The fourth edition of 'Unix Unleashed' will take a different tack from previous editions and other Unix books:It is readable as though it is a series of lectures on individual topics from Unix Wizards. This different approach will take the reader through the following topics:
Basic operation of the system and system administration in its simplest form: managing users and disks, starting up and shutting down the system, authenticating user connections, and administering the X Window System. Common subsystems - the typical day-to-day tasks of system administration: sharing files, providing basic web services, printing, e-mail, and backing up the system.
The Unix toolset to make system administration more reliable and more powerful, and to administer more complex and important systems running on top of Unix.
System administration as a profession: much work needs to be done not to do the job in a purely technical sense but in a practical, real-world sense.Robin Anderson began her involvement with computers innocently enough with an Amiga, WordPerfect, and Infocom games. In late 1993, she turned her hand to student consulting at the University of MD, Baltimore County (UMBC), working with PCs, Macs, VAXen, and, finally, UNIX machines.
After graduating with honors in Computer Science and History, Robin remained at UMBC and is now a UNIX SysAdmin Specialist in OIT (UMBC's Office of Information Technology). She also managed OIT's Operations Support Staff and is a member of the Security Work Group.
Robin developed and taught an undergraduate UNIX SysAdmin course for UMBC's CS/EE department in 2000. She has earned two security certifications from the SANS Institute: the GCUX (UNIX Administrator, with honors) and the GCIH (Incident Handling). She works with SANS to develop online exam materials and presentations, and she recently taught SANS LevelOne security courses for UMBC's Department of Professional Education and Training.
Andy Johnston was born in May of 1958. Most of the rest has been improvisation. After teaching high school math, he became a programmer. He worked for the State of Maryland making population projections and lots of maps, and later for Computer Sciences Corporation, where he worked on spacecraft-tracking software and environmental modeling. One day, the UNIX system in which his virtual fish swam suffered a drive crash, and he (quickly) became a UNIX systems administrator. Andy provided system support for several projects, including the International Ultraviolet Explorer. In 1999, he took his current position at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)Office of Information Technology as a manager of UNIX support staff and IT security. Andy holds a Bachelor's degree in Biology from Princeton University and a Master's degree in Mathematics from UMBC. He has been involved at various times in the Baltimore and Washington, D.C. SAGE groups and has spoken at SANS conferences.
