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Linux Books Media Software Book Reviews

Linux Beginners Series' Final Installment 29

Posted by timothy from the yellow-belt dept.
Now chromatic has stepped through another couple of books, in addition to the nine in the previous parts of this series on books for the Linux newbie-to-semi-newbie. Actually, the selections this time go on the assumption that you've taken a few weeks (or some very intense days) to absorb the information you need to accomplish some basic tasks, and they take on the challenge of going beyond the basics. Note: here are links to part one, part two, and part three of this series.

(See below)
author (Various)
pages -
publisher (Various)
rating (vary)
reviewer chromatic
ISBN (varies)
summary Books to take you beyond newbiehood comfortably.

As this series comes to a close, we move up a notch on the complexity scale to install Linux as a network client. Where some previous books have discussed how to make your new OS play nicely with others, here are two dedicated to helping you replace an existing box or setup a new server from scratch.

The eleven books we've featured barely scratch the surface of the printed documentation available for new Linux users. For example, O'Reilly has two particularly good choices, Learning Debian GNU/Linux, available through their Open Books Project, and Running Linux, reviewed last year.

We've obviously overlooked other worthy titles. For the sake of completeness, what else may come in handy? Which books have you found most useful?

title Linux Administration: A Beginner's Guide
publisher Osborne
Included Stuff RedHat 6.1 CD-ROM (Publishers Edition)
Intended Audience NT Administrators new to Linux.
Scope Installation, introduction to Linux, networking setup, Internet and intranet applications.
Technical Correctness Good.
Writing style Easy to read and informative.
Other

Though this book comes with a RedHat CD, nearly everything can apply to other distributions.

Here's a book aimed squarely at the ranks of NT administrators. Not only does it point out (fairly) the differences between NT and Linux, but it explains the Linux method in relation to the NT method. (For example, compare NT file sharing via Network Neighborhood and SMB to NFS shares.) From a practical standpoint, professional experience is almost necessary to understand the initial concepts -- but it's certainly understandable without too much prior knowledge.

Shah starts with some background, then steps lightly through a RedHat 6.1 Server installation. X, KDE, and GNOME get basic treatment, mostly related to configuration. Software installation comes next, in both RPM and tarball (.tar.gz file) formats.

Section two covers basic administration. Users come first, with command line and Linuxconf tools presented. A good chapter introduces the shell and basic commands for file manipulation, processes, and permissions. Next up is the boot process, detailing LILO and the rc scripts. Basic file system theory, tools, partitioning schemes, mounting, and quotas get their due. The core system services chapter covers important daemons like the parent process, the Internet super daemon, system logging, and the cron scheduler. Shah rounds out this section by discussing kernel building, patching, and installing, and includes a good chapter on individual system security. (While brief, it's good and useful, including plenty of links to sites with much more information).

Internet Services looks at DNS, ftp, web, SMTP, POP, and SSH services. While there's theory given, it's accompanied by practical examples of setting up the appropriate software. BIND (for DNS) and wu-ftpd (for FTP) get excellent treatment, while the sendmail section is pared down (compared to Shah's chapter in the previously reviewed Red Hat Linux 6 Unleashed) and the Apache chapter is slim. That's not a problem with sendmail, as there's plenty of information provided to use the m4 macros, but a serious Apache configuration would require additional research. The section ends with a chapter on QPopper (providing POP3 access to users) and another discussing security and cryptography as related to SSH. Versions one and two of the protocol are covered, with information on running both.

Part four details intranet services. Here's how to make your Linux server speak eloquently on a larger network. NFS server and client setup takes up one chapter, and NIS server and client setup the next. The author sagely includes suggestions for different network configurations. Samba has a similar treatment, though the configuration section concentrates mostly on the SWAT web-configuration tool. A short chapter on printing includes accessing remote printers via SMB shares, while a quick DHCP chapter packs in a lot of information. Rounding things out is a quick look at backups, concentrating on command line tools like dump and tar.

The final section, entitled "Advanced Linux Networking", covers NIC configuration and routing, as well as TCP/IP theory. It's short, but effective. Somewhat longer is the chapter on packet filtering, ipchains, and IP Masquerading. There's plenty of information to build an effective firewall, and pointers to additional resources won't leave you hanging. Shah concludes with an interesting tour of the /proc virtual file system. Two appendixes discuss, very briefly, popular Linux programming languages and popular programs for certain tasks -- mostly desktop software.

This book is likable and readable, while providing good information. While the treatment of some subjects is short, the author always provides references to more information. Administrators familiar with NT who are willing to see what the Linux fuss is all about will have no difficulty learning from this book.

title Linux Network Administrators Guide
publisher O'Reilly & Associates
Included Stuff Complete text online.
Intended Audience New and moderately experienced administrators already somewhat familiar with Linux.
Scope Network setup and configuration, some programs.
Technical Correctness Complete.
Writing style Readable, while aimed at the technically proficient.
Other Wide scope of network types discussed.

The Linux Documentation Project has produced some excellent work. This book is no exception. O'Reilly has updated the dead tree version with a new edition while providing the complete text at the link above.

