By: Thomas A. Limoncelli, Christine Hogan, Strata Chalup

Paperback

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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

Preface	p. xxv
Acknowledgments	p. xxxv
About the Authors	p. xxxvii
Getting Started	p. 1
What to Do When . . .	p. 3
Climb Out of the Hole	p. 27
Foundation Elements	p. 39
Workstations	p. 41
Servers	p. 69
Services	p. 95
Data Centers	p. 129
Networks	p. 187
Namespaces	p. 223
Documentation	p. 241
Disaster Recovery and Data Integrity	p. 261
Security Policy	p. 271
Ethics	p. 323
Helpdesks	p. 343
Customer Care	p. 363
Change Processes	p. 389
Debugging	p. 391
Fixing Things Once	p. 405
Change Management	p. 415
Server Upgrades	p. 435
Service Conversions	p. 457
Maintenance Windows	p. 473
Centralization and Decentralization	p. 501
Providing Services	p. 521
Service Monitoring	p. 523
Email Service	p. 543
Print Service	p. 565
Data Storage	p. 583
Backup and Restore	p. 619
Remote Access Service	p. 653
Software Depot Service	p. 667
Web Services	p. 689
Management Practices	p. 725
Organizational Structures	p. 727
Perception and Visibility	p. 751
Being Happy	p. 777
A Guide for Technical Managers	p. 819
A Guide for Nontechnical Managers	p. 853
Hiring System Administrators	p. 871
Firing System Administrators	p. 899
Epilogue	p. 909
Appendixes	p. 911
The Many Roles of a System Administrator	p. 913
Acronyms	p. 939
Bibliography	p. 945
Index	p. 955
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

ISBN: 9780321492661
ISBN-10: 0321492668
Audience: General
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Number Of Pages: 1056
Published: 1st June 2007
Dimensions (cm): 23.5 x 17.8  x 4.9
Weight (kg): 1.478