Authors: Steve Shaw and Wale Soyinka

Format: Paperback, 620 pages

Published: McGraw-Hill/Osborne

ISBN: 0072262591



Review by James Pyles

March 20, 2006



One of the things I look for in a “beginner's guide” is a well rounded content selection. When I'm trying to learn how to administer Linux, nothing is more frustrating than to pick up a book that's advertised as “a complete guide”, only to discover that either there are holes in the information base or that each subject is treated far too lightly to really learn anything. At first blush, Shah and Soyinka's Linux Administration: A Beginner's Guide 4th Edition is neither of these.



Like most techs, I am a very linear thinker. I like my content to be well organized and easy to find. This is true whether I'm writing the content or reading it. Happily, Linux Administration is broken down into five broad categories or parts: “Installing Linux as a Server”, “Single-Host Administration”, “Security and Networking”, “Internet Services”, and “Intranet Services”. Chapters are organized under each category so no matter what I was looking for, I found it right at my fingertips.



While the book says it's a “beginners guide”, it is not for the absolute newbie. The authors assume that the reader has some network and server administration experience in the Windows world. In fact, the first chapter is called “Technical Summary of Linux Distributions and Windows 2003” which examines the differences between Linux and Windows .NET Server. Two major points need to be made about the book at this point. First, it is designed to be read by Windows admins and almost continually compares Linux and Windows server systems throughout the book. Second, the book has a strong Red Hat/Fedora Core bias. If you are looking for a “pure” Linux book with no mention of Windows, you won't find it here. Also, if you plan on practicing what the book preaches, you'll find it easier to do so on Red Hat or Fedora (I lean towards Debian myself, but I guess you can't have everything). With that said, let's take a look at the book one section at a time.



Installing Linux as a Server



Like many other books on Linux, the beginning of Chapter 1, “Technical Summary of Linux Distributions and Windows 2003” does take us down the familiar trail of GNU, GPL, free software, the concept of the kernel, and a brief mention of the origins of Linux (far too many books that are supposed to teach the functionality of Linux take a great deal of time explaining who Linus Torvalds is, the development and evolution of the Linux kernel, licensing and the politics of Linux...fortunately, Shaw and Soyinka spend only four or five pages in this territory). The rest of the chapter focuses on a general comparison between Linux and Windows architectures.



Chapter 2, “Installing Linux in a Server Configuration”, walks the reader through a custom installation of Fedora Core 4, taking time out where necessary, to describe Linux terms and concepts as they differ from Windows. The custom installation allows the reader to see how to make choices between a larger number of variables than using one of the default selections (server, workstation, etc...) but the FC4 installer is pretty painless to use anyway so it's not much of a stretch.



Chapter 3, “Installing Software”, lets the reader get his or her hands dirty on the command line for the first time and introduces rpm, yum (remember, this is Fedora), mount, make, and other commands. This is the first chapter in the book (and the last in the first section) that doesn't have an entirely “introductory” feel. This is the shortest section of the book and gently lets a Windows admin get their feet wet in using Linux.



Single-Host Administration



This section launches the reader into beginning Linux administration, introducing the creation of users, groups and the like in Chapter 4, “Managing Users”. For the most part, we leave Red Hat/Fedora specifics behind and concentrate on features found on most Linux distros. Chapter 5, “The Command Line” takes the reader on a whirlwind tour of the bash shell and a large number of the most commonly used commands and their arguments. The skills introduced in Chapter 5 are built upon in the subsequent chapters of this section as the reader progresses through boot loaders, the MBR, installing GRUB, enabling and disabling services (Chapter 6), and exploring the file system by using mount, fsck, creating partitions with fdisk, and creating file systems (Chapter 7). The reader moves from the file system to services such as init, xinetd, and inetd, in Chapter 8, “Core System Services”. Chapter 9 takes an interesting turn in showing the reader the skills to compile a kernel from source. The section is topped off with Chapter 10, “Knobs and Dials: The proc File System”.



Part 2 of the book covers a lot of territory, especially for readers assumed to be power users and admins in Windows but inexperienced in the Land of Linux. This section organizes chapters so that each subsequent chapter neatly builds upon the the last so that not only is the Windows user able to leverage their current skill sets to learn Linux (due to periodic comparisons between the two systems) but they

are able to learn new collections of skills as they work through the chapters in this section. These chapters were collected under Single-Host Administration because for the most part, they can be used on a stand alone system. Next, the authors proceed to the next part of the book where the system will be networked.



