Teach Yourself UNIX System Administration In 24 Hours 361
| Teach Yourself Unix System Administration in 24 Hours | |
| author | Dave Taylor |
| pages | 508 |
| publisher | Sams Publishing |
| rating | 8 |
| reviewer | Kevin Spencer |
| ISBN | 0672323982 |
| summary | Teach Yourself Unix System Administration in 24 Hours makes an excellent rosetta stone for beginning or intermediate UNIX sysadmins. |
The Big Picture
As you might get from the title, Sams Publishing's "24 Hours" book series attempts to teach specific tasks or steps within 1 chapter per hour. UNIX can get pretty complex, so it would seem that this format would limit the effectiveness of this book. Not so.Topics from the book include:
- Unix Installation
- Documentation
- File Ownership
- Disk Usage
- Account Management
- Package Management (including the Fink system for Darwin)
- Process and System Controls
- Network configuration
- Web Server Management and shell scripting
Almost every chapter views how a particular task is handled with Linux as its normal focus, where many commands are shared between Solaris and Mac OS X. When functionality differs, Taylor downshifts to show how matters are handled in each respective operating system. As someone very experienced with Mac OS X, I found Dave Taylor's discussions on Mac OS X idiosyncrasies in contrast to Red Hat and Solaris very useful, particularly where Darwin overrides the traditional dotfile preference configuration, substituting the convoluted NetInfo services.
What to Expect
Dave provides a Q & A section after each chapter. In an early chapter, Dave answers a typical geek question, "What Unix distributions do you run on your own systems?" Dave provides a very geeky answer--his Apple PowerBook G4 is running Mac OS X (with Darwin as its core, of course), along with a PC running Windows 2000, Linux Mandrake 8.1, and a web server running Red Hat Linux 7.2--a varied assortment that shows Dave puts the author in authority. In a later chapter, Dave touches on emulators such as WINE and Virtual PC as options for additional operating system support.What makes the book work is that Dave provides a very conversational tone throughout the book, almost as if you're sitting with him in front of a system, talking while you do your thing. Humorous moments are scattered in appropriate moments to make things less dry (this is UNIX, after all).
Questions that weren't answered for me as a beginning UNIX sysadmin in another book by Dave Taylor, Learning UNIX for Mac OS X , were available in droves in this book. Topics such as scripting with perl or from the shell, disk quotas, crontabs, rlogin, managing system logs, and the like--all answered. Ever wondered how Mac OS X handles system init states? You'll discover that its a tad different from other UNIX systems, but not too much.
The Bad and the Upshot
I ran into several layout problems in the book that were somewhat annoying, such as where tables or notes were sliced between pages, making them difficult to read. It wasn't a showstopper at all, but I hope that a later reprint will pass muster.If you're still getting your feet wet with a few basics, or have a really mixed environment of UNIX flavors, this book may be very useful to you. I'd recommend this book to any Mac OS X technician who wants to take advantage of its UNIX underpinnings. Beginning Linux users should also find this a strong general reference. The book's cost ($25) is very reasonable, even a bargain for a book of this depth. Overall, Teach Yourself Unix System Administration in 24 Hours makes for a very well rounded reference, as well as a tutorial book. Perhaps the title should be shorter--it's quite a tongue twister.
You can purchase Teach Yourself UNIX System Administration in 24 Hours from bn.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.
UNIX rosetta stone (Score:5, Informative)
Re:UNIX rosetta stone (Score:2, Funny)
Re:UNIX rosetta stone (Score:3, Informative)
This means it works on Mozilla
and it does!
Re:UNIX rosetta stone (Score:3, Funny)
Re:UNIX rosetta stone (Score:5, Funny)
Well, it certainly isn't as slashdotted as that one is....
Re:UNIX rosetta stone (Score:2)
I hope it is. I used the Rosetta stone when I was first learning AIX. I bumped into a number of discrepancies and omissions.
