Build Your Own Server

Rating:
Summary: A mediocre book which panders to Microsoft
Review: As a PC Assembly book, this is modestly useful, but there are a lot of PC assembly books out there. (Incidentally, I have not found a current title as concise and well written as "PC Hardware Configuration Guide : For DOS and Solaris" by Ledesma, which is ten years old and therefore of historical interest only.) It's expensive and there is very little difference between building a commodity Wintel PC for server, workstation, home PC or Gaming use other than which specific components to choose.)

Where it falls apart is its complete dependence on, and unsupportable and flatly wrong statements urging the user to use, Microsoft Server software. Usually, a legal copy of Windows Server and associated software client licenses and applications will exceed the cost of the hardware in a low end server installation, and it will usually use those resources far less efficiently and securely than will a Unix-based operating system. I suspect this is simply because he is lazy or because he wishes to curry favor with Microsoft-aligned organizations, although he well may believe that the average reader is just too dumb to learn Unix.

In this era, no one without basic Unix skills can consider themselves legitimately fit for any type of IT professional status. While I do not believe that Unix operating systems are always the best choice for server service-AS/400, VMS, and several others in addition to Microsoft Windows have legitimate places in many business environments-if one is seeking to minimize total costs and use low-cost commodity hardware efficiently with "Sweat equity" over expensive consultants or spending a large amount of time learning arcane skills-Unix-based Open Source operating systems and applications (such as Apache) are the legitimate default, not Windows Server. The only advantage of Windows Server over Unix-based NOSes,in fact, is in its ability to provide certain services to Windows clients: it is never easier to _correctly_ and _securely_ deploy. And it almost always requires substantially greater hardware resources.

In short, there are better PC hardware books and, if you really do need Microsoft NOS, better Microsoft books. And there's probably a better than even chance, if you are inclined to read this book, that in fact you don't need Microsoft.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Tech Tool
Review: All I can say as this is a must have for all tech libraries.

Rating:
Summary: Best Technical Guide Ever!
Review: I think if you are in the tech industry than this is a must read. This is a great technical guide. This is a wonderful how to and this is an excellant tool.

Rating:
Summary: COMPLETE guide to building a computer
Review: The author is very detailed in explaining hardware, software and configuration issues. An absolute MUST-HAVE even if you have built computers before, because of the thousand new issues that are explained in the book and you never thought of! Very detailed, and a truly simple and basic explanation of all one needs to know. Highly recommend this book to anyone building, or even thinking of putting a computer together. The hardware buying options in the book are sure to save money.

Rating:
Summary: I read someone elses copy then bought my own.
Review: The book has some good practical hardware information.

But software? I wonder how much Microsoft is paying him for the "Pro Microsoft" BIAS? I hope quite a bit because it really degrades what he could have done. Microsoft and "Low Cost" do not belong in the same sentence, but that sentence is on the cover of the book! He does give cursory service to Linux. But for the $700-1,000 you pay for MS Server 2000/2003 with 5 user licenses, you could "rent a geek" for three or four days, install Linux for an unlimited number of users, and have a leaner meaner better running machine in the end! Or you could figure it out yourself using the ample resources on the Internet or the library for free!

Bottom line: Money talks and MS walks! At least for a low cost server.

Rating:
Summary: Decent "how to" with a heavy Microsoft bias
Review: The book has some good practical hardware information.

But software? I wonder how much Microsoft is paying him for the "Pro Microsoft" BIAS? I hope quite a bit because it really degrades what he could have done. Microsoft and "Low Cost" do not belong in the same sentence, but that sentence is on the cover of the book! He does give cursory service to Linux. But for the $700-1,000 you pay for MS Server 2000/2003 with 5 user licenses, you could "rent a geek" for three or four days, install Linux for an unlimited number of users, and have a leaner meaner better running machine in the end! Or you could figure it out yourself using the ample resources on the Internet or the library for free!

Bottom line: Money talks and MS walks! At least for a low cost server.

Rating:
Summary: A big warm blanket!
Review: This book covers the process of building a configuring a server like a nice big blanket. It's amazing what he's jammed into 350 pages! I'd like to see more of these types of books with real-life small business successes! Highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Build-Your-Own Computer book
Review: This book is great. James Coates in Chicago Tribune refers to the book in his answer to a reader's question about building own servers -

"If you want to explore the issues involved with building a server versus buying a preconfigured machine, check out Tony Caputo's "Build Your Own Server" from Osborne/McGrawHill...You'll quickly see that the questions raised by building servers have far more to do with security and efficient use of complex networking software than with the relative power of various hardware options.

Caputo explains that making sure an administrator can access the servers remotely for 24/7 response is a bigger issue than hardware performance. Read up on these and other issues and you'll be well-equipped to reach a decision."

Rating:
Summary: It's up and running!
Review: This book really worked for me. To give you some background, I'm a former web developer (now in business school) who needed a server for both a start-up business of mine and some home stuff that a laptop wouldn't be suitable for. I had never built a box before, but Tony laid out the steps and crucial tips very well. This isn't a "Building a Server for Dummies" exactly, as Tony assumes that you have at least an average to above-average level of computer proficiency (which is a good assumption, otherwise you probably would have no reason to want to build a server).

I will agree with another reviewer who claims the book is very Microsoft-centric, and doesn't address the huge costs of Win 2003 server licenses. However, in my opinion, the first few chapters about hardware alone are worth the price of the book, and the topics addressed in the software chapters can easily apply to a Linux installation as well.

Rating:
Summary: I read someone elses copy then bought my own.
Review: Yes, it has a heavy bias towards Microsoft, but so what. I just followed all the hardware suggestions and then installed two real operating systems ( OpenBSD x 2 ). This book brought up issues that I had never thought of ( Why would you want to dual boot a server?) Its easy to follow. If you build computers, buy this book. Like I said in my title, I read someone elses copy and then bought my own.