Peter Harrison has been fascinated by computers since the early 1980s. He was the founding president of PCJAM, Jamaica's first computer user group, and was the principal systems engineer responsible for the computerization of the island's tax collection and social security systems.

He then sought new opportunities as the western Caribbean representative for a Fortune 500 pharmaceuticals firm and later became the international sales manager for a West Indian rum company. Before moving to Silicon Valley he ran Trinidad and Tobago's first industrial trade office to Latin America.

Peter has since worked extensively in the Internet sector deploying large-scale data centers and Web sites. Extensive use of Linux in this environment combined with his varied business background has helped him create this highly readable book for the newbie, the techie, and their bosses.

In his quieter moments, Peter enjoys the art and literature of the Caribbean and Latin America. Long rides on his bicycle provide another guilty pleasure. Peter likes to relax with his family on short weekend trips to the many attractions of the San Francisco Bay Area.

In typical Linux "bibles," reserve the last third coverage for advanced topics that sys admins use on a day by day basis. They tend to cover the underlying concepts reasonably well, but fall short on hands-on instructions, forcing admins to buy specialty books. This book sufficiently expands the advanced sections found in these "bibles," providing step-by step instructions on how to configure the most popular Linux back office applications. To avoid confusion between the many flavors of Linux, each with it's own GUI interface, this book exclusively uses the command line to illustrate the tasks needed to be done. It provides all the expected screen output when configuring the most commonly used Linux applications to help assure the reader that they are doing the right thing. The Notebook also includes many of the most commonly encountered errors with explanations of their causes and how to fix them. The book's format is aimed at sys admins who often have to do advanced tasks in which the underlying theory is understood, but the commands to do it are forgotten or at the tips of their tongues. As the line between power users and administrators continues to blur, as computers move from the data center to the desktop, as Linux and Windows gain equal footing in business, it becomes harder to remember and do it all. This is the guide that gives admins the answers they need to common problems and tasks, allowing them time to eat lunch.