Greetings from Amazon.com Delivers Networking and Operating Systems Editor, David Wall FEATURED IN THIS E-MAIL: * Just off the Presses: A Unix classic returns, new thinking with Windows NT Server 4, explaining digital certificates, and network design decision-making * What's Hot? Networking and Operating Systems bestsellers at press time * Recommended Reading: Administering Microsoft SQL Server 7 * Almost Published: Books that are selling before they've even been printed * Featured Reviews: "Voice Over IP" JUST OFF THE PRESSES ******************** "Unix in a Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference for System V Release 4 and Solaris 7" by Arnold Robbins http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1565924274/entertainmentsit Everyone's favorite Unix book--indeed, one of the best software books ever and the book that made a name for O'Reilly & Associates--has been updated. The just-released third edition of "Unix in a Nutshell" is the best ever, incorporating coverage of System V Release 4 and Sun Solaris 7. Plus, there's updated coverage of sh, csh, and (most notably) ksh. The authors have hopped up their coverage of regular expressions for sed, awk, and Perl, and cover RCS 5.7. If you don't have this book, get it immediately. You can't afford not to have the latest information if your shop runs Unix machines. "Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Terminal Server: Technical Reference" by Brian Craig Cumberland, Gavin Carius, and Andrew Muir http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0735606455/entertainmentsit There's a lot to be said for light clients running Microsoft Windows applications. You can give your users a familiar interface without having to invest in expensive workstations, for one thing. But Windows NT Terminal Server requires some new thinking on the parts of the people who plan, install, and maintain it, which is why there's "Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Terminal Server Edition Technical Reference." This book comes from real engineers inside Microsoft, and they're not stingy with detailed information. You get the goods on deployment, optimization, and troubleshooting, as well as detailed testing protocols and statements of the results you can expect. This book also represents the best Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) reference around. "Digital Certificates: Applied Internet Security" by Jalal Feghhi, Peter Williams, and Jalil Feghhi http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0201309807/entertainmentsit Everybody knows what a digital certificate is... kind of. "Digital Certificates: Applied Internet Security" blows the fog of confusion away from digital encryption and authentication technologies, particularly as they're implemented in software from Microsoft Corporation. Readers get an architectural overview of X.509 digital signatures and the various Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) designs for supporting them. As the authors get more Microsoft-focused, they discuss the implementation of digital certificates in Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, and Internet Information Server (IIS). There's code too--you'll find snippets for querying Certificate Authorities (CAs). There's documentation of Microsoft Certificate Server as well. "An Engineering Approach to Computer Networking: ATM Networks, the Internet, and the Telephone Network" by Srinivsan Keshav http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0201634422/entertainmentsit The process of building communications networks that span large distances--anything larger than a single building, really--involves some complicated engineering problem-solving. Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) networks are great for spanning long distances, but it's hard to interface them with Internet Protocol (IP) networks because ATM is connection-oriented and IP is connectionless. "An Engineering Approach to Computer Networking: ATM Networks, the Internet, and the Telephone Network" explains this and many other problems that face network designers. Srinivsan Keshav goes heavy on the details, providing his readers with the information they need to make good network design decisions. WHAT'S HOT? *********** At the top of this month's Networking and Operating Systems bestseller list are a guide to keeping your Linux server secure, a survey of telecommunications technologies, and a hats-off resource for Red Hat Linux 6. "Maximum Linux Security: A Hacker's Guide to Protecting Your Linux Server and Workstation" http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0672316706/entertainmentsit Linux machines serve scores of purposes on networks, but their very integration with networked environments means they're constantly exposed to attack. "Maximum Linux Security: A Hacker's Guide to Protecting Your Linux Server and Network" provides a comprehensive picture of Linux's strengths and weaknesses when it comes to protecting your systems from