Learning Red Hat Linux (With CD-ROM) (Paperback)

McCarty follows his nose through the installation procedure and annotates each step with dos and don'ts, e.g., do use the "custom" install mode rather than "server" or "workstation" if you don't want to lose existing data on the hard drive. He intuits just what the new Linux user will want to do: configure X11, connect to ISP over a modem or LAN, use e-mail, run samba over the network to read a PC hard drive, configure and start an Apache Web server and configure a basic firewall. His chapter on RPM, the Red Hat Package Manager, is brief but useful and his one-page discussion of the Red Hat Network support option is far too brief to be useful, but contains enough hints to allow a new member to keep expectations modest.

Brevity and velocity are the book's strengths as McCarty glides from the highlights of one configuration protocol to another. Error recovery is ignored in favour of tips and hints on error avoidance. Larger issues in system administration strategies are unevenly treated: partitioning theory, dual booting, and backing up are skipped. Loading kernel modules dynamically is never discussed and neither is kernel compiling, and the ubiquitous DHCP client is introduced only after the rather advanced DHCP server is discussed. To round out the knowledge base, I recommend Matt Welch's peerless Running Linux as the entry point for serious Linux system administration.

Ultimately, Learning Red Hat Linux should be viewed as an inexpensive way to obtain legitimate CDs of Red Hat 7.2, with installation documentation that exceeds the norm. Once the installation has either succeeded or failed, however, readers will want to move along to linuxdocs.org or Running Linux. --Peter Leopold --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Amazon.co.uk Review
Learning Red Hat Linux walks the reader through the process of installing, configuring and using Red Hat Linux 6 and some of its most popular applications. Networking coverage includes essential Local Area Network configuration, plus excellent coverage of Samba setup and the process involved in establishing a Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) connection to the Internet. The book would be better with some information on setting up a local Domain Name Service (DNS) server to improve Internet connectivity, but what's here is commendable. The author includes basic coverage of the Apache Web server, plus sendmail and ftp.

Learning Red Hat Linux emphasises the Linux command line for system management tasks, explaining all the vital low-level commands as well as configuration aids like linuxconf. Popular graphical applications are explored, too, including ApplixWare, StarOffice and the WordPerfect suite. Bill McCarty exhibits plenty of patience in his writing and organisational styles, assuming no knowledge of Unix on the part of his readers. This book includes lots of annotated tables that explain various programs' options, and many sections have a procedural format that allows you to follow along on your own Linux machine. --David Wall, amazon.com

Topics covered: Red Hat Linux 6, pre-installation planning, essential command-line tools, X Windows, Gnome, the K Desktop Environment (KDE) and networking.

See all Product Description

• Books > Computing & Internet > UNIX & Linux > Linux Distributions > Red Hat
• Books > Study Books > FE & College > Vocational > Sport & Recreation

• Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
• I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
• I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.