Linux Administration?

Well, you need to learn SAMBA for networking Linux with Winblows machines.  FTP, Telnet, and Apache web server are some important aspects to understand how to configure, administer and use.  Also, Sendmail and Fetchmail are important for use as a mail server for you intranet.  But, in my opinion, the most important aspect of linux (newer versions) is ipchains.  It is the firewall, ip masquerading application.  It is your shield from the outside for your intranet.  Basically, if your firewall is poor, your network is not secure.  There are many, many aspects of Linux related to Netowrk Admin.  I would recommend some books to you.  

1) "Linux Network Administration" from Sybex

2) "Running Linux" from O'Reilly

3) "Linux in a Nutshell" from O'Reilly

These cover the basic and advance commands, applications and setup procedures to get you through configuring most of the gory details.  Otherwise, I would familiarize myself with the How-Tos and other such documentation online.  See http://www.redhat.com/mirrors/ldp/howto where you will find a list and links to them.

Have good understanding of linux system structure and TCPIP protocal configuration are primary to be good admin. from my opnion.

To be a good or average Linux Administrator, at first, you'd better learn about culture/philosophy behind GNU/Linux/Open Source :-).

In short, you learn how to install Linux. Then, learn about basic Unix command/tools (this is *important*), understand general networking concept (especially TCP/IP), pick up one of your favourite scripts(perl, tcl, awk, python...; these tools are going to help you).

Start to read document about how to config various parts of your OS. Creating users and learn abt general user management; if you want to deal with Windows machine, learn Samba; if your machine would be used for Webserver, learn Apache...etc. All the ways depend on your need. Understand what your machine's role is the key part to be an administrator.

FYI,
http://www.linuxdoc.org/LDP/lame/LAME/linux-admin-made-easy/book1.html
http://www.linuxdoc.org/LDP/sag/
http://www.linuxdoc.org/LDP/nag/
http://www.linuxdoc.org/HOWTO/HOWTO-INDEX-3.html#ss3.1

Hi,

Thank you all for your valuable suggestions. Can you suggest some good documentation on the net about the following topics :

1. SAMBA for networking Linux with Windows
2. FTP
3. Telnet
4. Configuring Apache web server
5. Configuring Sendmail and Fetchmail for use as a mail    server for intranet.

Thanks a lot once again for your suggestions.

Lakshmi

The first three are covered at the link I provided above:

http://www.redhat.com/mirrors/ldp/howto

For Apache:

http://www.apache.org

For sendmail:

http://www.sendmail.org

For fetchmail:

http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr/fetchmail/

I'd suggest avoiding telnet at all costs.  A popular replacement for it is ssh.  ssh is basically "telnet with encryption."

If you wanna turn out to be a good UNIX/Linux administrator, first you need to learn the basic tools that will let you do your tasks. The commands for filesystem navigation, file permissions and you'll also need to master the standard UNIX text editor, VI. That's not a hard task at all and after one day playing you should be ready to go.

 Good documentation sources for Samba, Sendmail and Apache are included with the very packages. If you're dealing with a good professional distribution such as Slackware, you can easily set all this by checking out the docs in /usr/doc/Linux-HOWTOs.

 To be sincere, Samba is a piece of cake to set up. It's configuration file is self-explanatory and you shouldn't have a problem configuring it.

And since EatEmAndSmile seems particularly subdued today in his advocacy for our favorite distribution :-), let me recommend a book: Linux System Administration, by Anne H. Carasik, published by M&T Books (part of IDG) as one that is indespensible at my office and it even  comes with it's very own Slackware cd!  

Even comes with a Slack CD? Man, that's the perfect book.

Perhaps not perfect; perhaps merely the best of all possible books.

Huh?  Is that an answer?  Surely that was merely a comment.