Books

Perl for System Administration
Win32 API Programming with Visual Basic
Motif Reference Manual: v. 6B
SCO UNIX in a Nutshell
AppleScript in a Nutshell
Solaris 8 Training Guide (310-011 and 310-012): System Administrator Certification: Pt.I, II (New Riders Exam Gear)
Win 32 Perl Programming: The Standard Extensions (Circle Series)
The Whole Internet for Windows 95
Learning GNU Emacs (A Nutshell Handbook)
Exploring EXPECT: A TCL Based Toolkit for Automating Interactive Programs
Works 3: DOS (SmartStart S.)
Running Linux
When You Can't Find Your UNIX System Administrator
Applying RCS and SCCS (A Nutshell Handbook)
Excel 4 for Windows: First Run
Ms-DOS First Run
EXCEL 5 for Windows Quick Reference
Using Excel 5.0 for Windows
Using PC Tools for Windows
Practice Using Windows 3.1
Using 1-2-3 for Windows Special Edition
Easy Word for Windows
Java AWT Reference (Java S.)
Unix Power Tools
Writing GNU EMACs Extensions

Average customer rating:

poorly written, confusing
O'reilly books are the best
Best LDAP admin book I have seen
LDAP System Administration
Useless if you intend to write software

LDAP System Administration
Gerald Carter
Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Unix & Linux | O'Reilly | By Publisher | Books

Linux | Unix & Linux | O'Reilly | By Publisher | Books

Perl | Programming | O'Reilly | By Publisher | Books

X Windows & Motif | O'Reilly | By Publisher | Books

Network Administration | O'Reilly | By Publisher | Books

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Computer Science | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Software | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Computer Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

General | Software Books | Custom Stores | Stores | Software
Similar Items:

Kerberos: The Definitive Guide
DNS and Bind:3rd Ed
SSH, The Secure Shell: The Definitive Guide
Understanding and Deploying LDAP Directory Services (2nd Edition)
Deploying OpenLDAP

ASIN: 1565924916

Book Description

Be more productive and make your life easier. That's what LDAP System Administration is all about. System administrators often spend a great deal of time managing configuration information located on many different machines: usernames, passwords, printer configurations, email client configurations, and network filesystem configurations, to name a few. LDAPv3 provides tools for centralizing all of the configuration information and placing it under your control. Rather than maintaining several administrative databases (NIS, Active Directory, Samba, and NFS configuration files), you can make changes in only one place and have all your systems immediately "see" the updated information. Practically platform independent, this book uses the widely available, open source OpenLDAP 2 directory server as a premise for examples, showing you how to use it to help you manage your configuration information effectively and securely. OpenLDAP 2 ships with most Linux® distributions and Mac OS® X, and can be easily downloaded for most Unix-based systems. After introducing the workings of a directory service and the LDAP protocol, all aspects of building and installing OpenLDAP, plus key ancillary packages like SASL and OpenSSL, this book discusses:

Configuration and access control
Distributed directories; replication and referral
Using OpenLDAP to replace NIS
Using OpenLDAP to manage email configurations
Using LDAP for abstraction with FTP and HTTP servers, Samba, and Radius
Interoperating with different LDAP servers, including Active Directory
Programming using Net::LDAP

If you want to be a master of your domain, LDAP System Administration will help you get up and running quickly regardless of which LDAP version you use. After reading this book, even with no previous LDAP experience, you'll be able to integrate a directory server into essential network services such as mail, DNS, HTTP, and SMB/CIFS.

Customer Reviews:

poorly written, confusing.......2007-02-03

This book borders on being useless for an administrator new to ldap. For instance on page 5 (CHAPTER 1 "Now where did I put that...?", or "What is a directory?")there is a heading "What is LDAP" and then it goes into the RFC's. Then on page 11 (CHAPTER 2 LDAPv3 Overview) thru page 30 he talks more about RFC's and Object Identifiers and authentication. Anyway by page 30 I gave up on the nonsesne and I went back to my SUSE Linux 9 Bible. Do you know what that book says what LDAP is? Well, on page 501 , "...LDAP describes organization of data, access to the data, and the protocol used to talk to an LDAP server." So in the SUSE book it gives an answer in 19 words that Gerald Carter could not do in 28 pages!

