Best linux programming & administration books according to redditors
We found 81 Reddit comments discussing the best linux programming & administration books. We ranked the 10 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
In short, the answer is virtual memory and the protected mode flat model that the past generations of CPU architecture and operating systems have been using.
As you may know, programs are never given full, direct access to the RAM banks; the operating system abstracts this layer away from them in the form of virtual memory. Virtual memory is basically a system whereby you can map physical memory addresses to non-physical ones the OS controls and can readily re-arrange. Thanks to virtual memory the OS can trick an application into thinking it has way more RAM than it actually has and this also enables swapping processes out to disk when the system is running out of memory because there are too many processes being run at the same time. As I pointed out before, since virtual memory is fully managed by the kernel, it can move out chunks of a program's address space to disk, a process known as "paging".
Now, back in the DOS era, virtual memory followed the real mode segmented model, which, in very simple terms meant that, even though processes could be shuffled back and forth between RAM and disk, there were no safeguards in place to prevent a process from messing up another process' memory space via a dodgy pointer pointing to a memory address beyond the scope of the faulty process.
One of the major goals of the successor to this virtual memory model, "protected mode flat model" was to allow the kernel to create a completely isolated address space for the processes it spawns and stopping a rogue program from altering other processes like before. Whenever such an attempt is made, a "segmentation fault" (SIGSEV) or "general protection fault" is raised by the kernel, which in the case of Linux, will prompt the kernel to swiftly kill the offending process.
In practical terms, this means your application won't be able to reach beyond the virtual memory address space it has been allocated (unless it's a kernel-space process, like a kernel subsystem or device driver) and can in no way communicate with other processes by reading or writing memory that belongs to them. In order to accomplish that, you'll need to make use of inter-process communication (IPC) techniques like Unix sockets, pipes, RPC, etc.
This is by no means an in-depth or 100% accurate explanation though. If you've got any follow-up questions I'm more than happy to answer them.
As for the literature, pretty much any textbook about operating system architecture will cover virtual memory to a great extent. I can recommend Operating Systems: Internals and Design Principles and Modern Operating Systems.
Here are a few more books that touch upon the topic of virtual memory:
Assembly Language Step-by-Step: Programming with Linux covers the topic of virtual memory and the different models that have evolved over time over its first few chapters.
The Linux Programming Interface: A Linux and UNIX System Programming Handbook covers this subject (and many, many more) from a Linux systems programmer perspective.
What Makes It Page?: The Windows 7 (x64) Virtual Memory Manager, in case you're interested in learning how Windows does it.
EDIT: added IPC info
What OS? Linux, of course. When TPB order everything locked down, you don't want to be caught using a Microsoft OS. -- What distribution? The easy path is Ubuntu, with the Cinnamon UI, or LinuxMint 13, when issued (May 2012).
What IDE? There's lots to choose from. My favorite is "geany".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geany
For TCP/IP protocol tutorial. Recently updated by Wright:
Stevens, "TCP/IP Illustrated", 3-volume set.
http://www.amazon.com/TCP-IP-Illustrated-Volume-Set/dp/0201776316
On human interface guidelines relevant to programming:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_interface_guidelines
For GNOME 2, see:
http://library.gnome.org/devel/hig-book/stable/
To develop Linux applications:
You are right. You MUST know how to program in C. When others tell you that object oriented programming is the thing, know that you can do object oriented programming in C. Avoid interpreted languages (Python, Java, and others) as a first programming language. Interpreted languages teach bad habits and hid too much of what's going on from you such that debugging becomes difficult to impossible.
However, if all you intend is "casual programming", the Python will do, if you must. It's just not the best choice first a first language if your intent is to become a "professional programmer". I use Python myself; It works for what I need to do quick and dirty.
Definitive, but for experienced programmers:
http://www.amazon.com/C-Programming-Language-2nd-Edition/dp/0131103628/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335197606&sr=1-1
As a tutorial for someone learning a first programming language and how to program from zero:
Perry, "Absolute Beginner's Guide to C", 2ed.
