working several years as a certified Windows Administrator, I find it strange to have a complete chapter soley dedicated to the topic of NetBIOS. Who uses NetBIOS? I looked further into the book, and the all SAMBA material seems to be a rehash older and overdocumented SAMBA 2.0 docs...

I looked at another section and it seems that Windows NT 4 time was covered (maybe accidently through author's misunderstanding of Windows time?) and w32time service. The later uses the NTP time standard, while older Windows NT 4 time relies on NetBIOS... Hmmm... Maybe that's the reason for a NetBIOS chapter.

I was hoping for something more to deal with Active Directory and modern systems, but learn interoperability to stuff you can only buy at the swap-meet or flea-market.

I didn't cover any other chapters, as they seem to focus on Linux-to-Linux interoperability. Yes, I know, but it is true, Windows coverage in the other sections is less than 5% - 10%.

So bottom line, most of book is Linux with honoroble mention here and there of Windows, the chapters fully focused on Windows interoperability are rehash of SAMBA 2.0 and how to hook into end-of-life Windows NT 4. And you get a whole chapter on NetBIOS? Shall we *cough* look for other books?

Very good book.......2006-01-22

This is a very good book on the topic. The author knows what he is talking about, he doesn't skip anything and explains almost everything that should be explained. Although there are some typos and small errors in the book, they are corrected in the errata. Accessible, thorough, well written, well organized, well supported. Definitely worth the money.

A pertinent intro to using Linux in a heterogeneous environment.......2005-12-16

Linux in a Windows World by Roderick Smith (O'Reilly) is an excellent aid for anyone trying to work in a heterogeneous environment. It is targeted at administrators who would like to add the flexibility, security and stability of Linux to existing Windows networks. While primarily focused on integrating Linux servers in the enterprise, to add functionality or replace Windows servers, Smith also addresses the addition of Linux workstations and thin clients to a Windows network.

The text begins with a brief discussion of the available options for leveraging Linux in a Windows-dominated environment and when and where such applications are appropriate and effective.
Smith walks you through Samba file and print sharing, authentication with LDAP, Kerberos, NT domains, followed by remote access methods, and a medley of additional server applications for mail, backups and network management. I found the format very accessible; simple and clear enough for those new to Linux, but with sufficient detail to get up-and-running with a basic configuration.

The tone was refreshingly objective. Windows and Linux options were presented in an even-handed way, absent was the Windows bashing that frequently enters Linux literature. I was somewhat disappointed that the book spent so much time on increasingly obsolete NT Domains and so little with Active Directory, but it is understandable as the proprietary nature of Windows necessitates a lag time in the development of interoperable open source technologies.

Overall I found Linux in a Windows World to be an excellent resource for mixed networks. I would consider it a must read for anyone thinking about adding Linux to their Windows network. It covers all the bases, giving the reader an overview of the available options before delving into the most common solutions. I personally found it useful in configuring several servers in my all-Linux network.

Linux in a Linux World (re-submit).......2005-12-01

This book has well developed details on Linux client configuration for Linux only solutions with some small Windows tidbits thrown in. Given that the scope of this book should be "Linux in a Windows World", I expected more material on connecting Linux to modern Windows infrastructure, especially Active Directory. What coverage that was offered on Windows, e.g. some chapters dedicated to SAMBA, was mostly focused on 10-year older Windows NT era of technologies. I will delve in to some topics to illustrate this.

In Kerberos (Chapter 9), more than 80% of the coverage is about Linux Kerberos solutions and client configuration. There is a measly 2 pages out of 30 on Windows client configuration. In one area (page 216), the author states that Kerberos to Kerberos cross-realm trust to Active Directory would beyond the scope of this book, but I seem to recall that this information took up roughly 5 pages of text in Kerberos, The Definitive Guide by Jason Garman. There is zero coverage on how to configure Linux to use Active Directory KDC, which is something done in about two pages from the same aforementioned book. I'm wondering where's the "Windows World" involved in this as overall coverage is again for Linux to Linux.

For the topic of LDAP (Chapter 8), the coverage is again about configuring Linux clients to use OpenLDAP for authentication. Even within the scope of Linux-to-Linux the information was limited (there's less than adequate coverage about how lack of caching can cause serious problems, or how to use things like SASL for Kerberized authentication of LDAP). There is no mention of using Active Directory LDAP in this chapter for Linux clients. There was some coverage of Windows client configuration through pGina. However, I would prefer to see Windows solutions as this is suppose to be about a "Windows World" book, but get Linux-to-Linux solutions and with pGina, a Windows-to-Linux solution.

