I bought this book based on the reviews here. I know very little about using Unix. I flipped through the book and found it easy to read as well as covering all the topics that other books missed. What bothered me was the size of the book which made me think some topics might get skimmed over.

This book lacks focus. It may start on a topic then wander off, never to return. Some topics are introduced but never explained. Others go into more detail as you go deeper into the book...maybe.

At times I felt the writer assumed you had some knowledge of FreeBSD/Unix but, if this is true, why would he explain some very basic operations, including installation?

I would return this book if I had not marked it up as I started reading. I had almost bought "FreeBSD Unleashed" having read part of it a year ago at the library and now I wish I did.

When I first was learning to use freebsd 5.3 this the book I was recommended by online experts. I must say Greg Lehey does an excellent job explaining all aspects that the general end-user would need to know to get freebsd up and running.

The most useful section for me was the shared installed section because I did not want to get rid of Microsoft Windows right from the start.

For me, I made a master list of tasks that I wanted to do with freebsd and stepped thur that list day by day with this book close by.

The only source of better freebsd information comes from the online handbook at freebsd.org which is expect to be more verbose and technical if you care about those things.

I find that after using this book that I can actually understand the technical handbook and understand why things are the way they are.

Bottom line to all new freebsd users/admins read this book first then hit the handbook online, which together will give you a great knowledge base for dealing with freebsd.

Only thing I think Greg should add to his book is IPX Novell Netware support which there is not a lot of documentation on this, but I managed to piece it together thur some Internet sources.

This book has a good general description of almost anything you need in FreeBSD, but it doesn't go into any specifics. The book isn't for anybody that has been using FreeBSD for a couple years. I wanted detailed information on a bunch of stuff, but it didn't go to deep. It is the best book for someone starting out though.

He says a lot that he won't go into any detail about something because its changing all the time. I understand why he does this, but I still wish he would go into detail.

Otherwise this is a great book. A great reference book too.

This is probably one of the best FreeBSD reference books I have read. Get BSD Hacks along with this book for the ultimate resource set. Highly recommended! 5 stars!

This is a very well written book and a pleasant read. It has helped me immensely in getting started with installation, partitioning, formatting, etc. Now, at home I have a FreeBSD system as a server within my home environment.

There is one important point to note that as soon as this book is printed on paper, it is already outdated. FreeBSD is a moving target, and they are constantly improving. One notable change is that in FreeBSD 5.3, they have moved away from XFree86 to Xorg, like many distros are doing in the Linux universe. Thus the sections for XFree86 might not be directly applicable to the current release.

Nevertheless, despite the printed works being out of date with the current release, I still value it immensely. It is easy to flip to the sections your interested in, or just kick back at a coffee shop and read a chapter for a topic of interest. This book is very well written, educational, and enjoyable to read.

I recommend this book for anyone that wants to know more about FreeBSD. It's full of information on installing and running FreeBSD.

This is the perfect computer book. It covers both beginner and intermediate topics with enough detail to really teach you what's going on, but not so much you get lost in theory. It is a easy book to read from beginning to end, or use as a reference and get just the info you need. If you are going to be using FreeBSD this is the book to have handy.

Thank you Mr Lehey!

This book is similar to version 3, but contains more information pertaining to FreeBSD 5.x. This is a MUST HAVE for any aspiring FreeBSD newbie, user, or system admin alike. A great learning tool & desktop reference. If you are going to purchase a FreeBSD book, let this be the one!

This book is very informative and really is the "complete" freebsd book. Covering most every topic you would have quesions on.

This book serves as an excellent tutorial and reference book which is suitable for newbies as well as professionals who want to install this operating system in their servers or workstations. It is comprehensive and well-written although some topics such as printing and some other common peripherals are discussed a bit too briefly in my opinion.

This will be your one and only desktop reference for FreeBSD. This is not a newbie book although topics are easy to read and understand. You should have some *nix experience and knowledge to get the most out of this book. It is a thorough coverage of version 5 with older versions covered in the appendix. I would also recommend using this book in tandem with the online FreeBSD Handbook found at freebsd.org. The strength of this book is in it's detailed Table of Contents and Index - a must for a complete reference book.

