Preface
Welcome to the third edition of The Official Ubuntu Server Book!
When most people talk about Ubuntu these days, they tend to talk about the Ubuntu Desktop. After all,
it’s the easy-to-use, “just works” approach to the desktop that has made Ubuntu one of the most
popular desktop Linux distributions. What has gotten less attention, although even that is starting to
change, is Ubuntu Server. It turns out that desktop Linux users aren’t the only ones who want their
distribution to “just work”—system administrators appreciate that on their servers as well. In Ubuntu
Server you will find all of the powerful server infrastructure from the Debian project plus that extra
bit of Ubuntu polish, innovation, and focus on ease of use.
About This Book
This book is the result of the collaborative effort of not just the principal authors, but of the Ubuntu
Server team itself. As it is the official, authorized book on Ubuntu Server, the focus has been on a
server guide based on our collective experience. Beyond that, the goal is to have something to offer to
both the beginner system administrator and the battle-hardened senior sysadmin. On the surface it
might seem a tough balance to achieve, but in reality both groups ultimately want the same thing: for
their servers to work. Now it’s true that some administrators revel in doing things the hard way. Some
even treat it as a point of pride. The thing is, all of us who have administered servers for years can do
and have done things the hard way as well, but ultimately you realize that there’s nothing particularly
impressive in doing everything by hand—in the end you just have too much to do and any time-saving
steps are welcome.
As you will see, most of this book takes a pragmatic approach to server management. Where Ubuntu
offers new programs or features to ease administration and save time, you will find them mentioned
here. If you are a beginner administrator, you will find that administering an Ubuntu server isn’t
nearly as difficult as you might think. Experienced administrators, especially those coming from other
platforms, will find numerous time-saving tips and programs, as well as where Ubuntu has updated
how a service is organized (Apache being a good example); you can treat this book as a map to point
you to all of the right directories.
One great thing about Ubuntu as a server is that there are so many great server packages available for
it. Of course, this creates a dilemma for us as writers: It’s just not possible to feature every available
e-mail and IMAP/POP3 server, for instance. In these cases we’ve tried to pick out programs that are
easy to install, configure, and use under Ubuntu, as well as highlight programs that are preferred by
the authors and server team. While doing that, there’s a good chance that your favorite program for X,
Y, and Z was left out. It’s certainly no slight against any of those programs—we just had to draw the
line somewhere.
How the Book Is Organized
Different people read tech books differently. Some people read them cover to cover, and others skip
right ahead to the topic they need immediate help with. You will find that the way this book is
organized lends itself well to both approaches. The first few chapters lay the foundation so you can
install Ubuntu and navigate the system even if it’s your first time. After that the chapters focus on
particular server topics, from security to monitoring to system rescue.