Best cloud computing books according to redditors
We found 148 Reddit comments discussing the best cloud computing books. We ranked the 16 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 148 Reddit comments discussing the best cloud computing books. We ranked the 16 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
He should write another book, "How to Burn Bridges and Be a Corporate Sycophant."
I've mentored several Junior linux team members and I always recommend : https://www.amazon.com/UNIX-Linux-System-Administration-Handbook/dp/0134277554
While not RH specific, it is has a wealth of information on Linux in general and serves as a good reference.
UNIX and Linux System Administration Handbook (5th Edition)
https://www.amazon.com/UNIX-Linux-System-Administration-Handbook/dp/0134277554
I can definitely recommend this book
macOS Support Essentials
Learning the bash Shell
Learning Unix for OS X
UNIX and Linux System Administration Handbook
What's New in macOS
(edit: ...if that's what you're going for)
man pages really are good enough once you got the basics down. They were 20 years ago, and I don’t think the quality has decreased. If you want truly great man pages, FreeBSD is the place to go.
To get the basics down, start with something like this
Once you understand that, follow up with something like this
Young people today.. they pick Arch to “learn something” (or just to be cool - I can’t decide), and when the learning part starts, they want the answers served without any effort.
There’s nothing wrong with wanting to learn, just don’t expect to be finished in 4 hours.
I’ve spent 20 years as a Unix system administrator and/or developed systems running on Unix. Before I had kids I spent a few years working on Stampede Linux. My first Linux distribution was “Yggdrasil Plug&Play Linux fall ‘93”. I still learn new stuff frequently, and it usually starts with something I find on the internet, which then get tried on my own machine, and finally i use man pages for troubleshooting/fine tuning.
If that fails, I do what everybody else does, i ask google, and if I still can’t solve the issue, I will ask somewhere. Last issue I had was Debian <-> FreeBSD NFSv4 mounts with Kerberos that would freeze frequently. I spent a couple of weeks debugging that before asking, and learned a great deal in the process. After google started returning only purple links, I finally asked on a couple of forums.
Yes, there is a lot of growth for Linux administrators.
I can't speak for the LPIC but you should get The Linux Bible and The Linux Command Line and Shell Scripting Bible and work through those. Then take the RHCSA and RHCE.
The Linux Bible
Linux Command Line and Shell Scripting
I don't know where you're located where junior administration can't lead into auditing or information security but you should build a lab and start building that knowledge and gaining experience. Chris Sanders has great books on the subject and an amazing website.
http://chrissanders.org/
He uses Linux for network monitoring and analysis.
There are also a slew of magazines and podcasts out there to keep you motivated, entertained, and educated. Jupiter Broadcasting is something I really enjoy. They took me from a Linux fan into an enthusiast into a professional. Linux Unplugged, Linux Action Show, TechSnap... Even the quirky BSD guys are awesome.
Linux Format is a great magazine, Admin is good, Linux Journal is hit or miss for me but it hits the spot when I'm looking for something off the wall or a project.
There are also subs on this site that are helpful and fun. /r/linuxadmin is interesting, /r/linuxmasterrace is GOAT, /r/linux is... Linux... /r/gentoo is beardly, /r/archlinux is -- READ THE WIKI.
If you get those books, which I can't recommend enough, start playing with Python too. Don't get Learn Python the Hard Way, get something like Python Crash Course which is significantly better. Your mileage may vary, this is just my opinion.
Good luck! Best thing to do is get a distro and start learning. Read the man pages/wikis, and then post a question. That will help you a lot in the coming days ;)
UNIX and Linux System Administration Handbook's Chapter 10 - Logging
https://linuxacademy.com/linux/training/course/name/linux-academy-redhat-certified-systems-administrator-prep-course
Fantastic course!
They actually have a whole Linux section https://linuxacademy.com/linux/courses
You can get a free week to try it out to see if its worth your money. I have a subscription for the cloud courses and im getting into docker. Worth the money!
I have this book and it is awesome too
https://www.amazon.com/UNIX-Linux-System-Administration-Handbook-ebook/dp/B075MK6LZ7/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1512065677&amp;sr=8-5&amp;keywords=linux+book
Get comfortable with doing everything in the CLI and how to troubleshoot things (knowing where logs are/what logs/and how to pull the info out)
Essential Reading:
As another poster said, you don't necessarily need a SAN, these days you would be best off starting with storage connected over your network (VLANed and QoSed), you could start with a NAS device and use NFS datastores.
If you wanted to go for a SAN you can get an iSCSI SAN as also already mentioned Dell EqualLogic is a good option
A couple of books to read :
Scott Lowe et al. Mastering VMware vSphere 5.5
http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-VMware-vSphere-Scott-Lowe/dp/1118661141
Storage Implementation in vSphere 5.0
http://www.amazon.com/Storage-Implementation-vSphere-VMware-Press/dp/0321799933/
The latter book is a good in depth look at storage from VMware press.
The main thing to be aware of for storage is IOPs and latency, these are the biggest performance killers as you scale. So design around desired IOPs (Input/Output Operations Per Second).
Honestly, you are never going to find a way to shortcut you out of this situation. No one answer is going to be perfect and get you from A to B if your already at C. I had a similar experience with programming and web development.
I studied computer networking all my adult life and never thought I would be developing as my career at the moment. It is the burden of knowing too much and not having a clear direction. What I needed was more confidence in my skills which can only really develop over the years through experience.
You say you already know a lot of Linux and Bash concepts. CD/CI pipelines try to abstract a lot of OS related involvement since your code doesn’t need to know how low level kernel operations are happening.
What it sounds like you need is knowledge of OS concepts, not just Linux concepts. I say this because every OS has its own way of doing the same thing one way or another.
For example virtual memory, if you understand the concept of virtual memory in any OS rather than a specific OS’s semantics regarding Virtual memory then I think you would be better off in the long run.
If I am wrong and you are the master of the Linux environment, I believe you just need to deep dive into development strategies and the core principles of CD/CI. Once you have a foundation it doesn’t really mater if you are a Jenkins expert or CircleCI expert, all that matters is if you have a foundation to fall back on.
Edit: if you wanted my two cents on material here are some books I recommend.
The Practice of System and Network Administration
Operating Systems Concepts
UNIX and Linux System Administration Handbook
There almost certainly no configuration management system or orchestration system guides that are going to be useful without at least a base understanding of the systems you will be managing.
If you want some base knowledge maybe start with something like this
Mastering vSphere 5.5 by Scott Lowe is the bible imo. If you're going to buy one book for the VCP, it should be this one.
I'm a big fan of:
https://www.amazon.com/UNIX-Linux-System-Administration-Handbook/dp/0134277554
Disclaimer: I know 2 of the authors, but the book is still solid.
