Unreal Tournament 2004 Review

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(More customer reviews)This is my favorite video game of all time. Fun as hell, great graphics and lots of different types to play. Many cool weapons to use and is very fun to play alone or online.

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Ubuntu 10.04 32 Bit Intel I386 Install Boot ISO Lucid Lynx LTS Review

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(More customer reviews)What are you, stupid? Ubuntu is free. You're looking at this on a computer, right? I'm guessing you have some kind of CD writing capable drive and CD writing software (which was standard on computers in the late 90's), right? Hell, even if you don't, you can have about 10 free copies sent to you. What's wrong with you, you idiot!?! Why is anyone even thinking of paying for Ubuntu? IT'S FREE!!! ALL VERSIONS!!!

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Unreal Tournament 2004 Review

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(More customer reviews)I've never been big on first-person shooter (FPS) games, although I've played a few, like Star Wars: Battlefront 2, that I've found entertaining. So, getting this game was taking a chance, since I'm partial to real-time strategy games and roleplaying games. Overall, I must say that I've really had a good time with UT 2004. It hasn't made me more of a fan of the FPS genre, but I am definitely looking forward to UT 2007.
Gameplay: The controls are the typical mouse, WASD keys, and hotkeys associated with FPS games, so anyone familiar with the FPS genre ought to be able to jump right in. You have a number of options for your in-game character, including race, gender, name, etc. You can also choose your AI teammates and the number on each team. Additionally, there are ten game modes, including deathmatch, capture the flag (CTF), domination (requires you to hold two points), assault (objective based), bombing run (a deadly version of soccer), and onslaught (securing nodes and destroying the enemy base). There's fun to be had with each mode, but I suspect that most people will find the greatest replayabiity in the onsault, assault, CTF, and team deathmatch modes. The maps are large enough for some strategic thinking (especially on assault and onslaught), and the game comes with about 100 maps--with many more that can be downloaded from the internet.
AI opponents ("bots") are very good in this game. They have strong attack scripts, good pathfinding, will follow orders, and generally work well as teams. I detected some of the typical AI cheating found in FPS games (i.e., extra health, amazing accuracy, accelerated movement) toward the end of the tournament and in some of the tougher matches, but generally the AI here is just plain challenging and well programmed. Although many will buy this game for the multiplayer side, the single-player content (which is all that I play) is quite strong. The game does not have a compelling story to tell, but the tournament mode lasted me 25-30 hours on "experienced" difficulty level. I don't feel a need to replay the tournament anytime soon, but there are a lot of individual maps and modes that are greatly replayable.
A few things that add a lot to the game are the variety of weapons available and the vehicles. Overall, none of the weapons are very overpowered, though some are better and more versatile than others. Some weapons are best suited for one situation, while others can be useful in some fashion under a number of conditions. A second element that adds variety to the game is the vehicles. I can't overemphasize how fun these can be. Not only do they break up the monotony of having to sprint on foot across the map, but they also add a new strategic and tactical layer to a game. Vehicles can be game winners, but they are not invincible. Some can carry multiple passengers, who can man various weapons or simply go along for the ride. However, to maintain balance, characters on foot have a few very strong anti-vehicle weapons, and many objectives cannot be completed by vehicles. Still, there's nothing like decapitating a fleeing opponent with the blades of a Scorpion buggy or hearing the thundering cannon of a Goliath tank.
The gameplay is frantic, exciting, and straightforward enough to appeal to a range of gamers. You never feel lost on the maps, since there is a good in-game mini-map and the objectives are always clear. Also, you never get the sense that you are babysitting your computer allies, since they act as intelligently--more so on many occasions--as the average human player. The game's flaws are mostly minor, but worth mentioning. First, there are a few rather frustrating missions in the tournament that the average player will have to repeat several times (at least on experienced difficulty and higher). And there is no way to adjust the difficulty level of the tournament once it starts. Also, the game-save system is automatic; the game saves after every match, win or loss. Thus, you can find yourself broke if you lose enough matches, and you'll have to play a series of qualifying matches to earn enough money to continue the tournament. It's a system that gets old quick and really adds a layer of repetition to the game that serves little purpose. Finally, some people will be put off by the amount of acrobatics that the game includes. On some of the more advanced levels and difficulty settings, AI opponents are hopping, flipping, and cartwheeling in ways that make them nearly impossible to hit, though they will seem to hit you just fine. I think that the game plays just a tad bit too fast and requires too much jumping around. But you'll get used to it.
Graphics: Great-looking game. The maps are very impressive in detail and size. Be sure to take a lot of screenshots! The models are all rendered well, from the characters to the vehicles. Weapon fire and particle effects look good, as does the natural environment, especially skies. Have no doubt about it, this is a very violent game. Dying animations are graphic, and people tend to end up in pieces or as skeletal remains. Overall, the art direction is rock solid.
Sound: Although decent, the audio is not as good as the visuals. Weapons such as miniguns and tank cannon sound like they should, along with footsteps, flowing water, and other ambiant effects. In-game AI characters tend to use the same list of taunts such as "Ownage!" or "You suck!" or "You be dead!"--along with a few choice obscenities--but none of the characters really stand out with individual personalities. The music is the typical techno fare found in many video games, nothing special.
Documentation/Stability: The manual that comes with the game is informative and makes up for a rather bland in-game tutorial. The game was pretty stable on my computer, though I experienced one freeze and one crash during the tournament. Overall, the game seemed well polished and optimized.
Replayability: Given the number of maps that come with the game, the developer's Bonus Pack that can be downloaded for free from the internet, the large number of player-made maps available, and the editor tools that you can use to make your own maps, this game has had a long shelf life. If you get tired of playing against the AI, you can go online and play against a human opponent. For me, about half of the 10 gameplay modes are not appealing after a few rounds, but the other 5 (especially assault, onslaught, and CTF) are always good fun.
If you are a fan of FPS games, UT 2004 seems to be a must-buy (I'd be surprised if you don't already have it!). From what I have read, it is the best of the Unreal series and still has an active online community. For those of us who only have a passing interest in FPS games, this is a good one to blow some time with.
Overall rating: 4.25 stars

