Product Description
Praise for the First Edition of A Practical Guide to Ubuntu Linux®
“I am so impressed by how Mark Sobell can approach a complex topic in such an understandable manner. His command examples are especially useful in providing a novice (or even an advanced) administrator with a cookbook on how to accomplish real-world tasks on Linux. He is truly an inspired technical writer!”
–George Vish II, Senior Education Consultant, Hewlett-Packard Company
“Overall, I think it’s a great, comprehensive Ubuntu book that’ll be a valuable resource for people of all technical levels.”
–John Dong, Ubuntu Forum Council Member, Backports Team Leader
“The JumpStart sections really offer a quick way to get things up and running, allowing you to dig into the details of the book later.”
–Scott Mann, Aztek Networks
“Ubuntu is gaining popularity at the rate alcohol did during Prohibition, and it’s great to see a well-known author write a book on the latest and greatest version. Not only does it contain Ubuntu-specific information, but it also touches on general computer-related topics, which will help the average computer user to better understand what’s going on in the background. Great work, Mark!”
–Daniel R. Arfsten, Pro/ENGINEER Drafter/Designer
“I read a lot of Linux technical information every day, but I’m rarely impressed by tech books. I usually prefer online information sources instead. Mark Sobell’s books are a notable exception. They’re clearly written, technically accurate, comprehensive, and actually enjoyable to read.”
–Matthew Miller, Senior Systems Analyst/Administrator, BU Linux Project, Boston University Office of Information Technology
“I would so love to be able to use this book to teach a class about not just Ubuntu or Linux but about computers in general. It is thorough and well written with good illustrations that explain important concepts
for computer usage.”
–Nathan Eckenrode, New York Local Community Team
“Overall, A Practical Guide to Ubuntu Linux® by Mark G. Sobell provides all of the information a beginner to intermediate user of Linux would need to be productive. The inclusion of the Live DVD of the Gutsy Gibbon release of Ubuntu makes it easy for the user to test-drive Linux without affecting his installed OS. I have no doubts that you will consider this book money well spent.”
–Ray Lodato, Slashdot contributor, www.slashdot.org
“This is well written, clear, comprehensive information for the Linux user of any type, whether trying Ubuntu on for the first time and wanting to know a little about it, or using the book as a very good reference when doing something more complicated like setting up a server. This book’s value goes well beyond its purchase price and it’ll make a great addition to the Linux section of your bookshelf.”
–Linc Fessenden, Host of The LinuxLink TechShow, tllts.org
“The author has done a very good job at clarifying such a detail-oriented operating system. I have extensive Unix and Windows experience and this text does an excellent job at bridging the gaps between Linux, Windows, and Unix. I highly recommend this book to both ‘newbs’ and experienced users. Great job!”
–Mark Polczynski, Information Technology Consultant
“When I first started working with Linux just a short 10 years or so ago, it was a little more difficult than now to get going. . . . Now, someone new to the community has a vast array of resources available on the web, or if they are inclined to begin with Ubuntu, they can literally find almost every single thing they will need in the single volume of Mark Sobell’s A Practical Guide to Ubuntu Linux®.
“I’m sure this sounds a bit like hyperbole. Everything a person would need to know? Obviously not everything, but this book, weighing in at just under 1200 pages, covers so much so thoroughly that there won’tbe much left out. From install to admin, networking, security, shell scripting, package management, and a host of other topics, it is all there. GUI and command line tools are covered. There is not really any wasted space or fluff, just a huge amount of information. There are screen shots when appropriate but they do not take up an inordinate amount of space. This book is information-dense.”
–JR Peck, Editor, GeekBook.org
Praise for Other Books by Mark G. Sobell
“I currently own one of your books, A Practical Guide to Linux®. I believe this book is one of the most comprehensive and, as the title says, practical guides to Linux I have ever read. I consider myself a novice and I come back to this book over and over again.”
–Albert J. Nguyen
“Thank you for writing a book to help me get away from Windows XP and to never touch Windows Vista. The book is great; I am learning a lot of new concepts and commands. Linux is definitely getting easier
to use.”
–James Moritz
“I have been wanting to make the jump to Linux but did not have the guts to do so–until I saw your familiarly titled A Practical Guide to Red Hat® Linux® at the bookstore. I picked up a copy and am eagerly looking forward to regaining my freedom.”
–Carmine Stoffo, Machine and Process Designer to pharmaceutical industry
“I am currently reading A Practical Guide to Red Hat® Linux® and am finally understanding the true power of the command line. I am new to Linux and your book is a treasure.”
–Juan Gonzalez
The Most Complete, Easy-to-Follow Guide to Ubuntu Linux
Mark Sobell’s A Practical Guide to Ubuntu Linux®, Second Edition, isn’t just the most thorough and up-to-date reference to installing, configuring, and working with Ubuntu. It also provides comprehensive server coverage you won’t find in any other Ubuntu book.
The fully updated JumpStart sections help you get complex servers running quickly. Whatever your questions may be, the completely revamped index gives you even faster access to the answers you’re searching for. And a brand new chapter on Perl programming teaches you the basics of this powerful system administration language.
