Essential Mac OS X Panther Server Administration

Customer Reviews

Caution: Authorized IT personnel only

2006-11-15
This is a book that should be read only by seasoned IT professionals. As the director of a small academic lab I don't have the luxury of having adequate IT support, so I, like many others, have to wing it. With its rave reviews I thought this book would help, but it didn't. Another 50-100 pages (a relatively small increment in this tome) to compactly introduce and define some of the jargon would have helped immensely and expanded the intended audience to those familiar with IT, but as a sideline, not a career. That being said, I appreciated the author's candor and attention to "gotchas" that official documentation doesn't mention.

No other OS X server book comes close

2006-02-08
Even with 10.4 out this is still the number one book on Mac OS X server there is. Period. Bartosh goes deep in to all areas of OS X server and provides excellent examples for you to follow. This book has saved my hide on a number of occasions and I can't wait to see what he comes up with next. If you only buy one OS X server book this is it.

This is a "must-have" book for all level users related to Apple systems administration.

2006-02-03
This book is organized into seven parts and one appendix: from new system installation to remote management and different kind of clients supported.

Inside the first part, there is a chapter about planning system deployment reviewing different scenarios as first task to take care of. The author exposes some basic ideas about system administration as well as strategies and tools to resolve a large number of common problems.

One of the key points of this book is its better organization centered around system deployment phases than Apple documentation. Continuous explanations and small tricks to monitor and tune the system are made across the entire book sections. There is exhaustive information about installation with graphical tools, command line and network setup. The most appreciated resource can be screenshots: it allows to follow all the explanations without any problem to new Apple system administrator.

Authors, as advanced users, describe in an easy but deeply enough way all management tools of all system services either graphical or command line versions. Some other Open Source or even propietary tools are described when they are good alternatives to Apple ones.

All the chapters contain "best practices" sections and background knowledge to really understand their functions.

This is a "must-have" book for all level users related to Apple systems administration. I'm really impatient waiting for Tiger revision.

Best MacOS X Server book

2005-12-22
For those who are familiar with MacOS X and would like to learn the server-side of the equation, this book is it. Apple's documentation has been sparse and this book covers that deficiency with great aplomb. This is the best Mac OS X Server book on the market right now. Too bad O'Reilly just cancelled the Tiger version because I would have first in line for the next edition.
http://www.afp548.com/article.php?story=20051221121321676
I hope they change their minds because it will certainly leave a big void in future MacOS X Server documentation.

Not for Web Server help

2005-10-14
If you are looking for OS X web server inside information, this is not it. Only about 15 pages, out of 800, discuss the web server. And the information on those pages mostly just covers the already intuitive interface. It would not be fair for me to dis the whole book based on this one gaping whole - but since that was the information I was looking for more information on, I was sorely tempted.

The most complete OS X Server reference around

2005-09-11
From the command line to Apple's graphical tools, this book uses a thorough, fundamental approach that leads readers to mastery of every aspect of the server. Full of much-needed insight, clear explanations, troubleshooting tips, and security information in every chapter, the book shows system administrators how to utilize the software's capabilities and features for their individual needs. Some of the topics covered in detail include:

Installation
Deployment
Server management
Directory services
Web application services
System interaction
Data gathering
Stress planning

This comprehensive guide also takes the time to carefully highlight and analyze the differences between Mac OS X and the other server platforms. Whether you're a seasoned Unix or Windows administrator or a long-time Mac professional, Essential Mac OS X Panther Server Administration provides you with the depth you're seeking to maximize the potential of your Mac OS X Panther Server.

Best.OSX.Server.Book.Ever

2005-07-27
If you run any level of Mac OS X Server, you need to have this book. Period. Run, don't walk. It's one of the most useful sysadmin references I've ever read, and within a week of me buying it, it showed me how to fix an Open Directory Replica problem I was having, along with explaining what the hell was going on to cause the problem. So not only did I fix the problem, but I know why the problem happened in the first place, all because of this book.

Any book that shows me the how, what, and why of a problem that fast is worth whatever it costs, and I'll be buying the Mac OS X 10.4 book as well.

Wait, here's another one...I helped write a book on shell scripting. If you have to pick between the two, buy this book.

Panther Server Administration, The Good Stuff

2005-07-20
If you ever wanted to know anything about whats happing behind the GUI, then this book is for you.

This is a must have book for Admin's !!!

An OS X server admin's MUST HAVE!

2005-07-19
I think this is the best book ever published by O'Reilly. I have read several of the other O'Reilly books including the Missing Manual's for OS X, but this book really gets into the functions of Panther server. Sure, it is a little late since Tiger is already out, but much of the book still applies to Tiger server. Before buying this book I bought the Peachpit Press Visual QuickPro Guide for Panther Server. It is a pretty good book for someone who has never administered an OS X server or who is uncomfortable with the command line. This O'Reilly book goes way deeper into administering the server. It talks about some 3rd party open source software that is very often helpful in maintaining a server. OS X server provides a lot of services that are derived from open source projects almost all of which have entire O'Reilly books dedicated to them. This book does a nice job of covering what you NEED to know about the services that OS X server provides all in one book. I highly recommend this book to anyone running even one OS X server 10.3 or higher.

Comprehensive and thorough

2005-06-24
The word 'essential', to me, implies just the important elements. But this book goes far beyond that. In fact, it does an excellent job introducing technical topics in the larger world. For example, LDAP is given about five pages of explanation before we even get to how it's done on OS X. To me, that means this book is a comprehensive resource that will inform you about both the standards and their implementation in this environment. Obviating the need for a standards book.

If you are doing Mac OS X Server work, you need this book. The documentation in the operating system and on-line is tragic.