Reviews for Professional Apache 2 (Programmer to Programmer)

1. An excellent resource for Apache administrators

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, July 12nd, 2002

   Peter Wainwright has done another fine job of covering the installation, configuration and running of Apache, this
   time focussing on version 2.0 of the application.

   Much of the material in this book was covered in his previous edition (Professional Apache), though the obvious
   emphasis here is on Apache 2.0. However, Apache 1.3 isn't ignored and the book is still useful for anyone using
   that version, as well as anyone simply migrating to 2.0.

   As before, it starts with a basic overview of the HTTP protocol, TCP/IP and server hardware. These are useful for
   beginners, but I'd hope that anyone thinking of running a web server would have this knowledge already.

   The section on improving web server security has been expanded into its own chapter and includes plenty of useful
   system security and integrity advice not peculiar to web servers, but crucial nonetheless. The chapter on
   extending Apache with third-party modules has had an overhaul too, now covering the likes of WebDAV and
   mod_python. mod_perl, which has changed drastically for Apache 2.0, is also covered in detail for both versions of
   Apache.

   I've recently built an Apache 2.0 server from scratch using nothing but this book, and apart from a couple of
   typos I've found it to have covered every step of the way without coming across any errors or omissions (the index
   is very good but in the May 2002 print I have some of the entries are one page out). The book is still very
   Unix-centric, though there seems to be more specific information for Windows users than in the previous edition.
   But then who would run Apache on Windows anyway? The author makes his views clear near the start of the book that
   Unix is a preferable platform, but for the masochists there seems to be enough information to get Apache running
   on Windows.

   If I have any complaints it's that perhaps the chapter on monitoring Apache could have been expanded somewhat in
   its description of log analysis tools. Only Analog is covered in any depth, though it is described in plenty of
   detail from installation to configuration and is arguably the most useful analyser out there anyway.

   Professional Apache 2.0 isn't a bed-time read, but it's an excellent tutorial and reference for the Apache
   administrator and far more useful than the online documentation. If you are planning to install or run Apache,
   then I highly recommend this book.

2. Genuinely Professional

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, June 12th, 2002

   Let's cut to the chase- for me Wrox has gained a reputation for publishing relevant, quality and timely technical tomes; I think this is another winner from the house of Wrox, due in no small part to the efforts of the prime author of this book, Peter Wainwright! The focus of this book is squarely on Apache for Professional Administrators and/or Developers. This is no mere regurgitation of the standard online documentation, rather its the inside track on how use Apache to satisfy the needs and requirements of your customers. Each chapter has a title reflecting the task focused approach of the book . This makes the book very easy to use- simply decide what you want to do and then turn to the appropriate chapter; tasks covered include getting started, optimisation (using a combination of custom building Apache and run-time configuration), monitoring, dynamic content delivery (using CGI etc) and security (generally a hot topic, especially with regard to e-commerce applications). The authors even provide some guidelines on how to figure out what customers *really* want and then how to deliver it! In summary then, this book is a good investment for anyone who wants to use Apache 2.0, and especially for those who make some part of their living from administering or developing for Apache servers.