Re:UNIX rosetta stone (Score:3, Insightful)
You can't get experience in a book. In my opinion you can learn way more from an experienced sysadmin then you can from a book.
Re:UNIX rosetta stone (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:UNIX rosetta stone (Score:3, Interesting)
What DOES kinda irritate me is the "24 Hours" part. Sorry, you can't even scratch the surface in 24 hours - especially with UNIX. While I WAS productive right off the bat with Novell, my prior experience with UNIX and other networking systems allowed me to figure things out quickly. Without a good solid background, I would have been toast. I really was a "junior" novell admin. Over the next several months at that job, I felt totally comfortable doing quite advanced tasks with novell.
While you can pick up some simplistic skills in 24 hours, there is a LOT more to UNIX system administration that you just can't learn from a book, or even another administrator. You have to do things for yourself. You have to understand the concepts. You have to play with things, look around, compile some apps, install some systems, run into problems and solve them, learn scripting, regular expressions, read TONS of man pages, etc. This takes MONTHS. Most of your true learning comes from problem solving.
I do take some exception to the "learn more from a sysadmin" comment. The problem with this approach is that sysadmins FREQUENTLY are not good teachers. In fact, I find sysadmins in general to be among the WORST teachers of any profession. Working side by side with one, you will learn small little snipits of valuable stuff, but rarely will you understand the WHY of things. S/He probably isn't going to present info to you in any organized manor, and the info will most likely be very incomplete. Hey, that's just been my experience working with / managing dozens of admins - many of them VERY good at what they do.
Versions? (Score:2)
Solaris 9, anybody?
Re:Versions? (Score:2)
Like the Unix System Administrator's Handbook, the best you can do is teach a general philosophy, with some examples for each of a few representative systems, then *maybe* have an updates page on a website somewhere.
I've always found that, once you know in principle how to do something, doing it on a different flavour of Unix is just a matter of reading the man pages for different options to the various commands. (Or in the case of solaris, swearing a lot and saying things like "mount
dave
From the same series: (Score:5, Funny)
Re:From the same series: (Score:5, Funny)
Re:From the same series: (Score:2)
Re:From the same series: (Score:2, Funny)
Re:From the same series: (Score:5, Funny)
Also liked: Teach yourself malpractice litigation in 24 hours
Re:From the same series: (Score:3, Funny)
The rest of your life you will discover that you are not what you thought.
For some reason (Score:3, Funny)
(I hope he's already obtained these skills)
Re:For some reason (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:For some reason (Score:3, Interesting)
I taught a network troubleshooting class once and had to pick between a $75 book and a $20 book. the $20 one was Teach Yourself Network Troubleshooting in 24 hours. I picked it because of price mostly (thinking of the students) and it looked pretty good. Not as much material as the $75 book - but still had a good bit in it.
It worked out very well and the students actually liked it a lot becuase it was a little funny and had good basic concepts in it.
Not trying to be an ass or anything. But you might want to hope that you sys admin is reading this book - along with others im sure - becuase if he isnt - some fellow employee in the company could be surfing thru your files right now....
Duke
backups (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:backups (Score:2, Informative)
Yeah, but... (Score:2, Funny)
Does it come with a musical workout montage when the blonde popular admin challenges you to a ski off?
but.. (Score:5, Funny)
Until then, it's not teaching you jack shit about sysadmin'ing.
Re:but.. (Score:2, Funny)
I don't see how it could. All these things must come from experience.
Uptime worship. (Score:2)
sysadm@rhein's password:
8:35am up 620 day(s), 20:04, 1 user, load average: 0.05, 0.02, 0.02
Who wants to bring it? That system is constantly running a number of apache based proxies, Solaris based of course.
Re:Uptime worship. (Score:2)
Or do you not apply the security patches?
Re:Uptime worship. (Score:2)
What do you take services down for hours while you update them?