Check out Scott Lowe's mastering vSphere 5.5
the programming language isn't particularly as important as the methodology. the wiki is actually a pretty decent place to start: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Test_automation
google and microsoft both used to have dedicated roles for these types of folks: SET/SDET software engineers/developers in test. i'm not sure if they still do or if it's more that every software engineer they hire needs to also have those skills. you basically need to be a capable software engineer while also knowing things about software testing.
folks at google wrote a book that was a decent read: https://www.amazon.com/Google-Tests-Software-James-Whittaker/dp/0321803027
i would say the best place to start is to make sure you're writing decent unit tests for your c# code at work. get familiar with continuous integration and deployment systems and start thinking more about higher levels of testing.
I can't quite envision a devops engineer without a good foundation of linux, especially if 98% of the servers are linux based. I also ask some basic scripting questions(if they tell me they do script). If the interviewee has never scripted, that's unfortunate. If you struggle moving around the infrastructure, it's going to be a difficult and stressful job, and more importantly, more work for us if we underestimated his/her skills and we have to babysit to help someone on what we perceive is essential and crucial to function. We do have numerous tools, processes, etc in aws, especially now where more and more companies are migrating to the cloud and doing serverless, but I have found that some of the bigger(little older) companies have tons of linux hosts to manage. And many of those aws resources are prob ec2's - you can ssh in, you can't escape linux!
I personally don't care which linux you know, i care more that you know how it works. However I am particular to CentOS, and Ansible.
I've had to interview a few people recently and i ask them sub-groups of questions: AWS, linux, networking, tools (jenkins, docker, config management). My hardest questions are linux. The tools, with the exception of docker, are the least significant because they can be learned; Generally the good linux candidates, for example, probably have already written scripts that do some of the functionality a config management tool was designed for. I think networking is very important but my questions are very basic. Generally the people with the aws cert/xp have already seen a lot of aws networking; Fortunately for the candidates, Ops manages the vpc's, acls, sg, routes etc so the devs don't break anything and therefore we don't rely on too much networking knowledge. But you gotta know how systems are communicating with each other.
My linux, aws, and networking(most) questions are scenario/exercise/conceptual based on real world problems/scenarios i've seen throughout the career. I simply ask what they've done with config management and jenkins or other CI and other tools they have listed on their resume.
On a maybe unrelated note - in my personal opinion, i think devops eng should learn how to use docker and know it a little in depth. It is an invaluable tool especially for development/testing work. Docker Up & Running and Docker In Practice are very good books
I'm in nyc, if it matters.
I recommend Unix and Linux System Administration Handbook The first 6 chapters (skip2) are a good start.
I have years of expertise with VMWare deployment and administration.
I followed the VMWare blueprint for the exam and found this book was extremely helpful in explaining the concepts: Mastering VMware vSphere 6.7 https://www.amazon.com/dp/1119512948/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_rvwzDbRXBY74B
The mastering vSphere series is very very good!
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mastering-VMware-vSphere-Nick-Marshall/dp/1119512948
I'd also get yourself on the free vmware hands on labs, hol.vmware.com to go through the products and workbooks. I also use these for testing features of products, so I'll spin up a HOL< get through the basics, then go off-piste so to speak.
Finally, there is also a lot of free training offered by VMware as well
https://mylearn.vmware.com/mgrReg/plan.cfm?plan=33369&ui=www_edu
Using Braindumps isn't the way to go. You'll only be cheating yourself.
I recommend picking up copy of Mastering VMware vSphere 5.5 and watching Keith Barkers VMware vSphere 5.5 VCP5-DCV CBTNuggets course.
These might be goods books:
Book 1 I have hard copy is a quite elobarate but not too big and quite cheap. (got it for 18 dollars)
Book 2 Is an extensive UNIX bible I really would like to have. It costs more but it's very big. A PDF might come handy.
How Google Tests Software -- https://www.amazon.com/Google-Tests-Software-James-Whittaker/dp/0321803027
Agile Testing: A Practical Guide for Testers and Agile Teams -- https://www.amazon.com/Agile-Testing-Practical-Guide-Testers/dp/0321534468/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1493586342&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=agile+testing
A Practitioner's Guide to Software Test Design -- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/158053791X/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1
Some info on distro differences:
A few book recommendations: (books are generally the way to go)
A few online resources:
Videos/courses:
Some great past reddit threads I've saved for reference:
If you end up in the Linux / Unix world, I'd recommend the Unix and Linux System Administration Handbook...which is apparently due out in a 5th edition in just a few days!
https://www.amazon.com/UNIX-Linux-System-Administration-Handbook/dp/0134277554/
https://debian-handbook.info/ is super high quality (and free! although if you have the money I think it's well worth donating and / or purchasing a hard copy)
I also like https://www.amazon.com/UNIX-Linux-System-Administration-Handbook/dp/0134277554/ and https://www.amazon.com/How-Linux-Works-2nd-Superuser/dp/1593275676/
I've got almost a decade of using VMware products under my belt. I thumbed through Mastering VMware vSphere 5.5 and focused on the things I didn't use on a daily/weekly/monthly basis. I passed with flying colors.
If you're not up to speed on a certain topic, don't lie to yourself, review it and you'll be fine.
In no particular order:
The big thing is to learn concepts! Technology changes fast but understanding why backups are important and how they should work or why access control is important doesn’t.
Don't worry about compatibility, get Ubuntu here (for example): https://tutorials.ubuntu.com/tutorial/tutorial-create-a-usb-stick-on-windows#0
Install it, play around and read some stuff. /r/linux4noobs /r/linux_tutorials, /r/linuxquestions for example. Or watch some stuff https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bju_FdCo42w&amp;list=PLtK75qxsQaMLZSo7KL-PmiRarU7hrpnwK
or go crazy (highly recommended) https://www.amazon.com/UNIX-Linux-System-Administration-Handbook/dp/0134277554
The easiest way to get going is to install Linux in a VM. You can do a lot in a little VM lab, spin up multiple machines, make them talk to each other, mess around with configuration management etc. Just be sure to give each machine a tiny amount of memory, maybe 500MB to a Gig.
Personally I'd recommend Ubuntu as a good first start. This is a pretty good book to get started with Linux and System Administration.
If you want to spin up a machine that is accessible from the Internet you can use a provider like AWS pretty cheaply.
Some ideas of projects involving a server could be:
>For example: If I have a hardware server with 1 CPU, 4 cores, and 8 gb of RAM, can I run 4 simultaneous machines with 1 core and 2gb RAM assigned to each? Or does ESXI handle it by how much each one is being used?