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Unreal Tournament 2004 - Editor's Choice brings back the world-renowned tournament game with new air & land vehicles, improved AI, revised network code, and new maps. This groundbreaking new edition includes new maps for the Onslaught mode, new vehicles, new characters and a wide selection of the best user-made game modifications. New UnrealTV Broadcast system allows hundreds to watch you duke it out!Demo Recording allows you to save a recording of your gameplay to share with other 2004 users!

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Novell Suse Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 Computer Based Training CD- Learn Linux with Over 8 Hours of Lessons on CD. Covers Over 200 Suse Linux Desktop Software Operating System Features From Basic to Advanced Including; Firefox Use, Configuring Printers, Playing an MP3, Saving to Microsoft Office Format, Etc. CBT Training By Experienced Linux Instructor. For Windows, Mac, Linux, All Platforms. Review

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(More customer reviews)I really pondered over whether or not I would purchase this item and actually only did so when I found the price to be greatly reduced over what I found on Novell's site. This may be a good offering for those having little to no experience with SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 and more specifically, the applications available with the operating system, ie. Firefox, OpenOffice, and Banshee to mention a few. Those who have greater experience may want to pass.

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LPI Linux Certification in a Nutshell (In a Nutshell (O'Reilly)) Review

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(More customer reviews)The first thing I want to say about reading this book is : I passed! Certification books serve four purposes: first, they serve as a way to prepare for computerized certification exams. Second, they provide a 'training plan' for learning the objectives in the certification. Third, can a book explain system administration concepts while limiting a reader's exposure to difficult, elusive topics until later? Fourth, can a book like this still be useful post-certification?
Part One (covering the 101 test) contained generous amounts of examples for text-processing commands and a really top notch discussion of permissions, ownership, booting and documentation. Helpfully, 'need to know' boxes are scattered throughout the book to indicate how important a topic is on the test. Frequently, the author will point out that although he explained a certain topic in depth, it won't be covered in depth on the test. I really appreciated that, although I found that the actual test covered certain topics (such as X Windows) in much more depth than Dean leads us to believe. One thing, by the way, to remember, is that often the book gives only the 5 or 6 most popular switches for each command. If you learned about these commands only from this book, you might be overlooking some important switches. I found this especially to be true when Dean discussed user management. I consider usermod 'g and usermod 'G to be really important commands, but this book didn't even mention them. On the other hand, Dean gave an explanation of regular expressions which was quite adequate for the purposes of this book. Although omitting some switches proved exasperating at times, the simplified view of the commands can be helpful for linux newbies.
Part Two (covering 102 test) covered a lot more ground: Apache, sendmail, nfs, dns, tcp-ip; heck, books have been written on each of those topics. The book covered well these topics in particular: compiling a kernel, troubleshooting tcp-ip and using rpm's. I found his discussion of Debian package management to be hard to follow, although that may be because I've never used it before in real life (but watch out! The test covers this in depth!). The book's discussion of network services (nfs, sendmail, apache, samba) was shallow at best, but I doubt anyone would rely on such a book for maintaining a web server, for example. But it provided some of the basics at least. The section on X Window was succinct and helpful. Also, some of the information presented is outdated, at least on Red Hat's latest distribution. Red Hat, for example, no longer uses inetd for startup, and some of the directory paths have since changed. These are minor quibbles, and one of the challenge of passing a certification like this is asking yourself: should I be learning things for the exam that are no longer accurate or relevant in current distributions? Certifications test the knowledge available at the time of test creation, when in reality new applications are being added and processes streamlined every day.
The book contains lots of sample multiple choice items, review questions and exercises. The multiple choice items didn't really add much to the book, but I frequently referred to the review questions. (Remember, the LPI exam has fill-in-the-blanks questions). Don't overlook the excellent 'highlighter's index' at the back of the book.
Two minor quibbles. First, the cover is not very strong and is bent, torn and curled over. The other is that the LPI exam objectives are not located at the front or back of the book. Rather, the table of objectives for 101 are in the front, and objectives for 102 are in the middle. I referred to this table constantly to see the amount of weight LPI was giving to a particular topic. Also, because the table of contents follow the LPI learning objectives (probably a smart thing), it is often difficult to find documentation about a certain command. For that I might recommend Linux in a Nutshell , 3rd Edition, which serves as a comprehensive index of commands and system utilities. It is excellent. Also, General Linux I Exam Prep (Exam: 101) by Dee Ann LeBlanc (published in 2000), is an extremely helpful book (and available for significantly reduced price used). Although it was one of the first to market and didn't address the LPI objectives explicitly, the exercises and presentation of material are every bit as good as Dean's book. Keep in mind also that LPI Linux Certification is not sufficient in and of itself. You will probably end up referring to other books such as Matt Welsh's Running Linux, Olaf Kirch's Linux Network Administrator's Guide or the unbelievably good Rute User's Tutorial and Exposition .

