Sams Teach Yourself Apache 2 in 24 Hours

Thanks a lot, we are very happy to have this book in our library!

Although the title of the book is Apache 2, and it contains full information about it, I learnt from it all the basic things you need to know related to web servers. Being a complete beginner, I learnt not just about Apache, but also about what are SSL, PHP, CGI's, Proxy servers and Tomcat through the book. Everything is explained in plain english and easy to understand. Each chapter has an introductory section that makes it much easier to understand. It's like having the author by your side guiding you.

Setting up my first Apache server, I found this book to be an invaluable aid. It discusses Apache's range of capabilities, explains the internal processes involved in serving Web sites, and illustrates typical configuration options. The explanations are simple, straightforward, and organized, and the writing style is encouraging. If I have any complaint, it is that I ran into more build/installation snags with several third-party Apache add-ons than the book predicted. Your mileage will no doubt vary.

This is an excellent book if you are interested in learning how to administer Apache based servers. It helped me get started with the Apache that came with my Red Hat Linux and to install it in my Windows laptop for testing. The book focuses on Apache 2 but it is fine for Apache 1.3, though if you run Apache on Windows it is recommended that you use Apache 2. I found the book more detailed and easier to read than the O'reilly one.It covers installation of PHP but not how to program PHP.

I picked up the book when moving to Red Hat 8, which includes Apache 2 by default. My knowledge of web administration is limited to Apache 1.3 and this book does a good job of explaining what has changed which is what I was looking for. The book covers everything you would expect from a beginner Apache book such as installation, configuration, logging and some others that I did not such as PHP, mod_perl and Tomcat. I only use PHP, so I cannot comment on the others. I liked the simple, no-nonsense approach of the author to the topics and you can also tell he knows his stuff.The SSL chapter is the best one I have read on the topic.