When we wrote the first edition of this book (about five years ago), Linux was just
beginning to prove itself in the corporate world. We hoped that Linux Administration
Handbook would help spread the news that Linux was a first-tier operating
system capable of matching off against offerings from Sun, HP, and IBM.
Now Linux is IBM. For anyone awaiting an unambiguous signal that the Linux waters
were safe for corporate swimmers, IBM’s 2004 announcement of Linux support
across its entire server line must have been quite comforting. No one was ever fired
for buying IBM; these days, Linux in general is an equally safe proposition.1
We set out to write a book that would be the professional Linux system administrator’s
best friend. Where appropriate, we’ve adapted the proven concepts and materials
from our popular book, UNIX System Administration Handbook. We’ve added a
truckload of Linux-specific material and updated the rest, but much of the coverage
remains similar. We hope you agree that the result is a high-quality guide to Linux
administration that benefits from its experience in a past life.