linux

This will be your one and only desktop reference for FreeBSD. This is not a newbie book although topics are easy to read and understand. You should have some *nix experience and knowledge to get the most out of this book. It is a thorough coverage of version 5 with older versions covered in the appendix. I would also recommend using this book in tandem with the online FreeBSD Handbook found at freebsd.org. The strength of this book is in it's detailed Table of Contents and Index - a must for a complete reference book.

Before reading Greg Lehey's "The Complete FreeBSD, 4th Ed" (TCF:4E), I reviewed Michael Lucas' excellent "Absolute BSD" (a FreeBSD book) in Feb 03. I can't say which book is better, and I recommend you buy Lucas' book as well as this one. TCF:4E remains for me the FreeBSD user's manual; any serious FreeBSD user will have it on his or her shelf. The two books complement each other, as Lucas is often more direct in his explanations.

While in some places I find Lucas' material easier to follow, Lehey offers depth of coverage not found elsewhere. For example, Lehey devotes the entirety of ch. 28 to low-level discussions of configuring and troubleshooting XFree86, whereas Lucas offers a few pages. (Urban and Tiemann's "FreeBSD Unleashed" talks about configuring X too.)

Lucas' "Absolute BSD" focuses solely on FreeBSD. The only "straying" involves mentioning applications which run on FreeBSD. As apps like Apache and Postfix make systems useful, this makes sense. Lehey's TCF:4E is less concentrated, as it discusses intricacies of hardware, questions to ask ISPs before signing contracts, and principles of network troubleshooting. While I probably don't need to read such topics in a book I bought (yes, bought) for FreeBSD coverage, I didn't mind these "diversions." "Grog" Lehey has been around so long his insights are truly valuable. Lehey also presents a very traditional BSD usage model, where admins check their email using "mutt" (ch. 26) and avoid "Standard" installations in favor of "Custom" installations. I found this approach useful.

Since TCF:4E is advertised as covering version 5.0, I hoped to see some introductory material on items brought from Robert Watson's "TrustedBSD" project. These were "experimental" in FreeBSD 5.0, but could change the way FreeBSD systems are administered. Overall, security didn't get as much attention in Lehey's book compared to Lucas'. For example, Lucas walked readers through deploying a jail, while Lehey doesn't mention the subject. I also found the chapter on Vinum confusing. Since Lehey created Vinum, he may need someone to step back and describe the system in layman's terms.

Overall, TCF:4E is a must-buy. I already referred to it over the weekend when installing a new FreeBSD gateway, and I expect to consult it repeatedly in the future.

Linux is awesome but...I've been thinking about adding a BSD system for my home.edu. I'm convinced it will be a great experience. The author's passion for BSD is evident. Thanks, Mr. Lehey.