Python for Unix and Linux System Administration

Foreword

Æleen Frisch, July 2008

I was excited to preview this book on using Python for system administration. I remembered how I felt when I discovered Python after many years of programming in other languages: it was like a breath of spring air and the warmth of the sun after a long winter indoors. Code was suddenly easy and fun to write again, and I finished programs much more quickly than before.

As a system administrator, most of my own Python use is for system and network management tasks. I already knew how useful a good book focusing on system administration with Python would be. I am happy to say that this is that book. Overall, Noah and Jeremy have created an interesting, intelligent work on Python that is planted firmly in the system administration sphere. I found the book both very useful and enjoyable to read.

The two opening chapters are a great introduction to Python for system administrators (and others) who are new to Python. I consider myself an intermediate Python programmer, and I learned a lot from the book. I suspect even Python wizards will come across a few new tricks in here. I can especially recommend the chapters on networking and managing network services, SNMP, and management of heterogeneous systems as particularly useful and well focused on nontrivial, real-world tasks that system administrators face every day.