Linux is a fast-growing operating system with power and appeal, and enterprises worldwide are quickly adopting the system to utilize its benefits. But as with all operating systems, performance problems do occur causing system administrators to scramble into action. Finally, there is a complete reference for troubleshooting Linux–quickly! Linux Troubleshooting for System Administrators and Power Users is THE book for locating and solving problems and maintaining high performance in Red Hat® Linux and Novell® SUSE® Linux systems.

This book not only teaches you how to troubleshoot Linux, it shows you how the system works–so you can attack any problem at its root. Should you reinstall if Linux does not boot? Or can you save time by troubleshooting the problem? Can you enhance performance when Linux hangs or runs slowly? Can you overcome problems with printing or accessing a network? This book provides easy-to-follow examples and an extensive look at the tools, commands, and scripts that make Linux run properly. 

• A troubleshooting guide for all Linux users: Focuses on common problems with start-up, printing, login, the network, security, and more
• Restore Linux when boot, startup, or shutdown fails–and reinstall Linux properly when all troubleshooting fails
• Explains how to use some of the most popular Linux performance tools, including top, sar, vmstat, iostat, and free
• Handle storage problems and CPU slamming to ensure high Linux performance
• Solve hardware device problems by deciphering error messages and using the lspci tool
• Use backup/recover commands and tape libraries to create proper backups
• Identify and correct remote and network printing problems using spooler commands 

Gone are the days of searching online for solutions that are out of date and unreliable. Whether you are a system admin, developer, or user, this book is an invaluable resource for ensuring that Linux runs smoothly, efficiently, and securely.

 

About The Author

James Kirkland is a Senior Consultant for Racemi. He was previously a Senior Systems Administrator at Hewlett-Packard. He has been working with UNIX variants for more than ten years. James is a Red Hat Certified engineer, Linux LPIC level one certified, and an HP-UX certified System Administrator. He has been working with Linux for seven years and HP-UX for eight years. He has been a participant at HP World, Linux World, and numerous internal HP forums.

David Carmichael works for Hewlett-Packard as a Technical Problem Manager in Alpharetta, Georgia. He earned a bachelors degree in computer science from West Virginia University in 1987 and has been helping customers resolve their IT problems ever since. David has written articles for HP’s IT Resource Center (http://itrc.hp.com) and presented at HP World 2003.

Chris Tinker and Greg Tinker are twin brothers originally from LaFayette, Georgia. Chris began his career in computers while working as a UNIX System Administrator for Lockheed Martin in Marietta, Georgia. Greg began his career while at Bellsouth in Atlanta, Georgia. Both Chris and Greg joined Hewlett-Packard in 1999. Chris’s primary role at HP is as a Senior Software Business Recovery Specialist and Greg’s primary role is as a Storage Business Recovery Specialist. Both Chris and Greg have participated in HP World, taught several classes in UNIX/Linux and Disk Array technology, and obtained various certifications including certifications in Advanced Clusters, SAN, and Linux. Chris resides with his wife, Bonnie, and Greg resides with his wife, Kristen, in Alpharetta, Georgia.

 

Customer Reviews & Comments
[Review: digested version] --- DISCLAIMER: This is a requested review by PTR, however any opinions expressed within the review are my personal ones. --- The book Linux Troubleshooting for System Administrators and Power Users from Kirkland, Carmichael and the Tinker brothers tackles many issues a typcial system admin / level one or two support staff will face at the daily work. As such it does provide many solutions and method overviews on how to troubleshoot well reoccuring problems. It differs from other troubleshooting books in that it delivers solutions which help you maintain sound, smooth running system configurations within your company network and allows you to see the bigger picture rather than just offering fix "A" for problem "A" etc.... Each chapter is self contained and explains first a general overview and background about the technologies used and the related OS processes. It then deepens into the most common problems and makes suggestions how to troubleshoot those issues. Finally each chapter follows up with typically 3-4 troubleshoot hunting scenarios, where the reader can exercise and extend the learned knowledge. The authors do provide distinct scenarios and extensions to the most useful commands and system tweaks. Basically the value of the book is that Kirkland, Carmichael and the Tinker brothers deliver proven troubleshooting methods to cut the chase and maintain a coherent system. And here is where the book really lives.