-- I have not read the book, but the ToC looks reasonable for a beginner.
http://www.amazon.com/Absolute-Beginners-Guide-2nd-Edition/dp/0672305100/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335197606&sr=1-6
OK, you don't want a full CS curriculum, but some topics in discrete mathematics are mandatory. ... Ack! Having looked over the offerings at Amazon, I believe that Epp, "Discrete Mathematics with Applications" may be the best of the lot, but at $187, it is hard to recommend without knowing your intent and interest. The reason I suggest this title is that it looks focused on application to computer science topics. It covers a number of topics that are NOT covered in many of the other titles, enough so that should you use other texts you will have spent more than the $187 that this title includes. JMHO.
http://www.amazon.com/Discrete-Mathematics-Applications-Susanna-Epp/dp/0495391328/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335199316&sr=1-1
See also: Sedgwick, "Algorithms" -- You'll probably need it sooner than later.
http://www.amazon.com/Algorithms-4th-Edition-Robert-Sedgewick/dp/032157351X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335200153&sr=1-1
Remember that Linux OS? You are going to need some programming tools, right? If you intend to write GUI applications based on the GTK+ toolkit, then install the package "glade" or "glade-gtk". Installing a glade package will suck in over 100 other packages essential to building a GTK based GUI application. Specifying glade to the package manager is just easier that finding and installing all the other necessary parts by hand.
If you are going to do command line based UI programs, then package "build-essentials" should be adequate.
There are some other things to read:
On how to organize, grow and maintain a Linux software development project: Fogel, "Producing Open Source Software"
http://producingoss.com/
You can read it online here, but buy the book too to help support Fogel. He's gotta eat too.
On the culture of writing Open Source Software:
Raymond, "The Cathedral and the Bazaar"
http://www.catb.org/~esr/writings/cathedral-bazaar/
Linux programming is not like Windows programming.
Read and study ESR's TAOP.
Raymond, "The Art of Unix Programming"
http://www.catb.org/~esr/writings/taoup/html/
You can read it online, free. However, buy a hardcopy too. Raymond has to eat too.
Now to get really technical. What interface do you write to?
Kerrick, "The Linux Programming Interface: A Linux and UNIX System Programming Handbook"
http://www.amazon.com/The-Linux-Programming-Interface-Handbook/dp/1593272200/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335201257&sr=1-1#reader_1593272200
Beginning to focus on GNU style programming:
GNU Coding Standards
https://www.gnu.org/prep/standards/
GNU Coding Standards is more than how to and how much to indent a line or how to set braces. You will get into the topic of Make and Autotools. Make is a program to build complex softare and Autotools is about how to build a package for distribution, the package that any Unix flavor can use; it is not focused on any specific distribution. See also: "configure and make"
Enough! There's more, but I have too much time in this already for today.
[edit: typos]
I feel like C is most useful when you are programming directly to an OS and its resources, rather than through a framework or library. And you don't often need to use the most elegant data structures to accomplish a simple task.
The Linux Programming Interface is still one of the best introductions to Linux programming.
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.
You just have to jump in and do stuff. Using it as your primary OS or always for a particular task (e.g. always use it for internet browsing) is a good way to become familiar with a linux desktop environment.
As for the command, whenever you want to:
Try to make all of that happen in a command-line/terminal. If you can't figure out a command/program's parameters, check the man (manual) file using the 'man' command ('man <command name>).
For some command command references:
https://files.fosswire.com/2007/08/fwunixref.pdf
http://cc.iiti.ac.in/lcommands.pdf
http://www.pixelbeat.org/cmdline.html
http://www.computervillage.org/articles/CommandLine.pdf
It may seem silly and retro/outdate, but PRINT out a reference sheet. If it's less than 10 pages it's hardly an environmental crisis.
http://linuxcommand.org/index.php
[ Do some basic software development: hello world, a calculator, a text adventure game, dice roller ]
Also install some software development tools and write some basic C/C++ programs and learn about make files. Most of the times installing new software from source is as simple as downloading the source, extracting it, and then running a number of tasks via the make file (e.g. configure, make, make install, etc).
Learning how to compile basic programs on the command line will make compiling other programs from source a little less opaque. The compiler produces object files from source code and links them to produce an executable file.
[ Install some software from source ]
http://www.thegeekstuff.com/2012/06/install-from-source/
https://www.linux.com/learn/intro-to-linux/2017/3/how-install-packages-source-linux
Sticking to simpler software with fewer dependencies (libraries and other software that your new software depends* upon to function properly) is recommended as you should encounter fewer errors if any.
You can always skip this stuff and use a package manager (command line or GUI) if that suits you more.
