Product Description
This is the eBook version of the printed book.
The first edition of The Practice of System and Network Administration introduced a generation of system and network administrators to a modern IT methodology. Whether you use Linux, Unix, or Windows, this newly revised edition describes the essential practices previously handed down only from mentor to protégé. This wonderfully lucid, often funny cornucopia of information introduces beginners to advanced frameworks valuable for their entire career, yet is structured to help even the most advanced experts through difficult projects.
The book's four major sections build your knowledge with the foundational elements of system administration. These sections guide you through better techniques for upgrades and change management, catalog best practices for IT services, and explore various management topics. Chapters are divided into The Basics and The Icing. When you get the Basics right it makes every other aspect of the job easier--such as automating the right things first. The Icing sections contain all the powerful things that can be done on top of the basics to wow customers and managers.
Inside, you'll find advice on topics such as
- The key elements your networks and systems need in order to make all other services run better
- Building and running reliable, scalable services, including web, storage, email, printing, and remote access
- Creating and enforcing security policies
- Upgrading multiple hosts at one time without creating havoc
- Planning for and performing flawless scheduled maintenance windows
- Managing superior helpdesks and customer care
- Avoiding the "temporary fix" trap
- Building data centers that improve server uptime
- Designing networks for speed and reliability
- Web scaling and security issues
- Why building a backup system isn't about backups
- Monitoring what you have and predicting what you will need
- How technically oriented workers can maintain their job's technical focus (and avoid an unwanted management role)
- Technical management issues, including morale, organization building, coaching, and maintaining positive visibility
- Personal skill techniques, including secrets for getting more done each day, ethical dilemmas, managing your boss, and loving your job
- System administration salary negotiation
It's no wonder the first edition received Usenix SAGE's 2005 Outstanding Achievement Award!
This eagerly anticipated second edition updates this time-proven classic:
- Chapters reordered for easier navigation
- Thousands of updates and clarifications based on reader feedback
- Plus three entirely new chapters: Web Services, Data Storage, and Documentation
From the Back Cover
"Your organization needs this book!"
--Peter Salus, Chief Knowledge Officer, Matrix.Net, "The Bookworm"
This book describes the best practices of system and network administration, independent of specific platforms or technologies. It features six key principles of site design and support practices: simplicity, clarity, generality, automation, communication, and basics first. It examines the major areas of responsibility for system administrators within the context of these principles. The book also discusses change management and revision control, server upgrades, maintenance windows, and service conversions. You will find experience-based advice on topics such as:
- The key elements your networks/systems need that will make all other services run better
- Building and running reliable, scalable services, including email, printing, and remote access
- Creating security policies and enforcing them
- Upgrading thousands of hosts without creating havoc
- Planning for and performing flawless scheduled maintenance windows
- Superior helpdesks, customer care, and avoiding the temporary fix trap
- Building data centers that prevent problems
- Designing networks for speed and reliability
- Email scaling and security issues
- Why building a backup system isn't about backups
- Monitoring what you have and predicting what you will need
- How to stay technical and how not to be pushed into management
And there's more! When was the last time you read a book that dealt with:
- Real-world technical management issues, including morale, organization building, coaching, maintaining positive visibility, and communicating with nontechnical management
- Personal skill techniques, including our secrets for getting more done each day, dealing with less technical people, ethical dilemmas, managing your boss, and loving your job
- System administration salary negotiation tips--the first book that includes this topic!
Chapters are divided into The Basics and The Icing. The Basics are those key elements that, when done right, make every other aspect of the job easier. Things like starting all new hosts with the same configuration and picking the right things to automate first. The Icing sections contain all those powerful things that can be done on top of the basics to wow customers and managers. Do the basics first. The icing is a vision for the future that usually only comes with decades of experience.
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