You could think of Setting Up LAMP as four books in one, but it’s actually something much more valuable: a single volume that presents the open-source technologies known collectively as LAMP—Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP—as tightly dovetailed components of today’s most affordable and effective platform for building dynamic web-based applications.

Each technology has uses outside of this context, of course, but within it they form something greater than the sum of their parts. This book shows you how to take full advantage of this power, walking you through all the steps required to lay your Linux foundation, install and configure your Apache web server, and then begin using PHP to access content stored in MySQL. Here are a few of the specific topics you’ll find covered inside:

• Installing and configuring qmail with support for IMAP, POP3, SMTP, virtual domains, spam filtering, and antivirus
• Managing system users and groups
• Configuring your network
• Creating a custom firewall script using IP tables
• Recognizing when a system is in distress
• Handling MySQL database replication
• Configuring virtual domains
• Writing a basic PHP script that integrates with MySQL

If you’re new to all of this, you’ll quickly get to where you need to be to start developing and deploying the higher-level pieces of your web application. Even if you have experience with one or all of these technologies, this book—including its quick-start installation appendix—is a resource you’ll want close by whenever you’re setting up or fine-tuning your LAMP system.

You could think of Setting Up LAMP as four books in one, but it’s actually something much more valuable: a single volume that presents the open-source technologies known collectively as LAMP— Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP—as tightly dovetailed components of today’s most affordable and effective platform for building dynamic web-based applications.

Each technology has uses outside of this context, of course, but within it they form something greater than the sum of their parts. This book shows you how to take full advantage of this power, walking you through all the steps required to lay your Linux foundation, install and configure your Apache web server, and then begin using PHP to access content stored in MySQL. Here are a few of the specific topics you’ll find covered inside:

• Installing and configuring qmail with support for IMAP, POP3, SMTP, virtual domains, spam filtering, and antivirus
• Managing system users and groups
• Configuring your network
• Creating a custom firewall script using IP tables
• Recognizing when a system is in distress
• Handling MySQL database replication
• Configuring virtual domains
• Writing a basic PHP script that integrates with MySQL

If you’re new to all of this, you’ll quickly get to where you need to be to start developing and deploying the higher-level pieces of your web application. Even if you have experience with one or all of these technologies, this book—including its quick-start installation appendix—is a resource you’ll want close by whenever you’re setting up or fine-tuning your LAMP system.

You could think of Setting Up LAMP as four books in one, but it’s actually something much more valuable: a single volume that presents the open-source technologies known collectively as LAMP-- Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP--as tightly dovetailed components of today’s most affordable and effective platform for building dynamic web-based applications.
Each technology has uses outside of this context, of course, but within it they form something greater than the sum of their parts. This book shows you how to take full advantage of this power, walking you through all the steps required to lay your Linux foundation, install and configure your Apache web server, and then begin using PHP to access content stored in MySQL. Here are a few of the specific topics you’ll find covered inside:
* Installing and configuring qmail with support for IMAP, POP3, SMTP, virtual domains, spam filtering, and antivirus
* Managing system users and groups
* Configuring your network
* Creating a custom firewall script using IP tables
* Recognizing when a system is in distress
* Handling MySQL database replication
* Configuring virtual domains
* Writing a basic PHP script that integrates with MySQL
If you’re new to all of this, you’ll quickly get to where you need to be to start developing and deploying the higher-level pieces of your web application. Even if you have experience with one or all of these technologies, this book--including its quick-start installation appendix--is a resource you’ll want close by whenever you’re setting up or fine-tuning your LAMP system.

setting up lamp
At the moment, don’t buy this book. The reason: what is otherwise an excellent book cannot be followed, because the essential steps it takes you through require resources that are not available - ie. the web resources no longer exist. Time is money, and after spending another long day yesterday, running into one dead end after another, one failed work around after another, this book has cost me lots, and I’ve not achieved anywhere near Setting Up Lamp. The authors/publisher could correct this easily enough, by providing the info on their website. If these issues are corrected, the book is likely to rate differently. Until that time, invest elsewhere.

Good information but outdated
This book was probably great a couple of years ago. It has great step-by-step instructions, and it walks you through things in a very detailed manner.

However, since the versions of all software (and the OS) used in the book have been updated at least a few times since 2004, I ran into several issues. Maybe 10% of all the links are accurate (which you need to install the .rpm files in the way the book tells you to), and when you do find the updated versions of everything, some of the commands the book gives you produce errors. Since the instructions probably worked correctly in 2004, there is no information on what those errors mean or how to fix them.

In short, I’m setting this book aside to find something more recent, and reloading the system I was using to test this with. If you do not have prior experience and a good understanding of how all of these programs work and how to troubleshoot their errors, I would recommend finding a more up-to-date book.

Not what was expected.
I am very unsatisfied with this book. It only gives instructions on how to setup a lamp using one distro only. And it was geared only to well experienced users. The book was incomprehensible to me.

Not a beginner book
This book is listed as a beginner to intermediate book, but I would rate it as intermediate at the very least. The author has a fetish for unnecessarily elaborate terminology that overcomplicates straightforward operational activities (to exemplify my point). Otherwise, it is a good overview of the four technologies and how they work together to provide a seamless web presence.

A great resource on this subject
One of the things I liked about this book was the amount of detail it had on its subjects, and yet it is not a 1000 page novel. If you just want to have a system running a web server and you don’t really care about how it works and what is going on, then this is definitely not the book for you. However, if you really want to learn how these components work together and exactly what is going on, then I do recommend this book. After taking a Linux course, I picked this up and still learned quite a bit from the introduction to Linux chapter. Everything is very clearly written and easy to understand. The only thing I didn’t like was that many of the pages are devoted to listing configuration files, but you can easily just skip over these if they don’t apply to you.

