Rating: 
Summary: Another worthless Wrox work
Review: I've finally learned my lesson, and am swearing off Wrox titles. I wouldn't have bought this one, but the only other book on the JBoss admin topic is packed with useless information as well.Where to start on this books flaws? Incomplete and Confusing. There are too many snippets of XML elements that I could never figure out what document they were supposed to be used. For example, I'd expect something as common as configuring a DataSource to include a clear, step-by-step set of instructions, maybe even some example code showing how to set-up and use a MySQL or Oracle RDBMS within a servlet or EJB. No such luck. The only thing is some confusing stuff about setting up an mbean that's completely unnecessary since you can just drop an xml-config file from the examples directory into the deploy directory and change the values. Inconsistent. There are places in the book where an example uses one set of values, and the follow on example uses something different. For example, in the section describing how to set up a JDBC login module, the code for a SQL statement is given as "SELECT [x] FROM...". On the very next page, an xml snippet shows the query used in some config-file as "SELECT [y] FROM..." Now, they both end up amounting to the same thing, but it would've been nice to see both statements the same way to help reinforce what goes where. Improper. Some of the references to MegaDeath and Euthanasia used in code snippets. I've nothing against either of those topics. However, they are out of place in a technical reference. This may seem a bit trivial, but, to me, it shows a lack of professionalism that just keeps me thinking: "Why'd I buy from this publisher?" Anyway, I'd try to sell this on e-bay, but I can't pawn this off on another developer in good conscience.
Rating: 
Summary: Great reference but too many errors
Review: This book is a great reference for JBoss, which is the hardest piece of software to find documentation or answers on. It covers all the config files and simple concepts to get started. I barely give this 4 stars though because of the many errors in the book. I spent hours working on a problem finally to realize it was a typo in the book. For example, the LDAP security example miscapitalized Ldap in the package name as well as leaving out a necessary comma in a prefix attribute. These typos can really hang you up when you're trying to learn JBoss, but once you understand the portions, this is a handy reference.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Guide to JBoss
Review: This book is a solid compilation of wisdom to help you get the most out of JBoss. JBoss is a fantastic (and free!) J2EE application server, and this handbook is so handy that you best not let it out of arm's reach. This is a good book from the overview and high-level information right the way down to the technical details. It covers the whole gamut, including step-by-step instructions to install, configure, deploy and administer your JBoss app. The helpful & informative illustrations bring the whole thing closer to home and help everything make sense. If you're going to spend some money to get your J2EE app working, here's an easy place to spend it. Compare the $1000s that you could spend on a commercial app server to the paltry price that this costs, and this will give you a robust and fully-featured deployment.
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