Rating: 
Summary: A book you'll keep
Review: Buy the FreeBSD CNG if you want to spend a week-end (and more) discovering and playing with FreeBSD. It's a nice deal for $49.95. It is also a useful acquisition for more fluent users who look for a book that consolidates information about where to find information about FreeBSD.I admit it right away, I did not buy the book for the contents but rather for the FreeBSD 4.2 CD-ROM. A cheap way to get a recent release without downloading an obscene amount of data over Internet. An impulse act of consumerism some would say. I'm not (read not at all) an expert in FreeBSD but I already installed and used it on various machines. So, I'm not the best person to tell whether or not you can use the FreeBSD CNG to start from scratch. But I would say yes because while reading some chapters, you clearly see that the author actually went through the stuff he's talking about. If you reach a road block when installing and configuring FreeBSD you'll probably find a way to get out of the pit while browsing the book. The text is full of pointers which will guide you through the gory parts of a first FreeBSD installation, as well as future changes of configurations. Anyway, as the author says himself up front, read the online manuals and documentation (thank you for saying so). To which you must add that installing FreeBSD is simple compared to some others OSes which, supposedly, do all the things for you. Although I don't think it is its primary goal, the FreeBSD CNG is a good compromise between the two other books about FreeBSD: "The Complete FreeBSD" (which starts with more basic stuff, slightly outdated but still a good introduction for the complete beginner) and the FreeBSD Handbook (which has no structure nor index and that you get online as well as on your system once it's running). If you're not fluent in basic UNIX, also buy a "good" UNIX administration handbook. My own cent: Unix System Administration Handbook Evi Nemeth and others, PH/PTR. The FreeBSD CNG provides a good overview of what you can expect from FreeBSD. It goes beyond technical issues: history, advocacy, coexistence with Windows systems. Useful to System Administrators who want to introduce FreeBSD within a corporation. It also provides some unexpected information (the speech about the ISPs for instance). You'll like it because, the author does not tell you how things are supposed to be but how they are. There are many tidbits you can reuse in front of people for showing off (but don't do it because you never know who you're talking to). In addition, the author does it without controversy (if you like controversy, go to slashdot.org). The FreeBSD CNG covers a lot of ground (always a challenge). The author does it well. If you buy and read this book, you will want to use FreeBSD. As the French say "l'essayer c'est l'adopter".
Rating:
Summary: If you use FreeBSD, support the cause and buy this book!
Review: I am a network intrusion detector building and deploying FreeBSD-based sensors for use at work and home. I am trying to augment my "end user" perspective with an administrator's skill set. I was anxious to add to my limited knowledge of installing and configuring FreeBSD. Ted says his book "is written for beginning FreeBSD administrators," and has "operating with the Microsoft operating system and networking as a primary goal." This is true. The perfect reader is comfortable with installing and manipulating FreeBSD, but is not sure how best to implement FreeBSD-based email, web, print, or Windows share serving. Newbies will not find enough hand-holding, and gurus on a man-page diet may not be satisfied. A unique aspect of the book is its analysis of Microsoft's products. With a FreeBSD bias, Ted is not afraid to lift up the Microsoft rock and show the bugs scurrying underneath. Windows devotees might welcome some of his hints on administering Microsoft's email products! This 400-page book devotes substantial sections to non-BSD topics like advocacy and history (40+ pages), router configuration, and general email services, which didn't bother me. Similar to Rod Smith's approach in The Multi-Boot Configuration Handbook, inclusion of material beyond strict FreeBSD configuration helps build well-rounded system administrators. Those needing more detail and explicit instructions would probably wish for less history and more command-line configuration. The strongest feature is the author's breadth of knowledge and devotion to linking FreeBSD to multiple Microsoft OS products. Who needs to run TCP/IP on DOS, and have it talk to FreeBSD? If you do, check out this book! (Fond memories of installing Trumpet Winsock on Windows 3.1 in 1994 resurfaced while reading p. 56.) The weakest aspect is the book's implicit assumption that the reader is the type who is comfortable reading manual pages. While Ted may seem to be looking out for the newbie (explaining the term "shell," even, on page 18), I still felt the tug of the man page. I hope this book is successful and encourages updates to Greg Lehey's "The Complete FreeBSD" and inspires other FreeBSD gurus to write their own books. Thanks for the great work Ted!