Re:Uptime worship. (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Uptime worship. (Score:4, Funny)
I prefer THE O'Reilly book (Score:5, Informative)
great book (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:great book (Score:2)
That's a good thing. Permanent memory should hold more sublime things.
In 24 hours? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:In 24 hours? (Score:2)
24 Hour miracle (Score:2, Insightful)
Well, I guess since it's actually possible to administer UNIX, there's a difference.
Rosetta stone (Score:2, Informative)
The rosetta stone reference Is supposed to imply this book will help you understand UNIX and make what appears foreign, understandable.
I assume this is what the reference is supposed to mean.
Re:Rosetta stone (Score:2)
Re:Rosetta stone (Score:3, Informative)
Teach Yourself... (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Teach Yourself... (Score:2)
These aren't "Become the Master of UNIX in 24 hours", or "Become a Astrophysicist in 24 hours"
The books basically are a catalyst for you to learn more, explore, buy more books, etc etc
Re:Teach Yourself... I don't think so. (Score:2)
Granted, last time I tried it was quite some time ago (funny what wasting money on useless stuff teaches you to avoid) and they might have gotten a review process instead of beer party and authors instead of monkeys nowadays. I sure hope so, for all the poor sods that buys their books.
Re:Teach Yourself... (Score:2)
Seriously... (Score:4, Interesting)
Most of the quick reference stuff anyone needs is on various websites and discussion boards.
"Author" in "Authority"... right (Score:3, Insightful)
Linux + OSX == Authority on UNIX? (Score:4, Insightful)
I would argue that running Linux and OS X does not (necessarily) make someone an "authority" on UNIX. Where's his Solaris, SUNOS, HPUX, IRIX, and BSD experience? Has he ever installed cross-platform software? Only using a few machines, I would doubt he's using NIS or NFS. Has he ever?
An isidisous plot? (Score:2, Funny)
Note for the humor impaired: It's a joke, not a troll...
Disclaimer (Score:2, Interesting)
The question is, at what point does slashdot have to start adhering to standard ethics of journalism? Which is to say: the person who wrote the glowing review -- located conveniently over a link to purchase the book at bn.com -- should at least tell us he's an author of published works on the same subject... whose books are listed alongside those of the author he's lauding.
Re:Disclaimer (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Disclaimer (Score:3, Insightful)
If you're going to review a book, tell us who you are. An average Joe? The author's peer? Did you share a room with him at a UNIX conference in Toledo? Do your daughters play soccer together?
Slashdot readers are intelligent people who don't like to waste their time or be told half-truths. Any information about the identity of the reviewer that might allow us to form a more informed opinion of the book should be divulged. This isn't amateur hour. Lots of professionls use this site and as such upholding some basic journalistic tenets is a sound idea.
COUGH CHOKE LAUGH WTF????? (Score:3, Funny)
Somethingwicked started to choke violently on his drink.
"What a wonderful exciting cough," said the little man, quite startled
by it, "do you mind if I join you?"
And with that he launched into the most extraordinary and spectacular
fit of coughing which caught Somethingwicked so much by surprise that he started
to choke violently, discovered he was already doing it and got thoroughly
confused.
Together they performed a lung-busting duet which went on for fully
two minutes before Somethingwicked managed to cough and splutter to a halt.
"So invigorating," said the little man, panting and wiping tears from his
eyes. "What an exciting life you must lead. Thank you very much."
He shook Somethingwicked warmly by the hand and walked off into the crowd.
Somethingwicked shook his head in astonishment.
Slashdot readers are what??? *grin*
Re:Disclaimer (Score:2)
It's true, I spoke with terms that were way, way too broad on that one...
I guess what I meant is that I enjoy slashdot being all things to all people. There's a healthy mix of enthusiasts and professionals, casual and diehard alike. But when things like book reviews are posted so casually, they ring hollow. I'm not a syadmin and I found it hard to take the review seriously, and it disappoints me to think that any of the actual admins reading it might feel the same way.
Re:Disclaimer (Score:3, Interesting)
No, I'd rather have someone in the target audience review the book.
