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Welcome to my book pageSo far I have reviewed 5 books. These books are:
On this page you will find reviews on some books I've read and have an opinion on. Mostly you will find books that I really recommend. There are probably lots of books I should have mentioned here, but I don't really have ambitions in covering everything. I might just add books I want to mention specifically sooner or later, but don't hold your breath. :) I have updated some of the old reviews with some comments about later revisions, but I will probably not read all the newer versions any further. After a while of reading and working through lots of books, I mainly find myself finding information online and in the manual pages and such. My own need for books on these subjects are quite low these days. If you're looking for a book about something I didn't mention here, there's a good chance that you'll find it at O' reilly or of course at Amazon. If you want to read other book reviews, you will find a lot of good reviews at Amazon, make sure you check how the ratings are spread. Sometimes a book that some hate and others love, might be much better than a book most reviewers give 3 or 4 stars. I also used to recommend Dr.Dobb's Electronic Review of Computer Books, but I am not sure how many good book reviews you find there anymore. You might find the Ultimate Shopping Tools at cheapstingybargains.com to be a good starting point for finding reviews and such.
Linux/Unix
One of the best books on Linux, the UNIX-compatible operating system for personal computers. In the tradition of all O'Reilly books, "Running Linux" features clear, step-by-step instructions that always seem to provide just the right amount of information: It covers everything you need in order to understand, install and use the Linux operating system, including X Windows, TCP/IP, Perl, Tcl/TK, the gcc C and C++ compilers, and most Internet services such as email, SLIP, and WWW. It also has a good guide to the vi and emacs editors. This book is meant for the intermediate to advanced users, so if you've never touched Unix or Linux, you might need another book to get started. But in my opinion that's not really necessary if you're familiar with computers in general and have some experience with MS-DOS or similar. This book has come in its fourth edition by now. I haven't seen it, but I assume it is an even better book today.
"Linux in a Nutshell" is a very handy reference work that covers the core commands available on common Linux distributions. This complete reference contains all user, programming, administration and networking commands with options, and also documents a wide range of GNU tools. It covers programming tool, system and network administration, editors and shells. Linux in a Nutshell covers the core commands available on common Linux distributions. This isn't a scaled-down quick reference of common commands, but a complete reference work containing all user, programming, administration, and networking commands. Many Unix users who have GNU versions of standard Unix tools will also enjoy this book because it documents a wide range of GNU tools. This book includes all the essential commands you need to run your system and all the commands that historically have been included in Unix systems. Specialized packages included in many popular distributions of Linux are not covered. In my opinion "Linux in a Nutshell" is a must for every Linux user, and Unix in a Nutshell is a must for other Unix users ... This book is now in it's 6th edition, and it is not a small book anymore. If you need a small reference, buy the "Linux Pocket Guide". The Nutshell book is still a must in my opinion.
System administration and networking
This book should be on every Unix system administrator's desk. It describes how to set up and administer a network of Unix systems using the TCP/IP protocols, taking a thoroughly practical approach. Topics covered include basic system configuration, routing, common network applications, and many others. BIND, NIS, Sendmail and much more is covered in a nice way, with examples. If you're setting up or troubleshooting e.g. DNS, you might find what you're looking for in the BIND chapter in this book, much faster than if you open the DNS and BIND book. This book is now in it's 3rd edition, but I haven't seen it, so I don't know anything about this revision, but I assume it's good. The revision is still old, though.
Rewritten from the ground up, this second edition covers all facets of UNIX system administration: the general concepts, underlying structure, and guiding assumptions that define the UNIX environment, as well as the commands, procedures, strategies, and policies essential to success as a system administrator. The book talks about all the usual administrative tools that UNIX provides - and also shows how to use those tools in smarter and more efficient ways. Author Æleen Frisch expands coverage of networking, electronic mail, security, and kernel configuration - topics of increasing importance to administrators. She tackles head-on the problems administrators must solve in multi-vendor computing environments. The latest versions of all major UNIX platforms, including SunOS 4.1.4, Solaris 2.4, AIX 4, Digital UNIX 3, SCO UNIX 3, HP-UX 9 and 10, IRIX 6, and Linux 1.3, have been thoroughly reviewed and tested. You will find this book indispensable whatever your UNIX environment: whether you are responsible for a large, shared computer system or a network of workstations, or if you use a stand-alone UNIX system and have found that the fine line between a user and an administrator has vanished. And even if you aren't directly or solely responsible for system administration, you'll find that understanding important administrative functions will greatly increase your ability to use UNIX effectively. The book is not for full-time system administrators alone. Linux users and others who administer their own systems will benefit from its practical, hands-on approach. Topics covered include: Starting up and shutting down your system, adding new users, managing processes, system security, organizing and planning file systems, planning and performing backups, setting up pointers, TCP/IP networking, setting up email, adding terminals and disk drives, setting up and using the accounting system. The latest revision of this book is the 3rd edition, released 2002. I don't know much about it, but it is getting a little old.
This is one of the classics, covering much of the same ground as Æleen Frisch's Essential System Administration. I myself did not read this book until later, so I don't personally know it as well, but today this book from Prentice Hall seems to be more updated (2006/2007) than the O'Reilly classic. I am also pretty sure that this Linux Administration Handbook is built upon the classic UNIX Administrator's Handbook from Prentice Hall. The book looks good, and other people I know well recommends this book. It might be a little tougher to get started with if you're in need of a "for dummies" book, though. :-) Also available at Amazon, is the Kindle version of this book.
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In my opinion this is the best allround Linux book, and it's a must for those
who are new to Linux/Unix.
Linux in a Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference is a 612-page command and
program reference guide for Linux. This book is much the same as UNIX in
a Nutshell -- A Desktop Quick Reference for System V & Solaris 2.0 (Daniel
Gilly), but Linux in a Nutshell also covers the GNU programs/utilities
that come with Linux, like bash -- Bourne Again Shell.
This i a complete guide to setting up and running a TCP/IP network for
practising system administrators. Beyond basic setup, this second edition
discusses the Internet routing protocols and provides a tutorial on how to
configure important network services. It also includes Linux in addition to
BSD and System V TCP/IP implementations.
