Linux System Administration Recipes: A Problem-Solution Approach

by Juliet Kemp

The job of Linux systems administrator is interrupt-driven and requires constant learning in byte-wise chunks. This book gives solutions to modern problems, even some you might not have heard of, such as scripting LDAP, making Mac clients play nice with Linux servers, and backup, security, and recovery scripts. Author Juliet Kemp takes a broad approach to scripting using Perl and bash, and all scripts work on Debian or Red Hat lineage distributions. Plus she dispenses wisdom about time management, dealing with desperate colleagues, and how to avoid reinventing the wheel! Learn how to love LDAP scripting and NFS tuning Make Perl serve don't be enslaved by Perl Learn to change, craft, and feel empowered by recipes that change your life
What you'll learn Centralize your network using LDAP and NFS Speak the language of different file systems Know when to use Perl or when to stick to sed and awk Treat security concerns with Perl, bash, and intelligence Learn how to trace errant system calls and misbehaving colleagues
Who is this book for?

System administrators in need of quick succor and guidance when interruptions prevent the smooth running of a network.

260 pages, Hardcover

First published October 15, 2009

About the author

Juliet Kemp (they/them) is a queer, non-binary, writer. They live by the river in London, with their partners, child, and dog. The first book of their fantasy series, The Deep And Shining Dark was on the Locus 2018 Recommended Reads list; the fourth and final book, The City Revealed came out in 2023. Their short fiction has appeared in venues including Uncanny, Analog, and Cast of Wonders; they were short-listed for the WSFA Small Press Award in 2020 and 2023; and they had a story in the 2021 Lambda Awards shortlisted anthology Trans-Galactic Bike Ride. They've also written non-fiction.

When not writing or child-wrangling, Juliet knits, climbs, indulges their fountain pen habit, and tries to fit an ever-increasing number of plants into a microscopic back garden. They can be found on Twitter as @julietk, on Mastodon as @juliet@zirk.us, and on Bluesky as @julietk.bsky.social.

Reviews

[Artur Sabirov · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a bit outdated, but still has several useful and actual solutions, e.g., centralizing servers' configurations by Puppet, monitoring by nagios, some tips with awk, xargs, sed.