One really good thing about this book is that on page 23 he admits to using other documents and you really should too! In particular go to Sun Microsystems and "Search the site for "LDAP schema reference" to locate the most recent versions of the product documentation." In particular you
may want to search for iPlanet and get the the Administrator's Guide, Deployment Guide, Schema Reference. If you are running NT 4.0 you can also get the "Sun ONE Portal Server" which was called iPlanet Web Server before Sun got them.

If you are using SUSE Linux then I would recommend for you to use the openldap and install if from Yast and use the Linux Bible. It has only 17 pages but it will show you what ldap is, how to set up, test, insert data, and integrate ldap into Linux.

The bottom line is that this book is really good for wasting time and not achieving anything productive, but for implementing and using ldap in a working environment it is of no help.

O'reilly books are the best.......2007-01-09

Another great O'reilly book. O'reilly, IMHO are the best technical books.

Best LDAP admin book I have seen.......2006-11-07

This excellent book covers implementing and administering LDAP better than any I have seen. It's apparent to me that a great deal of thought has gone into key paragraphs. Despite some comments to the contrary, the organization is methodical and logical. Throughout the book there are references to other sources to further research related topics.

Chapter 1 LDAP is defined and you are pointed to the appropriate RFC's.

Chapter 2 is an overview of the LDAPv3 and explains very well the format of the LDIF directory data/structure files. Incidentally, I found that this book enhanced my understanding of Microsofts Active Directory which encompasses among other things LDAPv3.

Chapter 3 familiarizes you with the slapd.conf file and the example uses an SSHA hashed rootpw (an OpenSSL algorithm) and introduces you to the use of ACL's in this server config file.

Chapter 4 leads you through building a company white pages using the command line (which you certainly should know how to do even if you are a GUI fan); the chapter concludes with a brief list of GUI editors for the faint of heart.

Chapter 5 explains replicating to a backup LDAP server with slurpd, enhanced backups using generated LDIF files and distributing the directory to maximize network traffic efficiency. Additions, deletions and modifications to the database are illustrated. Searching is briefly, but concisely explained.

Chapter 6 begins Part II, application integration. The Pluggable Authentication module pam_ldap and it's configuration file, ldap.conf are discussed and there is a list of ldap.conf parameters with explanations. Replacing NIS with LDAP is covered in this chapter. Chapter 6 ends with a brief overview of security mechanisms in LDAPv3.

Chapter 7 presents LDAP as a directory storing email addresses and other contact information. Configuration examples for connection 4 popular email clients are included. Integration with 3 popular MTA's (postfix, sendmail and Exim) round out the chapter.

Chapter 8 introduces integration of network services other than authentication and email with LDAP. Among other things, DNS, printing and Samba LDAP integration are discussed.

Chapter 9 has a few valuable pointers in interoperability with other platforms, specifically Windows 2000 Active Directory. Digital certificates and Kerberos authentication on the Windows platform as relating to *nix are very briefly discussed.

Chapter 10, Net::LDAP and Perl gives a mainly informational overview of connecting, binding and searching and contains sample scripts using the Net::LDAP module. It also demonstrates adding, updating and deleting entries using Perl scripts instead of the LDIF methods earlier in the book. Note, however that this is not a book about programming; it is a book about LDAP Administration.

Lastly, this book does need an update. Some modules which were separate entities not so long ago are now symbolic links; for example:

/usr/local/sbin/slapacl -> slapd
/usr/local/sbin/slapadd -> slapd
/usr/local/sbin/slapauth -> slapd
/usr/local/sbin/slapcat -> slapd
/usr/local/sbin/slapd
/usr/local/sbin/slapdn -> slapd
/usr/local/sbin/slapindex -> slapd
/usr/local/sbin/slappasswd -> slapd
/usr/local/sbin/slaptest -> slapd
Even the best needs to be updated; and when it is I will be one of the first to purchase it.

LDAP protocol will very likely solve the complex problem of redundant authentication/authorization data spread across heterogenous networks. However, whether your users access resources through passwords or some other mechanism one thing stands out.

If your security database resides in one place, it must be secured and precautions taken that authentication data traversing the network cannot be sniffed or otherwise compromised. In general, most admins accomplish this by encryption using SSH/SSH2 or OpenSSH.

