Rating: 
Summary: Pricey, but best single-source, multi-platform UNIX book
Review: I am a senior engineer for network security operations. I read "UNIX System Administration Handbook, Third Edition" (USAH:3E) to improve my knowledge of UNIX systems from a security analyst perspective. I am not a professional system administrator and I am not qualified to refute USAH:3E's advice. Nevertheless, because I deal with FreeBSD, Linux, and Solaris on a daily basis, I found USAH:3E to be insightful and invaluable.
USAH:3E stands out for three reasons. First, it covers the three most popular UNIX operating systems I know: FreeBSD, Linux, and Solaris. (The authors also support HP-UX, but I have no direct experience with that OS.) By comparing the features and configuration of multiple operating systems, USAH:3E is frequently far more educational than a single-OS book. USAH:3E is the one OS book I would include in my incident response kit, along with "Incident Response" by Mandia/Prosise/Pepe.
Second, USAH:3E is written to inform and entertain, and does both very well. While most OS books are content to explain the "what," and few include the "how," USAH:3E also delivers the "why." USAH:3E peers deep into the workings of the OS, but keeps the discussion clear and concise. For example, pp. 48-51 provide an excellent discussion of signals. Table 4.1 lists 13 'UNIX signals that every administrator should know,' showing whether processes can catch or block each. This chart and the text finally illuminated the difference between 'kill PID' and 'kill -9 PID' at the level of the OS. Furthermore, the writing style is direct, with numerous humorous references and personal opinions. The third unique aspect of USAH:3E is the author's uncanny ability to include relevant hints and trivia. For example, as an intrusion detector, I sometimes see Windows machines appear with self-assigned 169.254.0.0/16 addresses. I also see Windows machines attempt to dynamically "update" DNS entries on uncooperative BIND servers. USAH:3E explains both events, and also how Windows 2000 increased the query load on the root name servers within a week of its release. (Remember, this is a UNIX book!)
As a security professional, I need to be familiar with the common systems and applications I encounter. USAH:3E fulfilled this need admirably. Professional system administrators may prefer to buy single-OS or single-application books. (Disclaimer: I received a free copy from the publisher.)
Rating: 
Summary: Encyclopedic book ...
Review: I first bought this book in 1995, 2nd edition, and it enabled me to succeed at my new job writing software to generate CGI scripts to administer embedded unix boxes. I just had to spend 2 hrs a night for 3 months to read and learn whats in this book. This is no overnight read, but once you've learned what's inside, you are a GOD of system adminstration. There is no equivalent O'Reilly series book - by comparison, all the O'Reilly books are watered down 3x and subsets of this book. The chapter that introduces the Internet is the best I've ever seen, over my 20 years career writing IP software. The information on how to manage disk drives is excellent. I bought the 3rd edition and gave my 2nd edition to the most promising syst admin at my previous employer. This book was recommended to me by the past president of Berkeley Software Design, Inc. as the best one available. This person is also past president and current executive chairman of SAGE - the systems administrator's guild. If there is a tragic flaw in this book, it's probably that its weak on reference on where to go for even more information. Otherwise, this is _the_ _encyclopedia_ of systems administration.
Rating:
Summary: This Will Be Your System Administration BIBLE!
Review: Buying this book new is a bit pricey. I bought a used copy and it was worth every penny. If you can't find it used, then spend the full price to buy it new. I can't imagine administering my FreeBSD server without this book. I had tried a couple other books that weren't nearly has useful as this one.
Rating:
Summary: Recommended with a couple of minor complaints
Review: This is the latest iteration of an absolutely essential guide to the art and science of Unix system administration. The authors earn my respect for calling things as they see them; while sometimes this is good for a chuckle (some of their swipes at Sun for nonstandard and stupid things in Solaris), it's even more useful when they're citing best practices. For those familar with Mark Minasi's books on Windows NT/2000, the tone is pretty similar. Though it won't be the largest computer book on your shelf, the information content (or "signal to noise ratio") is very, very high. What's not to like? The price, for one thing: at $68 (list), this is an extremely expensive paperback. The book also makes reference to a number of things on the companion web site (www.admin.com) - but the site itself hasn't been updated since the second edition, so the supplemental materials (which used to be on an included CD-ROM) simply aren't available right now (27-Nov-2000). Hopefully the authors will correct this problem in the not-too-distant future.