The book is well-written and easy to understand. If you wish to learn the FreeBSD Operating System and start a server, it is well worth the money. You should be up and running in no time. Apart from this, read on.

It is very complete, albeit at a minor cost... some topics are given a few sentences and then glossed over. Now, don't get me wrong. This book is to explain FreeBSD, not those little topics generously thrown in. Therefore, it shouldn't hurt the book's review. Just be aware that you will not learn Unix, X Windows or any of the other addons that can be found in Unix through this book. Obviously, it's not the book's purpose. Its purpose is to teach FreeBSD.

It would have earned five stars, but Chapter 31, Keeping Up To Date (CVS) is uneven and jumpy. This chapter came as a shock when compared to the rest of the book. I think another reviewer shared a similar complaint about it.

On a side note, a reviewer amused me by complimenting the book (giving it five stars) just because of who the author is. I'd rather buy a well-written book by a no-name author than a poorly-written book by a renowned author. It's people like this that trap other people into buying books that aren't helpful. I hope this review helped you. :)

If you want to learn FreeBSD, then Greg is the person you want to learn from. He would probably hate to be called a BSD guru but that's exactly what he is. His love of FreeBSD really shows in this book and all of the other work that he does for the FreeBSD community (he's obviously not in it just for the money). Check out his website, you'll learn a lot more about him and his views.

This book is a hard copy of the online documentation you can get for free at freeBSD.org except that it doesn't match the version of freeBSD that is shipped on the CD.

As a long time user of Microsoft and having gotten well used to its way of working the idea of considering Unix as an option for networking/desktop purposes looks less good after an initial familiarization period. Where are all the Wizards that make life easier in Microsoft, being the most obvious difference.

This book by Greg Lehey is very helpful as a guide to keep going. It points out the differences between the Microsoft way of naming files and the difference in the command line conventions that a DOS user, for example, would be familiar with. The rest of the book is comprehensive enough by the look of it. With any details remaining, resolvable with a little bit of perseverance ( not that I am much of a power user, as yet). The issue of which type of desktop is discussed, with some pointers on how to modify their operation. How to accommodate files specific to Windows and Linux, etc.

My experience with Microsoft Windows at the NT, 2000PRO and XP-PRO levels has been good. But the reason for looking at FreeBSD Unix was to get around having to keep up with the huge differences in the way each new deployment of a Microsoft system requires. My expectation is that having learned the way of working with Unix the once. It will not be too much different as the OS is updated.

Except for very specific instances, users new to FreeBSD, would do well to consider running the software on a decent machine, and not some old redundant machine. This will let them try out much more of what is available on the distribution packages, and with much speedier results. In my case the simplest option was to buy a hard drive rack and a couple of trays, which allows me - at this stage - to experiment with FreeBSD Unix and easily swap back to Windows, or Linux, etc without having the place coming down with odds and ends of computers.

The Complete FreeBSD should suit those getting off the ground with its clear and amicable delivery.

I bought this book expecting to learn all the little details I wanted to know but wasn't going to pick up just by playing around, and that I did. But I also got random mini-datribes against Microsoft. He also feels it neccessary to rag on (I think) older Windows OS's (I think, because he never really says, he only says "Microsoft" never Windows) but a lot of his shortcomings of other OS's are all but a distant memory for users of Windows 2000/XP, MacOS X and the modern Unix variants. FreeBSD is a fantastic operating system, there's no need to weakly defend it to the reader, you're preaching to the choir.

Not to mention referring to a companies products by the company name, i.e. "Install Microsoft to use that". That simply shocked me, those are the lines I would expect from a absolute computing amateur, not a seasoned professional. I can think of several PAGES where the word "Microsoft" is used to mean "A Windows Operating System" 5 or more times, that's silly.

I wholly recommend the book, but could look forward to a 5th edition text that's not so easily distracted.

This book has complete coverage of most of FreeBSD topics, including an interesting and helpful Postfix chapter.

It's easy to read, has many information and examples and it was written by Greg Lehey, a Core Team Member, envolved on BSD since the early Berkeley days.

The fist chapter introduces the reader the history of Unix and BSD before entering on technical discussions. There are chapters dedicated (deeply) to X, Samba, Apache, Firewall and many more.