OpenSSH, in turn uses the encryption libraries of OpenSSL so it's a required dependency.

To summarize, IMHO: LDAP is only 1 part of the solution and this book covers it better than any other I have seen. No single reference will cover all the bases and like any well written book this one keeps the focus on the major subject of LDAP, but offers references to other related topics.

Above my workstation is a wooden shelf containing my most important references; this is one of them. I have found the following volumes very helpful and LDAP plays well with these technologies.

"LDAP System Administration" by Gerald Carter.

"SSH The Secure Shell, The Definitive Guide" by Daniel J. Barrett, Richard E. Silverman & Robert G. Byrnes.

"Network Security with OpenSSL" by John Viega, Matt Messier & Pravir Chandra.

"Kerberos: The Definitive Guide" by Jason Garman

These 4 volumes will help you both in securing your network and making it more productive and accessable to authorized users. These volumes complement each other.

If you need guidance for software development, you might try "Secure Programming Cookbook for C and C++" by John Viega and Matt Messier

Definitely Five stars - even though it does need updating.

This book fills a knowledge void and can make your life a lot easier. It can save you hours of Google searches, searching forums, pumping your friends for tips, trial and error, and grep'ing log files; this one deserves a slot in your special library.

LDAP System Administration.......2006-11-05

This has to be the most dry O'Reilly's book I've read to date. It's a chore to get through the foundation in order to get to the substance. Don't read it while sleepy, unless you suffer insomnia.

I purchased this book to learn how to implement LDAP as a replacement for NIS on Solaris systems.

Useless if you intend to write software.......2005-11-01

I bought this book hoping that it would explain how LDAP works. Basicaly this book tells you how to set up a server and let other tools use it as they see fit.

This book will be of little value to anyone that plans on writing applications to speak to an LDAP server.

Perl for System Administration: Managing multi-platform environments with Perl

Average customer rating:

Advanced Yet Empowering
Multiplatform SysAdmin Perl Tools
The Art of System Administration...revealed!
Perl for System Administration
Buy it for the apendicies!

Perl for System Administration: Managing multi-platform environments with Perl
David Blank-Edelman
Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Operating Systems | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Programming | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Hardware | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Unix & Linux | O'Reilly | By Publisher | Books

Unix System Administration | Unix & Linux | O'Reilly | By Publisher | Books

Perl | Programming | O'Reilly | By Publisher | Books

General | Programming | O'Reilly | By Publisher | Books

Look Inside Computer Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Perl Cookbook, Second Edition
Automating UNIX and Linux Administration (The Expert's Voice)
Learning Perl, Second Edition
Programming Perl (2nd Edition)
Learning Perl on Win32 Systems

ASIN: 1565926099

Amazon.com

The title of David N. Blank-Edelman's new book, Perl for System Administration, is strangely redundant and thankfully misleading. The soul and source of Perl's core competence is Unix system administration, and another O'Reilly tome on Perl tricks for managing backups would not have been welcome. But the subtitle Managing Multiplatform Environments with Perl communicates the essential task: how to administer heterogeneous Unix, Windows NT/2000, and Mac OS systems from the same Perl-based conceptual platform.

Blank-Edelman introduces this diversity of notation to motivate a far-reaching discussion of system internals, and shows how Perl is a natural choice for cross-platform administration. The Unix and Windows "slash" path separators--"/" and "\", respectively--are like crossed swords, where the Mac OS uses the less- generally-known colon (":"). In lesser hands, this treatment still would have been about LAN backups, but Blank-Edelman's familiarity with network imperatives drives the synthesis.

As the topics move beyond file systems, user accounts, and process control, the tripartite division in the discussion breaks down. Treatments of TCP/IP and e-mail feature discussions of NIS, WINS, DNS, and nslookup. The chapters on directory services and SQL database management--while apparently digressive--are inserted tactically to enable elegant approaches to the more mundane administrative tasks of sending and receiving e-mail and managing log files to maximize their utility. Blank-Edelman's keen pragmatism shines in the chapter on security in which noticing intrusion earlier instead of later draws on many of the skills that are developed throughout the book. Notably, each chapter ends with a recapitulation of Perl modules that were referenced in the preceding text.