bad guys. The author offers explicit advice (e.g., replace sendmail with Qmail) and general recommendations (e.g., be on the lookout for unused services and disable them). In case you're wondering which Anonymous this is, it's the same person who wrote the very highly regarded "Maximum Security." "The Essential Guide to Telecommunications" by Annabel Z. Dodd http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0130142956/entertainmentsit Those looking for a comprehensive introduction to the technologies, laws, and marketing programs that govern telecommunications need to read "The Essential Guide to Telecommunications." Author Annabel Z. Dodd begins by pointing out that telecommunications technologies have everything to do with signals moving over media. She catalogs some of the various kinds of signals and media, covering traditional switched telephone service, dedicated lines, public branch exchanges (PBXs), and automatic call distributors (ACDs) along the way. "Red Hat Linux 6 Unleashed" by David Pitts and Bill Ball http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0672316897/entertainmentsit "Red Hat Linux 6 Unleashed" ships with its eponymous operating system on CD-ROM. Based on that fact alone, you're ahead of the game in terms of cost when you buy this book. Way ahead, in fact, considering that this book contains some of the best printed documentation of the Red Hat distribution around. The team of authors covers installation, configuration, networking (including Internet connectivity and the Domain Name Service), system administration, and applications. Explore our top 50 computer titles, updated weekly: The Computer Top 50 RECOMMENDED READING: ADMINISTERING MICROSOFT SQL SERVER 7 ********************************************************* "McSe Readiness Review Exam 70-028: Administering Microsoft Sql Server 7.0" by Jill Spealman http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0735606722/entertainmentsit You may wonder about how closely your experience with SQL Server parallels the published objectives of the Administering Microsoft SQL Server 7 exam, which you may need to pass on your way to any of several Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) ratings. "MCSE Readiness Review Exam 70-028: Administering Microsoft SQL Server 7.0" provides you with an easy-to-use gauge that will determine your level of preparedness. The author uses the published objectives as her outline and provides sample questions (on paper and on CD-ROM) for each area of expertise the test verifies. She documents the answers assiduously, and, for the benefit of the stumped, provides references to suitable brush-up materials. ALMOST PUBLISHED **************** Networking and Operating Systems guides that have garnered the most pre-orders from Amazon.com customers--before they've even been published. "The Cathedral and the Bazaar: Musings on Linux and Open Source by an Accidental Revolutionary" by Eric S. Raymond Publication date: November 1999 http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1565927249/entertainmentsit Eric Raymond, hacker extraordinaire, writer, and one of the founders of the Open Source Initiative, returns to print with the publication of "The Cathedral and the Bazaar," a collection of essays extolling the programming strengths and business advantages of collectively created, peer-reviewed software. "Beginning ASP 3.0" by Juan Libre, Chris Ullman, and Alex Homer Publication date: November 1999 http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1861003382/entertainmentsit "Professional Active Server Pages 3.0" is the next edition of the bestselling "Professional Active Server Pages 2.0." This edition covers all the new features that appear as part of Win2000, and the authors approach ASP in terms of an n-tier enterprise environment (including extensive coverage of components, Index Server, ADO 2.5, XML, CDO, ADSI, and more). FEATURED REVIEWS: "VOICE OVER IP" ********************************* "Voice Over IP" by Uyless D. Black http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0130224634/entertainmentsit Routing voice signals over Internet Protocol (IP) networks remains an emerging technology, but its selling points are too strong to ignore. Whether implemented as a tool for intra-building conferencing or as a way to cut down on the cost of switched voice calls overseas, voice over IP has a lot going for it. "Voice Over IP" remains one of the must-read books on the subject. Author Uyless D. Black goes into considerable detail on what's known about getting highly time-sensitive voice packets over a network that's connectionless and perhaps shared by millions of other bandwidth-hungry users. He explores the problems that remain unsolved too. Read this for the background you need in next-generation voice communications. ****** You'll find more great books, articles, excerpts, and interviews in Amazon.com's Computers & Internet section at Computers & Internet ******
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