Linux Apache Web Server Administration (Craig Hunt Linux Library) [Paperback]

This may well be the one book written about Apache that turns into a must buy. It covers earlier in the learning curve and has much better prose than Kabir's "Apache Server Administrator's Handbook" and covers more than Laurie's "Apache: The Definitive Guide". While the sections on Perl, PHP and CGI are not extensive they cover all an Apache administrator needs to know to support the programming efforts of others. I found the sections on troubleshooting and security particularly useful.

I had already compiled Apache from source a number of times so cannot really tell how useful this section might be to the newcomer but it seems to cover everything you need to know to custom build your own httpd binary from source.

The section on configuring Apache is marvellous, I learn something from it every time I open it to assist in reconfiguring a server.

This book is well written, up to date, concise and authoratitive. It has good examples, good explanations and leaves out almost nothing. Everything a computer book should be. I feel that anyone who is starting down the Apache road should buy this book, any real need for earlier information is adequately addressed by the Apache manual while no other volume covers so much of the rest you need to know as well.

I own a number of books on Apache, have printed all the online documentation and regularly read a number of mailing lists devoted to the product. All told, I spent ALOT of time tracking down esoterica related to apache...

While this book is not *everything* you need to admin apache, it IS 95% of the battle. The information is presented clearly with many examples of code, configuration files, and pointers to more information.

By reading this book, and following the guides given, you should be able to have a working, high performance webserver customly cocnfigured for your individual needs, and more importantly... You will know how to support, troubleshoot, recompile and fine tune it as time goes on, for no software costs, licensing or fees, you have to love that :)

The sections on PHP, mod_perl, fastcgi, and other server side technologies are not very indepth, but they do fully explain the integration of these technologies from the apache server perspective.

I would place this on the "Must Buy" list for anyone who runs Apache, no matter which platform you are running Apache on.

The book is clearly and professionally written, and contains excellent descriptions of the various configuration directives, with special attention paid to configuring multiple virtual sites on a single server.

There is ample documentation on compiling Apache from source code. I'm sure that many new web administrators will not find this portion of the book necessary, given the now-ubiquitous availability of pre-compiled binaries in most Linux distributions, but it is nice to have the info as a reference.

My sole complaint, which I also have with the other two Apache manuals I have read to date, is that after the first few chapters the books tend to get mired down in a line-by-line explanation of configuration directives. It would be much more valuable to system administrators new to Apache to have a few more process-oriented chapters. In other words, chapters which read "If you want to achieve x outcome, set y and z directives in the following manner, and this is why it works that way" are much more valuable to the new Apache admin with limited time on his/her hands than the more general "This is what directives x, y, and z do."

Perhaps this complaint is really simply a problem with determining the target audience, which is spectacularly difficult to do online with these books, given the marketing hyperbole that serves as book descriptions - we'd all be better served by a Table of Contents on the description page.

In any case, I heartily recommend the book as a desk reference for Apache configuration, especially if you need to run multiple sites on a single server, with the proviso that new Apache admins should look elsewhere for a more basic manual as well.