Topics included cover what you'd expect, along with some features you might not have considered. Early on, the authors put forth an example network connecting a small brewery to an affiliated small pub. Subsequent chapters build on this simple Ethernet setup serving as a commented example.

This book is strong on theory, while not skimping on actual usage information. Detailed data about IP routing and address resolution, for example, contributes to understanding the tools, though the knowledge isn't a requirement to setting up BIND or gated. As you might expect, what's covered is covered comprehensively -- protocols like TCP, UDP, ICMP, and UUCP, dedicated Ethernet hardware, parallel port networking, and serial port-driven communications.

The first few chapters cover theory and configuration. There's plenty of information to get a single Linux box on an existing network, but read on! DNS server and client setup comes next. SLIP and PPP get their own chapters, of course. The firewalling chapter explains both ipfwadm (from the 2.0 series of kernels) and ipchains (2.2 series), clearly explaining the slightly different approaches to reach the same goal, in a long and excellent discussion. IP Accounting comes next, with IP Masquerading close behind. The discussions take a similar approach.

Network services take up the next few chapters. First up is the Internet daemon (inetd) and tcpwrappers. Next comes the NIS chapter, with good information about configuration and security. NFS follows suit. Rather unique to this book is a chapter on Novell's IPX protocol and the NCP filesystem, packing in some history, lots of theory, and information on managing bindery objects, printing to remote printers, and routing IPX packets. Following that is a discussion of Taylor UUCP, both as a client and a server.

E-mail and Netnews discussions end the book. Each gets a chapter describing the service from a basic standpoint, then a technical approach. Next, there are two or three chapters describing popular packages providing that service. For e-mail, these cover sendmail and exim (quite well). For news, it features C news, nntpd, and INN. As you'd expect, these chapters are quite detailed and easy enough to follow. Appendixes include copyright information, cable configurations, diagrams of the example network, and a quick blurb about SAGE (the System Adminstrators Guild).

While other books cover a wide range of topics in a scattershot fashion, the coverage here is highly focused. There's a good balance of history, theory, and applicability, making this book a very good starting point or a refresher for someone looking to fill in some gaps.

Taking space to explain the fundamentals of a topic instead of diving right into configuration files is very helpful. Knowing the theory of mail transport is more likely to help you configure any MTA than just knowing what's in sendmail.cf. Be aware that this isn't a one-stop shopping spot for every service you'll want to configure on your network. Instead, it's an overview of networking issues; narrow in scope, and detailed.

See the earlier Slashdot review by Christopher Thompson, for more on this book.

You can purchase Linux Administration: A Beginner's Guide or the Linux Network Administrator's Guide at Fatbrain.
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Linux Beginners Series' Final Installment More

Linux Beginners Series' Final Installment

Comments Filter:
  • If more people had these as community efforts they would go far.
  • or is this page suffering from a mild case of the "blackness"(tm)? And no, I'm not browsing with NS6.
  • I'm glad it's not just me, I though I was having a flashback.
  • Nope, everything is black.... Just select the text to read it, or save it to disk or something.
  • Heh, it's gone now! Can we have it back? It really appealed to my current depression.

  • Newbie Testimonial (kinda OT) (Score:3)

    by Fatal0E ( 230910 ) on Tuesday November 14, 2000 @08:02AM (#624529)
    Being a newbie to linux I'm most of the way through "Running Linux" [amazon.com] published by O'Reilly

    It's a great book, very readable, and is really good at explaining a lot of nuances in a concise and easy to understand way. It's also really good for reference. It's in it's third edition, last published in Aug 1999. I highly reccomend it to anyone ready to bust into Linux.

  • Linux beginner first rule should be (Score:2)

    by Anonymous Coward
    rm -rf /* does not mean "repair-machine, rapid and fast". Don't beleive what people tells you in chat rooms. And trust me, don't try it. Really.
  • Surprising to see that they only choose Red Hat, Caldera and SuSE. There are other distributions out there. In particular, Debian would benefit much from such a publication since it's not very easy to get into. On the other hand, it seems normal for Mandrake which doesn't need such a book since it's very easier to use than the other Linux distros!! ;-)
  • Stupid /. bug that is twice today it has been right in preview and then bad when I hit submit. Oh well. They did in fact do Debian [fatbrain.com]
  • Actually, the selections this time go on the assumption that you've taken a few weeks (or some very intense days) to absorb the information you need to accomplish some basic tasks, and they take on the challenge of going beyond the basics.

    In short, RTFM!

  • Linux admin: A beginners guide (Score:3)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 14, 2000 @08:34AM (#624535)
    I must admit, I come from the NT world, and even have my MCSE (did I hear a gasp?)but wanted to learn more about running linux, as NT was getting old. The book was extremely helpful and covered all the basics of Linux admin, I can now use and recommend linux to most of my clients, as I am now able to configure a server. If you are new to linux, I would highly recommend this book.
  • Thank you for bringing this danger to the attention of the loyal Slashdot readers. I don't think I'm alone when I say that trolls are a danger to the Slashdot way of life.