On the topic of DNS and DHCP (Chapter 15), only Linux solutions are covered, so there is no information on using Linux with Windows DHCP and DNS backends. In the scope of Linux DHCP, the information is very limited, and there is no information on how to assign IP addresses based on computer names, which is a feature that even Windows DHCP doesn't support. Windows clients spit out names with an appended "0" character to the DHCP server, which could be use for further configuration of services. In the scope of Linux DNS, there is no information about features needed in BIND to make it interoperable with Windows Active Directory, or even Linux Kerberos solutions for that matter. One needs Dynamic DNS, support for SRV records, and in particular for Active Direcotry, one needs support for underscore characters "_", which I heard is a compile time option for BIND9. Additionally, Microsoft has a proprietary WINS record for legacy support that is not supported by BIND. Both Microsoft certification publications and "DNS and BIND" by Albitz and Liu (O'Reilly) offer solution scenarios for this. None of this important essential information was presented, as the predominant focus appears to be Linux-to-Linux.

On the topic of NTP services (Chapter 15), the information is applicable for older Windows 9X/ME/NT systems that used a NetBIOS to locate a non-NTP service from Windows NT. In Windows XP/2003 that is so ancient history and Windows has full support for NTP client and services through the w32tm command. This is completely absent from from the presentation and details on this topic. Also surprising is no mention of why time sychronization is vital to either any Kerberos solutions, including Active Directory; any clients authentication to a Kerberos KDC should sychronize to the clock on that same server, or else users will not be able to log on if their clocks are more than 5 minutes off.

When covering mail technologies (Chapter 13), most of the documentation is an overview of mail technology and a exploration of Linux solutions with sendmail and postfix, which is very good presentation of those technologies. Microsoft Excahnge Server gets an honorable mention of less than 2 pages out of 51 pages. I would have appreciated more scenarios on how to integrate Exchange including for a variety of technologies, and would also have been interested in Windows clients that would hook into Linux solutions. There's no mention that that modern versions of Exchange are dependent on Active Directory -- something of a headache for Linux admins, but important consideration for planning the infrastructure. The Windows interoperability in this area like other chapters was quite lacking.

There are four chapters in Part II "Sharing Files and Printers" dedicated to SAMBA and related technologies like CUPS integration. The coverage here is predominantly focused on 10-year old Windows NT era technologies. One chapter is even dedicated to NetBIOS Network, something even Windows admins wish would have never existed. I don't know but I would hope that interoperability would cover modern technologies that are at least applicable within the last three years (after all, Windows 2003 is about 3 years old now). There only mention of Active Directory, and NONE of the richness found in where Linux boxes can be added to Active Directory domain, authenticate through ActiveDirectory via windbindd (with support for caching), and Windows account sid (security id) to user id (uid) and group id (gid) mapping with LDAP Unix schema support with either SFU 3.5 or AD4Unix in Active Directory (( NOTE: This can be done through SAMBA 3.0.20 and above, but authors haven't a clue )). The interoperability here is for historical network scenarios that is well covered in existing published (and online free) books. I would expect that a book written in this time would offer appicable Windows interoperability.

In the scope of printing through CUPS (Chapter 4), there's no mention that I can tell of Windows support for IPP, the same technology that CUPS uses. Linux clients can connect directly to Windows IPP printer without even touching SAMBA (just have to use port 80 in the URL as Microsoft implemented their solution before the RFC was finalized). Some redeeming qualities of this section was how to do free PDF-Gernation printer share on Linux, and also how to implement Microsoft RPC facility (through SAMBA) for auto-insstallation of printer drivers on Windows clients.

Overall, given that the focus is predominantly Linux for Linux solutions, this book maybe should be called "Linux in a Linux World". If you need an overview of Linux technologies and solutions, then this is a decent book, but if you want modern real-world details on interoperability to Windows, then there are far better books in this space.

