[NTLUG:Discuss] Good RedHat or Linux Book

[MadHat]

> Bob Byron wrote:
> 
> I am a newbie at Linux and would like to know which book I should
> buy.  First,
> I would like a book that details how to use linuxconf,  Second, I
> would like to
> find out what the best all around Linux (or RedHat 6.1) book would be
> to help me setup a
> Linux server.

First, I personally wouldn't use Linuxconf.  I don't know of a book that
covers it, but I am sure someone has done it.  The reason I say don't
use it, is because if you really want to be able to use a linux box, it
is a bad tool to get into the habit of using.  
1. it isn't always installed on all machines, so if you want to be able
to admin most machines, or at least know how to admin most machine, it
is better to learn without this tool.
2. it sucks for admining certain daemons (like SMB).  And when I say
suck, I mean it can cause the configuration files to be so mangled that
the daemon won't even run.
3. I don't consider it to be reliable or secure, but this is all just my
own personal opinion.

Best book to setup a Linux Server?  Depends on what the focus of the
server is and how much you already know, whether or not you are actually
setting up a server in the sense of the "new" Linux idea (created by
companies like RedHat and others) where a server is a machine with X and
all the user apps and then have the daemons running on there as well
(which is what I would consider a workstation) or what I consider a
"true" server where there is no X, there are minimal user apps necessary
to use the machine and the machine is focused on running the daemons it
needs and runs them well because of less crap^H^H^H^Hstuff taking up
resources.

Before buying any book, I would take a look at the HOW-TOs on almost
every Linux site out there and included with just about every Linux
distribution and look at all the docs at sites like linux.com, oswg.org
and linuxdoc.org, they should have a lot of the information you need. 
When you decide you need to get a book, if you are looking for a
reference manual, go with O'Reilly's Unix or Linux in a Netshell, not
great for learning from, but an excellent reference.  And of course
O'Rielly has lots of great other titles, like "Running Linux",
"Essential System Administration" and "Unix Power Tools".  I have also
looked at Learning Unix in XX days, and it can be ok.  The Using Linux
from Que isn't bad either, but I have yet to find a book that actually
covers what the reader is looking for.  It always works out that the
reader gets good info from the book they bought, but it just didn't have
what they wanted.  It seems to miss that one important point and that is
when you come here with your question.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ts/browse-books/3849/qid=950880032/sr=6-1/002-7637720-8951412

Sorry for such a rant so early in the morning.

-- 
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