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Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Administration Unleashed Review

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(More customer reviews)I have read about 3/4th of this book so far,most of it is mainly just review for me since the RHEL 5 release. I have noticed so far a few issues mainly with grammar, spelling, and multiple misguided instructions such as the PXE installation method, LDAP setup, and a few other minor things. Overall the book is my favorite linux related book since it gets right to the point and doesnt have all the boring history lessons about 15 years ago when service such and such was developed and how it is completely different etc etc. Any one who's read a linux related book knows what im talking about.
In regards to the misguided instructions, for instance the PXE setup. I have gone through the chapter about 5 times now and slowly stepped through the documentation as it explains but still have yet to be able to get the correct outcome.(a working PXE installation). I have previous experience with PXE so I was able to figure this out on my own with no issue but worry that some new admins to RHEL will have a hard time getting this particular method of installation setup. I'm unfortunetly human so I still may have gotten the steps down wrong and other may find that the instructions are infact correct. If so ... cool. :)
- runlevel -

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This comprehensive guide can help youadminister Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 effectively in any productionenvironment, no matter how complex or challenging.

Long-timeRed Hat insider Tammy Fox brings together today's best practices forthe entire system lifecycle, from planning and deployment throughmaintenance and troubleshooting. Fox shows how to maximize yourefficiency and effectiveness by automating day-to-day maintenancethrough scripting, deploying security updates via Red Hat Network,implementing central identity management services, and providing shareddata with NFS and Samba.

RedHat Enterprise Linux 5 Administration Unleashed contains extensivecoverage of network and web services, from the Apache HTTP server andSendmail email services to remote login with OpenSSH. Fox alsodescribes Red Hat's most valuable tools for monitoring and optimizationand presents thorough coverage of security—including a detailedintroduction to Security-Enhanced Linux (SELinux).


Streamline deployment with Kickstart
Find, install, update, remove, and verify software
Detect, analyze, and manage hardware
Manage storage with LVM, RAID, ACLs, and quotas
Use Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 on 64-bit and multi-core systems
Administer users and groups more efficiently and securely
Ensure trustworthy backup and rapid recovery
Script and schedule tasks to run automatically
Provide unified identity management services
Configure Apache, BIND, Samba, and Sendmail
Monitor and tune the kernel and individual applications
Protect against intruders with SELinux and ExecShield
Set up firewalls with iptables
Enable the Linux Auditing System
Use virtualization to run multiple operating systems concurrently

Part I Installation and Configuration
Chapter 1 Installing Red Hat Enterprise Linux
Chapter 2 Post-Installation Configuration
Chapter 3 Operating System Updates

Part II Operating System Core Concepts
Chapter 4 Understanding Linux Concepts
Chapter 5 Working with RPM Software
Chapter 6 Analyzing Hardware
Chapter 7 Managing Storage
Chapter 8 64-Bit, Multi-Core, and Hyper-Threading Technology Processors

Part III System Administration
Chapter 9 Managing Users and Groups
Chapter 10 Techniques for Backup and Recovery
Chapter 11 Automating Tasks with Scripts

Part IV Network Services
Chapter 12 Identity Management
Chapter 13 Network File Sharing
Chapter 14 Granting Network Connectivity with DHCP
Chapter 15 Creating a Web Server with the Apache HTTP Server
Chapter 16 Hostname Resolution with BIND
Chapter 17 Securing Remote Logins with OpenSSH
Chapter 18 Setting Up an Email Server with Sendmail
Chapter 19 Explaining Other Common Network Services
Part V Monitoring and Tuning
Chapter 20 Monitoring System Resources
Chapter 21 Monitoring and Tuning the Kernel
Chapter 22 Monitoring and Tuning Applications
Chapter 23 Protecting Against Intruders with Security-Enhanced Linux
Chapter 24 Configuring a Firewall
Chapter 25 Linux Auditing System
Appendixes
Appendix A Installing Proprietary Kernel Modules
Appendix B Creating Virtual Machines
Appendix C Preventing Security Breaches with ExecShield
Appendix D Troubleshooting


TammyFox served as technical leader of Red Hat's documentation group, whereshe wrote and revised The Red Hat Enterprise Linux SystemAdministration Guide. She was founding editor of Red Hat Magazine, nowan online publication reaching more than 800,000 system administratorsand others interested in Linux and open source. She wrote Red Hat'sLogViewer tool and has written and contributed to several Red Hatconfiguration tools. Fox is also the founding leader of the Fedora DocsProject.

