The Complete FreeBSD: Documentation from the Source

by Greg Lehey, Marshall Kirk McKusick (Foreword by)

FreeBSD is by far the most popular version of BSD(R), the legendary operating system that has contributed a great deal to every version of Unix(R) in use today (including Mac OS(R) X). Originally a community effort by the University of California at Berkeley, FreeBSD was aimed at making Unix a little friendlier and easier to use. By the time other free operating systems came along, BSD was firmly established and very reliable. And it continues to be today.

For seven years, the FreeBSD community has relied on Greg Lehey's classic, "The Complete FreeBSD," to guide them through its configuration and administration. The 4th edition, covering version 5 of FreeBSD, is now available through O'Reilly Community Press.

"The Complete FreeBSD" is an eminently practical guidebook that explains not only how to get a computer up and running with the FreeBSD operating system, but also how to turn it into a highly functional and secure server that can host large numbers of users and disks, support remote access, and provide web service, mail service, and other key parts of the Internet infrastructure. The book provides in-depth information on installation and updates, back-ups, printers, RAID, various Internet services, firewalls, the graphical X Window system, and much more. Author Greg Lehey is a member of the FreeBSD core team and has been developing, documenting, and advocating for FreeBSD for nearly ten years. Whether you're an experienced Unix user or just interested in learning more about this free operating system and how you can put it to work for you, this do-it-yourself BSD documentation will provide the information you need.

"The Complete FreeBSD" is the second release in the O'Reilly Community Press Series. Unlike classic O'Reilly animal books, which are created to fill an information void, the Community Press titles provide convenient printed copies of documentation that is already available online. O'Reilly's role in the series is limited to providing manufacturing and distribution services rather than editorial development, so that each Community Press title reflects the editorial voice and organization of the community that has created it.

Genres: Technology, Computer Science

714 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Greg Lehey is an independent computer consultant specializing in UNIX. Originally from Australia, he was educated in Malaysia and England before studying chemistry in Germany and chemical engineering in England. His professional career took him to Germany, where he worked for companies such as Univac and Tandem, the German space research agency, various software houses, and a large user organization before becoming self-employed. Over more than 20 years in the industry, he has taken on a wide range of roles, from kernel support and systems programming to product marketing and satellite data processing. One of his key projects involved producing CD-ROMs of ported free software, which led to his work on this book.

Reviews

[ctwayfarer · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books on computing, period! Read any other book and you understand your OS. But read this one and you understand computing as a whole. The author goes into the innards of the development of the internet, why the word 'terminal' has stuck, the Haye's Command Set and so much more! Too bad Greg Lehey's book isn't being updated any more. Michael Lucas' 'Absolute FreeBSD' has replaced this one as the authoritative reference for BSD enthusiasts and Unix users in general. But reaching the stature & quality of this book by any author will be a tough challenge!

[Hamed Majnoonian · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good book about FreeBSD features. The book doesn't cover all topics but it is a good start for beginners.

[Christopher Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent review of freebsd user and admin worlds. FreeBSD is the open-source branch of Berkeley Software Distribution, created at the University of California- Berkeley.

[Khaidir · Rating 4 out of 5]

I "bought" this book from Kinokuniya book store, KLCC, Malaysia. Really love it. Thank you Greg, for sharing your passion with us! I'm still reading this book.

[Russel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an awesome resources for setting up your own FreeBSD server.