If you don't want to overcommit the host at all (e.g. you want a hard guarentee that all of those VMs will always have 100% of their resources available, yes. Most people, however, expect to do some overcommitment. The extent to which you can do this is completely workload dependent, but it ranges from 1:1 on the lowend (your example) to 10:1 or even higher (e.g., you have 4 cores phsyically and you've built 40 cores worth of VMs, or 80GB worth of VM memory).
>I noticed that if I boot up a machine with 2gb of RAM assigned, it seems to allocated 2gb used in the ESXI summary page. To me, that implies I need that much physical RAM to really be there.
Allocated != Used (which does not equal 'Active', or 'Shared' or 'Granted', etc). Allocated is just the amount you put in when you configured the virtual machine. The most 'relevant' value for what you are looking for is probably 'Active' and/or 'Granted' - this is a better indication of what the VM is actually using currently.
>CPU seems different though. Do I need a core per PC, or could I assign 2 cores per PC and still run 4 PCs simultaneously without issues?
CPU and memory can be overallocated in the same ways. For every physical core in your system, you can allocate up to (I believe) 25 virtual cores. So your system could reasonable have 100 virtual CPUs running at the same time....Now, with a 25:1 virtualCore:physicalCore ratio, you have a pretty reasonable chance of some serious contention issues if all those VMs need to execute something at the same time, so you probably wont be able to actually achieve that but that brings your next question
>I guess a lot of this depends on how hard the machines are each being run as well.
Exactly. Some environments I've seen hit 20:1 ratios (vCore:pCore, or vMem:pMem), some maxed out at 3:1 based on their workload. You just have to try it and see (and VMware has tools to help try and estimate this).
>If someone could clarify this for me, or point me in the direction I can go for this info, that would be great! Thanks!
This is a good start. There's an in depth guide on memory management here: http://www.vmware.com/files/pdf/perf-vsphere-memory_management.pdf
If you want proper documentation, 'Mastering vSphere 5.5' by my buddy Scott is very good, and almost the bible for this stuff: http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-VMware-vSphere-Scott-Lowe/dp/1118661141
Lastly, the VMware ICM (Install, Configure Manage) course is very good (albeit a bit pricy).
Honestly, this is by far one of the best books I’ve read and should help get you started:
UNIX and Linux System Administration Handbook https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0134277554
Oh and for books,. IMO you cannot beat : UNIX and Linux System Administration Handbook
Its pricey but it is damn good!
UNIX and Linux System Administration Handbook
First, read our Wiki. It is very thorough and answers a lot of these common questions such as
day to day? The Practice of System and Network Administration
And the topical reference books listed below.
Books to help in shaping a sysadmin? The above &:
The Phoenix Project
Time Management for System Administrators
Topical Books I see mentioned often and have been very helpful to me:
Powershell in a month of lunches
Learn Python the hard way
Unix and Linux System Administration Handbook
Windows Server 2016: Inside Out
Group Policy
AbsoluteBSD
FreeBSD mastery:ZFS
CCNA
RHCSA/RHCE
Pro Puppet
SSH Mastery
On my docket:
FreeBSD Mastery: Advanced ZFS
Michael W. Lucas and Thomas Limoncelli are very good sysadmin writers, you can't go wrong with a topic they have chosen to write about.
Most of the *nix stuff assumes a baseline knowledge of how to use a unix-based system. I learned as I went but did pick up an old copy of Unix Visual Quickstart Guide not too long ago at a used books sale, which seems like a good starting place for someone overwhelmed with sitting at a terminal and being productive.
I notice I don't have any Virtualization books, perhaps someone else can fill in good books. Most of my knowledge regarding virtualization and network storage has been a mix of official docs, video training, and poking at it. Seems innate but it isn't.
It’s that cheap because it’s the older version of the book. Here’s the newest that was just released last month: https://www.amazon.com/Office-365-Dummies-Computer-Tech/dp/1119513359/ref=dp_ob_title_bk
Yes. It's getting in touch with many different applications and services because you need them for some project. That's how you learn. Of course if you want to learn KVM virtualization you can read a book about it and do some project on that specific topic.
If you want to get an overview of Linux and Unix administration and many different pieces of software, you could look into this book:
https://www.amazon.com/UNIX-Linux-System-Administration-Handbook/dp/0134277554
(DM me on how to get it)
Around my office this is known as our bible: UNIX and Linux System Administration Handbook (5th Edition)
It might be overkill as some of the topics aren't important if you aren't working as an engineer or devops.
Check out the table of contents and summary it might be interesting. It's one of the best no nonsense safari books out there.
https://www.safaribooksonline.com/library/view/unix-and-linux/9780134278308/
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0134277554/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_3tgSAbD1NG73K
If you want to get a jump start, here is the optional book on which the professor bases the server-side portion of the course:
http://www.amazon.com/Web-Development-Node-Express-Leveraging/dp/1491949309
The only real deviation from the book is that use of MongoDB is not allowed in the course. There's a node-mysql module that's used instead.
The industry is just picking up steam with the whole Selenium, QTP, Waitr stuff so there are a lot of opportunities out there for these specific technologies. However, I wouldn't bet the house that you can make 100k just being an expert on Selenium forever. It's going to become more mainstream and a normal part of everybody's development lifecycle. Which means every developer will know it, and they won't need some specialist that can't bring anything else to the table. A better title for the job you probably want is Software Engineer in Test, which is what Google calls it. These jobs are going to be around for the long haul. People that know how to develop, but approach problems from a quality perspective.
Back to your questions :
Some companies will cut you off right away without a CS or related degree. Others will require you to just have a degree in something but be prepared to back up your talk with some real code (read : github). Others (like Google) don't care if you have a degree at all, as long as you can put your money where your mouth is.
This is a problem. You need to join a community (meetup.com) or a find a friend who can show you the ropes so to speak. Development in a professional large scale environment is massively different than writing a few Selenium scripts with Python. To get in the door be prepared to have at least a general understanding of source control, agile development, coding standards, continuous integration, unit testing, integration testing, and test strategies.
Very. Learn java. Learn Ruby. Learn Go. Learn javascript (JQuery or AngularJS ). You are going to make yourself a 100x time more marketable by showing that you love programming not just Python. Its okay to have a favorite language but you need to show that your capable of being fluent in any language. Study the elements of every language and picking up the basics of a new language will be just learning a few new rules.
Start your own repo on github and start making something that makes your life easier. Start small and don't try and create the next facebook. Try and create a goal for yourself to commit code everyday for 6 months. Everything else will follow. You'll inevitably create a problem for yourself that will lead you down a path to projects you would like to help contribute you to.