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/AptGet/Howto
https://www.lifewire.com/guide-to-synaptic-package-manager-2205707
[ Reading ]
If you can tolerate reading books and are willing to spend some money, these may be of use to you:
Linux Pocket Guide, 3rd Edition: Essential Commands (By: Daniel Barrett)
O'Reilly Media
http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920040927.do
Linux in a Nutshell, 6th Edition: A Desktop Quick Reference (By Stephen Figgins, Arnold Robbins, Ellen Siever, Robert Love)
O'Reilly Media
http://shop.oreilly.com/product/9780596154493.do
If the price is an issue, shop on amazon and search ebay for a used copy. For the pocket reference at least a lot of stuff is likely to very much the same even in a previous revision/edition.
https://www.amazon.com/Linux-Pocket-Guide-Essential-Commands/dp/1491927577/
^ currently ~$10 on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Linux-Nutshell-Desktop-Quick-Reference/dp/0596154488/
^ currently ~$28 on Amazon
I'd strongly recommend the pocket guide and the other reference may be of some use as well.
P.S.
If you aren't sure what Linux "distribution" you should install and use I'd strongly recommend a Debian derivative (a version or variant of Linux that's based on the Debian distribution) or another popular one so you will be able to benefit from common tutorials and the familiarity with it that others users have when you end up needing help.
Debian
Ubuntu
Linux Mint
You can search for other Linux distributions, debian-based and not, using the search tool at https://distrowatch.com/
Linux Programming Interface (https://www.amazon.com/Linux-Programming-Interface-System-Handbook/dp/1593272200)
https://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Programming-UNIX-Environment-Addison-Wesley-ebook/dp/B00DB3G8KY/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=unix+programming&qid=1557633707&s=gateway&sr=8-3
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or if you're on specifically linux,
https://www.amazon.com/Linux-Programming-Interface-System-Handbook-ebook/dp/B004OEJMZM/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3Q06MI8R2WQP5&keywords=linux+programming+interface&qid=1557633730&s=gateway&sprefix=linux+prog%2Caps%2C178&sr=8-3
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If you want a more general idea of how operating systems work, look at https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Operating-Systems-Andrew-Tanenbaum/dp/9332575770/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=Andrew+S.+Tanenbaum&qid=1557633792&s=gateway&sr=8-3 or any of Tanenbaum's other books. He's one of the most prolific writers for OS theory.
It’s gonna be hard to give you much without picking a specific OS—details can vary widely even within a single OS family line—but an OS book is probably a good place to start. Tanenbaum’s book is the go-to.
Alternatively, there are books on specific techniques like garbage collection, or books more generally on programming for UNIX/POSIX/Linux or Windows (via Win16/32/64 API, not the six-mile-high shitheap piled atop), which would tell you some about how memory management works in down at least to whatever abstract hardware interface the kernel uses.
I've found The Linux Programming Interface to be one of the best in-depth books I've ever tried to read on Linux. Only issues with it is it's not too hands-on, so it's a bit difficult to retain, and maybe the price, bit would have to say it's still totally worth it.
I've heard good things about "The Linux Programming Interface"
"Modern Operating Systems" like others suggested is also fantastic.
I'd recommend reading Practical Programming: An Introduction to Computer Science Using Python. I would read each chapter two or three times, and supplement it with online help. Do all the exercises at the end. If you don't understand something, feel free to ask in compsci (or send me a private message!).
I always use this book when trying to teach someone the basics of programming. Python is very easy to learn, relevant, and powerful. The book is brief, well written, and it'll semi introduce you to the command line (which will become your best friend).
You should try and build yourself a Linux computer to learn programming on. If you have a mac, that would be an OK substitute. I would use windows as a last choice- it can be a decent development environment but requires lots of software to set up. Programming can certainly be done in windows, but Linux will offer you a decent development environment right out of the box. I'd recommend Ubuntu for beginners. Macs come with a lot of the same facilities that linux comes with (python and other languages pre-installed, a relevant command line environment, etc), windows comes with almost none. If you study computer science in college, you'll use lots of linux- a head start will help.
For a text editor, try and become familiar with vim or emacs, both of which come with most linux distros. If you find them too overwhelming, you could use a graphical editor instead and still be ok. On the mac, you can get macvim. As a programmer, I regret my lack of knowledge in vim. If you're on windows, just stick with something like notepad++.
If you become an ace at python, and really enjoy the concepts, The Linux Programming Interface will take you a (very) long way. It may seem overwhelming, but it covers many deep aspects of computing. Learning C will really help you the most in the long run (because of it's intimate relationship with the operating system and computer memory), but it is not an easy beginner language. If you don't understand the concepts in C (may be difficult from just a book), you may try your hands at either C# or Java (as they're both very widely used).
Keep in mind that no one becomes a programmer (or hacker, if you will) over night. I'm in CS grad school, and started programming over 5 years ago- it's just now starting to all make sense. The amount of conceptual information in computer science is tremendous, and it will take a long time to master. Welcome to the rabbit hole =)
P.S. - Learn to type the correct way without looking at the keyboard. Speed isn't that big of an issue so long as you can hit a consistent ~60 wpm.
you can start by grabbing The Linux Programming Interface book.