Registeryour book at www.samspublishing.com/register for convenient access toupdates and to download example scripts presented in this book.

Category:Linux/Networking
Covers:Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5
User Level:Intermediate–Advanced

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Network+ Certification All-in-One Exam Guide, Third Edition (All-in-One) Review

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(More customer reviews)He can write this book for it, as he is a member of CompTIA he gets information about its objectives before the exam so he CAN have a book for it. I have this book in my possesion and I assure you it is NOT rushed in any way. And useless? How can you possibly say that?
Having asked Mike myself (email) he was almost done with an updated version when the new test was annouced, so very little had to be added to cover the new objectives.
Please, read the book before making such bold accusations that it is worthless. I find it very informative and useful.

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Programming Embedded Systems: With C and GNU Development Tools, 2nd Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)Presents a good introduction to embedded system programming; no complaints there. However, their choice of development kit is poor. The Arcom (now EuroTech) kit is $600, rather than the $300 stated in the book. And it took almost 3 weeks for them to respond to a quote request. Fortunately, there are kits available from other vendors (BiPom, Olimex, etc.) which can be substituted for less than $300. However, the impracticality of using the Arcom kit robs the book of its purpose of being a hands-on, guided tutorial.

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If you have programming experience and a familiarity with C--the dominant language in embedded systems--Programming Embedded Systems, Second Edition is exactly what you need to get started with embedded software. This software is ubiquitous, hidden away inside our watches, DVD players, mobile phones, anti-lock brakes, and even a few toasters. The military uses embedded software to guide missiles, detect enemy aircraft, and pilot UAVs. Communication satellites, deep-space probes, and many medical instruments would have been nearly impossible to create without embedded software.

The first edition of Programming Embedded Systems taught the subject to tens of thousands of people around the world and is now considered the bible of embedded programming. This second edition has been updated to cover all the latest hardware designs and development methodologies.

The techniques and code examples presented here are directly applicable to real-world embedded software projects of all sorts. Examples use the free GNU software programming tools, the eCos and Linux operating systems, and a low-cost hardware platform specially developed for this book. If you obtain these tools along with Programming Embedded Systems, Second Edition, you'll have a full environment for exploring embedded systems in depth. But even if you work with different hardware and software, the principles covered in this book apply.

Whether you are new to embedded systems or have done embedded work before, you'll benefit from the topics in this book, which include:

How building and loading programs differ from desktop or server computers
Basic debugging techniques--a critical skill when working with minimally endowed embedded systems
Handling different types of memory
Interrupts, and the monitoring and control of on-chip and external peripherals
Determining whether you have real-time requirements, and whether your operating system and application can meet those requirements
Task synchronization with real-time operating systems and embedded Linux
Optimizing embedded software for size, speed, and power consumption
Working examples for eCos and embedded Linux

So whether you're writing your first embedded program, designing the latest generation of hand-held whatchamacalits, or managing the people who do, this book is for you. Programming Embedded Systems will help you develop the knowledge and skills you need to achieve proficiency with embedded software.

Praise for the first edition:
"This lively and readable book is the perfect introduction for those venturing into embedded systems software development for the first time. It provides in one place all the important topics necessary to orient programmers to the embedded development process. --Lindsey Vereen, Editor-in-Chief, Embedded Systems Programming

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Linux Administration Handbook (2nd Edition) Review

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(More customer reviews)The first edition of Unix System Administration was a classic. The updated versions have been split into a linux-only version and the original, pan-Unix treatment (including Linux--just not as many variants of Linux as this book covers). I bought the Linux one, but now I wish I had the updated pan-Unix book. The authors' strength is their knowledge of Unix fundamentals, not the (ever-changing) details of various Linux distros. You're better off learning from them how vendor Unices are different in major ways from each other and from Linux. Finally, the authors don't seem nearly as well informed about Linux as they do about the older Unices. While their older book's advice was bulletproof, in this one they miss some important information. The most serious example is their recommendation to use 'dump' for filesystem backups, when Linux Torvalds has explicitly announced that it's not safe to use. 90% of this book is the same as the Unix book, so it's not a loss either way, but I'd recommend you get your Linux info fresh off the net, or in some other book series that's updated more frequently.

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"As this book shows, Linux systems are just as functional, secure, and reliable as their proprietary counterparts. Thanks to the ongoing efforts of thousands of Linux developers, Linux is more ready than ever for deployment at the frontlines of the real world. The authors of this book know that terrain well, and I am happy to leave you in their most capable hands."—Linus Torvalds"The most successful sysadmin book of all time—because it works!"—Rik Farrow, editor of ;login:"This book clearly explains current technology with the perspective of decades of experience in large-scale system administration. Unique and highly recommended."—Jonathan Corbet, cofounder, LWN.net"Nemeth et al. is the overall winner for Linux administration: it's intelligent, full of insights, and looks at the implementation of concepts." —Peter Salus, editorial director, Matrix.net
Since 2001, Linux Administration Handbook has been the definitive resource for every Linux® system administrator who must efficiently solve technical problems and maximize the reliability and performance of a production environment. Now, the authors have systematically updated this classic guide to address today's most important Linux distributions and most powerful new administrative tools.