    I've been with Slashdot a long time (as the smarter readers have already figured out from my low, high status UID),and I've just seen it go downhill in quality, sinking deeper and deeper into the abyss, wallowing in the disgusting filth of the gutter. Today, for example, they talked about condoms in the Quickies section! I remember Chips'n'Di[ps halcyon days of yore, where Taco and Hemos were focused on Linux, and had no time for wanton pleasures of the flesh. Back then, they wouldn't have know what to do with a condom, let alone had the slightest opportunity to use one.

    When I think back about the wonderful things I've learned here at Slashdot, all the kernel writing tricks picked up by lurking when Alan Cox guest hosted Ask a Kernel Developer, the insidious dangers posed by Microsoft to a Open Source coders purity of essence clearly explained by Richard Stallman, and I contrast them with the vapid inflammatory fluff by the Jonny come latelies, I want to cry.

    Please, Rob, Jeff, stop posting election stuff, get back to the hardcore Slashdot of yore, where each week you posted a different section of the Linux kernel for peer code review.

    And do something about those trolls. That they are allowed to mnake their own sids, and plot mischief there without any oversight, is an egregious hole in the Slashcode. Give a core group of moderators bitchslap access, letting them immediately bitchslap such known trolls as sips without having to bother you.

    Perhaps, someday, my children will have a rich, technically dense and troll free Slashdot as I once enjoyed.

    thank you very much.
  • I'm touched, really.

    So, what does this "Post anonymously" thingy do?

  • Go With O'Reilly (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Specifically, Running Linux [oreilly.com] and Linux in a Nutshell [oreilly.com]. Running Linux is indespensible for the Linux newbie, and the Nutshell book is indespensible for both newbies and gurus alike.

    This is just my opinion, of course, but I think that most Unix people would agree that O'Reilly puts out the most informative and complete books. There are exceptions, of course, but for the most part O'Reilly has the best reputation in the computer geek world.

  • Why do dummies get all the good books? (Score:3)

    by wodelltech ( 168047 ) on Tuesday November 14, 2000 @09:03AM (#624539)
    What I'd really like to see is 'Linux for Bullies' or 'Linux for Egotistical Anarchists'. Heck, go ahead and target all degenerate, self-depricating market segments.

    We may not be dummies, but we want our books too!
  • I dont expect to get moderated up or anything, but in my personal saga of learning linux from scratch, then finding out how much I dislike redhat's distro, I bought the Osborne book, then bought the O'Reilly Debian book. Kinda cool to see that I inadvertantly steered myself on the right path...btw, the comment about the cd with the debian book is correct. Install it plain the apt-get dist-upgrade, or get a recent cd from your local LUG meeting or installfest (like I did).
  • I don't know what possibility is sadder, the possibility that there might actually be a genuine l33t j03 fan, or the possibility that this person is so lonely and empty inside that he has to make a second account to 'drum up support' for his primary account. God, I think I'll go cry silently in the corner for a few minutes. Someone should weep for this poor soul.


    Slow moving marsupials and the women that love them
  • R T F M

    But there wasn't a manual with my dist...

    "RTFM!"

    But I can't even connect to...

    "RTFM!"

    But those "Dummies" books don't help too mu...

    " R T F M !!"

  • This was better in Rot13. Thank you.
  • I'll do just that. Thank you for your time, OSS. I can only pray to God that I will have the strength to get through this period in my life. It will be difficult to wave goodbye to 22-repliers (on one of my other accounts) and the like, but I shall satisfy myself with the knowledge that any replies I do get are genuine and warm. In real life, I shall send out an Olive branch to my mother, and perhaps think about the opposite sex as well. It would be good to find love within the bounds of a stable and loving relationship. It will be good to find out what love is, rather than hate.

    God Bless you, Open Source Sloth.

  • What I'd really like to see is 'Linux for Bullies' or 'Linux for Egotistical Anarchists'. Heck, go ahead and target all degenerate, self-depricating market segments.

    See Evil Geniuses in a Nutshell [oreilly.com] by O'reilly & Ass.

    Listen, strange women lyin' in ponds distributin' swords is no basis for a system of government!

  • It's called man... Unless it's called info... Or your distribution puts a man page in that says see info and the info system has almost no info (RedHat). I never did like info.
  • Posting as an AC is the only way to avoid the tag of being a Kara-whore or a troll (unless you are an obvious asshole type troll). Personally, I find conversations with trolls to be very enlightening and entertaining. Other people take things way too seriously most of the time. I try to ride the border in between troll and non-troll, karma whore and karma-sink. Thus far, it has been far more enjoyable than my previous attempts to be either a serious poster, or a troll. To each his own I guess.


    Slow moving marsupials and the women that love them
  • This is one of the stupidest and uselesst Post i ever read.

    --

  • Or use lynx...

    --
  • The correct remarks for that situation would be *gasp* followed closely by *cry*

    --
  • ...killed oreilly.com ;-)

    It seems to be down, uhm, for maintenance purposes...
  • <PLUG>
    as an expierienced Linux user, I'll second this.

    I highly recommend it to anyone who uses Linux. It was one of the books I used to successfully get slackware installed on my old ThinkPad 755C.

    It is a must have for any linux user who wants to get the most out of Linux.
    </PLUG>

    Steven Rostedt

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