• Knoppix Hacks

    by  • July 30, 2009 • J-M

    Rating five
    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.

    About

    Tony has driven security policies and technologies for antivirus and incident response for Fortune 500 companies, and he has been network administrator and technical support for smaller companies. He has written for a variety of other Web sites and publications, including BizTech Magazine, PC World, SearchSecurity.com, WindowsNetworking.com, Smart Computing magazine, and Information Security magazine. Tony is a CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) and ISSAP (Information Systems Security Architecture Professional). He is Microsoft Certified as an MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer) and MCSA (Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator) in Windows 2000 and an MCP (Microsoft Certified Professional) in Windows NT. Tony has been recognized by Microsoft as an MVP (Most Valuable Professional) in Windows security since 2006. In addition to his Web site and magazine contributions, Tony was also tech editor of PCI Compliance (ISBN: 1597491659 ) and author of Essential Computer Security: Everyone’s Guide to E-mail, Internet, and Wireless Security (ISBN: 1597491144), coauthor of Hacker’s Challenge 3 (ISBN: 0072263040) and a contributing author to Winternals: Defragmentation, Recovery, and Administration Field Guide (ISBN: 1597490792), Combating Spyware in the Enterprise (ISBN: 1597490644) Syngress Force 2006 Emerging Threat Analysis: From Mischief to Malicious (ISBN: 1597490563), Botnets: The Killer Web Applications (ISBN: 1597491357), and AVIEN Malware Defense Guide for the Enterprise (ISBN: 1597491640).

    http://www.tonybradley.com