"Linux Kernel Development 3rd Edition" is fairly modern (2010) and really good:
http://www.amazon.com/Linux-Kernel-Development-3rd-Edition/dp/0672329468/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1413858907&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=linux+kernel+development
Also... not kernel internals specific but an AMAZING book about programing against the linux kernel is "The Linux Programming Interface":
http://www.amazon.com/The-Linux-Programming-Interface-Handbook/dp/1593272200/ref=pd_sim_b_4?ie=UTF8&amp;refRID=1X9Y7ZM18JWKJ80PNXN3
It was written by the guy who wrote a lot of the linux man pages and is one of the best books about how linux works from a programming interface perspective that I've ever read.
IMO, you should be familiar with 3 things: Virtualization, Linux and Networking. If you want to be a Windows Admin, definitely look into getting your MCITP too.
For virtualization, I would start with VirtualBox. It's not an enterprise solution by any means, but you'll understand the basic idea and it will allow you to run Linux/Windows/etc... without needing a separate box. And snapshots are great for when you want to try something new. Once you move along, you can try installing VMware server 2.0 (I think it's still free and available). If you find you like virtualization, take a look at VMware vSphere.
For linux, I recommend this book. Personally, I like Debian and Fedora Core, but you should at least know one Red Hat based distro (like Fedora). The book is well written, and has some good examples to get you started.
If you aren't very familiar with networking, you should get your CCNA. It probably wont help you pull much of a bigger salary in it of itself, but it will definitely get your feet wet in the world of networking -- but dont be fooled, it only scratches the surface of networking.
If you're looking to be more windows-centric, you should look at getting your MCITP. Personally, I haven't been able to get through the certification process, but I have skimmed through the topics, and it's definitely worth your time if you're serious about being a Windows admin.
I haven't had any experience with Network+ and Security+ certs, but from the comments I have read on the sysadmin reddit over the past few months, I get the impression they aren't worth the time. YMMV on that one though, and if anyone who has them thinks they are worth it, let me know why I am wrong.
When I was getting my feet wet, I picked up small business clients who were willing to tolerate my growing pains since I came cheap and worked nights/weekends for them. Although it only gave me a limited amount of experience, it allows you to put into practice what you are learning, be it linux or windows. Just be sure and always CYA and backup data/configurations before you do anything you're not familiar with.
Sorry, this may be a little bit more long term than you were hoping for, but hopefully you will find something valuable in it.
The Linux Programming Interface, by Michael Kerrisk -- hands down the unsurpassed resource if you want to understand Linux.
Amazon.com: The Linux Programming Interface: A Linux and UNIX System Programming Handbook eBook: Michael Kerrisk: Kindle Store:
To learn about the user space APIs
A good intro to the inner workings
A fairly detailed reference of the inner workings
Most books are still made out of paper.
Try these : UTLK
and Linux Programming Interface
I think this is what you're looking for:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Linux-Programming-Interface-Handbook/dp/1593272200
Awesome book spotted under his desk at 2:45
A Practical Guide to Linux Commands, Editors, and Shell Programming (4th Edition) by Mark Sobell.
You learned those from this book? Could you briefly explain them? I would like to learn more.
What are your credentials? Why should we read your guide instead of any other guide available (yes I know half of those are for Linux, not Unix)? Also, a guide to an OS family probably shouldn't include anectodes about college experience.
I always liked Sobells book "A Practical Guide to Linux Commands, Editors, and Shell Programming"
https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Guide-Commands-Editors-Programming/dp/0134774604/ref=dp_ob_title_bk
For programmers, "The Linux Programming Interface" is excellent.
http://man7.org/tlpi/
but read "The C programming language" first, and possibly "Modern C" as well.
"The little book about OS development" is great if you want a technical book about the inner workings of a OS
https://littleosbook.github.io/
In general, older books can be good, especially if they are about the lower level stuff that is common for all distributions, like GNU tools, programming aspects and OS theory / POSIX.
For Debian, "The Debian Administrator's Handbook" is good
https://debian-handbook.info/
For Arch, the Arch wiki is invaluable
https://wiki.archlinux.org/
You can't have it both ways. if you want to know exactly then you have to drill down to the fundamentals which are handled at a low level (C & assembly). If you want to understand the general concepts you'll need to make lateral moves and study CS along with having enough of the tiny details to fill in the gaps with your intuition.
I think what you may like is a book on the linux API. This is between kernelland and userland.
