The Debian Linux distribution is the most stable distribution available, and it is used on more Internet web servers than any other operating system. While there are many instructional web pages and cookbooks written about Linux, and Debian Linux in particular, it is too easy for new users and seasoned administrators to get lost in the details. This book provides a broad overview, more of a what to than a how to, of Debian Linux administration. The chapters are designed to cover the subjects an administrator must address, and include background information, tips and suggestions, and basic knowledge and administration techniques. References are included that cover the various topics in greater detail than can be included in a book of this length.
Although oriented towards the current Debian stable distribution, the subjects covered are useful for any Linux administrator to know. As for the lack of numerous, detailed examples, I apologize. It is impossible in a book of this length to go as far into details as I would have liked. Fortunately, the Debian Project provides excellent guides and references, as well as online web pages that are pointed out in the text.
Chapter 1, Debian Basics for Administrators, covers what distinguishes Debian from other Linux distributions, and delves into the background of the Debian Project and free software in general.
Chapter 2, Filesystem Layout, covers the two primary methods used to boot Intel 32- and 64-bit systems, the various Linux filesystem formats, disk partitioning, and data protection using disk, partition, and directory-based encryption.
Chapter 3, Package Management, covers the basics of Debian package management, including the management utilities and updating your system.
Chapter 4, Basic Package Configuration, covers common software configuration techniques, including the location of files and documentations, and trends in Debian configuration.
Chapter 5, System Management, covers important system management topics, including startup and shutdown, networking, filesystem maintenance, and display managers.
Chapter 6, Basic System Security, covers security issues important for system safety, including special packages available to assist in installing additional security software, firewall tools, and intrusion detection.
Chapter 7, Advanced System Management, briefly covers advanced management topics including remote backups, distributed configuration management, and clustering. It also includes coverage of Webmin, a web-based administration tool that is compatible with nearly all Linux installations.
Although software is not required, this book covers the Debian 7 Linux distribution. All software referred to in this book, with the exception of Webmin, is available in the Debian stable release, available for download from the Debian Project web site (http://www.debian.org/). It is also available on CD, DVD, and Blu-ray Discs from vendors mentioned on that site. Webmin software is available from its own site (http://www.webmin.com/).
Access to the Internet is required if you are going to download the software, or if you wish to follow up with the various reference material and other documents mentioned in the book. In particular, beginners are encouraged to become familiar with the Debian installation guide (http://www.debian.org/releases/stable/installmanual) and the reference manual (http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/debian-reference/), which are also available as documentation packages in the Debian distribution.
This book is for users and administrators who are new to Debian, or for seasoned administrators who are switching to Debian from another Linux distribution. A basic knowledge of Linux or Unix systems is assumed. Since the book is a high-level guide, more of a what to than a how to, the reader should be willing to go to the referenced material for further details and practical examples.
In this book, you will find a number of styles of text that distinguish between different kinds of information. Here are some examples of these styles, and an explanation of their meaning.
Code words in text are shown as follows: "Usually, this is added to a separate webmin.list file in /etc/apt/sources.list.d."
Any command-line input or output is written as follows:
# deb cdrom:[Debian GNU/Linux 7.0.0 "Wheezy" - Official amd64 \ NETINST Binary-1 20130504-14:43]/ stable main
New terms and important words are shown in bold. Words that you see on the screen, in menus or dialog boxes for example, appear in the text like this: "Often, this is as simple as providing a standard configuration, such as Apache's simple It works! page."
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