Essential System Administration: Tools and Techniques for Linux and Unix Administration, 3rd Edition

I have this book in two versions, the first and the last.On those days, I was sysadmin in mission critical installations. And trust me, it worths each page!!This book Is good for many reasons.It is very clear, with code that works for many versions of OS.Also, it put focus on the different elements that a sysadmin should be focused.Not only for learning how to administrate the elements of IT infrastructure.It is also a reference manual.

Great book. Of course it is not up to date. Nevertheless it teaches how to use Unix better than other more modern books. The chapter on the use of command pipes is wonderful and full of examples.

I think the only reason I ultimately had to give this book a 4 star rating instead of a 5 star rating is just the date of the last publishing which is pushing on 13 years now. Most of the core areas of *nix administration are covered and each section goes into quite a bit of detail, but I've already found tools being used that have been outmoded by new tools available to the modern Linux user.But outside of that, and that's kind of a nitpick it's always good to learn the history and fundamentals in software, this book hits on the areas that you are most likely to run into in a system administrator position, and since it's not JUST about Unix,or Linux, but rather about * nix systems in general, it seems like a well rounded book. I like the fact that the chapters are organized into TASK areas, and then get into the details about how to do that task effectively and what's important about that task. It really speed things up if you have already outgrown your "first" Linux book (for beginners).You could go into this as a beginner, but I'd recommend "How Linux Works: What Every Superuser Should Know" if you just want to get a handle on what a modern Linux system is and you want to start from scratch.This books should probably be a second or third choice, but it's a solid buy and there is a TON of material here in those 1077 pages!Also, you may also want to check out 'Unix and Linux System Administration Handbook". I couldn't really say which is better, probably the latter, but I'm glad I have both because Linux is a HUGE subject and it's nice to have complementary material. I would say that this book really hits on the major areas of *nix administration in a logical easy to follow way. But on the other hand, the other title mentioned above goes into a ton of specific areas and covers a lot of newer tools and is more Linux focused.If I HAD to choose between this one or the "handbook" above, I'd go with the latter, but if you can afford it, get BOTH because they do approach different materials and in their own way.

This is the latest edition of the book that taught me to be a Unix administrator. Her descriptions were understandable, and her procedures were well-explained. And throughout the book, Frisch explained the mindset that every professional system administrator needs to bring to the job.The book has expanded with each edition, and there is increased information about different Unix-like Operating System options. In particular, the coverage of Linux and AIX has increased in successive editions of the book.But the beating heart of the book has not changed. This is the book that encapsulates the essence of what it means to be a professional system administrator.--Scott CromarAuthor, Solaris Troubleshooting Handbook

As a veteran software developer who has found himself suddenly in a system administrator role for multiple Solaris and Red Hat systems, this book has been my salvation. It uses a very practical, structured approach that deals with "first things first". For me, it has been exactly on target. It is easy to read and explores the application of each administrative task to any unique aspects of the individual operating systems. This is one of the few technical books that I actually look forward to having time to read. I recommend it highly.

I never bothered to google to find out all commands on linux but you have to admired that sometimes it is actually pretty easy for you to have a book next to you with all the cheat sheet high-lighted and labeled. I love this book.

Money well spent. I work in an environment where we actively support Solaris, AIX, Oracle Enterprise Linux, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux operating systems. When I took my current job, I was experienced with Linux and was very comfortable with the OS. I had some familiarity with AIX, but not near the comfort level that I had with RHEL. I had hardly any experience with Solaris.This book has enabled me to perform at a high level supporting the Solaris and the AIX operating systems. I have this book on my work laptop and I can access it as easily as I can access google from my laptop. Everything you need to know to support these operating systems as a systems admin/engineer is at the click of your mouse.Again, money well spent

Way more information that I needed but it was also very informative. I would recommend the smaller version, not sure what it is called but there is a pocket manual type thing for this. Either way cant go wrong, aced the course thanks to being able to get through the material and not feeling like it was a chore to read.