The eclectic tutorial appendices--an old revision-control system (RCS), the extensible markup language (XML), the database language (SQL), and two undermotivated and esoteric protocols (LDAP and SNMP)--are so brief as to function more as a Perl-free zone for shop talk than as valuable précis for their respective subjects.

Delightfully, this is one of Perl's and O'Reilly's best-written books. Blank-Edelman's wit buoys the argument without descending into the all-too-common parlance of sappy testimonials, hollow confessions, or the burdensome ornamentation of inside jokes and puns. --Peter Leopold

Book Description

Some people plan to become administrators. The rest of us are thrust into it: we are webmasters, hobbyists, or just the default "technical people" on staff who are expected to keep things running. After some stumbling around repeating the same steps over and over again (and occasionally paying the price when we forget one), we realize that we must automate these tasks, or suffer endless frustration. Thus enters Perl. The Perl programming language is ideal for writing quick yet powerful scripts that automate many administrative tasks. It's modular, it's powerful, and it's perfect for managing systems and services on many platforms. Perl for System Administration is designed for all levels of administrators--from hobbyists to card-carrying SAGE members--sysadmins on multi-platform sites. Written for several different platforms (Unix, Windows NT, and Mac OS), it's a guide to the pockets of administration where Perl can be most useful for sites large and small, including:

Filesystem management
User administration with a dash of XML
DNS and other network name services
Database administration using DBI and ODBC
Directory services and frameworks like LDAP and ADSI
Using email for system administration
Working with log files of all kinds

Each chapter concentrates on a single administrative area, discusses the possible pitfalls, and then shows how Perl comes to the rescue. Along the way we encounter interesting Perl features and tricks, with many extended examples and complete programs. The scripts included in the book can simply be used as written or with minimal adaptation. But it's likely that readers will also get a taste of what Perl can do, and start extending those scripts for tasks that we haven't dreamed of. Perl for System Adminstration doesn't attempt to teach the Perl language, but it is an excellent introduction to the power and flexibility of Perl, and it whets the appetite to learn more. It's for anyone who needs to use Perl for system administration and needs to hit the ground running.

Customer Reviews:

Advanced Yet Empowering.......2006-10-24

This book is very uncanny in that it is able to cover advanced administration procedural concepts (such as log rotation) and networking technologies (like SNMP), and the automation that applies to these areas. The coverage is from a platform neutral perspective, but does delve into platform specific solutions where needed, e.g. Windows events vs. UNIX syslogs, Active Directory vs. LDAP, etc. What is nice is that these system or network administration chores, is that the coverage uses generic cross-platform libraries (Mozilla's LDAP modules for example), but where needed delves into platform specific libraries such as ADSI (for Active Directory LDAP OLE-DB provider).

I highly recommend this book as supplementary material for existing scripting books and system administration books. I would note that the material is advanced and would be suited for those already familar with intermediate Perl programming (map, grep, array slicing, split, etc.) and advanced system administration and network administration concepts (or ability and eagerness to learn)

Multiplatform SysAdmin Perl Tools.......2001-11-16

The biggest asset of this book is the author's expert knowledge of the three platforms (Unix, Windows NT/2000, Mac) and the in-depth coverage he gives to each. With almost every Perl sysadmin tool he covers, he outlines the OS-specific Perl modules necessary to make the tool work on any of the platforms. This book is truly unique in that regard.

The Art of System Administration...revealed!.......2001-05-01

I was surprised to find a disclaimer at the beginning of the book on the places where it might NOT be a good idea to use Perl. Typically people take an all-or-nothing approach to toolsets like Perl. This might save some work where a small ksh script works ok - it's not always necessary to build a Perl program.

The best part of the book is highlighting the art and craft of system administration, possibly better than most attempts at it that I've previously read. Even disregarding the excellent examples and specific code for same, this is good as another resource of the harried sysadmin. Somewhat less so for the Perl junkies, however.

The biggest downside to this book is the inclusion of NT-specific constructs and concepts. Most system administrators won't touch NT, and most network administrators maintaining NT server farms probably won't touch Perl. This may be a bias of mine, of course.

Perl for System Administration.......2001-04-30

Buy it for the apendicies!.......2000-11-27

Heck, i haven't even looked at the main part of this book, but the appendicies are priceless. A fifteen minute crash course on SQL? An 8 minute crash course on XML? Like treatment is given to RCS, LDAP, and SNMP. I've used this book for less than an hour of my life, and it's been a terriffic investment.

