Self-Service Linux : Mastering the Art of Problem Determination

• Mark Wilding and Dan Behman
• Prentice Hall
• 013147751X

Order (or just read more about) Self-Service Linux : Mastering the Art of Problem Determination   from Amazon.com

Christmas came early this year.

This has to be the best book I've read in a long time. I've written articles on general troubleshooting, but this book takes the subject to a whole new level. It is Linux specific, though some of the knowledge is applicable to any system.

There's heavy concentration on using trace and debugging tools here; these sections are far better and more complete than anything I've read elsewhere, and include real examples of compilation problems and how to solve them. The debugging help available from /proc is also covered in detail, as is tracing kernel problems. There's just a wealth of information here: you'll spend hours and hours digging in and experimenting.

This is definitely my choice for best book of the year. Yes, I know we have a few months to go, but I can't see this getting beat out. Buy this today; you will not regret it.