The authors spell out detailed best practices for every facet of system administration, including storage management, network design and administration, web hosting, software configuration management, performance analysis, Windows interoperability, and much more. Sysadmins will especially appreciate the thorough and up-to-date discussions of such difficult topics such as DNS, LDAP, security, and the management of IT service organizations.

Linux® Administration Handbook, Second Edition, reflects the current versions of these leading distributions:

Red Hat® Enterprise Linux®
FedoraTM Core
SUSE® Linux Enterprise
Debian® GNU/Linux
Ubuntu® Linux

Sharing their war stories and hard-won insights, the authors capture the behavior of Linux systems in the real world, not just in ideal environments. They explain complex tasks in detail and illustrate these tasks with examples drawn from their extensive hands-on experience.

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RHCE Red Hat Certified Engineer Linux Study Guide (Exam RH302) (Certification Press) Review

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(More customer reviews)The Red Hat Certified Engineer is one of the most respected of the Linux certifications. Part of the reason is because of the difficulty of the exam. "Red Hat Certified Engineer Linux Study Guide, 4th Edition" covers all the points of the exam very well and includes the information you need to work with Red Hat in the real world. In addition to all the information you need to pass the exam, the book contains over 50 lab exercises and two complete RHCE exams and the entire book on CD. If you plan on taking the exam do the labs, don't just read over them.
Michael Jang has consistently produced high quality books and this is one of his best. The book is strongly slanted toward passing the exam, which is okay since that is exactly what it purports to be. Throughout the book there are short comments marked off from the rest of the test which points to tips for real world items (called "on the job") and tips for the exam (called "exam watch"). Each chapter ends with a short summary, a "two-minute drill", self-test questions, and lab questions. The "two-minute drill" is great for exam preparation the day of the exam since it is pretty much the type of thing that you would put on note cards for a quick review anyway.
This is real-life advice and is full or tips and troubleshooting problems. In the installation section it covers disk partitioning, swap space, bios limits, multiple controllers, and RAID. Some good solid advice and information about things like problems with a computer with both a SCSI drive controller and IDE drive controller in the same system. The installation troubleshooting section includes boot loaders, RAID, logical volumes, kickstart automated installation and pretty much everything you might run across. It even includes how to boot up into single user mode, a very important ability for some administrative tasks and gaining root level access (full access to everything) to the system. For some reason, although this is used in real-life for a lot of reasons, it seems to be left out of most books. They will tell you to switch to single user mode to fix a problem or gain root access, but don't tell you how to do it. This book tells you everything you need to know. It includes not only the graphical and utility methods to do things but also includes the information for how it changes the configuration. The information is so detailed that you can hand add the lines and/or configuration files and do it all by hand if you would prefer. This way you understand exactly what each item does and it is much easier to troubleshoot problems.
The authors have included everything you need to know to install, troubleshoot, and administer a real-world server - shell configuration, kernel information, automation, X Windows installation and configuration, GNOME and KDE desktops, Apache server including security and virtual hosts, Squid proxy server configuration, secure FTP server, mail services including SMTP, sendmail, postfix, POP, and IMAP, Samba installation and configuration, printing services, DNS, BIND, DHCP, LDAP client configuration, firewall policies, network address translation, and the Linux rescue environment are examples of the breadth of coverage.
It even includes how to work with the automounter, another item that is left out of most other books. The only error I found was on page 11, Table 1-2, where it has "First IDE drive = /dev/had" when it should be "/dev/hda". For that to be the only problem I found in a book of this size shows the care with which it was edited.
This is simply the best book I have seen if you want to become a general Linux "guru". Not only does it have everything you need to pass the exam, it has everything you need to install and administer a Linux network. There are better books available on specific areas of Linux, for example a single chapter on Apache obviously cannot compete with a 600 page book on Apache server. Then again, this the best book around if you want an understanding of Linux that is general enough to provide a complete overview of how Linux works in the real world and is also detailed enough to provide everything you need to get everything you want up and running. "Red Hat Certified Engineer Linux Study Guide, 4th Edition" gets the highest recommendation I can give.