The weakest part Complete FreeBSD are the chapters about CVS ad upgrading, but the Kernel customization chapter that comes after brings back the high value of this book.

This Complete FreeBSD is a must-have to any FreeBSD user and admnistrator. Use it in conjunction with Unix Power Tools and the FreeBSD Handbook and you you will have 99% of the information you neeed.

This book has complete coverage of most of FreeBSD topics, including an interesting and helpful Postfix chapter.

It's easy to read, has many information and examples and it was written by Greg Lehey, a Core Team Member, envolved on BSD since the early Berkeley days.

The fist chapter introduces the reader the history of Unix and BSD before entering on technical discussions. There are chapters dedicated (deeply) to X, Samba, Apache, Firewall and many more.

The weakest part Complete FreeBSD are the chapters about CVS ad upgrading, but the Kernel customization chapter that comes after brings back the high value of this book.

This Complete FreeBSD is a must-have to any FreeBSD user and admnistrator. Use it in conjunction with Unix Power Tools and the FreeBSD Handbook and you you will have 99% of the information you neeed.

Before reading Greg Lehey's "The Complete FreeBSD, 4th Ed" (TCF:4E), I reviewed Michael Lucas' excellent "Absolute BSD" (a FreeBSD book) in Feb 03. I can't say which book is better, and I recommend you buy Lucas' book as well as this one. TCF:4E remains for me the FreeBSD user's manual; any serious FreeBSD user will have it on his or her shelf. The two books complement each other, as Lucas is often more direct in his explanations.

While in some places I find Lucas' material easier to follow, Lehey offers depth of coverage not found elsewhere. For example, Lehey devotes the entirety of ch. 28 to low-level discussions of configuring and troubleshooting XFree86, whereas Lucas offers a few pages. (Urban and Tiemann's "FreeBSD Unleashed" talks about configuring X too.)

Lucas' "Absolute BSD" focuses solely on FreeBSD. The only "straying" involves mentioning applications which run on FreeBSD. As apps like Apache and Postfix make systems useful, this makes sense. Lehey's TCF:4E is less concentrated, as it discusses intricacies of hardware, questions to ask ISPs before signing contracts, and principles of network troubleshooting. While I probably don't need to read such topics in a book I bought (yes, bought) for FreeBSD coverage, I didn't mind these "diversions." "Grog" Lehey has been around so long his insights are truly valuable. Lehey also presents a very traditional BSD usage model, where admins check their email using "mutt" (ch. 26) and avoid "Standard" installations in favor of "Custom" installations. I found this approach useful.

Since TCF:4E is advertised as covering version 5.0, I hoped to see some introductory material on items brought from Robert Watson's "TrustedBSD" project. These were "experimental" in FreeBSD 5.0, but could change the way FreeBSD systems are administered. Overall, security didn't get as much attention in Lehey's book compared to Lucas'. For example, Lucas walked readers through deploying a jail, while Lehey doesn't mention the subject. I also found the chapter on Vinum confusing. Since Lehey created Vinum, he may need someone to step back and describe the system in layman's terms.

Overall, TCF:4E is a must-buy. I already referred to it over the weekend when installing a new FreeBSD gateway, and I expect to consult it repeatedly in the future.

If you buy this and know your way around any of the other *nixes somewhat ..... I'd read it backwards ..... in fact the new method of compiling the kernel isn't until the last chapter. There is quite a bit of info that's not available in the handbook (online) but its mainly "author insight/method's" .... I've found very little of it useful myself ..... but anyone new to FreeBSD should find it "almost flawless" .. If you know your way aruond and want to get into the finer details (kernel, ports, etc) i'd get Absolute BSD -- Michael Lucas, it'll cover what this one doesn't and ... better yet ... it never hurts to buy them both !!!!

I've read a few FreeBSD books and coming from a background in *nix and *nix-type flavors, I've been let down before. Other books cover maybe a total of 20 commands and nothing you don't know the first day (and don't even have as much information as the man pages), but this one is different.

I wasn't on a *BSD system for a couple of years of mainly using Linux, and I wanted a refresher and for the book to cover new and familiar topics. Useful things, rather than just listing the popular software used on it and not the things you need to know about them, etc.