Super-Duper Cupcakes: Kids' Creations from the Cupcake Caboose

Average customer rating:

Very cute
Cute Cupcake Ideas
Simple cupcakes
Childrens and Adults be transported creatively
Great

Super-Duper Cupcakes: Kids' Creations from the Cupcake Caboose
Elaine Cohen
Manufacturer: Sterling
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound

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ASIN: 1402721749

Book Description

These cupcakes—from the owner of the Cupcake Caboose Company—are the yummiest and best looking ever! They come in sweet chocolate or creamy vanilla, dyed and decorated with dazzling designs. Best of all, every kid can make one. Ambitious little bakers will enlist a parent’s help and start from scratch, using the well-illustrated recipes for both cupcakes and frosting. Or they might want to get creative with store-bought pastries, mixes, and packaged icings. Either way, becoming a “cupcake artist” is easy, especially with the handy “cupcake key” to explain which are simplest and which need a little more practice. It’s delicious fun!

Customer Reviews:

Very cute.......2007-09-03

Not the most sophisticated of cupcake books but very cute for kids. Lots of fun ideas that are easier than decorating with frosting. They use a lot of candy pieces to make bunnies and butterflies. Very cute and fun though and it has a few handy recipes for cupcakes and frostings at the beginning of the book.

Cute Cupcake Ideas.......2007-08-15

This book has a lot of nifty and cute cupcake ideas....but I think it is mainly meant for kids or beginners. It's nice if you want to make fast and easy cupcakes. If you are looking for more intricate cupcakes, or elaborate recipes, don't buy this book.

Simple cupcakes.......2007-05-30

I'm from Australia and we dont get the range of books that appear here on Amazon. I read the reviews to help me purchase items,but I think I just got very excited with my order and shouldnt have purchased this item. I already have several cupcake books. As other reviews have stated this book is great for a kids' cookbook. I was looking for a cupcake book to inspire me - different designs, new things. I think I will shelve this book for when my baby gets a little older. If you are cupcake afficionado looking for more inspiration for yourself, I suggest you skip this purchase, but if you have a child and you'd like to cook together, then this is the book for you.

Childrens and Adults be transported creatively.......2007-01-05

The book is full of surprises and easy recipes to follow and scrumptiously designed. It's like a delicious layer cake you want to display let alone make. It also makes a wonderful gift for the 7 yr. old to 100 yr. old.

Great .......2007-01-03

This is a great cookbook. The pictures make it easy to see how it should turn out.

Average customer rating:

Disappointed about the installation instructions.
Not Focused
For sys admins
Great Reference for New Server Admins
Very helpful

Linux Server Security
Michael D. Bauer
Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0596006705

Book Description

Linux consistently appears high up in the list of popular Internet servers, whether it's for the Web, anonymous FTP, or general services such as DNS and delivering mail. But security is the foremost concern of anyone providing such a service. Any server experiences casual probe attempts dozens of time a day, and serious break-in attempts with some frequency as well. This highly regarded book, originally titled Building Secure Servers with Linux, combines practical advice with a firm knowledge of the technical tools needed to ensure security. The book focuses on the most common use of Linux--as a hub offering services to an organization or the Internet--and shows readers how to harden their hosts against attacks. An all-inclusive resource for Linux users who wish to harden their systems, Linux Server Security covers general security such as intrusion detection and firewalling a hub, as well as key services such as DNS, the Apache Web server, mail, and secure shell. Author Michael D. Bauer, a security consultant, network architect, and lead author of the popular Paranoid Penguin column in the Linux Journal, carefully outlines the security risks, defines precautions that can minimize those risks, and offers recipes for robust security. He is joined on several chapters by administrator and developer Bill Lubanovic. A number of new security topics have been added for this edition, including:

Database security, with a focus on MySQL
Using OpenLDAP for authentication
An introduction to email encryption
The Cyrus IMAP service, a popular mail delivery agent
The vsftpd FTP server

Geared toward Linux users with little security expertise, the author explains security concepts and techniques in clear language, beginning with the fundamentals. Linux Server Security with Linux provides a unique balance of "big picture" principles that transcend specific software packages and version numbers, and very clear procedures on securing some of those software packages on several popular distributions. With this book in hand, you'll have both the expertise and the tools to comprehensively secure your Linux system.

Customer Reviews:

Disappointed about the installation instructions........2005-08-06

The big reason why I purchased this book was because it claimed it was great about security and it said it would show how to setup these services the correct way.
Well first of all this author loves to use the binary packages (RPMs, etc.). And anyone that is a major security buff knows that the RPMs are the last things to get updated when a flaw is found out.
Secondly that's all the user shows for the installation of most of the software is how to do it with a binary distribution. So unless you are using Suse, Redhat, Fedora it is quite useless. This book should indicate that it made for those distributions and it is not general "Linux".