Try this one:
https://www.amazon.com/Linux-Programming-Interface-System-Handbook/dp/1593272200
Before you do that ensure you know enough basic C. Linux kernel uses K&R style. So this might be good enough and your best bet to fasttrack.
https://www.amazon.com/Programming-Language-2nd-Brian-Kernighan/dp/0131103628
Do keep in mind this is 2K pages worth of reading. This should help to fill in enough of what you don't know you don't know so that you can better use google-fu to get you further.
I will be taking the current version of the Linux+ test instead of the beta of the new version.
From gleaming at this content this is not aimed at programming. Try this: http://www.amazon.com/Linux-Programming-Interface-System-Handbook/dp/1593272200/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1418343920&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=the+linux+programming+interface
Do start with C and then buy The Linux Programming Interface. Afterwards, I recommend buying a book dedicated to pthreads and another on sockets. Of course, do remember to do the actual exercises.
I'm not sure what book you're referring to. I can't seem to find it. If you're referring to this one: http://www.amazon.com/The-Linux-Programming-Interface-Handbook/dp/1593272200 then I couldn't disagree more. That book is packed with TONS of useful information and examples everywhere. I've used a great deal of it. I can only assume you're talking about a different book or you didn't get very far.
What do you REALLY want to do? Because if you want to write systems level applications in C for Linux, you're not going to learn it overnight. It's going to take a lot of reading. You're not going to hop on codecademy, crank out a few tutorials and suddenly be good at it.
What's your background? What experience do you have? And again, what are you trying to accomplish, big picture?
I could be wrong but I read your post as "This book is TL;DR. I want a shortcut." There really aren't any for things like that.
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.
If you must buy a book, start here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1593272200/
I'd make sure I have a really solid understanding of systems and networks, e.g. how Linux works. This book seems like a great overview and I love No Starch Press. There's also this book which is used by Carnegie Mellon's introductory systems course, though that might be a bit too deep to dive into straight away, more like something that could be used if you want a deeper understanding of how systems work. You should have some familiarity with C just as foundational knowledge. The guy who wrote Learn Python The Hard Way also wrote an intro to C, Learn C the Hard Way. He's added a lot more material than the last time I checked (~Dec 2012) which looks like it covers a lot of topics so it would be great to work through it.
Some more technical books on this subject that are well regarded and can be used as reference books are Advanced Programming in the Unix Environment, Unix Network Programming, and The Linux Programming Interface
Also in addition to Python I'd also suggest learning some Ruby (Practical Object-Oriented Design in Ruby and Programming Ruby 1.9 & 2.0 are two resources I'd recommend), it's what Chef is/was implemented in and is fairly nice to work with.
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.)
> Should I avoid the Microsoft world if I am certain on focusing in the direction of linux?
Assuming you are considering systems administration... In short, yes, avoid MS, and get to know Linux (when I say linux, I usually mean all of the Unix-like OSes). Most of the great sysadmins I know have OSX or Linux on their workstation, and work administering Linux systems. I can't think of anyone that knows both MS and Linux and prefers working with MS - although I am sure they exist. At the end of the day, it comes down to what you prefer, but there are a lot of arguments to be made for getting to know linux. #1 is the server market share, and #2, the F/OSS philosophy.
> What is the lowest "entry-level" job that I can get my feet wet while I study?
With linux, hmmm, good question... there are a couple of entry points. I'd start by teaching yourself. Again, it depends on what you are into. One entry level position would be tech support at a hosting company that hosts linux servers for their clients. The guys that you get on the phone/email when you have this service for example. Their tech support is usually tiered, so tier 1 is doing easy stuff and tier 3 is doing the hardcore stuff. I even poked around a found a listing. That's a great way to get your feet wet. That, or a linux-based startup that has a team and needs more hands.
> I know this is pretty far out, but how's the hiring like for linux positions? When the time comes, should I work with a recruiter, or sell myself to a start-up or company directly?
I wouldn't think it is so far out. If you are a "computer-person" smart and you got yourself a book like this and practiced a bit until you were good enough, you could get an entry-level job pretty damned quickly, I think. The market is quite hot in big cities. For proof, pick a big city, go to craigslist and type in linux under jobs. I picked LA In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with recruiters, it's nice having someone whose job is to get you a job. I've used them to hire and to be hired in my past. Just remember, they're salespeople, and they're selling you, so they are often put in a position where they are trying to persuade you.
>What should I get started on reading? What books would you recommend for a beginner? (I'll take "advance" ones too, I'll save them for the future). Also, if you know of any online communities or websites, I appreciate those as well.
