Knoppix Hacks

100 Industrial-Strength Tips & Tools

Many people, at least people in the techno-geek world, are familiar with Knoppix at least far enough to know it is a version of Linux. Some of those people may even know that it is a portable version of Linux that is able to boot entirely from the CD without the need for any installation. But, this book will show those people just how versatile and powerful a tool Knoppix can be- even for supporting and maintaining Windows systems.

The Book

After opening with a foreword from Klaus Knopper, the creator of Knoppix, Knoppix Hacks chapter one begins by providing tips to help the reader find, download and boot the Knoppix operating system. Chapters two and three walk the reader through more advanced tips for ways to use and customize Knoppix.

Chapter four talks about actually installing Knoppix and tips for setting it up as a dual-boot with other operating systems, but chapter five is where the true meat of the book begins. Tips #37 through #51 demonstrate how to use Knoppix for a wide variety of network security and troubleshooting tasks.

Chapter six is dedicated to repairing Linux and chapter 7 is dedicated to repairing Windows. The two chapters combined span tips #52 through tip #79.

The last two chapters, and the last 21 tips, are dedicated to more advanced concepts and different ways to tweak and customize Knoppix and even create your own version.

My Review

Any network or security administrator that has been around for awhile has their personal "toolbox" of go-to utilities and applications that they use for isolating and troubleshooting problems or just for maintenance and upkeep. Knoppix should definitely be in every administrator's bag of tricks.

The compact disc that comes with the book includes a bootable version of Knoppix along with useful tools and utilities to help you perform an array of tasks. Knoppix is as versatile as it is powerful and the "100 Industrial-Strength Tips & Tools" in this book will help you to understand and apply both the versatility and power of this great tool.

Just by booting a computer using the Knoppix CD you can perform a diverse range of tasks including setting up an emergency router, auditing network security, checking the system for root kits, resizing hard drive partitions, restoring deleted or corruped data and more. For Windows systems in particular, there is a tip to use Knoppix to safely download patches on a vulnerable machine and then reboot into Windows to apply the patch offline.

In the limited space I have, I can't really do the book justice. if you are an administrator, you need this book. Go get it.