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Cisco Router Firewall Security Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I really enjoyed reading Cisco Router Firewall Security (CRFS) by Richard Deal. This book delivers just what a technical Cisco book should: discussion of concepts, explanation of command syntax, and practical examples. The author offers several ways to solve a security problem and then recommends his preferred choice. He correctly leans towards applying cryptography when available and avoids clear-text authentication methods or control channels. If you avoid the first chapter and keep a few minor caveats in mind, I would consider CRFS to be a five-star book.
CRFS covers all of the major technologies I hoped to see in a book on Cisco security functions. Though published in August 2004, it manages to provide details on the newest Cisco IOS features that contemporary books often ignore. For example, the author emphasizes the benefits of configuring SSH access, and not only SSHv1; he explains that SSHv2 is preferred. I found the book's coverage of access control lists to be very clear, and I appreciated the author's discussions of strengths and weaknesses of different ACL types. Mr. Deal is also very conscious of the load placed on the router whenever higher-end security features or traffic inspection is invoked. His warnings provide operational insights to using IOS security features. Beginning with chapter 3, each section presented just the information I needed to implement various security features.
I gave CRFS four stars, and not five, because I found some of the author's perceptions of security to be confusing or sometimes wrong. He repeats at least five times the oft-quoted but never substantiated myth that "70 percent of network attacks" are internal. This is completely backwards, according to CSI/FBI and Secret Service studies that say around 70 percent of attacks are caused by outsiders. While some of the most devastating incidents are indeed perpetrated by insiders, the majority of attacks continue to be launched from outside the security perimeter. While this point may not seem that significant, it is not a solid footing on which the author can justify certain security recommendations.
While reading CRFS I also sensed that neither the author nor his technical editors were security professionals. I do not mean that they do not or have not handled security incidents. In fact, several of Mr. Deal's stories explicitly and properly address intrusions and other events. Rather, I sensed the author and his team were networking professionals first, with security duties tacked on. For example, p. 8 lists applications, the OS, and network infrastructure as "threats to your company's network." These have vulnerabilities -- they are not threats. On p. 28 Mr. Deal says "SSL can protect only web application traffic," but this is wrong. Pages 31-33 lists "some of the most common" DoS attacks, but the explanations there of chargen and ping of death attacks are wrong. WinNuke, a Windows DoS exploit from 1997, is also listed! Page 94 says "IDS solutions are still in their infancy," although they have been deployed for over 10 years. These and related security misperceptions made me believe a person with a primary security role should have reviewed CRFS.
It is easy to overlook these security faux pas, however. CRFS does a better job describing some security issues than other security-focused books. For example, I found the coverage of the effects of DoS attacks upon a router to be better than books specifically written about DoS! Mr. Deal frequently advocates monitoring as a way to know what is happening on the network, and I found his IDS deployment guidance to be sound.
To the extend I could evaluate Mr. Deal's discussion of Cisco features, I believe they are correct. One notable exception involves using the established keyword with ACLs. On p. 269 and elsewhere, the author claims "the established keyword looks to see if the ACK, FIN, PSH, RST, SYN, or URG TCP control flags are set. If they are, the TCP traffic is allowed in." This is incorrect; established looks for only the ACK or RST flags. This is not a major concern as other filtering options provide better defense anyway.
Overall, I consider CRFS to be an excellent piece of work. I am adding it to my recommended reading lists and I strongly suggest than anyone using Cisco routers in their perimeter read and heed this book. Keep an eye out for Mr. Deal's next book on building VPNs with Cisco gear.

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Harden perimeter routers with Cisco firewall functionality and features to ensure network securityDetect and prevent denial of service (DoS) attacks with TCP Intercept, Context-Based Access Control (CBAC), and rate-limiting techniques Use Network-Based Application Recognition (NBAR) to detect and filter unwanted and malicious traffic Use router authentication to prevent spoofing and routing attacks Activate basic Cisco IOS filtering features like standard, extended, timed, lock-and-key, and reflexive ACLs to block various types of security threats and attacks, such as spoofing, DoS, Trojan horses, and worms Use black hole routing, policy routing, and Reverse Path Forwarding (RPF) to protect against spoofing attacks Apply stateful filtering of traffic with CBAC, including dynamic port mapping Use Authentication Proxy (AP) for user authentication Perform address translation with NAT, PAT, load distribution, and other methods Implement stateful NAT (SNAT) for redundancy Use Intrusion Detection System (IDS) to protect against basic types of attacks Obtain how-to instructions on basic logging and learn to easily interpret results Apply IPSec to provide secure connectivity for site-to-site and remote access connections Read about many, many more features of the IOS firewall for mastery of router securityThe Cisco IOS firewall offers you the feature-rich functionality that you've come to expect from best-of-breed firewalls: address translation, authentication, encryption, stateful filtering, failover, URL content filtering, ACLs, NBAR, and many others. Cisco Router Firewall Security teaches you how to use the Cisco IOS firewall to enhance the security of your perimeter routers and, along the way, take advantage of the flexibility and scalability that is part of the Cisco IOS Software package. Each chapter in Cisco Router Firewall Security addresses an important component of perimeter router security. Author Richard Deal explains the advantages and disadvantages of all key security features to help you understand when they should be used and includes examples from his personal consulting experience to illustrate critical issues and security pitfalls. A detailed case study is included at the end of the book, which illustrates best practices and specific information on how to implement Cisco router security features.Whether you are looking to learn about firewall security or seeking how-to techniques to enhance security in your Cisco routers, Cisco Router Firewall Security is your complete reference for securing the perimeter of your network.This book is part of the Networking Technology Series from Cisco Press, which offers networking professionals valuable information for constructing efficient networks, understanding new technologies, and building successful careers.

