Raspberry Pi Networking Cookbook Paperback – March 7, 2013

A lot of the book is dedicated to general PI configuration, so less networking info than I would have preferred.

Using this book allowed me to see the Raspberry Pi in a different way: not another hobby micro-controller to play with, but as a true cybernetics system. I hope other readers feel the same way as I do.

I bought this book for the purpose of learning how to make an access point out of my Raspberry Pi. The book is obsolete, not keeping with the newer RPi's or software and, at least to me, somewhat incomprehensible. I already knew how to do everything else the book covers so I don't know if those subjects are covered as poorly as the access point section - but I suspect they are. This was a total waste of money!

Of what I have studied of the book so far, it is a very good book to help you with working with the Raspberry PI

Well there was *some*, albeit practical, nonsense. The author insists that you should have a case for your Raspberry Pi - and I agree. Without one, you are very likely to short the thing out at some point and render it useless. So to that end there is a small section in the book that tells you how to make one. Out of paper. Sweet.The preface clearly states that this book is not aimed at the casual hobbyist or those using the Raspberry Pi as the learning tool that it was intended as. Instead, it is declared that the information contained within is for anyone that wants to utilize the capabilities of the Raspberry Pi for purposes that are more utilitarian in nature. This basically means that you are going to be learning about Linux server functionality and system administration from a practical standpoint, and this book selectively delivers on that promise. In any case, while you may not learn much specific to the Raspberry Pi, the device does provide a convenient context for learning the concepts related to Linux that are presented in this book.The book starts out with the basic hardware setup. One thing I found a bit confusing in this section was a list of lists of hardware requirements for various uses of the Raspberry Pi even though the context was just that of an initial boot. Reading through these lists, I wasn't sure where the author was headed and it seemed like a sidetrack to me. Additionally, the fact this is a 1st edition book is unfortunately evident by some of the awkward verbiage present throughout. Many of the recipes presented also tended to repeat some information over and over, which after a while started to just seem like page filler.Throughout the book, there is a generous quantity of references to related third party content for each topic, which is nice to have in one place for when you need more detail or want to explore a particular topic in greater depth. I would consider pretty much everything presented in the book to have practical value. If you happen to be utilizing the device as a fully functional computer, this book covers many concepts you will actually find yourself putting to use. That said, I felt the section on installing a wiki to be a bit out of place considering the context of everything else in the book, though it did provide an example on how to install a more complex web application in general.If nothing else, the Raspberry Pi has given me enough consistent and fearless exposure to Linux to where I can actually start using it on a day-to-day basis. Along those lines, this book has helped to solidify that experience by exposing more of the inner workings of the Linux operating system that I wouldn't have otherwise immediately ventured into on my own. If you are already a Linux expert, this book may be a bit remedial for you, however if you are new(er) to Linux, this book covers several practical system administration tasks in clear detail that you will eventually want to just know how to do off hand. All-in-all this is a very useful book, especially if you are new to Linux, which I know many Raspberry Pi users are.

I'd really have liked to give 3.5 stars for this book, hesitating between 3 and 4.On the one hand I ask myself if I'd paid the asking price - I didn't this is a review copy - would I be pleased with my purchase, and on the other hand is it a good read, does it contain useful networking or other information?Well, I'd be disappointed to have paid the asking price and then discover that half this book is a beginners guide to Raspberry Pi installation and configuration. It's as if the editor required 200 pages so the book had to be filled out with sexy Raspberry Pi images next to it's packaging and cables.Nevertheless there is some very useful carefully written content in this book.I've the impression that it's two books in one.- Unpacking and using your Raspberry Pi- Raspberry Pi Networking CookbookThe first half, the "unpacking" is very much a beginners guide, albeit a carefully written one.It covers packaging, cabling, choosing an OS, downloading the OS, installing, booting, configuring, installing applications.But I think most people will by this book based on it's title and so be disappointed with the first half.Nvertheless the second half is quite a comprehensive guide to networking on the Raspberry Pi and the information is useful for learning Linux networking in general.The 2nd half of the book covers file sharing (with Samba), the ufw firewall, installing various popular web servers (Apache, Nginx, lighttpd), a Wiki and a wireless access point. Use of iptables and dhcpd is also covered in the wireless access point section.Overall it's an interesting well written book, with some interesting networking tips for the beginner.

Not a bad book certainly wasn't rubbish but wasn't the best either and was an alright read for a weekend.

Very good book. Touches on very interesting topics both for the novice and intermediate user.If the space used to repeat same procedures over and over was used for a more thorough explanation of each topic it would have won my 5th star.