"System administration is often a glue job; Perl is one of the best glue languages. Perl was being used for system administration well before the World Wide Web came along with its voracious need for glue mechanisms," says author David N. Blank-Edelman.

"Good system administration is hardly ever rote," explains Blank-Edelman, "especially in multi-platforms where the challenges come fast and furious. Like any other craft, there are better and worse ways to meet those challenges. I wrote this book for the people who face those challenges. Perl can help."

Assuming only a little familiarity with Perl, Perl for System Administration is aimed at all levels of administrators, from single-box Linux users to card-carrying SAGE members. While covering several different platforms (Unix, Windows NT, and MacOS), it also delves deeper to explore the pockets of administration where Perl can be most useful--including filesystem management, user administration, directory services, database administration, log files, and security and network monitoring. "Perl for System Administration" is for anyone who uses Perl for administrative tasks and needs to hit the ground running.

• Chapter 9, Log Files, is available free online.

• More information about the book, including Table of Contents, index, author bio, and samples.

• Cover graphic in jpeg format

• An article by David N. Blank-Edelman on Using Perl to Read Mail.