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Learning FreeNAS: Configure and manage a network attached storage solution Review

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(More customer reviews)This was my first excursion into a *nix or Free* type of operating system. I did not know what CHOWN or CHMOD was a couple of weeks ago. I scrathed around the web and found out about both and many other things about FreeNAS.
But I thought my knowledge was lacking so I purchased the Learning FreeNAS book. I have looked at several areas including the ineffective Index.
This book is for some far distant, previous release of FreeNAS and has less than half of what you need to know about many subjects. It does not mention anything about installing on a Hard Disk or Flash drive. I does not mention LiveISO/USB booting & operating.
So installation pretty much a miss. Tried looking up several things in the index. Missing. Wanted to know more about the CIFS configuration. The bottom half of the current screen is missing from the book.
To sum it up, almost everything you need to know, and more than is in this book, is available FOR FREE, on the web. Start with YouTube. With any amount of *nix or Free* knowledge, you already know more than this book does.
Such simple questions as how to install on USB Flash or CF Flash or hard drive are left, essentially unanswered. He goes into configuring your BIOS to boot from USB but not how to make the very thing you need to have to do such a boot from USB flash.
I feel cheated. There are some other sections which contain some useful information but I expect this is on the web, too. If updated to current version(s), this would be a valuable book but as it is, it is only marginally valuable.
Mike Morrow

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CompTIA Linux+ Complete Study Guide: Exams LX0-101 and LX0-102 Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this book on Amazon when it came out a few months ago. I have the older Linux+ book (for the previous version of the Linux+ exam) but that version of CompTIA Linux+ is ending as of Oct 31 2010 (it consisted of a single 90 question exam - equiv of 6 months of Linux experience). So I was undecided on what exactly I should do: A.) Push it and take the existing test before Oct 31 2010 or B.) Just take the new Linux+ exam (actually two tests) powered by LPI. Since I had heard that the LPI version is much more comprehensive, I figured I'd go that route. Well let me tell you this book and from what I can surmise the new exam as well, is no joke. This book is way more in-depth and detailed than the previous Linux+ books. It is now recommended by CompTIA that you first achieve your A+ and your Network+ certification, as well as have 1 year of Linux admin level experience before attempting Linux+. If you want a taste of what this study book is like the very first chapter starts out with listing commands and explaining regular expressions. I've been working with Linux for some time so this was not a problem for me but if you haven't used Linux before you might want to brush up on your basics before you consider this one... The older books started out explaining what Linux was and what GNU licensing was about, etc (intro type stuff).
I have not taken the exams yet but I will report on how well I do after..

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New edition prepares candidates for exams LX0-101 and LX0-102—and Linux+ certification!
The two leading Linux certification bodies, CompTIA and Linux Professional Institute (LPI), have joined forces to release two new Linux+ exams, LX0-101 and LX0-102. This new Sybex study guide breaks down everything you need to prepare for the exams. Covering all exam objectives, the book explains Linux command-line tools, managing software, configuring hardware, managing files and filesystems, and much more. The companion CD features a leading-edge test engine and a host of other study tools, giving you ample opportunity to study, practice, and review.
Covers all exam objectives for the Linux+ exams, LX0-101 and LX0-102
Explains Linux command-line tools, managing software, configuring hardware, the boot process and scripts, and managing files and filesystems
Also covers working with the X Window system, administering the system, basic networking, and server and system security
Provides leading-edge test prep software, four practice exams, over 100 electronic flashcards, and the book in searchable PDF, on a companion CD

If you want to prepare for Linux+ certification, a Sybex Study Guide is what you need!
Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

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Principles of Network and System Administration Review

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(More customer reviews)This work is a good one on the non-technical side of system adminsitration. It does not deal with stuff like HOW to install a system, but the WHYs, such as WHY you want to properly document your installations.
This sort of work has been needed for a long time, since "The Keys to Successful Unix System Management" went out of print. However, this work may be a bit too academic for many admins. They might find the recent "Practice of System and Network Administration" to be a bit better. If you can afford both, do so.

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Web Application Architecture: Principles, Protocols and Practices Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is an ideal text for providing intermediate-level web developers with a solid grounding in architectural principles and more advanced techniques. Before going into why I like this book I do want to offer one caveat - the authors' approach is towards the Model-View-Controller paradigm, and is based on Java Standard Tag Library, Jarkata struts and Apache. These are solid elements, but if you are working in a different environment you will not appreciate this book as much.
The historical material in this book is not fluff if you approach it with the intent to gain a fuller understanding of the major components of the Internet and web. This material is rich with details about why the core web technologies developed and evolved, including design choices the pioneers made in the face of constraints. In a subtle way this part of the book is a primer on design and architecture.
What makes this book so valuable is the non-trivial application that brings this book alive. This is a refreshing change from other books that use thinly contrived snippets of code or trivial applications. The code for this application can be downloaded from the book's supporting web site, which also contains errata (thus far there are only two entries), and articles that are valuable resources with or without this book.
Overall this is one of the better books on web application design and development, and one that dives into code and technical details.