Disclaimer My Ass! (Score:5, Informative)
I am Kevin H. Spencer, author of one modest, now-somewhat-antiquated book on getting started with Mac OS X programming. [amazon.com]
I am a technical editor and occasional contributing writer for a few Mac-oriented computer books from the old Dummies Press, Pearson Education, and Premier Press publishers. I make my living by supporting Macs and PCs, and have probably done so for longer than you have lived.
Aside from receiving a copy from which to make this review, I don't get a thing from this.
And, if I didn't find it more useful to explain who I am for benefit of the article, I would've used my mod points to hack your karma for making such bad presumptions. There's also a "South Park"-ish Canadian cartoon [kevinspencer.com] with my name in it, but I doubt he's a UNIX expert, either.
No book is a perfect reference, but this is a good one if you are getting started with system administration across various platforms. Don't knock a book due to the title. It's actually quite detailed and deeper than what the title implies.
For a relatively new system admin for Mac OS X systems, this worked for me, and it might work for others with similar skill levels.
yeah right... (Score:4, Funny)
Only half a joke (Score:4, Interesting)
On the other hand, a book like this can never make you a GOOD systems administrator as the secret there lies in years of experience, knowing what kind of odd, twitchy little things to look for; and also knowing how to use all these neat little utilities and chain them together in the shell (of your choice) to make them do large, complicated, magical things.
A book like this might very well be the beginning of a beautiful career. The worry is that people will read it and think they're ready to tackle the world. Of course that's why we have certifications, but they only prove one's ability to regurgitate knowledge on command. Handy, but a book like this can give you just about everything non-vendor-specific that shows up on most Unix certs, I'm guessing -- and some of that, too.
On the gripping hand, it used to be matter of course that the sexretary or similar ended up being the one to maintain the mainframe, being sent to Armonk for classes... you know what I'm talking about. Maybe someday some of Unix's quirkiness will be ironed out and that sort of thing will be feasible in Unixland. I'm not holding my breath, though.
I wish I'd known about this (Score:2)
Does anyone really buy books from the 'dummies' 'in 24 hours' or 'in 30 days' series? Do you keep these books on your desk as reference? I bet that distills confidence in coworkers.
Re:I wish I'd known about this (Score:2)
now books like "The SQL Programmers Reference" on my desk, yes that I use for reference :)
Re:I wish I'd known about this (Score:3, Insightful)
The truth is, they can be a great intro to a subject that you don't know anything about. That said, however, they seem to be one-off books. That is, you read them once, and then never use them again. (The possible exception would be the "cheat-sheets" that some of the books include inside the back flap.)
So I would certainly consider getting, say, PHP for Dummies if I was looking for a quick intro into the basics of PHP, after which I would sell it again and by myself a good look-up reference for when I start getting into the details.
UNIX sysadmin in 24 hours.. (Score:5, Funny)
sooo.. this is the UNIX equivent of an MCSE?
An MCSE takes 24 hours!?! (Score:2, Insightful)
What are they doing for the remaining 23'55" ?
Just a lead-in (Score:5, Funny)
*Disclaimer* I have not read the book in question and the above is simply a joke, but the thought of teaching UNIX system administration in 24 hours seems unlikely....covering basics, maybe...most of these books seem to serve that purpose and are great as a reference in alot of cases.
Re:Just a lead-in (Score:2)
Yeah, but think of the backlash if they had called it "UNIX System Administration for Dummies"
Re:Just a lead-in (Score:3, Funny)
Crimony folks, you kind of need experience to do these things well. Kinda like plastic surgery; you may get it cheaper, but look at what you're risking. Your poor wife may come out with crooked boobs!
The latest mke2fs command has a --symmetrical switch to make sure that doesn't happen.
