Linux Cookbook

Linux in a Windows World

Linux Server Security

Linux iptables Pocket Reference

Linux Server Hacks

Web Servers

Linux Network Administrator's Guide

Format: Paperback
Author: Terry Dawson
ReleaseDate: 08 February, 2005
Publisher: O'Reilly Media
Rating:

Printed Professional Quality Book
It's a niche book intended for people aministering a Linux network. This book fits into the space between the general everything there is to know about Linux books (which give limited space to each subject) and highly specialized books that cover only one application such as Apache or sendmail. It contains what you need to know to set up a network and keep it up.

This is the third printed edition of this book. This has given time for the original work to be expanded and rewritten to satisfy the needs of readers who down through the years have sent in questions on various subjects.

This book is based on the on-line Linux documentation but bound into a convenient book, cleaned up professional illustrations, better indexing. While it costs a bit, it is probably no more than the cost of the ink cartridge it would take to print it out.

good discussion of DNS and sendmail
The authors provide a nice lucid explanation of DNS, as a globally distributed database that underpins the Internet. A good education in how to use the Internet, in the context of a linux network. An entire chapter is allocated to this most crucial of ideas. The sort of thing you should have down pat.

Other network aspects are covered elsewhere in the book. Notably sendmail. The most important configuration ideas and settings are shown.

Though, for an edition printed in February 2005, the book only seems to refer to version 8. 12 of sendmail. Whereas 8. 13 has already been out for several months, and contains much enhanced Milter capabilities for fighting spam. But perhaps the discussion about 8. 12 is simply due to the realities of how long it takes for a book to be published and printed.

A very topical chapter is offered last in the book. On wireless networks. It's a decent synopsis of a hugely popular occurrence. But given the rapid hardware upgrades in this field, and the still evolving wireless standards, you may want to seek out a more extensive text.

To the point...
It's not a big book, and probably that's one of its main virtues: each chapter is very focused and manageable and, in a few hours (or minutes, depending on whom), matters can be applied with confidence. I received the book this week, and truly I'm delighted with it. I liked especially those chapters concerning wireless networking and LDAP.
As it's based on the LDP (Linux Documentation Project), the subjects are accessible there (http://www. tldp. org). I'm one of those who still prefer an O'Reilly book :).