Also his views on running some of the software is really off the wall. But that is just a personal preference I guess.

Overall if he would have used the regular "./configure ---comands", "make", "make install" this book would have been much better and it would have been able to be used for those that don't want to be stuck in "rpm hell".

Not Focused.......2005-06-13

I read every column of paranoid penguin and they are quite good. This book is ok, but not great. They (I mean they because several chapters are not by Mike) try to cover a huge amount of information and make the mistake of being both too broad in some areas and too specific in others. Overall, there wasn't a cohesive glue to bring the chapters together into a single vision.

For instance, for a book that introduces FTP servers, web servers, mail (imap/smtp), dns - they are like separate entities. They do not complete the picture by showing a complete network diagram with IDS / VPN, -- showing an example of all of their advice coming together in a working solution. And Kerberos isn't even mentioned.

They were extremely specific in some areas like talking about rpm example/debian/ make options and specific .conf options ad nauseum - which detracted from the whole picture. Is someone securing bind 4 really reading this book? Also, maybe a mention of apt-get - - but don't tell me how to install each package on every architecture - it just inflates the word count.

I don't think this book was focused enough in the 'big picture' of trying to piece together all of the tiny pieces into a coherant whole, while at the same time it gets cought up in the minute details of certain packages making for a tough read.

Perhaps they could have included an actual example company or two showing possible layouts of ldap in action with:
login/mail/split-dns/firewalls/database$web.

Anyone for OpenBSD?

For sys admins.......2005-06-03

Linux Server Security, Second Edition
By Michael D. Bauer
Second Edition January 2005
ISBN: 0-596-00670-5
544 pages, $44.95 US
(...)
This book goes along with the moving trend of the normal computer user, securing your data. Servers generally are targeted more often than the average home PC because most are made to be accessible from the outside world. This is where securing that server comes into play. This book covers the tools and techniques to securing your Bastion host.

First I'd like to start out and explain what Bastion host means as according this book so you can understand what this book covers more specifically. Bastion Host is defined as "A system that runs publicly accessible services but is usually not itself a firewall. Bastion hosts are what we put on DMZ (although they can be put anywhere). The term implies that a certain amount of system hardening has been done, but sadly, this is not always the case."

After you understand what a Bastion host is defined as, you should understand that this book mainly covers these server daemons and the systems that run them. But some of the information applies to a Linux desktop system such as a per host iptables firewall, using secure shell, keeping up with your logs, and intrusion detection. Most of these things the average user doesn't care much about but sometimes being paranoid comes in handy.

Someone who would most likely use this book more than the average desktop user would probaly be a system administrator. Securing web, database, ftp, dns, and email servers is what majority of this book contains. Along with covering these server systems, there are guides to securing the Linux system that runs these daemons along with designing the networks around these types of hosts.

One of the sections I'm most fond of is Chapter 2: Designing Perimeter Networks. With this section you can really take a look at the design and layout of the different types of networks and figure out the portions that suit your needs for your own network. The diagrams shown in this chapter help explain what is going on with the traffic and allows you to see exactly what is going on and at what points the systems are protected.

At the end of the book there are 2 well commented iptables firewall scripted that allow you to get a feel for the netfilter iptables system if you're not familiar with it already. With some modification of these scripts you can easily bring them into a working environment depending on your situation, which sometimes these helps with some of the frustration with the iptables syntax. I personally prefer the PF system within OpenBSD for it's clean syntax and have grown away from iptables, but both are powerful firewall systems and should fit the needs of your network.

I'd definitely recommend this book to system admins or anyone who is paranoid about their security. Security is always something that people should be educated about.

Lloyd Randall
Pensacola Linux User's Group

Great Reference for New Server Admins.......2005-03-22

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is involved with securing Internet servers. The book strikes a nice balance between theoretical background and implementation examples.

Though certainly not all encompassing, the book touches on several key elements of server security, including DNS, Email, File Servers, Web Services, IDS methods and more. People new or just curious about Linux server security will gain the most. More experienced system administrators will find a few implementation tips and useful background information for presentation or training purposes.

