Don't let the title of this book deceive you! Firstly, “Complete” does NOT mean it is an exhaustive, highly-technical reference of the FreeBSD operating system, containing tons of printed man pages (as previous editions did). Rather, it provides a complete overview of FreeBSD, focusing on version 5 (many differences from FreeBSD 4.x are noted). Secondly, “from the Source” does not necessarily refer to the source code: the author is and has been part of the FreeBSD team for many years and has written the previous editions published by Walnut Creek.
This book is a great guide showing both beginner (like myself) and experienced Unix users new to FreeBSD how to get the system up and running. It covers not only system administration tasks, but also the setup and configuration of nearly all of the popular ports—whether you're trying to set up a workstation or server (web, mail, file, print, firewall, etc.). For each program, the author gets you on your feet and points you in the right direction for more details. He doesn't dabble with the volatile details that might change three months later—I appreciated that. He also gives you recommendations and warnings along the way. I found the chapter on configuration files the most useful. If deciphering *.conf man files isn't exactly your cup of tea, this is for you. Lehey discusses over 50 configuration files and recommends whether you WILL need to change it, MIGHT need to change it, or SHOULD NOT change it. Everything a new FreeBSD 5 user needs is covered and explained in plain English.
Pensacola Linux Users Group
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