Administering Apache

Rating:
Summary: aka Teach Yourself Apache In 5 Minutes
Review: I got this book to learn on web-servers and Apache was chosen because it's free. After 5 minutes of reading the book and I got Apache 1.3.12 up-n-running and had my first web-site on display. I don't know how this book is on the advanced topics, but it's excellent for all that want to setup a web-server.

Rating:
Summary: Very poorly organized
Review: The first two pages of this book (Chapter 1, since no intro or preface) consists of two large dense diagrams that aren't really explained. You think: maybe they are joking starting with these. Unfortunately, as you flip from page-to-page, you realize that this book is written by the sort of technical people that have no idea how to express ideas so others can understand them.

It's like sitting in a room where a technical person is mumbling about his favourite topic. You're pretty sure that he knows what he is talking about -- but when it is expressed so poorly and organized so randomly, who can tell?

I persevered and read through the long unstructured security chapter. It covers all kinds of apparently useful information. As usual, the presentation makes it hard to tell where they are going or how important any individual topic might be. I suppose that if you just wanted to sit there and type in a bunch of commands (half understanding what you are doing), then you could follow a book like this.

Rating:
Summary: Good for reading if you are planning your first web server.
Review: This book has more to do with setting up a first web server for your unique needs with Apache Web Server rather than an in-depth technical book about Apache. Provides many good strategies and pointers for corporations and small business setting up their first web servers, large and small ISPs. Good explanation on configuring firewalls and creating homepage web sites.

A full chapter on Using Apache on Windows NT and how to program the Apache Server. Some inaccurate information about the relationship between OpenSSL and SSLeay libraries.

All in all, this book is good for beginners wanting to set up web servers using Apache web server as it provides various configurations and strategies but not much for the seasoned Apache web administrator or developers as it lacks new technical information about Apache that other Apache books have not already addressed although this is one of the latest books on Apache.