Security and Networking



This section begins by backing off the command line and going into narrative mode, describing TCP/IP and the OSI Reference Model in Chapter 11, “TCP/IP for System Administrators”. The tcpdump and arp commands are introduced along with a general networking guide which includes IP addressing, netmasks and routing protocols. This chapter could easily stand alone as a basic networking tutorial flavored for Linux. Chapter 12, “Network Configuration” digs into the subject deeper by showcasing the use of ifconfig, configuring network interfaces, and even setting up a simple Linux router. Chapter 13 continues on this theme with “Configuring the Linux Firewall”. Again, each chapter seems to build on its predecessor and in this case, Chapter 13 provides a “NAT Primer” as well as narrative explanations of iptables and ipchains, then moving on to installing and configuring Netfilter. Going from the specific to the general in terms of security, Chapter 14, “Local Security” focuses on keeping the system safe from internal threats, introducing SetUID programs, using chroot, SELinux, logging, ps and netstat, among other tools. This section is completed by Chapter 15, “Network Security” where external threats and defenses against them are explored. The structure and purpose of this section mirrors the prior ones where information and concepts build upon one another as the reader progresses through each chapter.



Internet Services



If the previous section introduced concepts that allow basic networking and security of a Linux system, this section focuses on the services you can offer from a Linux system connected to the Internet. As with the beginning of the prior section, Internet Services begins with a general tutorial in Chapter 16, “DNS”. While chapters in the book in general build on one another, the chapters in this and the following section also serve as stand-alone HOW TO units and teaching guides on the subjects they present. If you wanted to know about DNS, name resolution, installing a DNS server, BIND, address records and more, Chapter 16 is perfectly crafted for the job. After the narrative introduction of concepts, the reader is returned to the command line to install and configure the service being presented. The subsequent chapters on FTP, the Apache Web Server, SMTP, POP and IMAP, and SSH are all cut from the same cloth; introducing the concepts in narrative style then pursuing them as practical applications.



Intranet Services



While Internet Services addressed services a Linux server can provide outside the local network, this fifth and last section focuses on services Linux provides to the LAN. Part 5 is a mirror image of Part 4 in that concepts such as NFS (Chapter 22) are introduced and explained in narrative form and then operationalized later in the chapter using the now familiar bash shell. The authors continue to draw comparisons to analogous Windows concepts and tools where necessary but by now it seems clear that the reader is expected to draw upon what they have learned in previous sections as well as their Windows administrative experience to get a grasp on new information. In addition to NFS, this section presents NIS, Samba, LDAP, Printing, DHCP, and Backups, all as local services that are required on the LAN and provided by Linux.



Linux Administration Blueprints



There is a “bonus” insert in the center of the book that provides a brief graphic comparison between how different processes work on Linux and Windows servers. Think of it as a “cheat sheet”, compressing the most basic differences between the two systems into 7 different diagrams. Perfect, if you just need to take a look at a “snapshot” of a process to jog your memory or if you're like me and happen to really need pictures and not just words to figure something out.



Summary



Shaw and Soyinka's Linux Administration: A Beginner's Guide 4th Edition is a well rounded and well organized text introducing basic level Linux system administration concepts and lessons. The book is divided into five parts, each containing an essential set of elements in an area of system and network administration. Within each part, chapters build upon one another to add to the reader's skills sets for the area being presented. Many chapters, especially in parts 4 and 5, are also stand-alone tutorials on areas such as general networking, DNS, FTP, Samba, DHCP, and many other common network services. The book is focused on a reader who has power user or junior administrator experience on Windows server systems but knows little or nothing of Linux. Their experience can be leveraged using this text to learn Linux administration. While the book is biased towards Red Hat and Fedora Core, much of the information can be applied to any Linux distribution.



Conclusion



This book is practically everything I'd hoped it would be; organized, complete, and focused on a particular goal. The writing is straightforward and while it is easier to absorb concepts if you have a strong technical background, a relative newbie administrator would still benefit from a review of this book. Not only is Linux Administration a good textbook to read cover-to-cover as a HOW TO for systems administration, but much of the material can be used as reference for configuring and maintaining specific types of network server systems. I could have lived without the brief history lesson at the beginning, but the overall presentation of this book is exceptionally knowledgeable and favorable. Shaw and Soyinka's book belongs on any junior admin's shelf.

Title: Linux Administration: A Beginner's Guide, Fourth Edition
Category: Open Source
Sub-Category: Linux Books
Author: tripwire45
Related Link: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media
Added: March 21st 2006
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