Rumor is that the new kernel configuration system will be more graphical which will also help
I can see the resumes flowing in now... (Score:5, Funny)
"Yeah, sure buddy, you're hired. Here's the root password and here's some old user accounts we need cleaned up. And would you mind replacing our sendmail install with qmail, we've been getting a bunch of calls lately from wackjobs screaming about some sort of "open relay" problem. Who knows...I'm sure you'll get that all figured out."
The first thing you need to know... (Score:5, Funny)
After this first encounter, you'll hate that editor. But you will change... slowly...
Re:The first thing you need to know... (Score:4, Funny)
> After this first encounter, you'll hate that editor. But you will change...
> slowly...
and after a week or two setting up servers, you'll reflexively type
dave
Re:The first thing you need to know... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:The first thing you need to know... (Score:5, Insightful)
export EDITOR=pico
or for you tcsh-challenged people
setenv EDITOR=pico
vi scares people, even old timers and especially newbies. IMHO vi should *never* be the defauly editor on any distribution. If a power user wants it, let them change it. Give the newbies (the ones that don't know how to change it) something they can use like pico or joe. If we really want to make our OS user-friendly (read: newbie-friendly) we're going to have to start making some compromises on the default settings. The default editor should be easy to use; by default the firewall shouldn't allow local services; daemons and all their friends and relatives should NOT be running by default. Until we make concessions such as these, we can not expect Linux (or any other *nix except for OS X) to be easy for newbies to grasp. We're skilled enough to be able to turn on advanced features and change the defaults to suit our needs. Newbies are usually barely competent enough to get the install right. Lets think about our next Linux generations for a while.
Re:The first thing you need to know... (Score:4, Funny)
I often wonder how fledgling sysadmins manage to survive.
Or for the impatient ... (Score:2, Funny)
Before we all go and buy this book.. (Score:2, Funny)
Ok..This is one sysadmins opinion on this... (Score:3, Insightful)
However, I despise the title of these sorts of books. I know that other people have said it but you cannot learn something that is in and of itself a profession within simply 24 hours and the title itself is just silly.
I feel that these sorts of books are almost a put-down to people that have spent years honing their craft only to find some dipstick book-maker claims that within a day someone starting from scratch could do the things I do.
The hell they can.
Note to the PFY of the world. Find a crusty old BOFH, be patient with them and learn slowly from them. No book, or certfication comes close to haing a good mentor when learning the craft of system administration. Not even close.
_______________________________________________
Why reinvent the wheel ??? (Score:4, Informative)
If you remember when it was a different color, consider yourself the BOFH.
Re:Why reinvent the wheel ??? (Score:2, Funny)
"BOFH, eh? What's your username again?"
--
Mando
UNIX System Administration Handbook (Score:3, Informative)
Re:UNIX System Administration Handbook (Score:4, Informative)
This is *the* book for someone dumped into being a sysadmin. See http://www.admin.com/ for updates.
http://www.admin.com/ [admin.com] for a link
dave
I'm not reading it, I'm waiting! (Score:3, Funny)
This book should be banned! (Score:5, Funny)
The last thing I need is my developers reading this book, then thinking they don't need me around any more!!
Prerequisite reading (Score:2, Funny)
Really want to learn UNIX Admin fast? (Score:5, Insightful)
Want to learn fast?
read ALL comp.sys.blah postings. Try to resolve them on your own.
get some second hand UNIX gear (HP,DEC,SGI,SUN...) or some cheap PC gear (SolarisX86,RedHat,debian,freebsd,MacOSX...),build a LAN.
make NFS/NIS/LDAP/DNS/SMTP/NNTP/etc. work on your new LAN.
Read the documentation for each of your platforms.
Compile and use all the opensource packages you can find. Start with GCC and the major gnu packages. Do not go the easy out pre-compiled route (compiler for first compiler excluded.)
Make a NFS /usr/local to install all variants into. Make them work on each of your platforms.
Add printers/scanners/disk/peripherals to each platform. Add any bit and piece that you can find.
try to find EMC/compaq/netapp storage gear. make that all interoperate.
make everything work with everything else
Get on the help desk at a LARGE company or university and answer/resolve as many questions as possible.
never stop learning.
