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Python for Unix and Linux System Administration

Release Date: June 2009

Pages: 458

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Python is an ideal language for solving problems, especially in Linux and Unix networks. With this pragmatic book, administrators can review various tasks that often occur in the management of these systems, and learn how Python can provide a more efficient and less painful way to handle them.

Each chapter in Python for Unix and Linux System Administration presents a particular administrative issue, such as concurrency or data backup, and presents Python solutions through hands-on examples. Once you finish this book, you'll be able to develop your own set of command-line utilities with Python to tackle a wide range of problems. Discover how this language can help you:

Read text files and extract information
Run tasks concurrently using the threading and forking options
Get information from one process to another using network facilities
Create clickable GUIs to handle large and complex utilities
Monitor large clusters of machines by interacting with SNMP programmatically
Master the IPython Interactive Python shell to replace or augment Bash, Korn, or Z-Shell
Integrate Cloud Computing into your infrastructure, and learn to write a Google App Engine Application
Solve unique data backup challenges with customized scripts
Interact with MySQL, SQLite, Oracle, Postgres, Django ORM, and SQLAlchemy

With this book, you'll learn how to package and deploy your Python applications and libraries, and write code that runs equally well on multiple Unix platforms. You'll also learn about several Python-related technologies that will make your life much easier.

Chapter 1 Introduction
1. Why Python?
2. Motivation
3. The Basics
4. Executing Statements in Python
5. Using Functions in Python
6. Reusing Code with the Import Statement
Chapter 2 IPython
1. Installing IPython
2. Basic Concepts
3. Help with Magic Functions
4. Unix Shell
5. Information Gathering
6. Automation and Shortcuts
7. Summary
Chapter 3 Text
1. Python Built-ins and Modules
2. Log Parsing
3. ElementTree
4. Summary
Chapter 4 Documentation and Reporting
1. Automated Information Gathering
2. Manual Information Gathering
3. Information Formatting
4. Information Distribution
5. Summary
Chapter 5 Networking
1. Network Clients
2. Remote Procedure Call Facilities
3. SSH
4. Twisted
5. Scapy
6. Creating Scripts with Scapy
Chapter 6 Data
1. Introduction
2. Using the OS Module to Interact with Data
3. Copying, Moving, Renaming, and Deleting Data
4. Working with Paths, Directories, and Files
5. Comparing Data
6. Merging Data
7. Pattern Matching Files and Directories
8. Wrapping Up rsync
9. Metadata: Data About Data
10. Archiving, Compressing, Imaging, and Restoring
11. Using tarfile Module to Create TAR Archives
12. Using a tarfile Module to Examine the Contents of TAR Files
Chapter 7 SNMP
1. Introduction
2. Brief Introduction to SNMP
3. IPython and Net-SNMP
4. Discovering a Data Center
5. Retrieving Multiple-Values with Net-SNMP
6. Creating Hybrid SNMP Tools
7. Extending Net-SNMP
8. SNMP Device Control
9. Enterprise SNMP Integration with Zenoss
Chapter 8 OS Soup
1. Introduction
2. Cross-Platform Unix Programming in Python
3. PyInotify
4. OS X
5. Red Hat Linux Systems Administration
6. Ubuntu Administration
7. Solaris Systems Administration
8. Virtualization
9. Cloud Computing
10. Using Zenoss to Manage Windows Servers from Linux
Chapter 9 Package Management
1. Introduction
2. Setuptools and Python Eggs
3. Using easy_install
4. easy_install Advanced Features
5. Creating Eggs
6. Entry Points and Console Scripts
7. Registering a Package with the Python Package Index
8. Distutils
9. Buildout
10. Using Buildout
11. Developing with Buildout
12. virtualenv
13. EPM Package Manager
Chapter 10 Processes and Concurrency
1. Introduction
2. Subprocess
3. Using Supervisor to Manage Processes
4. Using Screen to Manage Processes
5. Threads in Python
6. Processes
7. Processing Module
8. Scheduling Python Processes
9. daemonizer
10. Summary
Chapter 11 Building GUIs
1. GUI Building Theory
2. Building a Simple PyGTK App
3. Building an Apache Log Viewer Using PyGTK
4. Building an Apache Log Viewer Using Curses
5. Web Applications
6. Django
7. Conclusion
Chapter 12 Data Persistence
1. Simple Serialization
2. Relational Serialization
3. Summary
Chapter 13 Command Line
1. Introduction
2. Basic Standard Input Usage
3. Introduction to Optparse
4. Simple Optparse Usage Patterns
5. Unix Mashups: Integrating Shell Commands into Python Command-Line Tools
6. Integrating Configuration Files
7. Summary
Chapter 14 Pragmatic Examples
1. Managing DNS with Python
2. Using LDAP with OpenLDAP, Active Directory, and More with Python
3. Apache Log Reporting
4. FTP Mirror

Appendix Callbacks
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Books & Videos

Python for Unix and Linux System Administration

Read on Safari with a 10-day trial

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction

Why Python?

Motivation

The Basics

Executing Statements in Python

Using Functions in Python

Reusing Code with the Import Statement

Chapter 2 IPython

Installing IPython

Basic Concepts

Help with Magic Functions

Unix Shell

Information Gathering

Automation and Shortcuts

Summary

Chapter 3 Text

Python Built-ins and Modules

Log Parsing

ElementTree

Summary

Chapter 4 Documentation and Reporting

Automated Information Gathering

Manual Information Gathering

Information Formatting

Information Distribution

Summary

Chapter 5 Networking

Network Clients

Remote Procedure Call Facilities

SSH

Twisted

Scapy

Creating Scripts with Scapy

Chapter 6 Data

Introduction

Using the OS Module to Interact with Data

Copying, Moving, Renaming, and Deleting Data

Working with Paths, Directories, and Files

Comparing Data

Merging Data

Pattern Matching Files and Directories

Wrapping Up rsync

Metadata: Data About Data

Archiving, Compressing, Imaging, and Restoring

Using tarfile Module to Create TAR Archives

Using a tarfile Module to Examine the Contents of TAR Files

Chapter 7 SNMP

Introduction

Brief Introduction to SNMP

IPython and Net-SNMP

Discovering a Data Center

Retrieving Multiple-Values with Net-SNMP

Creating Hybrid SNMP Tools

Extending Net-SNMP

SNMP Device Control

Enterprise SNMP Integration with Zenoss

Chapter 8 OS Soup

Introduction

Cross-Platform Unix Programming in Python

PyInotify

OS X

Red Hat Linux Systems Administration

Ubuntu Administration

Solaris Systems Administration

Virtualization

Cloud Computing

Using Zenoss to Manage Windows Servers from Linux

Chapter 9 Package Management

Introduction

Setuptools and Python Eggs

Using easy_install

easy_install Advanced Features

Creating Eggs

Entry Points and Console Scripts

Registering a Package with the Python Package Index

Distutils