Unlike many server security books, this one includes some notes on alternatives to the most popular software packages. For example, the chapter on securing Internet email includes excellent tips on securing both Sendmail and Postfix while the IDS chapter covers the popular Tripwire package and some lesser-known integrity checkers. References and the end of each chapter are provided to point you to even more solutions.

This book certainly will not replace a dedicated reference volume, but I find it to be a good summary of major security practices for bastion hosts. Note that the book focuses primarily on host hardening. Though there are some sections on network security, most of the chapters focus on locking down your server. So if you are mainly interested in network clusters, network surveillance, or honeypots, you will probably want to find another reference. Also, if you have several years of experience, you may not find too much new information, but the book is a handy reference volume that can point you in the right direction. If, however, you are new to Linux server security or just simply want a concise summary of common security practices, then this will be a welcomed addition to your technical library.

Very helpful.......2005-03-07

I am quite happy that there are books like Linux Server Security.

A lot of people think Linux is bullet proof, but its not. If not configured correctly, it can be just as insecure as Windows.

Linux Server Security is an important and timely book in that it shows how to harden Linux to be very secure.

Average customer rating:

A Must Read!
Wonderful Tale!
Buy it!
Silvered Story

The Silver Cup
Constance Leeds
Manufacturer: Viking Juvenile
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Historical Fiction | History & Historical Fiction | Teens | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0670061573
Release Date: 2007-04-05

Book Description

It's the year 1095, and fifteen-year-old Anna longs for a different life in her small German village. But as the seasons turn, the year proves anything but ordinary. Her beloved youngest cousin disappears, and another cousin, Martin, runs away to join a murderous army of renegade Crusaders. When Anna risks everything to rescue Leah, an orphaned Jewish girl whose only connection to her former life is a silver cup, the two girls forge a friendship that defies the intolerance of their time.

Filling her story with fascinating period details, debut novelist Constance Leeds paints a rich, colorful picture of an eleventh-century life marked by courage, will, and most of all—hope.

Customer Reviews:

A Must Read!.......2007-10-12

The beauty of historical fiction is that it allows the reader to learn about a particular time and culture that's been woven into a fascinating story. While I am well beyond the juvenile fiction stage, I was attracted by both the story and the history. I was drawn into this family and the issues they faced in terms of their social and economic survival. From the perspective of the younger reader, potential questions about how people lived during the Middle Ages were answered with the inclusion of the glossary at the end of the book - a terrific teaching tool. This book was a great read and parents should make a point of reading it after their children are done.

Wonderful Tale!.......2007-10-10

What a wonderfully educational book! Rich storylines. Good drama and complex characters. Obviously very carefully researched. You must buy this book -- either for yourself or for your kids. You'll both love it!

Buy it!.......2007-06-07

This book caused me to realize how few realms kids' books currently cover. This a richly nuanced, interesting book for upper middle school and first years of high school readers. I heartily recommend it for its thought-provoking slice of christians and jews in the middle ages.

Silvered Story.......2007-06-02

When Anna's father married the blacksmith's daughter, his noble family cast him out. Anna's mother died when Anna was ten, and she became the responsibility of her harsh, bitter aunt who lived next door. At
fifteen, she takes care of her merchant father and cousin, Martin - never to the satisfaction of Aunt Agnes. Greatly delighted when her father takes her to the city of Worms, she becomes nervous when her
father enters the Jewish Quarter to deliver small, intricate tools crafted by his in-laws to a silversmith. Despite her apprehensions, Anna is awed by the beauty of the silversmith's home and elegantly dressed daughter of about her age. She is too shy to return the daughter's smile.

Set in Germany of 1095, Anna's quiet village life is disrupted by Martin, who runs away to join a renegade branch of the Crusades, led by the brutal Count Emich. When Count Emich's army massacres the eight hundred Jews in Worms, Anna rescues the silversmith's surviving daughter. In this author's first novel, she has not plunked characters with modern sensibilities into a medieval setting. The protagonist, while astute
and kind, is of a piece with her times. The author has written an excellent historical fiction which shines a light on an all-but-forgotten infamy of the Crusades.