As far as resources... That book above is great. It depends on what you want to know. The RHCT/E course material is great for practical sysadmining:
This is old, but I used it. Almost all of this stuff is good.
This is a classic, but it's quite old.
Online, no better place to start than:
http://www.reddit.com/r/sysadmin/top/
/r/linux
http://code.reddit.com/wiki/help/faqs/sysadmin
The Linux Programming Interface has been a recommended text for CS344 in past quarters. It's a pretty comprehensive tutorial and reference for Linux system programming and well worth having if that's a topic that interests you. For the purposes of the class though, it's total overkill. It will however make you look smarter if you put it on your desk at work. ;)
When I took CS361 in the Spring, it recommended the textbook Software Engineering. It honestly isn't very good and is very overpriced. Last I checked, they have a different instructor for 361 this quarter, so he or she may have a different textbook or none at all.
I hear good comments on this book:
Linux Administration Handbook
or
UNIX and Linux System Administration Handbook
Read a lot. Man pages, guides, examples, source code. Experiment. True, with only one machine you probably won't get to get exposed to, say, networking stuff (you can emulate complex networks using VMs, but you still need to know a lot to set up such an environment). Still, there's a lot of things to learn about the system just by mucking with it. Having a machine you can reinstall whenever you want helps a lot, get an old PC or laptop and use it as a test bed if you don't have a spare server, making it a webserver today, a mailserver tomorrow, a firewall the next day and so on.
Take any problem as a challenge to dig deeper and understand why. Granted, in the Google age, the solution to most problems are just a search and a copy-paste away, but getting to understand what happens with the machine and what's the most elegant way to control it takes a lot of research and practice and failures. Learning "why" is way more important than learning "how", since tools evolve and change and the manuals are always close, but knowing what to look for is a skill that takes time to develop.
Speaking of failures, try to come up with as many ways as you can to make things fail and try to find solutions to most of them. Good sysadmins understand failure and actively explore ways to prevent or handle it.
If you don't mind reading thick books, I heartily recommend Evi Nemeth's Linux Administration Handbook (pretty hands-on) and Tom Limoncelli's Practice of System and Network Administration (about the mentality and processes and non-technical stuff). You might find the latter a bit boring, since it has zero scripts and commands in it, but sooner or later in your career you'll love it.
I'll stop because I ranted too much already, but as a final word, keep in mind that SA is primarily about maintaining infrastructure that helps people, so don't get too caught up by the tech to forget that service availability comes first, shiny toys second ;)
If you really want a physical book, O'reilly make really good Linux books. A personal favourite (even if it -is- really outdated) is the Linux Pocket Guide - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Linux-Pocket-Guide-Essential-Commands/dp/0596006284/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1318636702&amp;sr=8-1 a primer on various common commands that taught me a hell of a lot about the terminal. Of their more in-depth Linux books, however, I recommend http://shop.oreilly.com/product/9780596154493.do Linux in a Nutshell.
Though considering the large amount of free online documentation, I can't see much need in wasting shelf space on a full-on textbook about Linux nowadays, unless you prefer to have an actual book over text on a screen.
I look up whatever I need in The Linux Programming Interface.
It’s exceptionally well written and covers a broad range of topics.
One of my favorite technical books ever.
Also, just read the manpages for Linux headers and syscalls.
Often they were written by the same author.
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
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.
I much appreciate your answer. I will take into account ir. I started using Linux about a year and a half ago, coming from windows. I just thinked that I could find a good alternative for Windows, and I moved to Ubuntu MATE. I was fascinated by its velocity, security and how it's packages worked. At the first time, I was dual-booting, but then I removed windows and started to just use Linux. I've been using Linux casually for a lot of time, and now I'm going serious. I want to learn bash scripting and python. I have got a fantastic Spanish Python book, (I'm learning a lot because of it), and now I'm looking for some bash and Linux books by O'Reilly and I've found this book https://www.amazon.es/gp/aw/d/0596009658/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?__mk_es_ES=%C3%85M%C3%85Z%C3%95%C3%91&amp;qid=1520884449&amp;sr=8-1&amp;pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&amp;keywords=O%27Reilly+bash&amp;dpPl=1&amp;dpID=513EprgSOcL&amp;ref=plSrch and this other one https://www.amazon.es/gp/aw/d/1491927577/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?__mk_es_ES=%C3%85M%C3%85Z%C3%95%C3%91&amp;qid=1520884734&amp;sr=8-3&amp;pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&amp;keywords=O%27Reilly+Linux&amp;dpPl=1&amp;dpID=51AbKrNDvaL&amp;ref=plSrch
Would you recommend me this books to learn?