Checkout Thucydides. Its java but its a great framework to learn how to write tests in a controlled manner for a large project. Pay careful attention to ideas like Page Objects and BDD. Try and and come up with an answer to why those paradigms exist and when they wouldn't be useful.
Really depends, but pretty much the same as a developer. Coffee - checkout code - cry a little - write code - cry a little - write code - commit - scrum meeting - coffee - write code - meeting on how to meet unreachable deadline - write code - cry a little - commit - profit$$
Yes, you can make a lot of money right now by calling yourself a QA automation engineer, I've seen upwards of 150k. It won't last. If you want real money and real work than think of yourself as a developer that is really good at testing, not as an automation engineer that knows a little bit about development.
Take a look at How Google Tests. They have a whole section about their interview process.
Also, a big piece of advise when starting with automation -- You can't automate everything. I'll leave the gateway site here to a rabbit whole of really really really good testing.
( I have no affiliation to this blog other than being a fan )
http://www.satisfice.com/blog/
Get on the waiting list for the ICS class at stanly community college its like $250 for an official vmware course (training partner) you can buy the lab books, take the class and you get access to a bunch of free vmware software esxi, workstation, cloud offerings as well as discount voucher codes.
https://vmware.stanly.edu/
Then pick up mastering vsphere 5.5 by scott lowe, and read that and the documentation.
http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-VMware-vSphere-Scott-Lowe/dp/1118661141
https://pubs.vmware.com/vsphere-55/index.jsp
(There is a zip file of the all the documentation you can get and they are pdfs. at the bottom of the contents section)
Sign up at vmware learning and they have a free practice exam, as well as materials for the vca you can run through.
https://mylearn.vmware.com/mgrReg/login.cfm?ui=Full
You can build a lab if you dont have one a laptop using vmware workstation just max out the ram, I recommend building the lab from scratch a couple times to get use to it then from there you can use autolab for working on learning to use the software without having to manually rebuild.
http://www.labguides.com/
Senior Level Software Engineer Reading List
Read This First
Fundamentals
Development Theory
Philosophy of Programming
Mentality
Software Engineering Skill Sets
Design
History
Specialist Skills
DevOps Reading List
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0596003307/
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0134277554/
http://www.unixlore.net/
http://oliverelliott.org/article/computing/tut_unix/
https://www.amazon.com/UNIX-Linux-System-Administration-Handbook-dp-0134277554/dp/0134277554/ref=mt_paperback?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=
Linux Bible, 9th Edition
UNIX and Linux System Administration Handbook, 5th Edition
The Debian Administrator's Hanbook
No problem, I'm glad it helped!
If you wanna take it a step further, there's a couple of Linux books that will get you closer to mastering the system. The Linux Bible is a personal favorite if you can afford to spend some bucks. ^^or ^^you ^^can ^^just ^^look ^^for ^^the ^^pdf ^^online ^^but ^^you ^^didn't ^^hear ^^that ^^from ^^me
I just started reading a book by this guy on safari books.
How Google Tests Software
By: James A. Whittaker; Jason Arbon; Jeff Carollo
See how you feel about this one: UNIX and Linux System Administration Handbook (5th Edition)
&#x200B;
Otherwise, you little cannot go wrong with O'Reilly's "In a Nutshell" books.
A few suggestions:
https://nostarch.com/howlinuxworks2
https://refspecs.linuxfoundation.org/FHS_3.0/fhs/index.html
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Linux-Bible-Christopher-Negus/dp/1118999878
Agreed...these 3 books, in my opinion, are the holy trinity of PowerCLI/vSphere information.
Managing VMware Infrastructure with Windows PowerShell TFM
VMware vSphere PowerCLI Reference: Automating vSphere Administration
Mastering VMware vSphere 5.5
Alors, si t'aimes bien les bouquins, y en a plusieurs cools :
Devops est un classique,
et j'ai aimé How google Tests Software , qui montre la suite logicielle qu'a édité Google pour automatiser les tests logiciels de leur côté.
De ton côté c'est quoi ton mandat ou ton objectif ?
The vSphere Install/Config class is more for a person first coming into VMware. I did not learn much from the class whatsoever because I already had 3 years of experiencing in administration.
The book I did use was:
https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-VMware-vSphere-Scott-Lowe/dp/1118661141/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
Not sure if there is a comparible one for vSphere 6.
Also the VMware VCP Exam Blue Print was a huge one. Make sure understand each bullet and you'll do fine on the exam.
https://www.amazon.ca/Linux-Bible-Christopher-Negus/dp/1118999878
If you want to experience both worlds do Windows Server with Hyper V with Linux VMs ! Its easier to get started and great for learning ! Thats how I did it! I myself am still waiting for a "
good time" to redo my whole master server with ESXI like i mange at work.
And for great books on Linux I have one of the following that helps me everyday !
https://www.amazon.com/Linux-Bible-Christopher-Negus/dp/1118999878/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1496890019&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=linux+bible
http://www.allitebooks.in/linux-bible-9th-edition/
Or
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Linux-Bible-Christopher-Negus/dp/1118999878
I bought it as a means of looking things up for those brain fart moments, it’s a good resource, but I wouldn’t recommend trying to read the whole thing in one hit as it’s a lot of information to take in.
I would also pick up the Mastering vSphere 5.5 book and use that to fill in gaps on the areas you're not doing well with.
Another training resource would be CBT Nuggets. They do a free 7 day trial, sign up when you have 7 days to spend going through their VCP550 material (don't forget to cancel if you don't want to continue with their videos).
Then also lab lab lab. Everything that is explained in the book, you should be doing in a lab. Doing it will help you remember and it will also allow you to hit problems when you do it incorrectly (it happens). When you hit a problem, fixing it is very beneficial to learning about the technology. If you don't hit any problems, break stuff on purpose and fix it.
You can get a trial of all the software and then use an OpenSource system for the NAS/SAN pieces (FreeNAS/Openfiler) or even use the free EMC vVNX appliance (resource hog though).
Those were the steps I took for the test.
I am following a similar path to you at the moment. Here was my general plan after doing some reading on Linux:
I am currently on step 4 and am up to Chapter 7 of the Bible. The reason for my change is because I have just moved to a city where Linux admin is in high demand and pays well.
actually the 5th edition of Unix and Linux system Administration is due out in August: https://www.amazon.com/UNIX-Linux-System-Administration-Handbook/dp/0134277554/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1492716005&amp;sr=8-2&amp;keywords=unix+system+administration
Mastering VMware vSphere 5.5
The book itself is really just one big lab, you just follow along using whatever you can. Personally I used the 60 day free trial of vSphere and built a 3 host environment inside of VMware Workstation.
Not exactly what you want to hear, but the best way to learn the shell is by doing. Reading can give you a good base knowledge, but application is key.
