WOW! I was reluctant to buy a cover-all-bases kind of administration book on the assumption that not enough detail would resolve through each chapter to be of any real value. Was I wrong!!!

As a novice systems administrator trying to migrate a Windows SBS 2003 system to Linux, the only feasible option (for me - a newbie to Linux) seemed to be SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 10, and a quick search of Amazon only revealed one generic administration book targeted at SLES. Not sure of just how detailed the chapters would be on Samba & LDAP (the topics most relevant to me), I acquired this book along side the purchase of some other books which dealt with those topics specifically.

Assuming that I needed hardcore LDAP and Samba books to help with Windows XP authentication and folder redirection over a Linux server network was a mistake. After reading most of this book already, I think I can safely resell my Samba and LDAP specific titles on the premise that I don't need them to facilitate the aforementioned resources. The only other MUST-HAVE book which has been made use of extensively in my transition is, Windows and Linux Integration: Hands-on Solutions for a Mixed Environment Check it out...

Obviously not a book that goes into reams of details about any certain event of course, however, there is a balance of screenshots and line-by-line walkthroughs that fill this book with a practical value I have not seen in other Linux guides. Chapters are ordered and versed so well that I read this book from front to back in chapter order as easy as reading a good novel, and I still felt like I was making educational progress from every page.

In conclusion, I must recommend this book for those with limited Linux experience who have decided to give SuSE a try on the assumption that this may well be the most user-friendly introduction to Linux server administration. You won't be disappointed with this combination. Some of the features of YaST are self-explanatory as they are, but with this book as a guide, one just can't go wrong.

Do yourself a favour and purchase this book BEFORE investing money on others (like I did), THEN-AND-ONLY-THEN should you assess whether you need more detail/less spending money. For a generic administration book, this is a must have.

WOW! I was reluctant to buy a cover-all-bases kind of administration book on the assumption that not enough detail would resolve through each chapter to be of any real value. Was I wrong!!!

As a novice systems administrator trying to migrate a Windows SBS 2003 system to Linux, the only feasible option (for me - a newbie to Linux) seemed to be SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 10, and a quick search of Amazon only revealed one generic administration book targeted at SLES. Not sure of just how detailed the chapters would be on Samba & LDAP (the topics most relevant to me), I acquired this book along side the purchase of some other books which dealt with those topics specifically.

Assuming that I needed hardcore LDAP and Samba books to help with Windows XP authentication and folder redirection over a Linux server network was a mistake. After reading most of this book already, I think I can safely resell my Samba and LDAP specific titles on the premise that I don't need them to facilitate the aforementioned resources. The only other MUST-HAVE book which has been made use of extensively in my transition is, Windows and Linux Integration: Hands-on Solutions for a Mixed Environment Check it out...

Obviously not a book that goes into reams of details about any certain event of course, however, there is a balance of screenshots and line-by-line walkthroughs that fill this book with a practical value I have not seen in other Linux guides. Chapters are ordered and versed so well that I read this book from front to back in chapter order as easy as reading a good novel, and I still felt like I was making educational progress from every page.

In conclusion, I must recommend this book for those with limited Linux experience who have decided to give SuSE a try on the assumption that this may well be the most user-friendly introduction to Linux server administration. You won't be disappointed with this combination. Some of the features of YaST are self-explanatory as they are, but with this book as a guide, one just can't go wrong.

Do yourself a favour and purchase this book BEFORE investing money on others (like I did), THEN-AND-ONLY-THEN should you assess whether you need more detail/less spending money. For a generic administration book, this is a must have.