I'm Spanish, so the prizes should be different
Buy (/borrow/steal) The Linux Programming Interface by Michael Kerrisk. It's Stevens' APUE for the 21st century, and is well worth the price. Everything you can possibly do programmatically on Linux will be explained in detail there, including process management, threads, filesystems API, memory management, IPC, the Linux ABI, and so on.
I second Programming in Lua as a recommendation - it is the book to learn Lua, written by the main architect behind the language itself (Roberto Ierusalimschy). The first edition is available online, but I personally recommend at least the second edition (of which I personally have a signed copy) - the fourth edition, the latest, sounds like a good pick (the description says it's been completely re-organized, based on Roberto's experience from decades of teaching Lua).
As for an environment to learn it in, I recommend Cloud9, which gives you an entire Linux integrated development environment for free (you may also want to pick up the Linux Pocket Guide, which is a good reference for learning how to get around on the command line).
C, C++, Assembly are best suited for the purpose. For managed code rootktis part, learn Java and/or .NET.
For Linux programming, have a look at (http://www.amazon.com/Linux-Programming-Interface-System-Handbook/dp/1593272200/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1450511098&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=LINUX+Programming). In fact, this is a must read book IMHO. Apart from this, you can try these too:
EDIT: Formatting
The Linux Documentation Project is a great free resource:
http://tldp.org/LDP/Bash-Beginners-Guide/html/
A Practical Guide to Linux Commands, Editors, and Shell Programming (4th Edition)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0134774604/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_bh7QAb518JBC8
The first two are for learning Bash; this is an awesome resource for learning how to administer RHEL/CentOS7:
RHCSA/RHCE Red Hat Linux Certification Study Guide, Seventh Edition (Exams EX200 & EX300)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0071841962/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_wj7QAbX8M0DG5
For cash-in-pocket noobs who like to have a book in hand I'd recommend any of these books by Mark G. Sobell.
A Practical Guide to Linux
Old (1997) but takes you from the basics to intermediate.
A Practical Guide to Linux Commands, Editors, and Shell Programming, 4th. Ed.
Also covers the basics but it's more focused on those subjects included in the title.
A Practical Guide to Ubuntu Linux, 4th. Ed
I have no experience with this book but I'm including it for completeness.
A Practical Guide to Fedora and Red Hat Enterprise Linux, 7th. Ed.
Same. No experience.
Pro Linux System Administration
It starts pretty basic, but it's geared entirely towards sysadmins.
Any of the OReilly books are excellent. And if you are looking to learn programming/scripting, I'd go with whatever installs easiest on your iMac, which might be OSX. Also, you can check out Linux Administration Handbook (or the general 'Unix' one) http://www.amazon.com/Linux-Administration-Handbook-2nd-Nemeth/dp/0131480049/ref=pd_sim_b_2
I know this is not specifically for kernel development, but The Linux Programing Interface Handbook is a great book for better understanding how to program for Linux systems.
https://www.amazon.com/Linux-Programming-Interface-System-Handbook/dp/1593272200
So there's this book called The Linux Programming Interface by Michael Kerrisk. Some consider it being the book.
Yeah, the beauty of the low level libraries is they really do not change very much or often. I do not expect everyone to master them, but having an understanding will help in any area of userspace you work. Here are two great books that can be read with just an understanding of the c language.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Linux-Programming-Interface-Handbook/dp/1593272200/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1404953887&amp;sr=8-10&amp;keywords=linux
http://www.amazon.com/Linux-Kernel-Development-3rd-Edition/dp/0672329468/ref=pd_sim_b_1?ie=UTF8&amp;refRID=10S29ZMT4Q5VQM4KYZRY
I'm a fan of this book: http://www.amazon.com/The-Linux-Programming-Interface-Handbook/dp/1593272200
It has way too much detail but it is organized well.
Thinking back on it now I think K&R C needs to be coupled with [the linux programming interface] (http://www.amazon.com/Linux-Programming-Interface-System-Handbook/dp/1593272200/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1411641367&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=linux+programming+interface). It really helps flesh out the parts where K&R leaves you hanging. It also shows you the internals of c programs and much more.
Have you taken a look at The Linux Programming Interface?
When I started, the most memorable three resources I know I had were the following:
After you're done with the two above required books, here are some useful readings:
The above readings will probably be a solid 6-12 months to read and absorb assuming you spend a couple hours a day, but I think it'll be well worth it in the long run since this type of stuff sticks with you for a long time. I read the above around 2013, and I can still talk about the CFS/other schedulers, software interrupts, and how the CPU cache works. It'll also make converting to other languages even more of a breeze because you'll know how everything works underneath the hood.
