The Classic Guide to Linux Networking

Perhaps it's not a Linux system administrator's bible, but it's nearly so. For a decade, Linux administrators have regularly consulted their own dog-eared but prized copies of this book for the facts and guidance they need to do their jobs. Now in its third edition, the Linux Network Administrator's Guide (O'Reilly, US $34.95) by Tony Bautts, Terry Dawson, and Gregor N. Purdy, brings sys admins up to date with an in-depth look at all of the essential networking software and utilities that come with the operating system, including basic infrastructure (TCP/IP, wireless networking, and firewalling) and the other popular services on Linux systems.

According to the authors, the new edition of Linux Network Administrator's Guide provides a single, all-encompassing reference for network administration in a Linux environment. "Beginners and experienced users alike will find the information they need to cover nearly all important administration activities required to manage a Linux network configuration. The possible range of topics to cover is nearly limitless, so of course it's been impossible to include everything there is say on all subjects, but we've tried to cover the most important and common ones." Beginners to Linux networking, even those with no prior exposure to Unix-like operating systems, have found earlier editions of this book more than sufficient to get their Linux network configurations up and running.

The new edition of Linux Network Administrator's Guide is organized roughly along the sequence of steps that needs to be followed to configure a system for networking. Included in the book are detailed explanations of essential topics such as:

Configuring the hardware and Ethernet interfaces
Setting up a nameserver ( either BIND or djbdns )
Connecting over a serial line with PPP
Setting up a firewall, along with masquerading and accounting
Running inetd or related superservers
Logging in remotely through ssh

The book also explains how to provide critical services such as mail ( through sendmail and Cyrus IMAP ), the Samba file and print server, the Apache web server, and the OpenLDAP directory service. Chapters on IPV6 administration and wireless networking round out the infrastructure of modern network administration.

The Linux Network Administrator's Guide was originally a volunteer effort at the Linux Documentation Project. It remains one of the most highly regarded books on Linux networking.

Praise for the previous edition:

"In the O'Reilly tradition, an excellent example of technical communication at its best."
--Major Keary, "PC Update," May 2003

"A best-seller, and rightly so, covering everything you need to know from the ground up."
--Frank Charlton, PC Plus, January 2002

"All in all, I would heartily recommend this book to anyone looking to learn about network administration. If you've ever read an O'Reilly book before, you'll know what to expect: this is another quality title in the O'Reilly stable. For those who've never read an O'Reilly title, this is a great place to start!"
--Richard Ibbotson, Sheffield Linux Users Group, February 2001

Further reviews can be found here.

Additional Resources:

Chapter 18, "Wireless Networking"
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/linag3/chapter/index.html

More information about the book, including table of contents, index, author bios, and samples
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/linag3/index.html

A cover graphic in JPEG format
ftp://ftp.ora.com/pub/graphics/book_covers/hi-res/0596005482.jpg

Linux Network Administrator's Guide, Third Edition

Tony Bautts, Terry Dawson, and Gregor N. Purdy
ISBN: 0-596-00548-2, 338 pages, $34.95 US, $50.95 CA
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938; 1-707-827-7000

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