Mixed review of material covered
If you are looking for a book that provides a brief overview, you will be satisfied with Eric Rosebrock’s book. If you are looking for a "how to" reference book that covers MySQL and PHP in depth, you will probably be disappointed. The book merely provides basic information as the title states: "Setting Up LAMP: Getting Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP Working Together" that being LAMP installation and configuration procedures on a FEDORA Linux environment. This book offers the necessary information to install FEDORA Linux, and getting your Apache web server operating with MySQL and PHP. Rosebrock’s book does save you the time and effort of having to glean information from those various "open source computer geeks" (right brain) web sites.

Great book - got everything working (took a while)
I’ve been working on getting my RedHat Fedora 3 working with LAMP. Finally I sat down and spent some dedicated time with this book and got it working.

apache: apache_1.3.33
mysql: 5.0.2-alpha
php-5.1.1

This is my environment I setup and it worked! Good step by step instructions and the quick reference steps in the back of the book were excellent.

Highly recommend.

Best Computer Book I’ve Ever Used
I just finished this book and I must say that it is absolutely hands down the best computer book I’ve ever used. It is well written and doesn’t waste 200 pages with a bunch of the author’s "humor" like you find in a lot of "user friendly" computer books.

More than just PHP/MySQL/and Apache I was very impressed with the attention given to installing and securing/hardening Linux. The author uses Fedora Core (I used Centos 4.2) and the information is very relevant as the author uses Apache 1.3 (but discusses Apache 2), PHP 5 and MySQL 5.

After I read hte book I was VERY happy to see Appendix A (which I think is worth the price of the book) which is basically a "Quickstart" to installing Linux/PHP/MySQL and Apache and securing them all.

If you want a readable book that is easy to follow with no errors, no wasted pages, and is not out of date; this is the book for you!

Not exactly the most secure book.
This book is more af a composite of the 4 taken straight off multiple online resources. The book reads as if you follow page by page, you will understand how to get them "Working Together". My strongest complaint is that it truely disregards security concerns in the earlier chapters. At many times you will feel alot of copy/paste has been performed. However, the book is surely for someone who has never touched any type of unix. if you fit this bill, then this book could work for you.

Try "Hacking Linux Exposed Second Edition" with 1 or 2 online newbie Linux sites that cover basic system configuration (there is more than enough). This book covers enough to get them working together and with a eye on security at the same time.

Ease of setup with the assistance of this book is Excellent!
I don’t know how many of you out there have had to setup a lampp environment but let me tell ya to do it properly takes hours of your time. It’s was nice to have a step by step guide to assist me in this project. Highly recommended!

Easy read, but room for improvement
This book was most certainly an easy read, giving step-by-step explanations and instructions for setting up LAMP, that is no where near as intimidating as all the other resources out there. I was quite pleased with it! As you can see by the other reviews, this book has hit the mark!

However, my complaint about the book is that since it is geared more towards newbies to the Linux world, the step-by-step instructions are not completely accurate. Those that follow the book word-for-word will find themselves stuck unless they have a basic working knowledge of Unix/Linux, or know someone that does.

This book uses Fedora as the linux-distribution.

Despite my one complaint, this is one of the easier to read books out there, and I would recommend for anyone new to the Linux world wanting to set up a web server.

Truly awesome book
I purchased the Setting up LAMP book as required text after signing up for a Linux web server course at my local community college. I had a linux web server up and running just by reading the book, I really did not need the class but just the right book and this was it. I had also bought Sams Teach yourself apache 2 in 24 hours and found it too hard to read.

A valuable book for setting up a web and e-mail server
Linux, qmail, PHP, MySQL and Apache form a rewarding and rock-solid combination. Authors Rosebrock and Filson and the good folk at Sybex deserve accolades for conceiving a book directed at just this combination and bringing it to press.

The distinctive feature of this book is just how readable it is. A myriad choices exist when it comes to Linux distributions and server applications for e-mail, database, web and server-side scripting. In each case, the authors summarize the alternatives and, with focused and generally unarguable judgment, choose the one they consider to be best. Without looking back, they then proceed to guide the reader through its essential installation and maintenance. It is clear they strive to make a system that is well integrated. An example of this is their decision to cover Apache 1.3 rather than Apache 2.0. Although they clearly like what they see in the newer branch, for reasons of interoperability with PHP they select Apache 1.3 for their book.

Rosebrock and Filson serve as trustworthy mentors in the whole process of getting a complete installation up and running. They clearly teach from experience and with an appreciation of the frustrations beginning administrators may face. For example, while admitting the vi editor’s power, they have the reader use the friendlier editor pico for basic editing.

In addition to covering the main server applications, this book provides a cursory introduction to auxiliary programs like the various MySQL and qmail utilities. A number of network tools such as nmap and traceroute are given quick overviews. For my part, I think the book should contain more discussion of the secure shell client and server and the process of creating and maintaining public and private keys.

"Setting up LAMP" is a well-written, well-targeted book. May it serve as a guide to a whole new generation of administrators who wish to build a complete, fast and robust web and mail server.

Good Book with the Linux Newbie in mind
I am one of the embarrassed few who find making the transition to Linux from Windows/Mac very difficult. I have spent many hours at the bookstore trying to find a book that explains the basics before moving onto more complex issues. This book was the only one that I found that truly accomplishes this goal.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a clearer understanding how to set up LinuxApache/MySQL/PHP.

Eric Rosebrock you are the man!!!