This is by far the best way I've found to learn Linux quickly. Install Linux onto a extra computer, dual boot, or pick up a raspberry pi. Try things out, when you can't figure something out look it up. If you still can't find the answer head over to #linux on freenode. (Or Distro specific channels like #fedora #ubuntu etc.)
HOWEVER! I DO have a phenomenal book suggestion for you.
https://www.amazon.com/UNIX-Linux-System-Administration-Handbook/dp/0134277554
There are a couple things i'd recommend to start with. First, figure out how you learn best. For me it's physical books. I get bored and distracted with videos and pdf's get forgotten about. I'd definitely getting some decent reference material. Here are some of my favorites:
Kali on a raspberry pi is fine but i would not recommend starting with Kali. It's not a beginners Distro. If you can, i'd recommend picking up a cheap 2.5" hard drive for your laptop and swapping it with the Windows drive, or dual booting works too. Install a linux distro and eat your dogfood. Ubuntu and Linux Mint are great for beginners, with Mint and the cinnamon desktop being very similar to Windows 7.
Centos or Fedora are also good. Fedora is based on Red Hat Enterprise linux, so it's very similar to what you'd find in an business enterprise environment. Centos takes it further though. It's literally just RHEL without branding or paid support.
All of these (apart from RHEL) are free and all would be a good jumping off point. The only real difference between them all is the package manager and Desktop environment. Red Hat uses 'yum' while Debian uses 'apt'.
Once you find one you like start practicing. Nearly all utilities you'll find will have a graphical user interface but the command line is always going to be more extensible/powerful. If nothing else get the Linux and Bash pocket references and test administering your own system. Try using the command line for python instead of IDLE. Learn to reboot/shutdown, install/update/upgrade/search with your package manager, try to make your system faster and document everything you do. EVERYTHING.
You'll be a pro in no time.
(I'm serious about the documenting. It's important. If you don't believe me check out some of the stories u/patches765 posts in r/talesfromtechsupport. It's like documentation is his superpower.)
Advice to noobies:
I use it myself all the time as a reference if nothing else.
What I wish someone had told me:
explaination: I ran into a job where the manager believed things worked in a specific way, with specific servers handling specific things, but no substantial documentation... During my time there I personally found more than 60 VMs and 4-5 physical servers that no one but the previous sysadmin had known about.
Turns out most of those servers and VMs were a combination of things vital to business processes, but a very small handful of them were very creative attempts at establishing a backdoor into company systems, or 'temporary workarounds' that had become production critical services without proper authentication.
Two ideas: first is on crafting code; the second, on fullstack.
Input from programming legends on practices for writing clean code, including evolving code and code smells as indicators that things are not right in the code.
Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship
This nonsense book gets right into initial decisions, sample application features, and architecture diagrams. Clarity is a good thing (measure twice and cut once). Developing on AWS is awesome and you are entitled to a free account for one year while learning AWS: AWS Free Tier.
Full-Stack JavaScript Development: Develop, Test and Deploy with MongoDB, Express, Angular and Node on AWS
(sp and added info)
All of these are good recommendations.
Personally, I would recommend http://www.amazon.com/Linux-Bible-Christopher-Negus/dp/1118999878/.
It's very shallow but broad. Good start if you know next to nothing.
I think this one's pretty good. Haven't taken my VCP yet but have it coming up on the 27th.
https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-VMware-vSphere-Nick-Marshall/dp/1119512948
The Linux Bible.
It has everything you need, great book.
Linux bible - https://www.amazon.com/Linux-Bible-Christopher-Negus/dp/1118999878/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1479572086&amp;sr=8-3&amp;keywords=linux
It covers everything which can be overwhelming at first but you can always go back and use it as a source.
Linux pocket guide has some cool commands also
https://www.amazon.com/Linux-Pocket-Guide-Essential-Commands/dp/1491927577/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1479572086&amp;sr=8-5&amp;keywords=linux
How Google tests software
And also [The fractal prince by Hannu Rajaniemi] (http://www.amazon.com/Fractal-Prince-Jean-Flambeur-Book-ebook/dp/B007NJPRRM)
You are admin certified, how fluent in debugging are you? Take a look at this thread, I wish I had these loose goals put in front of me a few years ago.
Resources/ directions:
Outside the technical what does this role entail? Is there any BA aspect to it? Clean, clear, testable code is often only half the battle as a SF dev.
My feeling is that the more you can condense and summarize your test plans in this context, the better. I'd even argue that most companies handle test plan management poorly.
I've read two testing books recently that discuss this in a way that I find palatable and sensible:
http://www.amazon.com/Explore-It-Increase-Confidence-Exploratory/dp/1937785025
http://www.amazon.com/Google-Tests-Software-James-Whittaker/dp/0321803027
In both books, the authors argue that it's better to create high level test summariesstrategies than fully expanded and granular lists of EVERY SINGLE test case.
I completely agree with this sentiment, however the problem I have with Explore It is that the author proposes the term "Test Charter" for this type of test plan. I don't like how that sounds personally and I'm both hesitant and skeptical about adding new QA-specific lingo into the mix. I.e. using new terms to describe testing to others (non-testers). I am not a fan of the terms Exploratory Testing and Context Driven Testing. I also have a problem with the whole testing vs. checking debate brought on by Michael Bolton and James Bach.
Overall, I like the Explore It book much more than the Google one - I found the Google book to be lacking in details about the "magic" of Google's testing processes. . . also, it should be noted that James Whitaker left Google (for Microsoft!) a few months after that book was published. . .
Anyway, the core problem is that no one wants to sit through a review of a gigantic spreadsheet, or whatever tabular format that you are almost guaranteed to be using. It's incredibly boring.
Furthermore, you will have a very difficult time getting a developer to review a test plan that looks like this. Visually scanning a long list of test cases is anathema to most developers, trust me, I've been there and done it. This is entirely bad either, any good developer naturally despises repetition and inefficiencies. Which is the problem here, reviewing a long list of test cases isn't an efficient group activity.
Also, the tool/format matters a lot too. I've used a bunch of different tools to manage test plans, my current favorite is TestRail. It's not perfect but it's much more pleasant than anything else I've used in the past (NOTE: I have nothing to do with the company that makes TestRail but I used it at me last job and we use it at my current company).
tl;dr Ask people to review a test plan summary. You may want to call out specific risks and challenges, just don't ask people to read through a list of 500 rows in table somewhere. In the setting of a meeting, a high level presentation (Powerpoint or whatever) might be a good starting point, followed by a Q & A and brainstorming session.
I could go on but I feel like test plan management is yet another aspect of testing software that everyone seems to disagree about. :)
Start with this book, Mastering VMware vSphere 5.5 and start looking for a VCP5-DCV class.