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An in-depth examination of the core concepts and general principles of Web application development.This book uses examples from specific technologies (e.g., servlet API or XSL), without promoting or endorsing particular platforms or APIs. Such knowledge is critical when designing and debugging complex systems. This conceptual understanding makes it easier to learn new APIs that arise in the rapidly changing Internet environment.* Includes discussions of markup languages: HTML, the eXtensible Markup Language (XML), XHTML, eXtensible Stylesheet Language (XSL), and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)* Contains exercises geared to constructing an advanced XML application that makes use of XML and XSL parsers* Explores emerging technologies: Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE), industry-specific XML standards, Resource Description Framework (RDF), and XML query languages

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Network Management: Principles and Practice Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this book with great hope. I have spent the past 12 odd years of my career working on various networking protocols. But, I had never worked on network management systems. I figured I could use a good book about network management. Looking at the TOC and the author's info (the author teaches at GaTech), I figured I wouldn't go wrong if I read this book.
The author definitely covers a lot of ground. The emphasis is squarely on SNMP based systems. The author also has some decent discussion about EMS/NMS, event-correlation, commercial and open-source management systems, etc.
So, why am I giving it 2*-s? I didn't like the book because it is very hard to read. The sentences are very difficult to read and understand. You have to make a big effort to figure out what the author is saying and even then, it's not easy. I am hoping the author and the editors simplify the language of the book and update some of the content in the next edition. So, my suggestion would be: wait till the next edition if you can, else, be ready to put in a lot of time into reading this book.


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Network Management: Principles and Practice provides a balance of theoretical backgrounds and practical aspects of network management. Unlike other books that talk only about specific network technologies, Mani Subramanian lays the foundation for network management by presenting the background, the technologies, and the tools that all network managers simply must know. He does this by breaking the book down into three parts:*Part I provides a background on networking and network technologies such as hubs, routers, bridges, and switches. *Part II addresses network management architectures and protocols before moving on to discuss SNMP management, broadband management, and TMN. *Part III focuses on tools to monitor network parameters, network management applications, and solutions to manage networks and systems. Throughout the book, the author intertwines real-world examples based upon his experience in managing, engineering, and operating networks. 0201357429B04062001

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The Practice of System and Network Administration, Second Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)Good sysadmins know the technical details. They can resurrect a dead server, understand the intricacies of sendmail or the Windows registry, and recite all of the types of DNS records by heart. They own copies of the UNIX System Administration Handbook and refer to them regularly. They are good sysadmins, and will contribute solidly at an intermediate level.
Great sysadmins know all of that and what is in this book. They are the ones who go on to become the senior sysadmins and consultants, have fabulous careers, and are respected by their bosses, co-workers, and customers.
There is much more to a technical job than simply the technical skills. Don't buy this book to learn how to run a system or you will be disappointed. Do, however, buy it to learn how to be an effective professional systems administrator.
It is also useful for a manager of sysadmins who is either non-technical, or has never been a sysadmin himself, as it is a good introduction to the issues and concerns that sysadmins need to face.
Limoncelli and Hogan cover many topics, including:
- Trouble ticket systems
- Desktops and Servers (how they're the same, differ, etc.)
- Administrative networks (why bother?)
- Requirements (gathering, tracking, etc.)
- Standards and centralization of services
- How to do debugging (not "you see this problem, do this" but rather learning the process of doing good debugging)
- Fix things once, not over and over again
- Security policies (including management and organizational issues for a variety of organizational profiles)
- Disaster Recovery (again, not how to backup data, but why you'd want to, legal issues, etc.)
- Systems Administration Ethics
- Change management and revision control
- Maintenance windows: what they are and why they're good for both you and your users
- Centralization versus Decentralization
- Helpdesks: sizing, scope, processes, escalation, etc.
- Data centers (many physical facility concerns that sysadmins don't often think of, including how to move a datacenter)
- Managing non-OS software (commercial and free)
They will help you answer questions like
- Does server hardware really cost more? Do we go with a few expensive servers or many cheap ones?
- What does "redundancy" actually mean?
- Why would we spend money on backups? There's never been an outage...
- What do I do when asked to do something illegal?
- How do I communicate and schedule large system changes?
- How do I do a safe server upgrade?
- They want to decentralize the sysadmin group -- what do we do?
- How do we move our datacenter?
- What sort of policy issues are there with email?
- How do I deal with my customers abusing printers?
- What do we have to worry about if we're implementing remote access (e.g. dialup modem banks) for our users?
Finally, they close with an entire section on Management:
- How to deal with cost centers, management chains, hiring, customer support, and outsourcing.
- How to manage your customers perceptions and your team's visibility
- How to manage your own happiness (time management, communication, professional development, managing your manager, etc.)
- How to be a technical manager, how to work with non-technical managers, manage your own career growth, etc.
- How to hire good sysadmins, recruiting, interviewing, soft skills, technical skills, employee retention, etc.
- The special concerns around how to fire sysadmins (often problematic, given their higher level of access)
They even have a chapter for non-technical managers who are in charge of sysadmins (this entire book would be very useful to give to a non-technical manager who doesn't really 'get it'.)
The book closes with three appendixes:
A. The Many Role of a System Administrator
B. What to Do When...
C. Acronyms
Appendix B is particularly useful, answering a wide variety of questions with solid, practical answers.
The skills and concepts in this book are the make-or-break in many careers. They turn you from just another sysadmin into a star performer, sensitive to your customers and the business, able to interact with a wide spectrum of people.

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