The Practice of System and Network Administration (2nd Edition) [Repost]

This book describes the best practices of system and network administration, independent of specific platforms or technologies. It features six key principles of site design and support practices: simplicity, clarity, generality, automation, communication, and basics first. It examines the major areas of responsibility for system administrators within the context of these principles. The book also discusses change management and revision control, server upgrades, maintenance windows, and service conversions. You will find experience-based advice on topics such as:
The key elements your networks/systems need that will make all other services run better
Building and running reliable, scalable services, including email, printing, and remote access
Creating security policies and enforcing them
Upgrading thousands of hosts without creating havoc
Planning for and performing flawless scheduled maintenance windows
Superior helpdesks, customer care, and avoiding the temporary fix trap
Building data centers that prevent problems
Designing networks for speed and reliability
Email scaling and security issues
Why building a backup system isn't about backups
Monitoring what you have and predicting what you will need
How to stay technical and how not to be pushed into management
And there's more! When was the last time you read a book that dealt with:
Real-world technical management issues, including morale, organization building, coaching, maintaining positive visibility, and communicating with nontechnical management
Personal skill techniques, including our secrets for getting more done each day, dealing with less technical people, ethical dilemmas, managing your boss, and loving your job
System administration salary negotiation tips--the first book that includes this topic!
Chapters are divided into The Basics and The Icing. The Basics are those key elements that, when done right, make every other aspect of the job easier. Things like starting all new hosts with the same configuration and picking the right things to automate first. The Icing sections contain all those powerful things that can be done on top of the basics to wow customers and managers. Do the basics first. The icing is a vision for the future that usually only comes with decades of experience.