OpenBSD Journal

The OpenBSD PF Packet Filter Book

Contributed by deanna on from the a-little-light-reading dept.

The latest addition to the OpenBSD Bookstore is the PF Packet Filter book, published by Reed Media Services in August of 2006.

This book is an expanded, cross-referenced, indexed, edited, and reformatted version of the PF User's Guide. It also covers spamd and introduces the setup and differences of PF on NetBSD, DragonFly, and FreeBSD.

The book is available from the publisher's website. Some of the proceeds will be donated to the OpenBSD Project, so this is another way to show your support for OpenBSD.

(Comments are closed)


Comments
  1. By Jim (207.41.234.234) on

    Has anybody read this book? Any comments on it?

    Comments
    1. By Fco. Valladolid (189.130.10.153) ficovh@yahoo.com on http://bsdguy.net

      > Has anybody read this book? Any comments on it?

      I bought this book, my first impression, was the one of a tutorial of PF based on the official guide. Nevertheless it includes many tips and configurations for small and great networks. It constitutes a good material of support, at the same time that a percentage of the cost will be transferred to the OpenBSD project.

      There are a picture in my desk:
      http://www.flickr.com/photos/sigueme/249061291

      Comments
      1. By Anonymous Coward (70.22.99.195) on

        > I bought this book, my first impression, was the one of a tutorial of PF based on the official guide. Nevertheless it includes many tips and configurations for small and great networks. It constitutes a good material of support, at the same time that a percentage of the cost will be transferred to the OpenBSD project.

        Based solely on the table of contents, it seems that the example rulesets (chapters 12 and 21) are taken directly from the PF User's Guide. Are there any detailed examples that are original by the author?

        Comments
        1. By Fco. Valladolid (189.130.10.153) ficovh@yahoo.com on http://bsdguy.net

          > > I bought this book, my first impression, was the one of a tutorial of PF based on the official guide. Nevertheless it includes many tips and configurations for small and great networks. It constitutes a good material of support, at the same time that a percentage of the cost will be transferred to the OpenBSD project.
          >
          > Based solely on the table of contents, it seems that the example rulesets (chapters 12 and 21) are taken directly from the PF User's Guide. Are there any detailed examples that are original by the author?
          >

          The examples are retouched, but the contents is the same, contained in the OpenBSD Pf Guide.

    2. By Anonymous Coward (216.175.250.42) on

      > Has anybody read this book? Any comments on it?

      Frankly, I found the plot contrived, and was wholly unable to relate to any of the characters.

      Comments
      1. By Anonymous Coward (64.80.197.181) on

        > > Has anybody read this book? Any comments on it?
        >
        > Frankly, I found the plot contrived, and was wholly unable to relate to any of the characters.

        So, you're saying we should wait for the movie?

    3. By sean (139.142.208.98) on

      > Has anybody read this book? Any comments on it?

      The author is sending me a copy to review for this site.
      Not sure when it will arrive but it will take top priority on my reading list when it does.

  2. By Leon Yendor (218.214.194.113) on

    I saw this book announced some time ago and went to the publisher's site to order a copy. It turns out that orders are handled by lulu.com, the printer.

    Their site is clunky and I had to change the shipping method in order to see that they won't ship to PO boxes and that the freight cost, using the mega hungry well known package services, exceeds the price of the book itself. No doubt due to the insistebnce of the express carriers on carrying out complete customs clearance which, in Australiaa at leastt, is not required for books.

    Amazon will ship a much heavier book by airmail to my PO box for $11.95 whilst lulu wants $20.50. I guess they need to ship by express courier after the book is printed using Print-on-Demand.

    Often merchants will only ship to credit card billing addresses for their own security. I want things shipped to my PO box for my own security.

    I emailed the author and he replied stating:
    "Thank you for your feedback.

    We are working on getting the book at Amazon and also a procedure so we
    can ship out books ourselves.

    Today, I also realized the shipping was too much, as I ordered a book to
    be sent to Germany. I think it was printed in Spain and the shipping was
    US$10."

    Unfortunately I haven't heard any more from him since 1 Sept.





    Comments
    1. By Jason (66.131.70.188) on

      I just ordered two copies of this book, one for me, one for a colleague.
      Express shipping for both books to Canada was $12 CDN, only $2 more than regular shipping.
      I guess there are savings to be had by finding others in your local circle of friends that are interested in the book and combining orders.

