Don’t Run Linux without It

Linux Quick Fix Notebook by Peter Harrison, Prentice Hall, 2005, ISBN 0-13-186150-6, 696 pp., US$39.99.

Linux Quick Fix Notebook is an amazing text. From soup to nuts, cover to cover, it’s a must-have reference book for Linux users. Author Peter Harrison covers Linux as if writing a cheat sheet before an exam—it’s a how-to guide on steroids. He explains and illustrates topics, then explains what would happen if you did something different. But the book isn’t dry and boring like an encyclopedia—the topics are short, focused, and effective.

I picked up Linux Quick Fix Notebook because I wanted to set up two Linux boxes at my house to build a small grid. The book was very helpful. The chapters are self-contained, so you can read them independently. After a couple of weeks, I had read the entire book without even realizing it. The self-containment is especially useful when you want to do a specific task—for example, setting up Samba. Just flip to that chapter and follow the directions.

Harrison covers each topic’s basics in just two or three pages, followed by “but, how the heck do I…?” sections that everyone can use. The discussion of Linux RAID (redundant array of independent disks) configuration and setup is particularly useful; Harrison assumes that you’re trying to set up RAID with a limited budget (which most of us are), so his setup uses inexpensive off-the-shelf hardware.

Harrison also covers the required configuration for setting up a Web site, including

• Linux basics, such as the boot process, logging, and monitoring;
• networking basics and troubleshooting;
• setting up the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol, Domain Name System, Samba, FTP, Secure Shell, Telnet, Apache, mail, Dynamic Domain Name System, and others; and
• advanced topics such as database configuration, Network File System, virtual private network, and Radius (remote authentication dial-in user service) server configuration.

Two sections focus on Linux security and firewalls. The book covers iptables (or ipchains) in detail and discusses the use of Linux as a router or a cheap, reliable firewall. Beyond what’s possible with simple tracking commands such as “top” or “vmstat,” monitoring your Web site poses a difficult and time-consuming challenge. So, Harrison dedicates several chapters to various monitoring applications and tools, detailing configuring your management information base for use with the Simple Network Management Protocol and the powerful new Multi-Router Traffic Grapher. The screen and command snapshots illustrate his points.

I highly recommend Linux Quick Fix Notebook for anyone using Linux. It covers all the material that system administrators should know. With succinct topics and concise examples, the book is insightful and valuable.

Art Sedighi is a senior consulting engineer at DataSynapse and a freelance writer. Contact him at sediga@alum.rpi.edu.