Best deep OS X administration handbook?
I'm looking for the best possible book for OS X that ideally covers all of the following issues.
1) Installation management (where software write components, which system files they commonly change, what files are critical to system, how are they procted, which libraries are version controlled, how to check for library/system component overwrites and conflicts, how to uninstall/manually clean properly if uninstaller is lousy, how to check for system consistency after multiple installations, etc.)
2) System tuning (graphics speed up, networking speed up, file system speed up, operating system fluency, hardware issues, memory/cpu/gpu/disk related tuning tricks, gui speed up tricks/hints/utilities).
3) Error recovery (file system integrity, structure, usual problems, checking, prevention and fixing tools and heuristics. Application errors explained, debugging app crashes, ten most common causes for application crashes beyond the 'lousy application code' excuse, examining probable hardware related failures, major test cases for system integrity, etc.)
4) Security management (basicd OS X BSD variant information, OS X specific crucial files, apps, setting, oddities and OS X idiosyncracies, if any, tips, techniques, security planning, monitoring and automatic maintenance for non-dedicated occasional server environments)
I already have or have seen simplistic 'pretty pictures' books that have lots of images how to set up a printer or to share a file.
I don't want a book like that.
I want OS X dissected on the adminstrative level (does not have to go to developer level, different books for that).
Are there any true contenders out there for a book like this?
Can be a set of books too, I'm willing to buy/read them all.
Please make suggestions if you know of a good book that is deep, thorough and accurate on the above issues.
regards,
Halcyon
1) Installation management (where software write components, which system files they commonly change, what files are critical to system, how are they procted, which libraries are version controlled, how to check for library/system component overwrites and conflicts, how to uninstall/manually clean properly if uninstaller is lousy, how to check for system consistency after multiple installations, etc.)
2) System tuning (graphics speed up, networking speed up, file system speed up, operating system fluency, hardware issues, memory/cpu/gpu/disk related tuning tricks, gui speed up tricks/hints/utilities).
3) Error recovery (file system integrity, structure, usual problems, checking, prevention and fixing tools and heuristics. Application errors explained, debugging app crashes, ten most common causes for application crashes beyond the 'lousy application code' excuse, examining probable hardware related failures, major test cases for system integrity, etc.)
4) Security management (basicd OS X BSD variant information, OS X specific crucial files, apps, setting, oddities and OS X idiosyncracies, if any, tips, techniques, security planning, monitoring and automatic maintenance for non-dedicated occasional server environments)
I already have or have seen simplistic 'pretty pictures' books that have lots of images how to set up a printer or to share a file.
I don't want a book like that.
I want OS X dissected on the adminstrative level (does not have to go to developer level, different books for that).
Are there any true contenders out there for a book like this?
Can be a set of books too, I'm willing to buy/read them all.
Please make suggestions if you know of a good book that is deep, thorough and accurate on the above issues.
regards,
Halcyon
Comments
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...glance&s=books
aka THE blue book
I've already got gobs of Unix and BSD books, but I want something OS X speficic, that show stuff that is specific to OS X from other BSD derivatives.
Maybe somebody should write one
Originally posted by Rufo
Try "Mac OS X Unleashed". I've flipped through it a bit, and it's a really comprehensive book. There's a current edition for Jaguar, but personally I'd wait for the Panther version before buying it, since everything the textbooks told you is about to change.
I'd second that; its the book I learned most of what I know about the core of OS X and the subsystem from. I don't think it will have all the information you want (the 10.1 version, at least, didn't have much info about system optimisation), but it will have a great deal of what you were after. you'd hope so, for 1200 pages...
you're right though, there really is a dearth of decent technically deep books about OS X.