      /J

      > Amazon will ship a much heavier book by airmail to my PO box for $11.95 whilst lulu wants $20.50. I guess they need to ship by express courier after the book is printed using Print-on-Demand.
      >

  3. By Morten Larsen (80.68.93.61) on http://blog.unx.dk/

    I have just ordered it, and I am looking forward to reading it. I also think that is it is great that some of the proceeds will be donated to the OpenBSD Project. :-)

    I allready have "Building Firewalls with OpenBSD and PF" by Jacek Artymiak, which I can highly recommend.

    Comments
    1. By Anonymous Coward (66.16.10.2) on

      > I have just ordered it, and I am looking forward to reading it. I also think that is it is great that some of the proceeds will be donated to the OpenBSD Project. :-)
      >
      > I allready have "Building Firewalls with OpenBSD and PF" by Jacek Artymiak, which I can highly recommend.

      Neither the author (Jeremy Reed) nor his company (Reed Media/Publishing) show up in the list of donations (http://www.openbsd.org/donations.html). That's not to say that this is a farce, only that it smells fishy. Jacek, on the other hand, is definitely listed.

      Why not just make a donation directly to the project instead? Why pay someone who simply reprinted the existing PF User's Guide (albeit with a sprinkling of original content)?

      Comments
      1. By PF user (71.229.238.65) on

        > Neither the author (Jeremy Reed) nor his company (Reed Media/Publishing) show up in the list of donations (http://www.openbsd.org/donations.html). That's not to say that this is a farce, only that it smells fishy. Jacek, on the other hand, is definitely listed.
        >
        > Why not just make a donation directly to the project instead? Why pay someone who simply reprinted the existing PF User's Guide (albeit with a sprinkling of original content)?


        So? Do all of the other authors listed in the Books section of the OBSD website show up as donors? Not hardly. But they did advance the cause by toiling over a book and getting it published. Any attention to pf and the BSDs is good.

        Let's see, if I wrote a great book on PF and sold a hundred thousand copies, yet gave none of the profits to the project, would I be a leech? Maybe, but there would be at least 40,000 more OpenBSD users, and if they recognized how good it was, they would buy CDs and donate themselves. If I never published my book, how many of them would donate. Any publicity is good, and will lead to more $. Anyone can donate a few dollars, but those that write something can multiply their effort greatly.

        Sadly, good books are rare. I hope this one is good, and maybe it will lead Nick Hollant to publish the FAQ as a book, with his insightful wit thrown in. But don't wait for him, write something good youself.

        Comments
        1. By Anonymous Coward (70.22.99.195) on

          > So? Do all of the other authors listed in the Books section of the OBSD website show up as donors? Not hardly. But they did advance the cause by toiling over a book and getting it published. Any attention to pf and the BSDs is good.
          >
          > Let's see, if I wrote a great book on PF and sold a hundred thousand copies, yet gave none of the profits to the project, would I be a leech? Maybe, but there would be at least 40,000 more OpenBSD users, and if they recognized how good it was, they would buy CDs and donate themselves. If I never published my book, how many of them would donate. Any publicity is good, and will lead to more $. Anyone can donate a few dollars, but those that write something can multiply their effort greatly.

          Jeremy's work appears to be (even according to his own site) little else than the re-compilation of the PF User's Guide and man pages. That hardly qualifies as "toiling over a book and getting it published". Nobody is claiming that OpenBSD book authors a) have to donate to OpenBSD, or b) shouldn't be reimbursed for their efforts. Read the comments again, jackass.

      2. By Morten Larsen (80.68.93.61) on http://blog.unx.dk/

        > Why not just make a donation directly to the project instead?

        I already donate a certain amount every month (7 months and counting), and I order the CD's. Sort of a thank you for several great firewalls/gateways OpenBSD has enabled me to build.
        I encurage anyone who uses/likes/loves OpenBSD to do the same, even if it is just a small amount every month.

      3. By Anonymous Coward (213.185.7.114) on

        > Neither the author (Jeremy Reed) nor his company (Reed Media/Publishing) show up in the list of donations (http://www.openbsd.org/donations.html). That's not to say that this is a farce, only that it smells fishy. Jacek, on the other hand, is definitely listed.

        I believe this is the first OpenBSD-related book published by the publisher, and this book has just been published recently. Maybe they are just waiting until the donation money amounts to something decent, before they start transferring the donation to the OpenBSD project?

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