Hey There, Cupcake! 35 Yummy Fun Cupcake Recipes for All Occasions

Average customer rating:

Not your grandma's cupcakes...though you might wish they were.
wow
a picture's worth a thosand words
Adorable Pics, but Slightly Too Elaborate
Great Book for Kid friendly cupcakes

Hey There, Cupcake! 35 Yummy Fun Cupcake Recipes for All Occasions
Clare Crespo
Manufacturer: DK Melcher Media
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Cakes | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0971793565

Book Description

Cupcakes have captivated the nation, and Clare Crespo makes them like no one else. In Hey There, Cupcake! 35 Yummy Fun Cupcake Recipes For All Occasions, Crespo bakes up tropme l'oeil cupcakes for every occasion, proving they can look like balls of yarn, fried eggs, or peppermint candies-and taste just as fantastic as they look. Cute, accessible, and colorful, this cookbook contains 35 wildly inventive recipes, including: · Cupcake Burgers: Chocolate and yellow cupcakes sliced and frosted to look like a burger topped with lettuce and tomato on a sesame seed bun. · Cubcakes: Caramel cupcakes frosted to look like koala, panda, and grizzly bears. · Pollination Cupcakes: Honey-flavored cupcakes frosted to look like flowers, topped with candy bees. · Six-Pack Cupcakes: Cola-flavored cupcakes stacked and iced to look like a six-pack of soda. In her acclaimed debut title, The Secret Life of Food, Crespo created recipes that rallied families to approach birthdays, holidays, and picnics with devilish creativity. Enthusiasm for Crespo and her food creations landed the irrepressible author on Today, Good Morning America, and a raft of cable shows, including the Food Network's Extreme Cuisine, Top 5, and Roker on the Road; HGTV's Smart Solutions; and the Style Network's You're Invited. The book also garnered high praise in publications as diverse as Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Newsweek, and the Los Angeles Times Magazine, among others.

Customer Reviews:

Not your grandma's cupcakes...though you might wish they were........2007-05-24

After buying Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World: 75 Dairy-Free Recipes for Cupcakes that Rule, I was inspired and eager to try some new recipes (I'm not vegan, after all!). I was very disappointed with this book; it's very light on recipes, and heavy on elaborate, time-consuming decorations that typically involve ingredients that will either be hard to find in your local grocery stores (so you'll need to buy them through the mail), or are inconvenient (such as all-green Fruit Roll-ups). The emphasis is on using basic cake recipes and dressing them up with lots on processed candies and artificially colored and flavored additions; the resulting combination is a cupcake that looks too good to eat, and tastes like an odd mishmash of the various decorative components used when you do. In spite of the title, this is really not a recipe book, but is more of a funky home-decorator's guide to cupcakes.

Some of these cupcakes are absolutely gorgeous; others seem rather random, or as though the author was running out of ideas in the end (several pages devoted to clock-face cupcakes?). While they may be "kid-friendly" to eat, most will not be kid-friendly to make, given the precision necessary to recreate the elaborate designs. You're also going to need some new tips for your pastry bag to frost a lot of these. A big problem that I had with this book is that the designs are so elaborate that it quickly becomes impractical to make more than a few of them; if you've got a bake sale coming up, or need to make a large batch for a potluck, many of these recipes won't be practical.

Many other reviewers seem to have loved this book, but I found it to be a bit of a disappointment. The author is clearly a very creative person, and I will certainly be trying some of the "recipes" as I expand my cupcake resume'. However, the emphasis on image over flavor and the time-consuming nature of a lot of these will probably keep the book on the shelf more often than on my counter-top. Definitely give this one a test-drive at your local library first.

wow.......2007-01-04

I think I found my new favorite book. I make and sell customized cakes [...] so it is absolutely amazing to see all of these ideas I never would have thought of!

a picture's worth a thosand words.......2006-09-28

I could have made the designs by looking at the pictures.
The print is small,not even standard size type.
Then they do things like green type on green pages.VERY hard to read.
Cindy

Adorable Pics, but Slightly Too Elaborate.......2006-08-21

Excellent cupcake recipes if you bake the simple options, however some of them are SO inventive, I've not heard of many of the ingredients! I'd consider myself somewhat of a novice and perhaps that's why.

Still, the book is ALWAYS mounted in a book holder in my kitchen and turned to different pages every week, displaying the sweet and fun photographs. I'd recommend it just for the pictures alone. Clare Crespo is a masterful baker, indeed. And her photographer did the little cakes quite a lot of justice.

Great Book for Kid friendly cupcakes.......2006-06-29

Great book many good ideas, out grandchildren have enjoyed the variety of cupcakes and enjoy looking through the book and picking out which ones to make.

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