The same publisher does have a Linux Bible https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1118999878/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1493984807&amp;sr=8-1&amp;pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&amp;keywords=linux+bible&amp;dpPl=1&amp;dpID=51jqt4ryEwL&amp;ref=plSrch Though I've never read it. Looks like it's well received though.
I really enjoyed both of these books when I was starting out. Even now they are super helpful. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0134277554/ref=dp_ob_neva_mobile
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1491927577/ref=dp_ob_neva_mobile
If you don’t know Linux at all the 2nd book gives you a good overview of things.
Online courses: RHCSA
Books....hmmm. UNIX and Linux System Administration Handbook (5th Edition)
But honestly, I could write up a crash course for selinux and iptables. I should host a blog somewhere.
EDIT: Forgot the most important parts, /r/selinux and /r/linuxadmin !
Many people may disagree with me, but as a Linux user on the younger side of the spectrum, I have to say there was one thing that really worked for me to finally switch for good- books.
There's tons of wikis and forums and of course Reddit to ask questions, but it is hard to get good answers. You may end up paying for books (unless you look on the internet for books) but it doesn't beat having a hard copy in front of you. It boils down to a time vs money trade off. The only wiki I would follow is one directly from the developers that act as documentation, not a community wiki. Also worth nothing certain wikis are more tied to linux and the kernel than others, meaning some are comparable/interchangable with the distro you may be using. Still, a novice would not easily put this together.
Forums are also useless unless you have the configuration mentioned in the post or that forum curates tutorials from a specific build they showcase and you as a user decided to build your system to their specifications. There's way too many variables trying to follow online guides, some of which may be out of date.
This i've realized is very true with things like Iommu grouping and PCI Passthrough for kernel based virtual machines. At that point you start modifying in your root directory, things like your kernel booting parameters and what drivers or hardware you're gonna bind or unbind from your system. While that does boil down to having the right hardware, you have to know what you're digging into your kernel for if you dont follow a guide with the same exact parts that are being passthrough or the cpus or chipsets are different.
Books are especially handy when you have a borked system, like you're in a bash prompt or an initramfs prompt or grub and need to get into a bootable part of the system. Linux takes practice. Sometimes its easier to page through a book than to search through forums.
Another thing about being an intermediate or expert Linux user is that you don't care much about distros or what other users or communities do. It wont matter as under the hood it's all the same, spare the desktop and the package managers. Once you're out of that mentality you just care about getting whatever you want done. I'm not one of those guys that's super gung-ho FOSS and open source. I just use what gets the job done. Also from a security perspective, yes Linux is in theory MORE secure but anything can be hardened or left vulnerable. It's more configuration tied than many uses and forums or threads lead it on to be.
My workload involves talking to servers and quite a bit of programming and scripting, in a variety of capacities. That's what led me to linux over the competitors, but I'm not so prudent to never ever want to use the competitor again or have a computer with it. With understanding Linux more, I use it more as a tool than to be part of the philosophy or community, though that enthusiasm pushes for new developments in the kernel.
I'm assuming you're a novice but comfortable enough in linux to get through certain things:
In any computer related thing, always TEST a deployment or feature first- From your linux system, use KVM or Virtualbox/vmware to spin up a few linux VMs, could even be a copy of your current image. This way any tweaks or things you want to test or try out is in an environment you can start over in.
The quickest way to "intermediate-expert" Linux IMO is learning system administration.
My go to book for this is "The Unix and Linux System Administration Handbook 5th edition"
https://www.amazon.com/UNIX-Linux-System-Administration-Handbook/dp/0134277554/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=The+Unix+and+Linux+System+Administration+Handbook+5th+edition&qid=1564448656&s=books&sr=1-1
This edition is updated recently to cover newer kernel features such as could environments and virtualization. This book also helps when learning BSD based stuff such as MacOS or FreeBSD.
Another good read for a "quick and dirty" understanding of Linux is "Linux Basics for Hackers" It does focus on a very niche distro and talks about tools that are not on all Linux systems BUT it does a good concise overview of intermediate things related to Linux (despite being called a beginners book).
https://www.amazon.com/Linux-Basics-Hackers-Networking-Scripting/dp/1593278551/ref=sr_1_3?crid=396AV036T1Y0Q&keywords=linux+basics+for+hackers&qid=1564448845&s=books&sprefix=linux+bas%2Cstripbooks%2C119&sr=1-3
There's also "How Linux works" but I cannot vouch for this book from personal use, I see it posted across various threads often. Never read this particular one myself.
https://www.amazon.com/How-Linux-Works-2nd-Superuser/dp/1593275676/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2/137-6604082-4373447?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1593275676&pd_rd_r=feffef24-d3c3-400d-a807-24d8fa39cd1e&pd_rd_w=8GX0o&pd_rd_wg=3AMRB&pf_rd_p=a2006322-0bc0-4db9-a08e-d168c18ce6f0&pf_rd_r=WBQKPADCVSABMCMSRRA1&psc=1&refRID=WBQKPADCVSABMCMSRRA1
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If you want a more programming oriented approach, if you're confortable with the C language, then you can always look at these books:
The Linux Programming Interface
https://www.amazon.com/Linux-Programming-Interface-System-Handbook/dp/1593272200/ref=zg_bs_3866_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=5YN3316W22YQ4TSMM967
Unix Network Programming VOL 1.
https://www.amazon.com/Unix-Network-Programming-Sockets-Networking/dp/0131411551/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Unix+Network+Programming+VOL+1.&qid=1564448362&s=books&sr=1-1
Advanced Programming in the Unix Environment
https://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Programming-UNIX-Environment-3rd/dp/0321637739/ref=zg_bs_3866_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=5YN3316W22YQ4TSMM967
These books would take you to understanding the kernel level processes and make your own and modify your own system.
As many have mentioned, you can go into these things with "Linux from scratch" but it's also feasible to do Linux from scratch by copy/pasting commands. Unless you tinker and fail at certain things (hence do it on a vm before doing it to the main system) you won't learn properly. I think the sysadmin approach is "safer" of the two options but to each their own.
also if you determined to use Linux/Ubuntu w/e I highly recommend the following references, they have been invaluable to me.
sure
I would say if you just want to learn the basics of Linux the best way of doing it is using the free resources. When you find an area that interests you, thats when you dish out for the specific textbooks.
There is no shame in googling something while you're on-site or at the office. I fucking encourage it.
I cant stress enough how good this book is. It teaches from first principles rather than just saying "lets implement X framework". The book does assume a certain knowledge about Go already and only has a small section on the basics.
>Have you worked on 5.0/5.5 for two years on a daily basis that is more than just start/stop/create VMs?