Rating:
Summary: If you use FreeBSD, support the cause and buy this book!
Review: I am a network intrusion detector building and deploying FreeBSD-based sensors for use at work and home. I am trying to augment my "end user" perspective with an administrator's skill set. I was anxious to add to my limited knowledge of installing and configuring FreeBSD. Ted says his book "is written for beginning FreeBSD administrators," and has "operating with the Microsoft operating system and networking as a primary goal." This is true. The perfect reader is comfortable with installing and manipulating FreeBSD, but is not sure how best to implement FreeBSD-based email, web, print, or Windows share serving. Newbies will not find enough hand-holding, and gurus on a man-page diet may not be satisfied. A unique aspect of the book is its analysis of Microsoft's products. With a FreeBSD bias, Ted is not afraid to lift up the Microsoft rock and show the bugs scurrying underneath. Windows devotees might welcome some of his hints on administering Microsoft's email products! This 400-page book devotes substantial sections to non-BSD topics like advocacy and history (40+ pages), router configuration, and general email services, which didn't bother me. Similar to Rod Smith's approach in The Multi-Boot Configuration Handbook, inclusion of material beyond strict FreeBSD configuration helps build well-rounded system administrators. Those needing more detail and explicit instructions would probably wish for less history and more command-line configuration. The strongest feature is the author's breadth of knowledge and devotion to linking FreeBSD to multiple Microsoft OS products. Who needs to run TCP/IP on DOS, and have it talk to FreeBSD? If you do, check out this book! (Fond memories of installing Trumpet Winsock on Windows 3.1 in 1994 resurfaced while reading p. 56.) The weakest aspect is the book's implicit assumption that the reader is the type who is comfortable reading manual pages. While Ted may seem to be looking out for the newbie (explaining the term "shell," even, on page 18), I still felt the tug of the man page. I hope this book is successful and encourages updates to Greg Lehey's "The Complete FreeBSD" and inspires other FreeBSD gurus to write their own books. Thanks for the great work Ted!
Rating:
Summary: If you use FreeBSD, support the cause and buy this book!
Review: I am a network intrusion detector building and deploying FreeBSD-based sensors for use at work and home. I am trying to augment my "end user" perspective with an administrator's skill set. I was anxious to add to my limited knowledge of installing and configuring FreeBSD. Ted says his book "is written for beginning FreeBSD administrators," and has "operating with the Microsoft operating system and networking as a primary goal." This is true. The perfect reader is comfortable with installing and manipulating FreeBSD, but is not sure how best to implement FreeBSD-based email, web, print, or Windows share serving. Newbies will not find enough hand-holding, and gurus on a man-page diet may not be satisfied. A unique aspect of the book is its analysis of Microsoft's products. With a FreeBSD bias, Ted is not afraid to lift up the Microsoft rock and show the bugs scurrying underneath. Windows devotees might welcome some of his hints on administering Microsoft's email products! This 400-page book devotes substantial sections to non-BSD topics like advocacy and history (40+ pages), router configuration, and general email services, which didn't bother me. Similar to Rod Smith's approach in The Multi-Boot Configuration Handbook, inclusion of material beyond strict FreeBSD configuration helps build well-rounded system administrators. Those needing more detail and explicit instructions would probably wish for less history and more command-line configuration. The strongest feature is the author's breadth of knowledge and devotion to linking FreeBSD to multiple Microsoft OS products. Who needs to run TCP/IP on DOS, and have it talk to FreeBSD? If you do, check out this book! (Fond memories of installing Trumpet Winsock on Windows 3.1 in 1994 resurfaced while reading p. 56.) The weakest aspect is the book's implicit assumption that the reader is the type who is comfortable reading manual pages. While Ted may seem to be looking out for the newbie (explaining the term "shell," even, on page 18), I still felt the tug of the man page. I hope this book is successful and encourages updates to Greg Lehey's "The Complete FreeBSD" and inspires other FreeBSD gurus to write their own books. Thanks for the great work Ted!