Average customer rating:

Nice addition to my OSX UNIX library
The Definitive Guide to Panther
Hefty, deep and well written
Comprehensive and authoritative

Mac OS X Panther in a Nutshell

Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

MacOS | Operating Systems | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Operating Systems | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Software | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Macs | Hardware | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Nutshell | Series | O'Reilly | By Publisher | Books

General | Unix & Linux | O'Reilly | By Publisher | Books

Perl | Programming | O'Reilly | By Publisher | Books

General | Programming | O'Reilly | By Publisher | Books

X Windows & Motif | O'Reilly | By Publisher | Books

Macintosh | O'Reilly | By Publisher | Books

Look Inside Computer Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

General | Software Books | Custom Stores | Stores | Software
Similar Items:

Mac OS X Panther Hacks: 100 Industrial Strength Tips & Tools (Hacks)
Running Mac OS X Panther
Mac OS X: The Missing Manual, Panther Edition
Mac OS X Panther for Unix Geeks
Learning Unix for Mac OS X Panther

ASIN: 0596006063

Book Description

An instant success among newcomers, longtime Apple® fans and serious Unix® users alike, the Mac OS® X operating system combines stability, simplicity and elegance, and a stunning user interface. What more could Mac users want or need? The answer, of course, is Mac OS X Panther--a sleek and powerful overhaul of Mac OS X that promises to revitalize your Mac with improved views of the system, significant improvements to favorite applications, and numerous added conveniences. As with its predecessor, Jaguar, Mac OS X Panther offers plenty of new territory to explore. To show the way, O'Reilly's latest Nutshell book, Mac OS X Panther in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition offers all audiences--both longtime Mac users and hardcore Unix users--the most complete guide to this remarkable operating system. The latest edition of this all-purpose reference leads power users through the newly changed landscape of Mac OS X. Mac OS X Panther in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition provides details about the user-interface elements, system and network administration, and scripting and development. If you want to probe more deeply into the BSD Unix side of Mac OS X, there's a section that delves "under the hood." The book also includes the most complete Unix command reference found in print--with each command and option painstakingly tested and checked against Panther. Even the manpages that ship with the system can't compete in accuracy! Mac OS X Panther in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition offers a thorough treatment of Mac OS X Panther, from its BSD Unix foundation to the finer points of its user interface. It familiarizes readers with the Finder™ and the Dock, file management, system configuration, network administration issues, and more, including a clear picture of what's new Other topics covered in the book include:

Filesystem overview
Running Java® applications
System and Network Administration
Directory Services and NetInfo
Scripting on Mac OS X Panther
Using CVS
Unix Command Reference
An overview of the Apple® X11 distribution

Mac OS X Panther in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition is the indispensable guide for anyone who wants to know Mac OS X Panther inside and out.

Customer Reviews:

Nice addition to my OSX UNIX library.......2005-09-25

Since I converted I have found OS X UNIX is amazingly friendly and accessible. Some people who had never used it before type commands and work with the operating system directly as a "cool guys" in movies! This book is very helpful and well written and it is serves as a very nice reference. I paired this book with that "UNIX Essentials" DVD I found here on Amazon and it is complete OS UNIX course recorded and this book and a video they contribute one another greatly. You improve the reading and by reading you improve what you have seen.
The book is very particular about the subjects that related to OS X and because there are some differences between OS X and other UNIXes it is nice to have a book that deals with it.

The Definitive Guide to Panther.......2004-08-31

The publisher, O'Reilly Media, seems dedicated to covering Apple's OSX operating system, OSX, from every conceivable vantage point. Its "Missing Manual" series on Panther is a user's reference on how to use the operating system and its applications for productivity and fun. Its "Hacks" series provides dozens of tips, guides, and project ideas. In the "Nutshell" series iteration, "MacOSX Panther in a Nutshell" designs to provide in-depth, comprehensive information about the inner workings of the OS. It is for power users and developers who want to master the OS and have the fullest description and explanation of OSX.

This book starts out detailing the multi-layered architecture of OSX and illuminates its power and elegance. In great depth and detail, it explains the Unix components, Aqua elements, OS9 and Classic, the Finder, and the multitude of Unix services, daemons, and applications.