Sobell walks you through every feature and technique you’ll need, from installing Ubuntu to working with GNOME, Samba, exim4, Apache, DNS, NIS, LDAP, ufw, firestarter, and iptables. His exceptionally clear explanations demystify everything from system security to Windows file/printer sharing. You’ll find full chapters on running Ubuntu from the command line and GUI, administering systems and security, setting up networks and Internet servers, and much more.
Along the way, you’ll learn both the “hows” and the “whys” of Ubuntu. Sobell knows every Linux nook and cranny: He’s taught hundreds of thousands of readers–and never forgets what it’s like to be new to
Linux. Whether you’re a user, administrator, or programmer, this book gives you all you need–and more.
The world’s most practical Ubuntu Linux book is now even more useful!
This book delivers
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Hundreds of easy-to-follow, easy-to-use examples
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Updated JumpStarts for setting up Samba, Apache, Mail, FTP, NIS, OpenSSH, DNS, and other complex servers
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Deeper coverage of the command line, GNOME GUI, and desktop customization
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Coverage of crucial Ubuntu topics such as sudo and the Upstart init daemon
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More detailed, usable coverage of Internet server configuration, including Apache, exim4, and DNS/BIND
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More state-of-the-art security techniques, including firewall setup using
ufw,
firestarter, and
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Average Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Excellent as tutorial & reference!, 2008-10-05
This book is exactly what I was looking for, and needed. It covers every aspect of installation, setup, customization, and use of Ubuntu Linux. It covers each topic in plain English, throughly, and builds your understanding from the basics through advanced topics. You can easily use this book to get up and running fast, and then learn at your own pace the more complex topics.
I highly recommend this book to anyone with Ubuntu! It is well written, covers everything in detail, and can be used by a novice or expert.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Great book for the new user, 2008-09-03
I'm new to linux in general and heard about Ubuntu through friends. Though I consider myself to be a fairly competent computer user (built computers for 4 years during college and manage hardware/software for a small business), Linux was pretty intimidating to me. This book breaks more complex stuff like RAID array setup, managing software updates, even using the console interface into easy to understand language. This is a rare book, in that it's written by knowledgeable people with the average Joe in mind. You can use it as a step-by-step guide or as a reference book. It's pretty modular, so you can skip what you don't need or want to read without missing anything important for other tasks. If you're thinking about breaking ties with Windows but find Linux intimidating, this is book a great place to start.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
This is one of the more complete books I've found on Ubuntu., 2008-07-26
The book included everything I was looking for and made mastering Ubuntu easy. This is one that I'll keep as a reference.
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
A complete guide to Ubuntu Linux for beginning to intermediate users, 2008-03-31
Finding a single book that encompasses what you want to learn can be difficult. Most cover a few portions of a subject in depth and skim over (or omit) others. Other books will cover each topic at about the same level: high enough to give an impression of what can be done, but not with enough depth to do it without a lot of effort. Mark G. Sobell's "A Practical Guide to Ubuntu Linux" is a single volume that gives the reader enough information to effectively install, configure and run workstations and servers using Ubuntu Linux. He has come the closest I have seen to containing all of the necessary information without being too shallow. A DVD with the Gutsy Gibbon release of Ubuntu in a directly bootable form is included with the book.
With over two decades of experience related to Unix and Linux, Mark G. Sobell has authored almost two dozen books on the subject. I had previously read and reviewed his book "A Practical Guide to Red Hat Linux: Fedora Core and Red Hat Enterprise Linux (Second Edition)" and found it the highest quality book I had yet read on Linux. This, his latest book, bears many similarities to the other text, including its high quality. The overall structure is like that of a textbook, providing a summary and exercises at the end of each chapter, as well as copious cross-references.
"A Practical Guide to Ubuntu Linux" is broken up into five parts containing 27 chapters in all. Each of the chapters provides Jumpstart sections to help you install and configure each server quickly, and enough detail to handle the more common configuration changes. Part I uses two chapters to provide an overview of, and step-by-step instructions for, installing Linux. The step-by-step chapter goes into great detail on each step of the process, using both the graphical and textual installation paths. Part II provides higher-level information that shows newer Linux users what they can do. Part III uses another four chapters to dive deeper into the Bourne Again Shell (BASH), the GUIs, and networking. Starting with Part IV, Mark describes how to perform the more common configuration tasks. Using seven chapters and over 200 pages, Part IV provides a great deal of detail regarding system administration. The final section, Part V, uses nine chapters to go into depth on set up various servers and use their clients. OpenSSH, FTP, exim4 (for mail), NIS, NFS, Samba, DNS/BIND, the firewall (firestarter and iptables), and finally Apache.
Overall, "A Practical Guide to Ubuntu Linux" by Mark G. Sobell provides all of the information a beginner to intermediate user of Linux would need to be productive. The inclusion of the Live DVD of the Gutsy Gibbon release of Ubuntu makes it easy for the user to test-drive Linux without affecting his installed OS. I have no doubts that you will consider this book money well spent.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Solid Reference, 2008-03-24
The huge table of contents and index make this a great reference tool. Sobell has written a book that can take anyone interested from novice to knowledgeable.
Want to learn linux and know more than just surface level basics? Then I can't recommend this book enough.
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