Ummmmm (Score:3, Insightful)
Of course experience is the real teacher, but it's hard to start from zero and get experience. You have to know SOMETHING to do anything, and a book is a great starting point. Initally, you know so little you don't even know what questions to ask and what to learn. Something like this can start you out.
Re:Really want to learn UNIX Admin fast? (Score:3, Funny)
An excellent list I must say and quite useful, however I think there is one important item that is missing...
<sarcasm>
</sarcasm>
Truly, the list in the parent post is a good way to pick up these skills. But believe you me, it will cause some grief fumbling around trying to figure out the nuances of all the various types of systems and getting them to interoperate.
Re:Really want to learn UNIX Admin fast? (Score:5, Interesting)
I mean try learning windows 2000/exchange/SQL server on a P90 with 32MB ram. Not only is the software timebombed(You don't get to keep that now useful file/print/dns/proxy/firewall/blah server up running forever)but the hardware requirements are much higher.
Plus these days even though everyone wants to talk about TCO, there is something to be said for being able to provide File/Print/DNS/Web/Proxy/Database/Directory software to your company for Free. Unless your working for the most diehard of diehard MS shops employers take note of that sort of thing.
24hrs is good. (Score:3, Informative)
I love the SAMS Teach Yourself stuff. The JavaScript and ASP books have been invalueble to me over the last few years. They are not reference books, although I have refered back to them many times. They are a starting point, a cheap starting point.
When can we expect.... (Score:5, Funny)
Just don't call yourself a 'systems engineer' (Score:2)
Don't bash the "24 hours" books (Score:3, Insightful)
My experience with Sams and "Teach Yourself ..." (Score:4, Insightful)
A good publisher can help a so-so author (by, for example, good editing, technical and otherwise). A really good publisher can return a rotten manuscript as unpublishable and refuse to distribute the darned thing. The publisher can only do so much, of course, but I wouldn't lightly underestimate how much.
Any author, good or bad, gets a lot of value from the publisher. No book is perfect in the early drafts. A so-so publisher may often put out a very imperfect book.
I've had a little experience (from both sides of the keyboard) with Sams at one point in its history. I don't feel they were a publisher that added a lot of value once the author's work is done. They may have gotten some good authors who put out some good books, but not as consistently as (say) O'Reilly. (I don't know how Sams is doing these days.)
A couple of replies to earlier comments:
"... In 24 Hours" doesn't mean "start at 9 a.m. Monday, be done 9 a.m. Tuesday." It means, "put in a couple of hours a day, be done in about a couple of weeks."
Some people have complained this is an introductory book that's not very deep. Fine; it's not for gurus. It might well be a good book to read before reading the "purple book" [admin.com]; and that's not a bad thing.
In 24 Hours? Yes. (Score:3, Informative)
Unix in 24 hours? (Score:3, Insightful)
REAL QUOTE FROM A RECENT MCSE HIRE
While working with a lacky on fixing an Exchange server we had to disable several features in the registry. When I ask him why he didn't disable the keys himself he said,
"It never mentioned in the textbook how to do that."
I would gladly take a smart recently converted AMISH FARMER over ANY MCSE that has been certified in the last 2 years. I can always teach a smart person what I need them to do (and hire them at a lower pay rate initially to boot!
Here is a simple quiz on how to find a SMART person. Use this!
"A deaf and dumb (mute) man walks into a hardware store and wants to buy some nails. He approaches the store owner and places his left hand on the counter and starts pounding with his right hand, as if holding a hammer.
The store owner gets him a hammer.
The deaf man shakes his head and uses two fingers on his left hand and does the same pounding motion with his right hand.
The store owner nods and gets several nails for the man to pick from. He picks two nails and buy a couple of boxes.
The next day a blind man comes in. How does he ask for a pair of scissors? (What is you guess, think about it then read on.)