This is terse, descriptive prose. The authors focus a sharp telephoto lens on the skeleton, sinews, and pores of OSX, starting with basic elements and probing deep into the details of the file system, networking components, directory services, printing configurations and more. This in-depth description and large handfuls of guides and tips totals over 1,000 pages.

A separate part of the book is devoted to Applescript, X-code tools, and Java. The X-code tools are for developers. Part IV is all about Unix, including three chapters on "shells" alone, plus sections on text editors, the X-Window system, and a full 262 pages of Unix command references, touted as the most complete such source in print publication.

No mere user manual would have ten pages devoted solely to understanding and managing preference files, or five pages on using the Colorsync feature with Quartz filter scripts.

Surprisingly, only ten pages are dedicated to security issues. Although the Mac is known to be extremely secure, recent news shows even the Mac is vulnerable to sophisticated exploits.

For those with a need to know, this is the definitive source for deep knowledge of OSX.

Hefty, deep and well written.......2004-07-29

It's tough to tell this from Amazon, but this book is a thousand pages, which makes it quite a hefty tome. But that doesn't make it a doorstop. There are screenshots, but they are, by in large, useful and relevant, and the book doesn't use them to tell a click by click story of the interface.

The book is organized into four parts that start at the user interface and continue to peel away levels of the system until, in chapter four, the author covers the command line unix shell at a surprising level of detail. A level of detail which rivals O'Reilly's other command line exclusive books. In fact, this book gives a fine introduction to scripting bash and tcsh. It does as good a job there as it does covering printing, or the vagaries of the new Finder in the chapters that precede it.

This is a quality piece of in-depth work about the unmodified Panther operating system. It's well worth the price for those who are more interested in understanding than hacking (though I admit a love for the new Mac OS X Panther Hacks book as well.)

Comprehensive and authoritative.......2004-07-22

Do any of you remember the O'Reilly books from the late 80s on X Windows? Those became the definitive guides to X11, and probably were crucial in putting O'Reilly on the map as a prominent technical publisher.

Well, this book on Mac OS X Panther captures some of that early O'Reilly spirit. In its comprehensiveness and heft. But also in its terseness. Turn to a random chapter and start reading. The authors try to get to the point, without wasting time. They write at a technical level that assumes you don't know the specifics of that chapter, but that you are no novice to computing.

It should be noted that the second half of the book is essentially a standard unix reference. As you may be aware, OS X is now a unix variant. Which is neat. But also accounts for much of the book's size. Unix has built up a massive set of utilities in 20 years, and the length of the unix sections here reflects this.

Don't let this put you off either the book or OS X. On the contrary! The building of the Mac operating system on top of unix gives you more power and stability (against crashes) on the Mac.

Average customer rating:

A good 'shop manual' for OS X Panther
don't quite see where it fits
Not for geeks, good for future geeks
Most accessible of O'Reilly's OS X books
Fine Volume for Mac OS X Geeks

Running Mac OS X Panther
James Duncan Davidson
Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

MacOS | Operating Systems | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Operating Systems | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Software | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Unix & Linux | O'Reilly | By Publisher | Books

Perl | Programming | O'Reilly | By Publisher | Books

General | Programming | O'Reilly | By Publisher | Books

X Windows & Motif | O'Reilly | By Publisher | Books

Macintosh | O'Reilly | By Publisher | Books

Look Inside Computer Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

General | Software Books | Custom Stores | Stores | Software
Similar Items:

Mac OS X Panther in a Nutshell
Mac OS X: The Missing Manual, Panther Edition
Mac OS X Panther for Unix Geeks
Mac OS X Panther Hacks: 100 Industrial Strength Tips & Tools (Hacks)
Learning Unix for Mac OS X Panther

ASIN: 0596005008

Book Description

AppleÂ® has shown no mercy to the MacintoshÂ® power user---that dedicated individual who knows their MacÂ® inside and out: what makes it tick, and what makes it tick better. In the rapid evolution of Mac OSÂ® X, there have been three major releases, and each new release challenges the power user to once more stay ahead of the learning curve. Mac OS X Panther is no exception to that rule. With more than 100 new features, including a new Finder, Expos , FileVault, and an improved BSD Unix core, there's plenty here to master. Fortunately, power users have a secret weapon in Running Mac OS X Panther. This book takes readers deep inside Mac OS X's core, revealing the inner workings of Panther for those who want to get the most out of their system. Running Mac OS X Panther is the ultimate Swiss Army Knifeâ¢ for power users who want to customize, tweak, and generally rev up their Mac. The easy-to-follow format is organized into three primary parts:

