Books
BIND 9 DNS Administration Reference Book
This book includes the authoritative reference of the configuration syntax and grammar plus the the usage and command-line arguments for the ISC BIND 9.5 suite. The book is based on open source documentation included in the BIND source. It adds new content, examples, detailed indexing and cross-referencing for easy research and study.
The Best of FreeBSD Basics by Dru Lavigne
Geared toward new users and also useful for experienced admins, The Best of FreeBSD Basics contains a lot of information relevant to all BSDs (and Unix). Dru Lavigne's book covers a wide range of topics with step-by-step directions, such as setting up a window manager, using FreeBSD on the desktop, upgrading ports, mounting filesystems, configuring ACLs, Unix fundamentals, using Wireshark, printing basics, NFS, DHCP services, checking system security, configuring SSH, setting up VPNs, and a lot more.
The OpenBSD PF Packet Filter Book
This book introduces the features and capabilities of PF and its related tools with many examples and steps for configuring and using the packet filter, ALTQ, address translation, spamd and more on the OpenBSD, NetBSD, FreeBSD and DragonFly operating systems. The book includes ample cross-referencing and a detailed index for easy research and reading.
Upcoming Books
BSD Associate Administrator Study Guide
Book writing is process. Printed book to be available soon. The book is a quick reference and great way to quickly learn BSD administration skills. These topics are based on the objectives published by the BSD Certification Group in the 2005 BSDA Certification Requirements Document. The BSDA (BSD Associate) Certification is for BSD Unix system administrators with light to moderate skills. This book provides basic examples and pointers to further documentation and learning resources. This book is not a comprehensive reference. While this is a beginner's book, it is also useful for experienced administrators. This book covers generic *BSD administration and specific skills as necessary for NetBSD, FreeBSD, OpenBSD and DragonFly BSD.
Quick Guide to the Modular X.org
This book is a quick introduction to the many components, libraries, servers and tools provided by the modular X.org X Window System. The book teaches how to get started with X.org, X configurations, X security, and common tasks with the popular X clients.
The Lightweight Open Source Desktop: Performance and Productivity on Minimal Systems
This book defines "lightweight"; explains how to evaluate software, improve or prepare software for small systems; and introduces a wide range of desktop software and operating systems usable on hardware with limited resources. This book is useful for designing and implementing embedded systems, evaluating open source software, continuing usage of (or gaining new life from) old hardware, taking full advantage of small systems, and even getting better performance on existing hardware. The focus of this book is on the desktop -- basic productivity in both the X11 environment and text-based user interfaces with simple office applications, essential utilities, common desktop tasks, and even some entertainment. If you want to participate with the review of this book in progress, please let us know.
Lightweight Open Source Servers and Firewalls
While there is some overlap with the The Lightweight Open Source Desktop book in describing "lightweight" and initial design and implementation, the "server" book specifically introduces web, DNS, mail, and other network servers that perform well on small systems and useful networking utilities. The book also introduces several minimal operating systems and individual programs that provide firewall, network security, and/or servers.
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