BOULDER, Colo. -- [April 1, 2002] -- Trent Hein and Ned McClain, founders of Boulder, Colo.-based Applied Trust Engineering, have teamed with other industry experts to co-author Linux Administration Handbook, the first Linux-only corporate administration handbook.

As the deployment of Linux systems in production environments has accelerated, Linux administrators have longed for a book that addresses the challenges of this complex and exciting frontier. This book serves both as a valuable tutorial for the novice administrator and as a trustworthy reference for the seasoned professional. Using the practical approach of their highly regarded Unix System Administration Handbook, the authors (Hein and McClain, along with Evi Nemeth, Garth Snyder and others) describe every aspect of Linux system administration and cover major Linux distributions including Red Hat Linux, SuSE Linux, Debian GNU/Linux.

"Linux systems are just as functional, secure, and reliable as their proprietary counterparts," wrote Linus Torvalds in the foreword for Linux Administration Handbook. Torvalds, the creator of Linux, continued, "Thanks to the ongoing efforts of its thousands of developers, Linux is more ready than ever for deployment at the frontlines of the real world. The authors of this book know that terrain well, and I am happy to leave you in their most capable hands."

Hein, founder, CEO and president of Applied Trust Engineering, is one of the nation's leading Unix and digital security experts and is highly respected for the real-world engineering projects he has executed during his career. Hein began his career at the Computer Systems Research Group of the University of California at Berkeley, where his work earned him a listing as a "Major Contributor" on the Lifetime Achievement Award presented to the group by the USENIX Association. He has won numerous technical awards and was a developer of the BSD/OS Internet serving operating system. Additionally, he holds Cisco's highest level of technical certification as Cisco Certified Internetworking Expert (CCIE) #1941. Hein is also a regular speaker at national technical conference and has authored numerous articles and white papers.

"Thankfully, Linux is a viable platform where businesses can run production applications. The key is to administer Linux in a way that it's secure and performs well. This book provides practical advice and well-founded guidance on administrative practices that not only allow businesses to achieve these goals, but do so in a cost-effective manner," said Hein.

McClain, founder and CTO of Applied Trust, has been working with Unix, TCP/IP networks, and the Internet since 1992. He is a contributing author to both the third edition of the Unix System Administration Handbook and is also a regular speaker at national conventions including the USENIX general conference, LISA (Large Area System Administration), and APRICOT (Asia Pacific Regional Internet Conference on Operational Technologies). McClain was a part of C/NRG (Cornell University/Network Research Group) while earning a Computer Science degree in the College of Engineering.

"We set out to write a book that would become nearly indispensable to the professional Linux administrator," said McClain. "By using the concepts that have proven successful in our Unix System Administration Handbook while focusing exclusively on Linux, we hope we've succeeded."

Applied Trust Engineering provides IT security and infrastructure solution services. Founded by security infrastructure experts Trent R. Hein and Ned McClain, Applied Trust is based in Boulder, Colo., and focuses on infrastructure security, performance, and availability in a business context. For more information, visit Applied Trust Engineering online at www.atrust.com.