UNIX User's Handbook (2nd Edition)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0130654191 ISBN 13: 9780130654199

Publisher: Pearson P T R, 2001

For any course in UNIX or Linux, including courses in basic system administration, programming, or scripting.This is the industry's most thorough and up-to-date UNIX/Linux reference. Unlike some competitive references, it offers real depth: it actually teaches UNIX commands rather than just listing them. In 1,600+ pages, best-selling UNIX author Marty Poniatowski covers every topic UNIX users need to master-from system administration to programming-all with realistic examples and exceptional clarity.

Review:

Applications come and applications go, but Unix remains a constant force. Knowledge of this reliable, eminently scalable operating system will never go out of style, and you'll never regret having a high-quality Unix reference like Unix User's Handbook around. This supersized, hardback volume contains (in a logical structure) everything you need to know in order to become a Unix guru. Which means that by having this book around, you can do a reasonable job of faking your guru status until you absorb the body of Unix knowledge. Marty Poniatowski has done a great job of integrating straight type-this-to-get-that tutorial material with more holistic text about Unix's design.

A typical chapter begins with a command you can issue at the command prompt. The text then explains the command's output, what it means, and how it fits into the larger Unix scheme. The chapter then expands individual points of its explanation with further digressions into other commands, with tables that explain alternate syntax and switches as appropriate (the book includes some helpful diagrams, too, but its screen shots of graphical interfaces are of poor quality). You can learn a lot by reading the chapters straight through, or in most cases you can rely on the index to steer you right to the explanation you want. This book doesn't attempt to rebuild Rome, by the way. Each chapter concludes with the HP-UX man pages for commands discussed there (the contents of the man pages, however, aren't indexed). The chapter on the fundamentals of software development with C and the one on TCP/IP networking are both particularly strong, making this a great buy. --David Wall

Topics covered: The Unix operating system (generically, with perhaps a slight tint of HP-UX), treated comprehensively for the benefit of new users in need of introductions and more accomplished users who need a reference. Chapters deal with the file system, several shells (bash, korn, and c), the vi text editor, network setup and management, and graphical user interfaces. A couple of excellent chapters introduce the reader to Windows NT integration (with Samba, among other tools) and Unix software development.

From the Back Cover:

The in-depth UNIX guide for every end-user: completely updated and full of examples!

• For every key UNIX platform: practical examples, real depth!
• Covers all basic UNIX commands, plus sed, grep, awk, vi, and more
• Complete shell programming coverage—plus NEW programming section covering C/C++, Java(tm), and Internet development
• KornShell, Bash, C Shell, and Shell Programming
• Windows interoperability, in depth: Samba, NFS, Windows 2000 Services for UNIX, and much more

UNIX end-users desperately need an up-to-date reference guide with real depth: one that teaches UNIX commands and doesn't just list them! In UNIX User's Handbook, Second Edition, best-selling UNIX author Marty Poniatowski covers every topic UNIX users need to master—with exceptional clarity and practical, real-world examples. Part I brings together thorough coverage of virtually every key aspect of day-to-day UNIX operation and end-user administration. Part II presents an in-depth programming reference. Part III covers every leading option for Windows interoperability. You'll find fast, easy answers for all this and more:

• Getting started: login, mail, Internet access, and key UNIX file management commands
• All basic UNIX commands and a complete UNIX file system overview (cd, cp, file, ls, mv, pwd, rm, rmdir, cut, paste, split, sort, diff, and more)
• Key UNIX tools—including in-depth coverage of find, vi, find, grep, sed, and awk
• Shells and shell programming: Bash, Korn, and C
• Full programming section—including a NEW user-centered introduction to C/C++ and Java
• End-user administration: processes, startup, shutdown, users/groups, backup, software management, printing, and more
• Networking and Internet protocols
• UNIX/Windows interoperability: Samba, X Window, NFS, Posix, Windows 2000 Services for UNIX, and other alternatives
• Performance and monitoring

This new edition has been updated throughout and redesigned for even faster, easier access to information. Whatever your experience, whatever UNIX version you use, you won't find a more useful reference!