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Linux Power Tools
The text doesn't cover installing a Linux system, but does point out some of the differences among the major distributions in common use today, specifically Debian, Mandrake, RedHat, Slackware, and SUSE. Much of the distro-specific information is contained in a chapter on package management (RPM, deb, tar.gz, and the GUI tools for the aforementioned distros). I found this book a good reference for a new user (and especially someone self-administering their Linux box for the first time), but most "expert" users will not find much here that they don't already know.
The author covers a wide range of software that is frequently used. This includes the major desktop environments KDE and Gnome (with a brief discussion of alternate window and file managers which can be used to create your own custom environment), and office application suites (fairly simple overviews of OpenOffice.org, KOffice, and Gnome Office). Also covered are the two most common bootloaders (LILO and GRUB), printer configuration options (LPRng and CUPS), and a pretty basic section on command-line shells and scripting. There are a couple of chapters that touch on the basics of doing backups (using tar), and some general methods of improving the security of a Linux system (such as using proper passwords and stopping unnecessary services). These topics are followed up by several sections on basic networking configuration (TCP/IP, DHCP, and DNS), and controlling network access with firewalls, TCP wrappers, and xinetd service restrictions.
The last few chapters cover setup and operation of various common server applications, including Apache, FTP, Sendmail, Postfix, SSH, and VNC. All of these server descriptions are of the "general overview" variety, and additional resources will be required by someone trying to configure them for the first time. The book includes a basic glossary aimed at beginners, and an excellent index. The inside front and back covers contain a nice list of essential Linux configuration files, with their default locations, although distro-specific variations are not included.
The two sections that I found the most useful are the kernel customization chapter, and the one on optimizing the X Window System configuration.
Although the kernel chapter contains information that can be found elsewhere, it offers a very understandable explanation, and should make the process of compiling a custom kernel (for performance optimization) achievable for someone who hasn't done it before. In short, everything I needed to know about was right there in one place, and eliminated the need to bounce back and forth between the numerous how-to documents available online. By following this book's guidelines, I was able to successfully compile a kernel optimized for my AthlonXP CPU, containing only the drivers I need, which resulted in noticeable improvements in bootup time, application loading times, and desktop responsiveness.
In the X Window System chapter, the use of options in the XF86Config(-4) config file was well explained, including how to set custom modelines useful for a non-standard screen resolution and/or refresh rate. Font configuration was very clearly discussed, and included directions for adding additional fonts, and enabling smoothing (anti-aliasing) in applications.
Linux Power Tools is an excellent reference book, well suited to assisting in specific tasks related to Linux system administration. There is no real new information here, but this book does better than most at having many things you want to know very accessible in one reference volume. I would compare it favorably with another of my favorite books -- O'Reilly's Running Linux. In fact I've found it to be even more valuable for some specific tasks. It is very complete and recent (copyright 2003), and I highly recommend it to other intermediate level system administrators.
You can purchase Linux Power Tools from bn.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to submit a review for consideration, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.
well, at least everyone can read it....
... hi bingo
Does anyone else other than me seem to think that "Power Tools" is an ill-suited title for a book that sounds more like an introductory book, then one detailing tools for a "Power User"?
The book's cover claims the target audience as intermediate to advanced users, but I think that beginner to intermediate would be more accurate. More advanced users may find Linux Power Tools a little beneath their level.
I think this might be considered fair marketing. If you're using Linux, you're probably not a "beginner" -- you've probably an expert on other OS's and have decided to take the next step.
I just got a $35 PII and installed Knoppix 3.3. It's my first Linux box after 15+ years in the DOS/Windows world, and I'm finding out just how little I know. But I can at least make some educated guesses about "hda5" and "eth0", and when the screen displays 4 penguins instead of 1 I know that it's a screen resolution problem, not a "it doesn't work" problem.
So I'm not sure there's such a thing as a "Linux Beginner"... at least not until Wal-Mart's Lindows PCs outsell the Windows/AOL equipped models. Those buyers are the true "beginners".
Stressed? Me? Of course not. Stress is what a rubber band feels before it breaks, silly.
More advanced users may find Linux Power Tools a little beneath their level.
Don't most advanced Linux users find "Multi-Dimensional Calculus for Astrophysicists" beneath their level? Much the same way showering and deodorant use are beneath them...
Being able to get info in whatever form you prefer is a good thing.
It's a shame that the book is perhaps a little basic - when I heard the title I was hoping for something along the lines of UNIX Power Tools specialised to Linux. UNIX Power Toolsreally is one of the best books out there on using UNIX. No matter how experienced a user you are you're likely to find some little gem of information buried in it - and that's all it really is, simply a collection of little gems of information about everything UNIX. It would be nice to see a book along those lines that covered Linux more specifically.
Jedidiah
Craft Beer Programming T-shirts
Comment removed based on user account deletion
The title "Linux Power Tools" falsely suggests that the book is a sequel or update to O'Reilly's "Unix Power Tools". Unlike the book reviewed here, "Unix Power Tools" is not about configuring KDE and such stuff, but a wizard's guide to & treasury of classical shell tools, arguably the best Unix user book ever written, the bible of the commandline, the ultimate celebration of design philosophy genius behind Unix. In that light, calling the reviewed book "Linux Power Tools" is pure blasphemy.
gopher://cramer.plaintext.cc http://cramer.plaintext.cc:70
currently, I'm a windows XP user. I've used Microsoft from DOS 6.22 to NT to 2000 to XP and I'm very proficient in how to use these os'es to the point where I'm confortable in how they work and what to do if something goes wrong.
One of the reasons why I don't use Linux is because of this. It's not about fearing change as much as I know how windows works to the point I can set in up in under an hour rather than mess with linux for days.
What I'm looking for is a Linux book that doesn't walk you through a liunx distro step by step from installiation to installing apps, etc, but more along the lines of "this is how it's done in windows, and this is how linux does the same thing. Or a straght reference manual.
So far the only book I've seen that is close to what I want is "Linux in a Nutshell", primarialy becuase it has a great reference to all the commands and doesn't focus on one distro, which seems that all of the books do, but I would like to find a book more suited to transitioning from windows to Linux to the point where if I'm a windows and MSDOS Expert and know what I'm doing then if I follow this book I should have no trouble finding my way through linux based on the examples they give.
Does such a book exist?
In Soviet Russia, Trojan exploits YOU!
Man pages, schman pages. Yes, I'll go so far as to say: schman pages.
The deep, inherent flaw with man pages is that you need to know what you need to know before you can even access the relevant piece of documentation. For instance, maybe I want help with setting schedules system events. How am I supposed to know to type
man cron
if I have never heard of cron before? That's why sometimes it's very useful to have this stuff in a book that you can thumb through, learning new stuff as you go.
~jeff
irb(main):001:0>
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