<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: A "must-have"!!
Review: Anyone who has to deal with the administration of UNIX systems must have this book. The authors, who are obviously seasoned administrators who have been around the block at least a couple of times, manage to cover almost every subject important to the life of a UNIX system administrator, without skimping on the details. This book applies to any UNIX or UNIX-like system in general, but specific examples are provided for six of the most popular "flavors" of UNIX. The book also includes plenty of real-life examples help to illustrate the points they make. This book is perfect for those of you who are into "free" UNIXes, such as Linux, FreeBSD, and the new "free" releases of Solaris and SCO. So, do not pass GO, do not collect $200, but click on that little order button now and order yourself a copy right away! Hell, buy two copies -- you'll be thumbing through this one so often, that your first copy won't even last a couple months before falling apart!
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: A must for any Unix admin or curious user
Review: This is the best Unix book I have ever read. As soon as I opened the cover, I could not put it down. This book is very in depth. I have read several Unix/Linux books and none come close to this one. If you are an admin or becomming one, or if you want to go beyond being a simple user and know WHY and HOW things work in the *nix environment, then I highly recommend this book. It is expensive, but well worth the price.
<< 1 >>
| 
