Re: [cobalt-users] Newbie help/direction

["Steve Werby" <steve-lists@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

"Caryl Felicetta" <caryl@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Hi all. I've been an on and off lurker on the list and recently have
> taken back the controls of our Raq3. I have basic, task level,  "fly
> by the seat of your pants" knowledge of the server, linux, telnet -
> most of which I gained through lists such as this. I'd like to start
> from the ground up to get a better understanding of management of the
> server, so I may rely less on our ISP and feel more comfortable
> telneting in and not screwing things up.

One of the first things you should do is install SSH, get a SSH client for
your Mac (SecureCRT and Putty are options for the PC, not sure what Mac
options are), login using SSH, then disable telnet *forever*.  SSH sends
data in an encrypted format while telnet sends it in plain text.  Unless you
have a good reason, do not use telnet.

> I did see this: http://suned.sun.com/US/catalog/courses/EN-121KIT.html

I haven't seen the actual materials, but between the description and
feedback from others I've gathered that it's an overpriced waste.  You can
buy good books that cover the core of what their course material covers for
a fraction of their $695 price.

> But thought that maybe some real UNIX or Linux training might be the
> appropriate route. It's been a long time since I even used a command
> line interface (OK, I'm a Mac user) and really need to start clean.
>
> Any suggestions on where to start?

If you're comfortable learning from books, tutorials and other resources
online I'd go that route.  I'd recommend doing a search of this mailing
list, others (like php-general, mysql, etc. depending on your needs), then
check the sales and rating info. by area on amazon.com and spend a few hours
at your local bookstore (Barnes and Noble usually has a good selection) and
determine which have the info. you need in a format and style that's best
for you.  Some books are dry, technical reads, others are a little lighter
with more demos and useful tidbits.  If you're going to buy online I
recommend bookpool.com (only sells technical books).  I am not affiliated
with them, but I've found their prices to be extremely competitive and their
deliveries have always been very fast, even if I chose the cheapest
selection method (48-72 hours to Virginia).  Online, I'd start with the
official site for different aspects of your server - redhat.com (your server
runs a modified Red Hat 6.2), php.net, mysql.com, sendmail.org, etc.  There
are also plenty of good tutorial sites.  google.com is your friend.  It'll
find you just about anything you need.  linuxplanet.com, yolinux.com,
linuxdoc.org, etc.  Also get familiar with the Aims Group archives at
http://marc.theaimsgroup.com/.  It's a collection of archives of several
hundred mailing lists.  The search front-end is very powerful - you can
search a single list, all lists, by author, subject or body.

If you want to know specific books I recommend feel free to write me
off-list.  I don't want to post here, just b/c I don't want to start another
flood of emails about everyone's favorite books.  There have been too many
emails on too many mailing lists about favorite books.  There are also
people like me who can provide personalized training or consulting to get
you up to speed.  A few hours of someone's time by phone and email, a few
minutes to an hour at a time would probably be a better use of your money
than the Cobalt self-study kit.  My 2 cents.

HTH,

--
Steve Werby
President, Befriend Internet Services LLC
http://www.befriend.com/