I inherited an ESX (not i) 4.1 environment and upgraded/rebuilt it on 5.1, but we haven't upgraded to 5.5 yet. Most of the day to day is like you say start/stop/create but I do have experience configuring the hosts, networking, iSCSI storage, evc/drs cluster, vCenter, backups (we dabbled in VDR briefly but now use Veeam) and I've done some labs at the last two VMworld conferences.
I've had a quick look at the blueprint and my biggest gaps are probably VUM, vDS and vCOPs, as we don't really have a big enough deployment (or the licensing) to leverage all of those.
>Are those books updated for 5.5 yet?
The Scott Lowe book has been updated for 5.5. Not sure about the official guide.
My VCP class was pretty sparse as well.
Word of warning: it gave you a basic overview but it did NOT prepare you for the exam. I took the class, studied for six months, built an infrastructure at work with shared storage etc, and still failed the test two weeks ago (albeit by a small margin).
That doesn't mean it's not doable, you're on the right track for sure.
You will want these two books as well.
This is indispensable: http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-VMware-vSphere-Scott-Lowe/dp/1118661141/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1406551332&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=vmware
And this is great for practice and covering exam topics (This version for 5.5 will be released Aug 24 - I'm using the 5.1 book as I'm going for the VCP5.1): http://www.amazon.com/VCP5-DCV-Official-Certification-Covering-VCP550/dp/078975374X/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1406551332&amp;sr=8-7&amp;keywords=vmware
If you go down the VMware route (which is what I did):
Free online entry level training: VMware Data Center Virtualization Fundamentals
Free Automated Lab Builder: http://www.labguides.com/autolab/
CBT Nuggets or Pluralsight have training videos available (not free)
An excellent book on the subject is: Mastering VMware vSphere 5.5 (Amazon UK) / Mastering VMware vSphere 5.5 (Amazon US)
Ignore the poor reviews on the Amazon UK page, it's just a bunch of people whining about the Kindle price (check the previous edition, or the US store for more representative reviews).
For Linux internals read https://www.amazon.ca/Linux-Programming-Interface-System-Handbook/dp/1593272200 , you only need the intro to each chapter (before he gets to code).
For general Linux read https://www.amazon.ca/UNIX-Linux-System-Administration-Handbook/dp/0134277554/
You need to know some concepts very well, like life of a process and signals (may not pass initial screen interview without those), as well as basic networking (both google and facebook have a networking interview although it’s valued less than the others).
Btw there’s also an interview about designing a distributed systems, best source to learn is to read about tools at google, facebook and AWS.
For troubleshooting, there’s no book, it’s all practice with real problems. If I had the time or rather the priority, I’ll publish a bunch of broken things in docker containers as exercises but it’s a lot of work.
I do have a troubleshooting framework , with things like verify given information, trying to break the problem space in two , do first easy quick tests etc
UNIX and Linux System Administration Handbook (5th Edition)
https://www.amazon.com/UNIX-Linux-System-Administration-Handbook/dp/0134277554
https://www.edx.org/school/linuxfoundationx
The more popular book around for learning Linux is going to be the UNIX and Linux System Administration Handbook found here: https://www.amazon.com/UNIX-Linux-System-Administration-Handbook/dp/0134277554/ref=dp_ob_title_bk. If you are specifically looking to learn about everything CentOS or RHEL, my personal preference is to get this book here: https://www.amazon.com/RHCSA-RHCE-Cert-Guide-Certification/dp/0789754053 which includes modules that you can complete as you read the guide (and it prepares you for the certification if you want to get it). The author of the book uses CentOS since they are basically the same OS (and it's free). My $0.02 on the matter.
Links for anyone looking to purchase a copy of these books
Mastering VMware vSphere 5.5
Amazon |
Barnes and Noble |
Google Play |
iTunes |
O'Reilly |
Wiley
Mastering VMware vSphere 6
Amazon |
Barnes and Noble |
Google Play |
iTunes |
O'Reilly |
Wiley
Happy VMing!
>shell prompt
If you have money, this one is a good option
These two are good and available for free, I suggest you start with them.
> administration
This one is the best.
I also recently got the job. I cannot recommend this enough:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/UNIX-Linux-System-Administration-Handbook/dp/0134277554/ref=nodl_
The idea of QA as a non-engineering discipline is pretty old school, and comes from the days when almost all testing was black-box manual testing.
Other than some specific industries, QA is full of engineers.
Look at SDETs, SETs, QEs, SQEs, TEs, and SEQs. You should check out Google, Microsoft or really any of the major tier one software companies. Even many games companies are coming around to the benefits of SEs in QA.
In most places I have worked QA isn’t a separate org anymore, and instead is part of dev (or general software engineering org at least). Though there are often still QA Managers and leads around to help design and implement STLC, and to direct technical efforts related to internal quality focused software development.
For many SEs, the QA track has become equivalent and reasonably attractive over the years.
You can think of it like this. You have Software Engineers, and they have different specializations. Software Engineer, Quality is just a specialization, but no less an SE.
I understand if that isn’t the way things work where you work, but technical expectations have really shifted for QA in most industries.
Edit: People should check out How Google Tests Software - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0321803027/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_QB4LDbA6GGRWZ
Edit2: One issue currently is that because so many companies have come around to the idea of QA focused SEs, and there has traditionally been prejudice against the concept of QA Engineering in some industries, the market for SDETs is tight as a drum.
In fact, it can be a great track for SEs that think they would enjoy focusing on quality, tools, and automation as disciplines. It isn’t all that unusual to make more money, and have more bargaining power, than a feature dev of similar skill.
I saw this:
> to connect to a PPTP vpn
and remember reading this:
> PPTP (Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol) was developed and placed into service in the mid-1990s. While reasonably fast, it is no longer considered reasonably secure.
From darkreading.com as referred to in the great book Unix and Linux System Administration
It wasn't your immediate issue but just wanted to mention it.
Glad you got your problem fixed though.
Start him with https://www.amazon.com/UNIX-Linux-System-Administration-Handbook/dp/0134277554/ for the basic Linux admin stuff. Then teach him bash and git. Those are long term basics. Anything else gets learned on the fly.
After he has those pretty well on the way, start on whatever higher level scripting language you use, plus your configuration manager, CI/CD and in-house cloud fads (infra, containers, orchestrators, etc.)
Let him know that the "common" stuff changes every two years, so he'll have to learn new languages and technologies constantly as the fad of the month changes. It still beats Windows helldesk and unscrewing .pst files.
As a general starting point for linux in general, this is usually a good starting point, especially for the linux geek who might not have a structured education in Systems Administration. It also includes some tips that might be helpful should you wish to try to get a job in the area
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I'm not sure what you're having trouble with. You talk about networks and firewalls, LAMP setup, disk encryption, backups, etc.
