Book Review: Linux Debugging and Performance Tuning

I guess someone appreciated the book review the other month, because very shortly after the column was published, I received a request to review another book. This time the book was "Linux Performance Tuning, Open Source" . I'm sure you're shocked to learn that I said yes, accepted delivery of another free new book a few days later, and read the book during my seemingly endless hours on airplanes these days. My assessment is that, in short, this is another good book that is very much worth a look. This time it took until about three-quarters of the way through before the concepts got too abstract and/or technical for my rather limited Linux background, but once again I put the book down wondering where it was in 2001 when I was trying to configure Linux servers on my own instead of bribing my office-buddy with more beer to do it for me.

As I read, I jotted the following notes:

Book Review: Performance Tuning for Linux Servers

The other month I wrote a column for Software Test and Performance magazine where I discussed Linux Performance Tuning.  Shortly thereafter I received a request to review a new book titled "Performance Tuning for Linux Servers."  After reading it, I offer the following as a summary:

"This book is "must have" for a novice to mid *nix tuner/administrator in terms of technical content and information and a "nice to have" reference book for more senior folks.  It has the highest density of information that is directly applicable to tuning Linux servers for optimal multi-user application performance of any that I have come across that present material in ways that a non-expert can directly apply.  Another positive but not-so-common thing this book does is provide the author's reference material at the end of each chapter, making it quite easy for the readers who want to know more to get the next level of detail.