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Essential System Administration: Tools and Techniques for Linux and Unix Administration
Essential System Administration ,3rd Edition is the definitive guide for Unix system administration, covering all the fundamental and essential tasks required to run such divergent Unix systems as AIX, FreeBSD, HP-UX, Linux, Solaris, Tru64 and more. Essential System Administration provides a clear, concise, practical guide to the real-world issues that anyone responsible for a Unix system faces daily. The new edition of this indispensable reference has been fully updated for all the latest operating systems. Even more importantly, it has been extensively revised and expanded to consider the current system administrative topics that administrators need most. Essential System Administration ,3rd Edition DHCP, USB devices, the latest automation tools, SNMP and network management, LDAP, PAM, and recent security tools and techniques. Essential System Administration is comprehensive. But what has made this book the guide system administrators turn to over and over again is not just the sheer volume of valuable information it provides, but the clear, useful way the information is presented. It discusses the underlying higher-level concepts, but it also provides the details of the procedures needed to carry them out. It is not organized around the features of the Unix operating system, but around the various facets of a system administrator's job. It describes all the usual administrative tools that Unix provides, but it also shows how to use them intelligently and efficiently. Whether you use a standalone Unix system, routinely provide administrative support for a larger shared system, or just want an understanding of basic administrative functions, Essential System Administration is for you. This comprehensive and invaluable book combines the author's years of practical experience with technical expertise to help you manage Unix systems as productively and painlessly as possible.
1176 pages, Paperback
First published October 8, 1991
28 people are currently reading
423 people want to read
About the author
Æleen Frisch
14books3followersÆleen Frisch has been a system administrator for over 20 years, tending a plethora of VMS, Unix, and Windows systems over the years. Her current system administration responsibilities center on looking after a very heterogeneous network of Unix and Windows NT/2000/XP systems. She is also a writer, lecturer, teacher, marketing consultant and occasional database programmer. She has written eight books, including Essential System Administration (now in its third edition), Essential Windows NT System Administration and the Windows 2000 Desktop Reference (all from O'Reilly Media, Inc.) and Exploring Chemistry with Electronic Structure Methods (Gaussian, Inc.). Currently, she writes the "Guru Guidance" column for Linux Magazine. She also writes poetry and is currently working on her first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 26, 2011
An excellent, if somewhat dated, book on system administration.
One of my professors recommended it back in my first year at university, and what I've learned from it has served me extremely well.
I decided to write this after seeing a review for it at Amazon.com, which criticized the network configuration portion of the text.
To this I must say two things- first of all, this text is supposed to just cover the essentials, if you wish to basically turn your box into a firewall or router- there are many texts and articles about it on-line.In addition to this most UNIX systems have excellent man pages and other help information, and on-line materials.
Oh, and it is much better to use a dedicated device for those purposes than some home-brew toy.
Well, if your projects is really critical that is.
And second - administration, be it system, application, or network, is a pretty overwhelming field.
Technologies change, new tools are added, and there is a difference between products by different vendors.
All that can't be covered in a single book!
However Frisch has made an excellent introductory text in the area, it will not turn you into an ace unix administrator over night, but it will show you the most important things about the various systems and the job, nay- art, in general.
The worst thing about the 3rd edition is that there isn't a 4th.
One of my professors recommended it back in my first year at university, and what I've learned from it has served me extremely well.
I decided to write this after seeing a review for it at Amazon.com, which criticized the network configuration portion of the text.
To this I must say two things- first of all, this text is supposed to just cover the essentials, if you wish to basically turn your box into a firewall or router- there are many texts and articles about it on-line.In addition to this most UNIX systems have excellent man pages and other help information, and on-line materials.
Oh, and it is much better to use a dedicated device for those purposes than some home-brew toy.
Well, if your projects is really critical that is.
And second - administration, be it system, application, or network, is a pretty overwhelming field.
Technologies change, new tools are added, and there is a difference between products by different vendors.
All that can't be covered in a single book!
However Frisch has made an excellent introductory text in the area, it will not turn you into an ace unix administrator over night, but it will show you the most important things about the various systems and the job, nay- art, in general.
The worst thing about the 3rd edition is that there isn't a 4th.
June 23, 2020
First real book I ever read cover to cover on Unix System Administration. I had used Unix prior primarily for Internet use (as it was the way back then) but getting into a career of actually maintaining those proved challenging until I found a resource that explained to me the importance of sustaining businesses and operations dependent upon the platform for functioning. It helped me to focus as it taught not just UNIX sysadmin techniques but general skills related to the discipline.
December 18, 2020
Even if today (December 2020) some parts of the book are a little outdated, it covers the broad set of tasks of system administrators and really helps building the toolkit necessary for each administrative tasks on Unix / Linux systems.
May 10, 2023
This was the Go-To book (not GOTO) for my career transition into system administration. I poured over it, struggled through it, took it on vacations, and finally learned enough to get a job as a Unix SysAdmin. Thank you, Æleen!
January 6, 2021
Outstanding reference from the days before Internet at our fingertips made sys admin a bit easier.
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May 24, 2023I must have gotten something out of it, as I ended up working in system administration.
October 4, 2023
In a hurry? Start here
This book has been recommended for beginners. That is true. You don't have to wade through a bunch of theories to get to the meat of administration.
The same is true for experienced administrators. This book will point you in the direction to go when you are using the real manuals.
Take some time and slow down to try some of the examples. Then when you need them you will have already mastered that section.
I have several other books now and know a lot of what is in this one. However, I would feel naked if this was not reachable.
A complementary book would be Practical Unix and Internet Security.
This book has been recommended for beginners. That is true. You don't have to wade through a bunch of theories to get to the meat of administration.
The same is true for experienced administrators. This book will point you in the direction to go when you are using the real manuals.
Take some time and slow down to try some of the examples. Then when you need them you will have already mastered that section.
I have several other books now and know a lot of what is in this one. However, I would feel naked if this was not reachable.
A complementary book would be Practical Unix and Internet Security.
November 13, 2008
Wow this was so far over my head that I'm totally going to have revisit it once I have a little more knowledge under my belt. It was extremely well-written, however, and focused rather on decision making and prioritization of tasks as a system administrator, rather than concentrating on UNIX.
Will definitely come back to it next year.
Will definitely come back to it next year.
October 23, 2007
Great book
August 3, 2009
just started
September 22, 2011
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O'REILLY � 동물시리즈를 소장하여, 동물원을 넓히� 것이 리눅� 엔지니어� 즐거움� 아닐�.. :p
O'REILLY � 동물시리즈를 소장하여, 동물원을 넓히� 것이 리눅� 엔지니어� 즐거움� 아닐�.. :p
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July 12, 2013Its exceelent guide
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