I get the feeling this is an emotional outburst type post, and that's fine, but I'm not good at emotional support. You'll need to ask a specific question to receive a helpful answer.
You can literally google for any problem these days and have a high rate of success. However, if you're looking for a ground up explanation of *nix along with some history for perspective, I recommend the UNIX and Linux System Administrator's handbook: https://www.amazon.com/UNIX-Linux-System-Administration-Handbook/dp/0134277554
It was the one book that helped me understand where all of this stuff came from when I got started.
However, for specific issues (bacula, for example), you'll do better asking specific questions.
If its mostly linux thats the problem, you can try studying with https://linuxacademy.com/. You can make virtual servers that you can mess with. You just need Putty and TightVNC. Follow one of their courses, like Linux Essentials.
You might also check out the Linux Bible. Linux is good to know if you're going for network administration.
For general security stuff, I'd recommend Mike Meyers Security+ Passport. Very clear writing and it just goes over what you need to pass the test. It also comes with a load of practice test questions (Total Tester) which was the most helpful thing I used to pass the test.
And if you have problems with port numbers, use this. Take it one or twice a day until you know all of them.
Unix and Linux System Administration Handbook is always on my desk
Link
I would go through LinuxAcademy’s course on How to Get a Linux Job.
The down side is you’re probably not going to be a sysadmin out of the gate unless you already hold an IT job. SysAdmins usually warrant 3+ years of experience in the field in various other positions.
I started as a repair tech and have worked my way up to sysadmin status.
My day to day consists of email management to dns and everything in between. I work for a web host so my daily tasks may differ from an environment you may potentially work in.
It boils down to,
What is your skill set ?
How much experience do you have?
Can you handle yourself with minimal to no handholding depending on the environment? I say minimal here because some environments I’ve seen are heavily customized and you have to reverse engineer things to figure out how it all works together.
"Engineering Long Lasting Software", which is the book used in the Coursera/UC Berkely SAAS class introduces test driven development(rspec), restful architecture(rails), executable use cases (cucumber), etc. It's a pretty decent book about modern software development practices actually used in industry. It also happens to be written by two university professors, making it presumably somewhat respectable in academic circles.
http://mathesaurus.sourceforge.net/r-numpy.html
https://www.amazon.com/Python-Data-Analysis-Wrangling-IPython/dp/1449319793
https://www.amazon.com/Python-R-Users-Ajay-Ohri/dp/1119126762
These are just the first few hits not a personal endorsement.
Hhm. Well, first of all, I think you might have a hard time finding a book that will teach about both design and web development. Each of those are complicated enough to write separate books on. I think you'll be better off by finding two separate books (one on web dev, one on design) than finding one that combines both.
A kind of the same goes for Web. Dev. This is such a broad term, that you will hardly find any book that tries to cram in every possible aspect of web development. If you are a bit more specific and focus on a specific technology (like NodeJS, ASP.net with Angular or just plain old PHP, MySQL and JavaScript ) you'll get more value for money. There are more generic books out there, but the technologies (especially for web dev) change almost daily and books simply can't keep up with that. If you'd ask me, I think you'll be much better off having a good understanding of JavaScript in general before you move on to a specific stack or framework.
The issue with DevOps is it's a ridiculously broad term. I get messages on linkedin on everything from Sys Admin, to CI/CD stuff, cloud automation, SRE/PRE/*RE, and software developer.
It's weird and kinda difficult to hire for depending on the person you're looking for.
Tell him not to worry about the degree requirements on job postings though. He should pick up a good Linux book, learning networking (covered in that book), and check out open source projects that use CI/CD pipelines to try and understand how they work.
http://www.rbcs-us.com
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0321803027?pc_redir=1414412651&amp;robot_redir=1
Those two are day 1 on-boarding material :)
Robert Martin books are good read "Clean Code" and his architecture book.
Learn design patterns: Head First Design Patterns: A Brain-Friendly Guide
Supplement with leetcode: Elements of programming interviews
You need some linux in your life: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0134277554/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1
Get some system design knowledge: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1449373321?pf_rd_p=183f5289-9dc0-416f-942e-e8f213ef368b&pf_rd_r=NZSW6YF36GPNR9EM27XB
You need some CI/CD knowledge: The DevOps Handbook: How to Create World-Class Agility, Reliability, and Security in Technology Organizations
...continued...
> Test plans - When you apply for QA roles, you'll almost certainly be asked "how would you test ____?". The correct answer is to be methodical. Don't just spew out a stream of test cases as you brainstorm them. Understand the different scopes (unit, functional, integration, maybe end-to-end) and what the goals of each is, and how they differ. Understand that there are different areas of testing like boundary, happy path, special cases (null, " ", 0, -1), exceptions, localization, security, deployment/rollback, code coverage, user-acceptance, a/b, black box vs white box, load/performance/stress/scalability, resiliency, etc. Test various attributes at the intersection of a compenent and a capability (borrowed from the book How Google Tests Software), and I believe you can see a video that goes into this called The 10 Minute Test Plan. Understand how tests fit into your branching strategy - when to run bvts vs integration vs regression tests.
> Test methodologies - Understand the tools that make you an efficient tester. These include data driven tests, oracles, all-pairs / equivalency class, mocking & injection, profiling, debugging, logging, model-based, emulators, harnesses (like JUnit), fuzzing, dependency injection, etc.
> Test frameworks - Knowing all the tests you need to write is good, but then you have to write them. Don't do all of them from scratch. Think of it as a system that needs to be architected so that test cases are simple to write, and new functionality is easy to implement tests for. I can't recommend any books for this because it's something I learned from my peers.
> Test tools - Selenium / WebDriver for web ui, Fiddler for web services (or sites), JUnit/TestNG, JMeter (I have to admit, I don't know this one), integration tools like Jenkins, Github/Stash, git/svn.
> System design - As you're entry-level, this may not be a huge focus in an interview, but know how to sensibly design a system. Know which classes should be used and how they interact with each other. Keep in mind that the system may evolve in the future.
> Whiteboarding - Practice solving problems on a whiteboard. The process is more than just writing the solution, though. This is the process I follow (based loosely on the book Programming Interviews Exposed):
Resources:-
> Learning to test:
> Learning to interview:
> Learning to program:
> Miscellaneous
> What sort of skills should I really hone? I realize I gave you a ton of stuff in this post, so here's a shorter list:
> Examples of projects that make you look valuable
I would highly recommend "UNIX and Linux System Administration Handbook"
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075MK6LZ7
Yah yah suuuure. That's a very likely story. Go buy Google Docs for Dummies. You sure could use it.