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Preface
Computer networks have changed our lives. They
grew slowly, and mostly unnoticed, in the 1970s and 1980s. In the 1990s,
though, something happened. Perhaps it was the availability of the World Wide
Web (WWW, or Web) and graphical Web browsers, which made computer networks
accessible to Grandma Dorothy and Uncle Stan. Maybe it was that the
availability of network connections had reached a critical threshold. Perhaps
the quality and quantity of network-enabled software passed a critical
threshold. Possibly it was two or all three of these things, or something else
entirely. In any event, networks became noticeable. Most importantly, the Internet became noticeable.The Internet comprises millions of computers,
many of which run servers software packages
designed to listen for and respond to data transfer requests from other
computers. Because the protocols upon which the Internet was built were
designed to work in a cross-platform manner, both Internet clients and the servers
they use run on many different platforms. One of the most popular of these is
Linux. Coupled with inexpensive x 86 hardware,
Linux makes a very cost-effective server platform for small and mid-sized
sites. Indeed, with increasing computer performance and Linux versions working
their way up the computer performance hierarchy, Linux is beginning to make
inroads into the large server market. Thus, with Linux on everything from tiny
network appliances to large servers, knowing how to set up and maintain a Linux
server system is an important skill for networking professionals today.Which servers, though? There are hundreds, if not thousands, of
individual server programs. Most general-purpose Linux networking books focus
on a handful of popular serversWeb (HTTP) servers like Apache, login servers
like Telnet and SSH, file servers like NFS and Samba, and a few others. These
books present enough information to get a user up and running, but little more.
They also give short shrift to servers that are less visible but that are often
extremely important, like DHCP servers, time servers, and Kerberos. This book
takes a different approach to Linux networking: I assume that you know at least
a minimal amount about Linux and networking in general, and you want to take
you skills to a higher level. Although this book does cover the "usual
suspects," it spends less time introducing the basics and more time
describing advanced or unusual configurations. This book also covers some of
the servers and topics that are neglected in most entry-level Linux networking
books. The result is the closest thing possible to a book that's both a general Linux networking book and an advanced Linux networking book.To be sure, you won't learn everything there
is to know about complex packages like Apache or Samba in this book. The
relevant chapters provide quick introductions to these tools, a summary of some
popular techniques you won't find covered in other introductory Linux
networking books, and pointers to additional resources. This book's approach is
to be a general-purpose Linux networking book for people who are not novices.
