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BOOK REVIEWS
46 MacDirectory
BOOK REVIEWS > READ THE FINEST IN PRINT... AND ONLINE
REVIEWS BY RIC GETTER
Mac OS X Server
Essentials Second
Edition
In much the same way that Apple's move
to Intel caught the attention of
mainstream IT, the release of the Leopard
server has been creating a lot of interest
from the same quarter. Now, on the server
side, the Mac OS fits comfortably into
large Active Directory domains and, in
the near future, the server will be able to
be virtualized alongside Windows and
Unix software. If you've become the go-to
person for the lunatic fringe of Mac users
in your shop, it's not unlikely that you'll be
getting a call from an IT manager asking
what you know about Mac servers. When
the time comes, the best place for you to
turn to find out how to translate your Mac
skills to the server room is Schoun Regan
and David Pugh's
Mac OS X Server
Essentials Second Edition.
Like the other books in the Apple Training
Series,
Server Essentials is a full-on
textbook that combines instruction and
explanation with hands-on exercises and
chapter quizzes. The book, in fact, serves
as the core curriculum for the Apple-
authorized training sessions that are
available. The lessons are well structured
and, even though they assume a
reasonable amount of skill with the Mac
OS interface, the book offers ample
explanation of concepts that are unique
to servers. It closely follows the format of
other volumes in series and supports both
self-study and classroom use. (To assist in
the former, each lesson includes an
estimate of the time needed for
completion.) In either case, the exercises
are designed for a student with access to
both a server and client workstation
(virtually all aspects of Mac servers can be
managed and controlled remotely). Along
with the obligatory summaries and review
questions, each chapter concludes with a
list of useful links and references from
both Apple and other sources.
One other trait that
Server Essentials
shares with Apple Training Series books is
a remarkably consistent level of quality,
clarity and readability. The hands-on
exercises have been well thought out. As
you would expect from Apple, the more
arcane concepts (and in the world of
server administration, there are many) are
not only well explained, but also clearly
illustrated. Even though it wasn't designed
as such, the book will also work reasonably
well as a reference (at least after you've
completed the lessons). The book is also a
springboard to new titles in the series
covering system administration and
enterprise deployment in much greater
detail. On its own, the book provides the
fundamentals needed for the second tier
of Leopard certification.
Mac OS X Server Essentials,
Second Edition
by Schoun Regan with David Pugh
528 pages > $59.99
Peachpit Press