Andrew Russell | John Welch
1 not useful anymore
While this book seemed very appealing for someone who is new to Mac OS X server and its Linux underpinnings, it is almost worthless at this point in time since it has not been updated to include the major changes that have been made in the past couple years. Save your money and visit online resources; they are much more valuable.
2 Not unless you're a time traveler
... This book is OLD and nigh unto useless unless you frequently travel in time to the first month after MacOS X Server was released. There's a reason why brick-and-mortar stores remove books from shelves and place them on the [bargain] rack. ...
3 Should be recalled by the Publisher
This book is (apparently) an early attempt to describe the setup, configuration and administration of Apple's OS X server. This kind of book is much needed but this one fails miserably because it is so woefully out-of-date. It does not address 10.2 Jaguar Server and, in fact, most of the screen captures and artwork are OS 9. When it does attempt to develop a subject it does so so lightly that it's almost a hoax. Avoid this book. Save your money. Look elsewhere. Print and read the Mac OS X Server Administrator's Guide that comes free on the 10.2 Server CD. It is ten times the book that this one is.
4 Incomplete
The cover says it all "An Essential Resource for the Mac OS System Administrator". Absolutely no coverage for Windows clients using Mac OS X Server - a big omission in most computer installations today. Otherwise a good book to cover the basic concepts.
5 This book is outdated...
This book covers the older version of Mac OS X and is almost irrelevant in some cases to Mac OS X v2. Although it did help me out in some spots, there were a lot of things that I had to get from discussion boards to answer. At most, it is a run through of what to expect. But don't expect it to be anything like the new version of OS X server.
6 Beginner's Guide
I was disappointed with this book - it's great for beginner's, but offers little information that was not self evident. I didn't want a book that stated the near obvious!
7 Suspicious...
This is apparently the only book on OS X available at the moment. I find it particularly odd that every "five star" posting regarding this book is from an anonymous "reader." I actually haven't read the book, though I thumbed through it at the bookstore. It's mainly fluff, with a cursory introduction to Unix and the original Rhapsody-like OS X Server. Since so much will be different in the new OS X Server, one should probably hold off purchasing.
8 MAC OS X SERVER Administrator's Guide
I was looking for a book that would be a guide to OSX Server since the information included with the software was thin at best. What I found was a text that took the little information that I found in the documentation and puffed it up to over 300 pages with not much more to offer. In all fairness I did pick up some information but it was not worth the price. I'll keep the book on the shelf but it will not be looked at often.
9 Good for complete beginners - Bad for anyone with experience
A very light and fluffy book.
3/4s of the book is filler. We don't need another book with a chapter on the OSI model, and certainly don't need this much detail on installation and configuration - it's not that hard. Most of the book illustrates and describes rather then explaining why. Certainly there is little attention paid OS X's UNIX roots (expecially OS X Server).
The last few chapters are useful if you are heavily invested in using NetBoot or Mac Manager. But even in these chapters there more attention paid to screenshots and descriptions of all the checkboxes then any serious advice or advances discussion.
10 Awful!
This book is so far off topic, its ridiculous. If you have been using OS X Server for some time and want a reference, don't look here. First they include a primer on how ethernet packets work. Then they never get to the point, unless you want to use NetBoot. It is a fairly good intro if you don't want to actually use OS X. There is nothing about NFS, Apache, basic ftp with a terminal, nothing. I can't say how much I am disappointed. With shipping, it was $40 - down the drain!
11 Not enough detail, Not enough information
I had low expectations for this book to begin with, given the experience I have had getting answers to some specific questions about Mac OS X Server. But, oh, well, at least I didn't spend *my* money on it.
If you have a thorough knowledge of Unix, a thorough knowledge of Macs and are generally intuitive about new computers then you probable already know more than what this book will tell you. I personally was hoping for answers to a number of questions. Specific examples: how to implement RAID; how to perform backups. Both of these questions were covered in less than a page each, and both were described as "yes, you should implement this feature" without telling or even *hinting* at how to do so. Argh! The book continues on in this fashion. If you are using your server for anything but NetBoot and Apple File Services, *don't get this book*! Get a Unix book instead, e.g. Aileen Frische's System Administrator's Guide (O'Reilly books).
This book is very basic and should have been included with MacOSXS to begin with.
12 Finally!
Have spent a week with this book and found it very helpful. I admin a mid-size network of K-12, primarily AppleShare but moving to Mac OS X Server. If you have an admin background but lack Unix experience, this book is a agreat place to start. It's well-written and organized, and even manages to be funny once in awhile.
If your needs run more to WebObjects and business applications, you'll need some additional books for in-depth info.
If your key focus is on getting and keeping users up and running, this book will help you do just that.
13 The Manual that never was
I've been waiting for something to provide some information on this amazing server. this wasn't it. Basically its a manual that should have shipped with the server itself. It doesn't provide the insight and detail that was needed for the one thing I wanted to do (utilize the 5 enet ports for load balancing) and most of it is elementary network info. Definitely NOT worth the [money] I paid for it and not worth the 4 mo. wait.
14 Too little, too late...
The release of "Mac OS X Server Administrators Guide" is the first of its kind for this platform and I'm sure much anticipated by some. However, I have to feel for the authors, Andrew G. Russell and John Welch, because they are about a year too late and caught right before the transition to Mac OS X. (As of this writing Mac OS X Public Beta is available for purchase.)
While I found the Administrator's Guide a well written and thorough book, my expectations were not met by a long shot. The authors spent more time and chapters than necessary discussing "A Peek Inside the Mach Kernel","Network Preparation" and "Understanding TCP/IP." They completely gloss over NetInfo, a very powerful network information management tool at the heart of Mac OS X Server, as well as WebObjects. They are only mentioned a few times and not discussed in-depth.
If you are using Mac OS X Server for anything but NetBoot and Apple File Services, you will be dissapointed. The Mac OS X Server user community has done a much better job cobbling together information and experiences on the web than this book is worth.
If you want a very simple "reference" book to sit on your shelf for occasional use--the type Apple Computer should have included with Mac OS X Server in the first place--then by all means buy it.
15 Essential for Mac OS X Server Admins.
I recently took a 2 day training course in Mac OS X Server. I wish I the book were published sooner. I could have used it in conjunction with the course. This book explains in clear detail what the OS X Server is all about and is a great reference book This book is an incredibly useful tool that is a must for administrators on the MAC OSX Server.
16 The waiting game
This must be the most anticipated book of my life. Until now, I had only read two books; Hiroshima and The Barretta Detective Story. I ordered this book on September 21, 2000. Today is October 8, 2000 and I am advised (by e-net commuter response) that I should expect delivery October 11, 2000 (sure).
All I can say is, it better be worth the wait! I MEAN IT IS!!! worth the wait. . . . I hope. ;>)
