SuSE Linux and Netfinity Server Integration Guide

SuSE Linuxand Netfinity Server Integration Guide

ISBN 0-13-028675-3 Price approximately £26 UK
Jakob Carstensen Lenz Grimmer - SuSE Gmbh - Ivo Gomilsek Jay Haskins and Joe Kaplenk
16 Chapters and three appendices and index in 267 pages

Contents

Preface

1 Introduction
2 Linux Installation
3    Basic system administration
4 Using the ServeRAID utilities
5    DNS - Domain Name System
6 Samba
7    Apache and IBM HTTP Servers
8    Packet filtering with IP Chains
9    DHCP - Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
10 Sendmail
11 NFS - Network File System
12 NIS - Network Information System
13 LDAP - Lightweight Directory Protocol
14 General performance tools in Linux
15 Backup and recovery with BRU
16 Setting up a Beowulf cluster

Appendix A
RAID levels

Appendix B
Special notices

Appendix C
Related publications

Synopsis

This is one of a longish series of books which are often referred to as the IBM Red Books. You can see more about them at the IBM site.
This particular volume is all about the use of SuSE Linux with an IBM Netfinity server. A very useful piece of gear.

Review

For a long time I have received e-mail about the fact that a lot of people would like to see something different from the O'Reilly books. It's true that they are good but people say to me that they would like a fresh approach. Most of these people are system administrators who spend many hours sweating over well worn keyboards.

The guide starts out by introducing the novice Linux user to a few simple concepts to do with SuSE Linux. How to use YaST is the most important part of SuSE linux and there is much graphical help for this rather than long and boring sentences that don't make much sense. From here the reader moves on to basic system administration and what to do with RAID utilities. In the following chapters some very useful concepts to do with DNS, Samba, Apache, Firewalls and Sendmail are carefully explained in the kind of language that is easy to understand. Since this book was published there have been some extended discussions about Sendmail. It's best to view the various archives around the internet about those issues.

The book finishes off with NFS, NIS and a very worthwhile introduction to LDAP which is a subject that not too many people know too much about. The next to last chapter explains backing up with BRU. Something that more of us should know more about. The final chapter explains the stuff to do with setting up a Beowulf cluster. This is one of the very few references that are avialable on the subject of clustering with SuSE Linux.

The IBM Red Books represent a down to earth and simple approach to the explanation of how to use computers and how to configure software. Many people who are just now confused would welcome more information from IBM and Prentice-Hall of the sort that is published in this kind of book.

Review by Richard Ibbotson