Rating: 
Summary: A good FreeBSD book.
Review: I was one of the reviewers of this book, and I am very happy to see how well this book turned out. I have often missed a book I could point people at when they ask "How to do ...". This one seems to fill that need nicely, well overflow it actually :-) Ted knows where his towel is, and if I should launch any complaint against his book it will be that sometimes he gets far and away from the title: "ISP's peering agreements" for instance. But Ted knows his facts so I am sure that a lot of people will learn a good deal more from his book than they bargained for. Throughout the book I have found lots of information which I am sure I could have located on the web somewhere but having it all here, in a single volume, puts it on my handbook/reference shelf, an honour it shares with only 17 other books. I don't mind there being ten times as many books about Linux, if only the FreeBSD books are this good. Poul-Henning Kamp, FreeBSD developer since 1992
Rating:
Summary: A good FreeBSD book.
Review: I was one of the reviewers of this book, and I am very happy to see how well this book turned out. I have often missed a book I could point people at when they ask "How to do ...". This one seems to fill that need nicely, well overflow it actually :-) Ted knows where his towel is, and if I should launch any complaint against his book it will be that sometimes he gets far and away from the title: "ISP's peering agreements" for instance. But Ted knows his facts so I am sure that a lot of people will learn a good deal more from his book than they bargained for. Throughout the book I have found lots of information which I am sure I could have located on the web somewhere but having it all here, in a single volume, puts it on my handbook/reference shelf, an honour it shares with only 17 other books. I don't mind there being ten times as many books about Linux, if only the FreeBSD books are this good. Poul-Henning Kamp, FreeBSD developer since 1992
Rating:
Summary: The title says everything.
Review: If you're looking for a tutorial that will guide you to install FreeBSD and recompile the kernel, you're looking in the wrong place. If you're an experienced network administrator/user who wants to take advantage of that knowledge with FreeBSD, you'll feel in heaven. The book is an excellent guide to set up a complete and highly reliable network server/workstation (web, ftp, mail, firewall etc.) compatible with many other OS. There are few books that accomplish the promise they make with the title, but this is an example of a very focused work on the field the author wants to cover. It's a good thing to support the FreeBSD project, but it's better when you get what you want for your bucks. However, you can get the "Handbook", "The Complete FreeBSD" book or "FreeBSD Unleashed" for a broader knowledge of FreeBSD, and when you feel at home with the OS, then get this book to fine tune your network services.
Rating:
Summary: Nice to see another FreeBSD book
Review: In a genre where there aren't many FreeBSD books, this book provides a great look into how FreeBSD can be setup to work together with any networking equipment. The audience range of this book is pretty good, starting at the beginner level and moves up to the people who live and breathe FreeBSD; but some of the topics can cause a beginner to scratch his/her head when they first read it. It's really nice to see the author dedicate quite a bit of the book on how to get FreeBSD to fit in next to Microsoft Windows-based workstations and servers, and even next to (not replacing) Cisco equipment. That way people can see that they won't have to replace everything that they have just to work with FreeBSD. The book does have some typos and tiny mistakes, but almost any technical book has mistakes. Don't think the material is dry... since there is quite a bit of humor and advocacy included. Overall, great book and I hope we can see more BSD books of this caliber.
Rating:
Summary: A Wealth of Shared Experience
Review: Like the Unix System Administration Handbook, this book shares the author's extensive experience in the real world. So many computer books are merely rewrites of manuals touting the merits of software, but not this one.
System administrators these days deal with networks of computers running various versions of Microsoft Windows as well as UNIX variants and even Macs, whether the system administrator is running a home network and using FreeBSD as a gateway or running a more complex network in an office. For anyone trying to put it all together, from testing the hardware to email and printing, this is an invaluable book.
Rating:
Summary: If you're running FreeBSD - Buy this book!
Review: Others have said it better then I can... you need to buy this book if you're running FreeBSD at all. It has been extremely helpful to me.
| 