Now if your employee makes a scissors motion with his hands I would move him (or her) to the bottom of the stack. Why? The man is blind, not mute, he would simple ask for a pair of scissors. It's this kind of INTELLIGENCE that is needed in the work place that isn't being taught in most schools. I did this test to several instructors at universities to see what kind of staff they had. Most fail. To give credit where credit is due I discovered this test in Issac Asimov's book "The Realativity of Wrong" when Asimov was presented with this same test from... his automechanic. Asimov failed also it seems (in his younger years). This test show that there is more to intelligence than simply memorizing and regurgitating information, it's listening and applying what you've memorized, something a Blah in 24 hours book cannot teach.
P.S. No time for spell check. Later.
Re:Unix in 24 hours? (Score:3, Insightful)
The reason it is a trick question is because you spent four paragraphs talking about a deaf mute and impromptu sign language. You've prepared the listener to think "mute" when he hears "blind".
At long last! (Score:3, Funny)
Just one fscking book? Here's some more. (Score:3, Informative)
Linux Administration: A Beginners Guide 2nd Ed. [amazon.com]
Author: Shaw, Steve
Really, the best migration book for Windows users to the Linux world that I've seen to date. Wide, but shallow, but that does not need to be bad. It's a good primer, but it does tend towards "cookbook" solutions. Get a deeper book once you've read through this. (3rd edition is due out in November, BTW. Makes a good Christmas gift to a Windows user that you know is trying to "covert")
Linux Administration Handbook [amazon.com]
Author: Nemeth et al.
Opinionated. Polemic. A touch of arrogance, even. But this book and read it cover-to-cover. They obviously are biased against Windows servers. So will you after using *nix as well. Mine's dog-eared and highlighted to hell.
Essential System Administration [amazon.com]
Author: Frisch, Aeleen
Dear God, if you don't own this, please go and buy it. Honestly, a definitive book on *nix. Twice as dog-eared and worn as Nemeth. You'll get this book when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers.
Add a few specialty books to the mix, and you're more than set. Just read BOFH and develop the neccessary arrogant, anti-social attitude as you go
Cheers.
Cool! (Score:3, Funny)
Unix Administration in 24 hours
Programming C++ in 24 hours
Programming Perl in 24 hours
Administering Oracle Databases in 24 hours
SQL in 24 hours
Then I'll take off the weekend. Maybe go sailing - yeah, that's it - I'll sail from Florida to California on Saturday and back home on Sunday.
Re:The only thing a newbie needs to know: (Score:2, Troll)
rm: / is a directory
-r: No such file or directory
Hmmmm, dont you mean 'rm -r
rlogin to INSTALL openssh (Score:2)
FACT: rlogin, rsh, rexec, and all other remote access utilities that do not perform cryptographically strong authentication and offer at least the option to encrypt the session are OBSOLETE.
Then how does one remotely connect to a machine to install OpenSSH? And what about those systems to which OpenSSH has not yet been ported [openssh.org]?
Re:rlogin??? (Score:2)
Since ssh is a drop-in replacement for the r* utilities, the ideas will carry over from a discussion. One can also use the MIT Kerberos enhanced r* utilities, which are hardly âoeOBSOLETEâ by your definition.
Re:I can do it in 23... (Score:2, Insightful)
I would, however, consider it fairly obvious that the author does not anticipate people sitting down to a twenty-four hour caffeine-fuelled cram-session.
The title of the book suggests, rather, that UNIX system administration may be learned in twenty-four hour long sessions. Ideally, these would be supplemented with meditation on the topic at hand and, perhaps, the completion of the exercises provided.
As noted by other correspondents, this will by no means compensate for a lack of hands-on experience but may well inspire an interest in the subject that proves the foundation of future greatness in an aspiring sysadmin. Yeah!
Re:24 Hours? Give me a break! (Score:3, Interesting)
Of course you can keep learning vi forever, because what you type after