Getting Started introduces you to Mac OS X--where it came from, how it's put together, and how it works
Administration Essentials gives you the tools you need to examine how your system is running and adjust all the knobs behind its operation
Networking and Network Services covers all the ways Mac OS X interfaces with the world around it, including wireless and spontaneous networking

Developer Tools, including Xcode, for Mac OS X are discussed throughout the book where needed to accomplish the task at hand. The appendices that follow include handy quick reference materials for things such as Open Firmware. Written for readers who are inquisitive and confident enough to dig into their Macintosh system, Running Mac OS X Panther doesn't waste time talking about silly Finder tips or glossing over the messier details. This book dives right in and explains how your Mac works. You may not be a Mac guru when you start this book, but once you've read it, you'll be well on your way.

Customer Reviews:

A good 'shop manual' for OS X Panther.......2004-08-08

Many years ago I bought a second hand Ford Cortina in dubious condition. I kept it running with the assistance of a marvelous volume purchased at a specialist bookstore that was referred to as "the shop manual." It wasn't much help teaching you how to drive or how to park but if you needed to know how to perform an oil change, flush the radiator or bleed the brakes it told you all the details. Now James Duncan Davidson has given me a shop manual for Macintosh OS X Panther.

This volume assumes you know how to use your Mac, how to perform all the routine changes that are easily accomplished with the GUI. Davidson also assumes you don't want to know how to get a movie running as your desktop, or get an Exposé blob floating on the screen or any of the usual sort of 'hacks' or 'hints.' What he gives is a good guide to lifting the hood and performing serious mechanical work or tweaking the performance of your Mac with enough background information so that you can feel confident taking your own steps.

It was good after a few near misses to read an O'Reilly book that was once again well written, well edited, tight and crammed full of information pitched at just the right level. Davidson has done an excellent job with this book.

Davidson starts with a little history, and from the viewpoint he presents, this is not a waste of space; he spends his time explaining exactly how we arrived at the current version of the Mac OS.

Then we have a chapter titled "Lay of the Land" that explores the file system, including both the Finder view and the view you get from the command line. It also explains the four file system domains and the 'Library' directory. The third chapter is a quick (20 pages) look at the Terminal and shell.

Then we get 'Part II: Essentials,' which is the 120-page core of the book. This starts off, logically, with system startup and the login (and log out and shutdown). This is followed by short chapters on users and groups, files and permissions, monitoring, scheduling and preferences and defaults before a marvelous long chapter on the file system. Davidson goes into great detail and closely covers each of the topics, making sure that you get all the details not just 'recipes.'

Part III ("Advanced Topics") starts with a chapter on Open Directory that I found particularly useful. It includes coverage on Kerberos and single sign-on that explains it well, as well as the command-line Open Directory tools. The chapter on printing could have had a bit more guts. It covers the obvious but leaves out such joys as CUPS apart from a half-page sidebar; since sharing printers has caused me more than a little grief I would have appreciated more detail here. The final chapter on networking is better, and provides more useful detail.

It must be said that this section concentrates more on user level detail and leaves out real information on server level software and options. Given the target group for this book, and that a book has to draw a line somewhere, this is quite fair.

Davidson has picked his topics well, almost everyone will find all of Part II useful and educational. Part III is perfect for people wanting to run Panther in a corporate environment. He has balanced the command line and GUI well, pointing out where you can do a job with both and explaining the details.

I would recommend this book to any Panther user with a moderate amount of experience. It is not for the newcomer to the Mac, perhaps, but everyone else will benefit from this book.

don't quite see where it fits.......2004-05-20

This book is supposed to fall in some middle ground between a Mac OSX manual (Like Pogue's Missing Manual on OSX) and the hard core extreme Mac-OSX-as-another-Unix-system (as typified in Mac OSX Unleashed or the OSX Nutshell handbook or the under-rated Unx for Mac OSX by Enzer). However, I think it just ends up neither fish nor fowl. Not really a Mac OSX manual because it is much too short for that, and not nearly as detailed as other books that get into much more depth on the Unix aspects of OSX. I would suggest getting the OSX Missing Manual (or Robin Williams OSX book) and then supplementing that with Enzer's book or Mac OSX unleashed.