Pro linux system administration is a fantastic book to look into
I hope you like using BASH
As others have said, K&R is great for learning the C language. In addition to that, Algorithms in a Nutshell is a nice reference because it has sample code in C for a lot of major data structures and algorithms, so you can see how the language is used to implement CS concepts you might already be familiar with.
I would also highly recommend one or both of Advanced Programming in the Unix Environment or The Linux Programming Interface, which will get you up to speed on POSIX.
My General Thought
I find it is best to learn and get exposure from several book/media sources coupled with actual application of things learned.
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Introductory Texts/Links
Short Intro
http://heather.cs.ucdavis.edu/~matloff/unix.html
C Programming: A Modern Approach
http://knking.com/books/c2/index.html
Head First C (Different Presentation Style, check amazon preview)
http://www.amazon.com/Head-First-C-David-Griffiths/dp/1449399916/
Programming in C
http://www.amazon.com/Programming-C-4th-Developers-Library/dp/0321776410/
PDF Tutorial
http://phy.ntnu.edu.tw/~cchen/pdf/ctutor.pdf
Original Here > http://www.tutorialspoint.com/cprogramming/index.htm
C The HardWay (Mostly complete)
http://c.learncodethehardway.org/book/
Zed's K&R Critique
http://c.learncodethehardway.org/book/krcritique.html
Practical C Programming
http://shop.oreilly.com/product/9781565923065.do
Ben Klemens Modeling with Data book has a short C introductory section.
http://ben.klemens.org/pdfs/gsl_stats.pdf
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Reference
Harbison and Steele C Reference Manual
http://www.careferencemanual.com/
Plan on developing on Linux?
The Linux Programming Interface: A Linux and UNIX System Programming Handbook
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1593272200/
Didn't get Pointers?
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1449344186/
21st Century C, This book got dogged a lot, but I think its a nice text.
http://www.amazon.com/21st-Century-Tips-New-School/dp/1449327141
K&R Scan (If you want an idea what's inside K&R)
http://www.iups.org/media/meeting_minutes/C.pdf
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Need an Editor?
VIM Book
ftp://ftp.vim.org/pub/vim/doc/book/vimbook-OPL.pdf
Vim Video Tutorials
http://derekwyatt.org/vim/
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Back in the Day
I used these books years ago. They're somewhat dated, but still useful and cheap.
Programming in ANSI C
http://www.amazon.com/Programming-ANSI-Hayden-Books-library/dp/0672484080
Advanced C: Tips and Techniques (Hayden Books C Library)
http://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Techniques-Hayden-Books-Library/dp/067248417X/
----
C Language Basics
How do I read/write files
How things are implemented at a lower level
Compiler Options and Functionality
What is a make file?
Debugging... How to do it... How do I use a standard debugger like GDB?
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
I was introduced to this book while going through my IT Networking classes. I found that it helped me to understand the *nix environment a lot more.
http://www.amazon.com/Linux-Administration-Handbook-2nd-Edition/dp/0131480049
With that said - I want to grab the book that /u/Letmefixthatforyouyo mentioned. His description made me curious about that book.
I have heard good things about The Linux Programming Interface but cannot verify it is as specific as you are looking for.
I think some of Julia Evans stuff is good for this.
You may want to check out this book: The Linux Programming Interface: A Linux and UNIX System Programming Handbook
This is called "Learn C the Hard Way," but I think a better name is "C Programming for Idiots." Just dive in with the real stuff.
http://www.amazon.com/Programming-Language-2nd-Brian-Kernighan/dp/0131103628/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1317921424&amp;sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/Linux-Programming-Interface-System-Handbook/dp/1593272200/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1317921571&amp;sr=1-1
These books, third one optional are a great start to be a freedomm-beard / community troll like myself. I can't say its a glorious life but it pays the bills. Being able to throw together a cluster of computers for some interesting distributed database / model crunching is pretty damn cool. I would also suggest a copy of virtualbox and ubuntu for a beginner's linux desktop and debian for servers. Freebsd is pretty dame great, and cent/rhel is not a bad place to go either. Its also unix with a U not eunuch with an e.
http://www.amazon.com/Linux-Administration-Handbook-Evi-Nemeth/dp/0130084662
http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Guide-Commands-Editors-Programming/dp/0131367366/ref=pd_sim_b_2
http://www.amazon.com/Learning-Vim-Editors-Arnold-Robbins/dp/059652983X/ref=pd_sim_b_23
I understand this is not so much a scientist bit of content here, but having systems competency if you plan on doing research that does any model analysis is pretty valuable.