This book covers more than the others in regards to commands, common tasks, installs, configurations and so on. It actually covers the TOPIC (Being the FreeBSD OS). Not a quick and dirty run down of a few commands and a lot of fluff like other books. This gives you what you need to know, be it you have some experience or are new.

It doesn't skip around like the other books and only offer maybe a total of one decent chapter on the topic of the book (FreeBSD), it covers many chapters worth. I can't stand when a book only has some information about the title, as much as it does about some irrelevant third party software (and only talks about it as briefly at that).

I don't want or need information about anything other than what the book is about--and finally, a FreeBSD book that covers FreeBSD. I was impressed. It may not cover everything, but it sure gets close and is very professional, well structured and informative.

Between this book, man pages and online (and up to date) documentation, it's unlikely you will need (much) more information about how to install, configure and use FreeBSD, it's tools and programs and work in it daily and have the information you need. Trust me, this book is far better than the others (see my review on "Absolute BSD: The Ultimate Guide to FreeBSD" to see what I mean).

This is a pretty good collection of information on FreeBSD. However, as others have said there are some rough edges. My copy is actually the second edition and it came with a set of FreeBSD installation and port CDs. I can't tell if this version does or not. Another thing you might consider before shelling out your hard earned $$$ is that Mr Lehey is working on a new edition of this book. You might want to wait awhile for the new edition to surface. I plan to.

Mr.Lehey wrote this book as if its some kind of a shorthand for him! The information presented is definately not clear. It may probably make sense to ppl who already have some BSD background, but not for those who want to know more about BSD. Buy this book only if you want a fast and a good, night sleep.

In my case the book was part of the Freebsd 4.2 software package.
I found it to be basically informative but when it came down to the nitty-gritty of performing certain installations, not correctly documented in some cases. If your serious about learning FreeBSD, then I suggest using the WEB resources. The info on the web is continuously updated as is bsd! Makes good sense. I will buy the handbook and every susequent release in the future.

I would have preferred if Lehey had focused on fewer topics and provided more detail for each topic. Most of the subjects, particularly the sections on Internet services and PPP, have very spotty coverage. Like other reviewers have pointed out, just as you think you're starting to get sufficient background on a topic, Lehey abandons it and moves on to something else.

The book is not well targeted...it tries to reach down to the UN*X newbie, but it doesn't have enough depth for the guru.

The books also repeats the same things over and over, but in slightly different ways, forcing you to go back to previous sections to see if you misread something. An editor should have gone over this and forced a reorganization of the ideas.

This is the only book on the market that provides an overview of FreeBSD, so I applaud Lehey for making the attempt. It seems, however, that the book requires some serious refocusing, redaction and polishing in order to be useful to a given UN*X audience.

I picked this book up a few months ago, and it surprised me and let me down in a few spots. First off, I think it is a very good introduction to basic FreeBSD administration/maitenence, but as another review pointed out, doesn't have great "advanced" coverage (advanced being quoted because most instances involve a third party software package such as Samba that includes excellent documentation). Beyond basic FBSD use, it gets into DNS/BIND a little as well as some other interesting topics, but again...

Get this book to get into BSD. Get on the internet to get better.

This book was really good to a point, and then just as you were about to solve a problem, it went on to another topic. I became tired of the constant teasing.

My other comment has to do with FreeBSD in general. The installer sucks! If you want a really good UNIX type operating system, I recommend Debian. It's installer is equally cryptic, but unlike FreeBSD, if you figure out what is being asked, and make your decisions accordingly, the correct things get installed. FreeBSD, on the otherhand fails to do so in many instances.

This, to my knowledge, is the only *complete* guide to FreeBSD currently available (no pun intended ;) and does a good job at it. The book is written at a fairly technical level and isn't a "FreeBSD for Dummies," so complete newbies would be well advised to obtain an additional "Unix for beginners" type book as well.

The thorough, techincal style of writing works both for and against you in various sections of the text. The chapters on installation and configuring XFree86 are especially well done, while I found a few sections, most notably on setting up PPP dial-in & updating FreeBSD from source, to be a bit cryptic. Luckily, the FreeBSD project has an abundance of on-line documentation that may explain a topic in a different way that's helpful to you.

