8 OpenBSD Books That Separate Experts from Amateurs

Michael W. Lucas's decades of hands-on experience with high-availability systems shaped this detailed guide to OpenBSD's secure Unix environment. You gain practical knowledge on managing network traffic with VLANs and IPv6, using PF packet filters, and configuring essential services like DHCP and NTP, all explained with clarity and occasional humor. The book dives into OpenBSD’s design choices and security features such as W^X and ProPolice, offering you insight valuable whether you're installing the system or customizing it for complex network environments. If you're aiming to deepen your technical skills in secure Unix administration, this book delivers a thorough walkthrough with real technical depth and precision.

Jacek Artymiak’s decades of Unix experience shape this focused guide on pf, the packet filter at the heart of OpenBSD and other BSD systems. You’ll learn not just how to write firewall rules but how to design robust, secure firewalls that handle packet normalization, redirection, load balancing, and bandwidth management with ALTQ. The book dives into pf’s syntax and practical implementations, making it a solid pick if you want to deepen your network security skills specifically within the OpenBSD ecosystem. It’s especially suited for system administrators and security professionals who need a hands-on understanding rather than just theory.

This tailored book explores the essential realms of OpenBSD system administration with a focus shaped by your background and objectives. It covers configuration, security, networking, and system maintenance topics designed to match your interests and skill level. By synthesizing core OpenBSD principles with your specific goals, the content creates a learning path that bridges expert knowledge and practical application. The book reveals the nuances of managing OpenBSD environments efficiently, emphasizing areas most relevant to you. This personalized approach helps you grasp complex concepts without unnecessary content, making your mastery journey more focused and effective.

Peter N. M. Hansteen's decades of experience as a consultant and sysadmin, combined with his deep advocacy for FreeBSD and OpenBSD, shaped this focused guide on PF, OpenBSD's packet filter. You’ll learn how to craft clear network specifications, leverage macros for readability, and implement rigorous testing to keep control of your firewall rules. The book walks you through setting up everything from simple LAN protections to complex load balancing with CARP, plus advanced logging and traffic shaping with ALTQ. Whether you're securing a home network or building resilient enterprise defenses, Hansteen's hands-on insights benefit any BSD enthusiast or network administrator eager to deepen their PF skills.

Michael W. Lucas brings his deep experience in networking and security to OpenBSD Mastery: Filesystems, guiding you through the essentials of disk management on OpenBSD. You learn specifics like partitioning with MBR and GPT, managing UFS filesystems, working with memory filesystems, and handling encrypted installs. The book also explains how to interface with other filesystem types such as FAT, NTFS, and EXT, offering practical understanding that benefits system administrators and OpenBSD enthusiasts aiming to optimize storage reliability and performance. Lucas’s clear style and focused coverage make complex storage topics accessible without fluff, especially chapters on software RAID and swap management.

Drawing from Brandon Palmer's extensive experience with Crimelabs Security Research Group, this book unpacks the complexities of OpenBSD system administration with a focus on security. You learn not only how to configure and maintain OpenBSD servers but also the rationale behind these configurations, gaining insights into topics like SMTP services, firewall setups, and IPv6 configuration. Detailed examples and source code complement explanations, making it a practical guide for both newcomers moving toward OpenBSD and seasoned users seeking deeper mastery. If you manage network security or system administration, this book equips you with the nuanced understanding necessary to leverage OpenBSD's unique security features effectively.

This tailored book offers a focused journey through optimizing OpenBSD configurations over the course of a month. It explores step-by-step actions specifically designed to elevate your server's performance, matching your background and areas of interest. The content reveals how to fine-tune system settings, enhance security parameters, and streamline services for faster, more reliable operation. By blending collective expert knowledge with your unique goals, the book provides a personalized learning experience that goes beyond generic guides. It examines real-world configuration tweaks and practical adjustments that align precisely with your skill level, ensuring efficient progress on OpenBSD optimization.

Jeremy C. Reed's years of hands-on experience in networking and cloud computing shaped this guide to the PF packet filter used across several BSD platforms. You gain detailed insights into configuring and managing PF on OpenBSD, FreeBSD, NetBSD, and DragonFly, including nuanced topics like load balancing, ALTQ quality of service, and redundant firewall setups using pfsync and CARP. The book provides practical examples and rulesets, making it especially useful if you're managing firewall infrastructure or seeking to deepen your understanding of BSD-based packet filtering systems. While it’s technical, the explanations make it accessible for those tasked with network security and firewall configuration.

Michael W Lucas brings decades of networking and security expertise to this focused examination of OpenBSD's lesser-known tools: the httpd web server and relayd load balancer. You’ll learn practical techniques for setting up hundreds of secure websites on a single host, managing SSL certificates with automation, and distributing traffic to optimize performance. Lucas doesn’t just cover configuration basics; chapters on Lua pattern-based dynamic reconfiguration and two-server clustering offer advanced skills rarely detailed elsewhere. If you manage OpenBSD servers and want to reduce costs while enhancing stability, this book provides clear, well-honed guidance grounded in real-world operations.

Peter N. M. Hansteen’s extensive experience as a consultant and sysadmin shapes this focused guide to the OpenBSD firewall. Drawing on decades of real-world Unix and open source challenges, Hansteen presents the book as a practical manual for configuring PF, OpenBSD’s packet filter, with clarity and precision. You’ll learn how to build secure, manageable firewall rulesets, understand packet filtering concepts, and troubleshoot network traffic effectively. This book suits system administrators and IT professionals who want to deepen their control over OpenBSD security without wading through unnecessary jargon or theory.