Press releases

Absolute FreeBSD, 2nd Edition—New from No Starch Press: All new edition of standard reference revised for FreeBSD 7.0

Press release: November 12, 2007

San Francisco, CA—System administrators want servers that are cheap, fast, reliable, and easy to configure. For many systems administrators, there’s only one choice: The stable, secure, and freely licensed FreeBSD. FreeBSD’s legendary uptime, community support, and transparency make it an ideal operating system, whether serving a simple web site or as part of a massive cluster.

Absolute FreeBSD, 2nd Edition (No Starch, Nov. 2007, 744 pp., ISBN 9781593271510) is the newly updated edition of the best-selling and highly regarded guide to FreeBSD, now covering version 7.0. “Michael W. Lucas, one of a select group of FreeBSD committers, considers this his best work ever,” said No Starch Press Publisher William Pollock. “Having worked with Michael for years and knowing his dedication, that means a tremendous amount to me. I'm sure this book is just what the FreeBSD community has been waiting for.”

Written with the help and advice of dozens of FreeBSD developers, "Absolute FreeBSD" covers installation, networking, security, network services, system performance, kernel tweaking, filesystems, SMP, upgrading, crash debugging, and much more, including coverage of how to:

  • Use advanced security features like packet filtering, virtual machines, and host-based intrusion detection
  • Manage system-level software, add-ons, and even desktop applications
  • Automatically configure hardware and manage network services and filesystems
  • Set up email, IMAP, web, and FTP services for both servers and clients
  • Build customized live CDs and embedded FreeBSD devices
  • Recover from those rare system crashes, debug problems, and prepare problem reports
  • Monitor a system with performance-testing and troubleshooting tools

In a show of support for the FreeBSD community, Michael Lucas donated the very first copy of Absolute FreeBSD for use as an auction item to support the FreeBSD Foundation. Remarkably, the winning bid for the first copy was $600. And the winning bidder? None other than original BSD alumnus Dr. Marshall Kirk McKusick—additional proof that beginners and experienced system administrators alike will find that Absolute FreeBSD is the definitive guide to FreeBSD 7.0.

For a review copy or more information please email nostarchpr@oreilly.com. Please include your delivery address and contact information.

Michael W. Lucas is a network engineer and system administrator responsible for a network that stretches across the Western Hemisphere. Despite being from Detroit, Michigan, he knows almost nothing about automobiles. He has been using Unix systems for over 20 years and FreeBSD since 1995. Fortunately for the rest of us, his writing keeps him too busy to implement his plans for world domination. Lucas is the author of the first edition of Absolute BSD, Absolute OpenBSD, Cisco Routers for the Desperate, and PGP & GPG, all from No Starch Press.

More information about the book
Table of contents overview
Detailed table of contents
Chapter 8: Disks and Filesystems (PDF)
Large cover image

Absolute FreeBSD, 2nd Edition
The Complete Guide to FreeBSD
Michael W. Lucas
ISBN 9781593271510, 744 pages, $59.95 USD
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938
1-707-827-7000

Available in fine bookstores everywhere, from www.oreilly.com/nostarch, or directly from No Starch Press (www.nostarch.com, orders@nostarch.com, 800.420.7240).

About No Starch Press
Founded in 1994, No Starch Press is one of the few remaining independent computer book publishers. We publish the finest in geek entertainment—unique books on technology, with a focus on Open Source, security, hacking, programming, alternative operating systems, and LEGO. Our titles have personality, our authors are passionate, and our books tackle topics that people care about. See www.nostarch.com for more information and our complete online catalog. (And most No Starch Press books use RepKover, a lay-flat binding that won’t snap shut.)

www.nostarch.com
orders@nostarch.com
800.420.7240

About O’Reilly

O’Reilly Media spreads the knowledge of innovators through its books, online services, magazines, and conferences. Since 1978, O’Reilly Media has been a chronicler and catalyst of cutting-edge development, homing in on the technology trends that really matter and spurring their adoption by amplifying “faint signals” from the alpha geeks who are creating the future. An active participant in the technology community, the company has a long history of advocacy, meme-making, and evangelism.

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