Other books that may be helpful to FreeBSD users are _The FreeBSD Handbook_ (ISBN: 1571762418), a hard-copy of the Handbook from FreeBSD's website, and Kirk McKusick's _The Design and Implementation of the 4.4BSD Operating System_ (ISBN: 0201549794). I also understand that McKusick is updating the second book to be _The Design and Implementation of the FreeBSD Operating System_, but am unsure when this will be published...

This is the only FreeBSD book. I found it pointed me in the right direction, and from there I had to make a few decisions. everything is covered, slightly. it doesn't hold you hand all the way, but puts you in the right direction. I prefer books like this, because I learn more when I have to do a little figuring out on my own. (and it's pretty well inclusive on everything you neeed to get up and running)

this book was extremely helpful and informative throughout the installation process. it would have been wiser to stick w/ this format when discussing other relevant OS topics (i.e File systems) -- unfortunately the author occassionally meanders off while drawing contrasts b/w Windows and UNIX systems. (eg. the discussion on the limitations of eight dot three file names vs no such stupid thing in UNIX) thanks but if you just tell me what to do in UNIX i can figure the differences out myself. Good book for the most part, sprinkles of UNIX rhetoric notwithstanding.

A good book for those who either need to know where to start to do something under FreeBSD, or those would already know most of what they need to and just need a reminder of something they might be forgetting.

However, the biggest shortcoming of this book is that it leads you into a topic, gets you going, and then drops you right at the point when you need it most.

Example: the book has a chapter on printing. The average home user probably has an inkjet printer, or a low-end laser. The author, though, has a fully PostScript-compatible printer, and goes on to set up printing as if everyone has this printer. No ground is covered for the every-day people, ie how to set up filters to allow PostScript printing to non-PS printers.

Also leaves other areas short, such as updating the operating system. The book has excellent coverage of how to rebuild the kernel, but if you compare the book's steps on how to update the rest of the system (ie using CVS to get from 3.2 to 3.4) with the docs provided with the operating system, or provided on the web (especially at the FreeBSD.org Handbook section) then the author misses a huge chunk of stuff that has the ability to kill a machine (yes, this happened to me but I was lucky enough to catch it before the reboot to let the system come up with the new rev of the OS).

I used the book for about the first two weeks of adding/configuring components, then realised I was getting better information off the web, provided I was willing to take the time to find it.

IMHO FreeBSD is the best server Operating System available and this book covers all of the details for both beginners and experienced Unix Admins alike. If you are considering using FreeBSD I strongly urge you to buy this book. The bootable CDs that come with the book make installation a breeze.

One of the truly great features of this book are the man pages that make up about half of the book. The ability to sit on the couch and study a man page for some task or other is simply wonderful and saves the paper that would otherwise be used to print it.

The book covers in step by step fashion the setup of all normally used aspects of the system and covers them in great detail. The section on compiling a custom kernel is simply fantastic and an excellent guide for beginners. Building a custom kernel is a vital part of a fully functioning Unix system and this book makes it as simple as a cookbook.

I bought this book after doing a network install of FreeBSD 3.3. At the time I had experience with Linux, but was still a little bewildered by BSD. With the help of Lehey's book, I've made sense of every aspect of FreeBSD that I deal with regularly, and picked up a lot of information about how computers and operatings systems work along the way. A must have for anyone who uses or is considering using FreeBSD.

As far as I know it's the only FreeBSD book but it would deserve 4 stars even in a tough competition. It covers installation, networking and administration in all details. I also enjoy FreeBSD 3.3 on 4 CDs enclosed in the book.

I think the book lacks the description of coexistense with other operating systems (Samba coverage is shallow) and modern GUI desktop like KDE (I found it different in some details from Linux). It should also be more up-to-date.

In '97 we were forced to convert our Internet operations from NT due to complex DNS issues to FreeBSD. A lot of money has been invested in consulting fees since. This book has saved us a lot of cash on day to day server operations which is better spent on advanced level consultants;^)

The book is well written and is used as a daily resource. Even though, I've read the book several times, I keep finding things to tune and otherwise improve.