Not for geeks, good for future geeks.......2004-05-08

This book is not for geeks. If you are already someone who understands Mac OS X inside and out, uses the terminal to accomplish things periodically, and know how to get things done you will find this book to have no new information.

As I paged through my newly purchased copy I was quite disappointed at the lack of anything that was new to me. As such, this book will be passed on to one of my more advanced users who will enjoy learning more. For someone technically minded who wishes they knew how to do more with OSX, this is a pretty good book.

This book is well written and helpful, but geeks like me are not its audience. If you want a book that digs a lot deeper and covers a lot more subjects, pick up Mac OS X Unleashed (I bought mine from amazon, I know they carry it).

Joel

Most accessible of O'Reilly's OS X books.......2004-03-07

This is a work for those who don't mind getting into the Terminal and into the internals of their Apple. The book has an interesting mix of coverage of the GUI and then the corresponding Unix layer. This dual coverage brings the topics covered home quite nicely. Some of the topics covered are; the Terminal, process control, file access, startup handling, printing and networking.

I consider this the most accessible of the recent crop of O'Reilly OS X books on Panther. If you are a reasonably skilled end-user or engineering looking to get under the covers of your Apple this is probably your best bet.

Fine Volume for Mac OS X Geeks.......2004-03-04

Most Mac users are perfectly happy that the Mac user interface shields them from the intricacies and complexities of the Unix-based "plumbing" beneath the surface of their machines. Others, however, like motorheads who compulsively tune, torque, and tinker with their souped-up cars, love to open up their Mac, so to speak, to get at the innards. This book is for them.

"Running MacOSX Panther" is a systematic guide to the core of OSX written, not just for power users, but for those with a compulsive need to know how the Mac works inside-out. It is for those who want master-level knowledge of how the Mac operates inside.

After a short history of the developmentof the Mac operating system, the book describes all the essentials: what happens during the startup and login process; how files organized and permissions set up; how preferences are maintained and edited; how users and groups are set up and administered, and more. The emphasis is on the Unix underpinnings and use of the command line to view, customize, and control the Mac. There is discussion on how to see and edit hidden files and directories, how to use the Unix "shell" and text editors, and how to edit Open Firmware - the Mac version of the PC's "BIOS". You can learn to create a user account for non-human users (not including your kitty!)

The advanced sections discuss the Open Directory, a type of database which stores information about the system and its components, and advanced networking information and options. Journaling is explained and an argument is made why disk defragmentation is not necessary on OSX. It convinced me.

An appendix providing guidance on installing Panther has sections for ordinary users as well as for Mac "motorheads". The motorheads will enjoy reviewing the list of Boot Command key combinations.

FriendlyRoboCopy: A GUI to RoboCopy for computer forensic investigators [An article from: Digital Investigation]

Average customer rating:

FriendlyRoboCopy: A GUI to RoboCopy for computer forensic investigators [An article from: Digital Investigation]
C. LaVelle , and A. Konrad
Manufacturer: Elsevier
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Elsevier | By Publisher | e-Docs | Formats | Books
ASIN: B000PDTX82

Book Description

This digital document is a journal article from Digital Investigation, published by Elsevier in 2007. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
One of the most pressing challenges in digital investigations today is the extraction and forensic preservation of a subset of data on computer clusters and other large storage systems. As the number and capacity of computer systems increases, it is no longer feasible to create forensic duplicates of every system in their entirety. Although forensic tools are being developed to cope with such situations, they do not support all file systems. Experienced digital investigators use tools such as RoboCopy to preserve a subset of data on target systems, and take steps to document their process and results. This paper explores the need for these tools in digital investigations, and demonstrates the strengths and weaknesses of using RoboCopy to acquire data on a network share. This paper then introduces FriendlyRoboCopy, which provides an effective, user-friendly interface to RoboCopy that addresses the requirements of forensic preservation.

Books:

Books