Rating:
Summary: Long overdue - BUY IT NOW!
Review: If you have the slightest interest in Unix system administration, you NEED this book... it will either equip you for the job or make you consider a new line of work. The changes in the IT industry over the last five years are reflected in the third edition of this book, as it now focuses only on Solaris, HP-UX, FreeBSD, and RedHat Linux. While this is a good cross-section of all *nixes, users of SunOS, OSF/1, or IRIX looking for platform-specific examples should probably stick with the second edition (and it comes with a CD). Other significant changes to the book include expanded coverage of networking (for example, TCP/IP and Routing are now two separate chapters) and a new chapter on "hosting the satanic banquet" of a mixed Windows/Unix environment (which I find invaluable). Also, topics of diminishing importance (such as Usenet) no longer have their own chapters, but are still covered in appropriate detail. I can not praise this book highly enough, and Linus Torvalds agrees with me. What more convincing do you need? ;-)
Rating:
Summary: Great, but also get Essential System Administration
Review: As an occasional Unix system administrator, I find that this is the book that I turn to the most. It is also quite readable and can be read front-to-back. However, Unix administration is a large enough topic that you should also get Essential System Administration by Aeleen Frisch (O'Reilly). There are some areas that this book covers more thoroughly, and some where Essential System Administration has the advantage. So get both.
Rating:
Summary: Very Complete
Review: I liked this book very much. I found the material to be complete and thorough. The only drawback is that coverage of specific platforms (4.4 BSD, Linux 2.x, etc...) quickly makes some of the material dated. Not a big problem because the vast majority of the book covers generic Unix that is cross-platform compatible. I think sticking to only *nix concepts would have made this a 5 star book. A new book is a little too pricey though so I purchased mine used.
Rating:
Summary: Complete
Review: I have come across different UNIX/Linux books as well as e-books but this one beats them all.
It explains different aspects and concepts in a clear, detailed
manner which makes it reasonable for a beginner to understand as well as for an experienced Administrator or Engineer to use
it as a valuable reference. The comparison and contrasting of Red Hat Linux, Solaris, HP-UX and FreeBSD is unique and a must for people working in hybrid UNIX/Linux/xBSD environments.
Rating: 
Summary: Very little details, tell you what to do, don't ask why
Review: This book has very high rating. So I buy it. I hate to say the rating system of Amazon is not working very well. Since people from different background (from beginner to Super User to Expert developer) can rate it differently. Also, Amazon is very hard to implement a dependable rating system. This book has very little details. I read the file system chapter, it only tells you little bit how to change access mode. I would like to know why I need a 'x' to ls -l a file, I can't find it. If you are the person only cares how to do it, it may be fine. If you want to know why and the reasons, this book will give you little help. My believe is to know why, you can do much more than just know how. One knows why, he can solve problems he never sees before, one only knows how, he can solve the problems only he sees them before, that is very limit. Oreilly provides more details and it is cheaper. Even though Oreilly is missing some details too, at least the oreilly gives you more information to dig deeper later (from other books). For the price of this book, I am disappointed the deep of the details of this book.
Rating:
Summary: 5 stars for use
Review: I must confess, I read this book as a novel. My wife thinks I am nuts. Exctied over a SysaAdmin book? This one was not only good USEFUL technical information, but it was easy to read.
What makes this book so useful is that it is filled with information that I can use. It explained some differences with Linux/Solaris/FreeBSD that I needed to see side by side since I support all these. I found the info on kernel tuning, interface tuning and such to be most helpful. I have been supporting various flavors of UNIX for 6 years and this book is the best. I consider this the UNIX Bible.
Especially helpful was the recommendation of a well stocked Company Wine Cellar to cure "System Administrator's Syndrome". I am having difficulty getting this funded however.
In all seriousness, this book belongs on every UNIX admins desk. If you are looking for something to help you setup KDE on Red Hat, this book is not for you. It is for people who admin *ix servers.
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