I've been working on my book, The Linux Sysadmins Guide to Virtual Disks, since my post about long-term goals a few months back. I think it's about time I post some updates.

  • The PDF output has been substantially improved:

    • Fancy new fonts, free from Adobe (Source Sans Pro, Source Code Pro)

    • Increased section depth numbering for ease of reference

    • Last built-on date/built-from commit information generated on each build in the introduction

    • Extra TOC's removed

  • New major-sections added:

    • General disk drive information: Components (with a full color diagram!), overview of drive access modes (CHS, LBA), history and misconceptions about disk drives, and details about the Master Boot Record

    • Troubleshooting/FAQs

    • Colophon with details about every part of the book: fonts used, text editor, XML processing tool-chain,…

  • New minor-sections added:

    • The Cookbook now has instructions for resizing RAW disk images

    • Advanced Operations now has a complete section on cloning physical disks (like thumb drives)

  • General improvements and corrections:

    • Disk Concepts "Formatting Partitions" has been overhauled completely. This is what inspired the new disk drive information major-section.

    • Spelling/Grammar errors corrected (many fewer than I anticipated!)

    • Informational tables now have a uniform look and feel

    • Introduction includes links to HTML/PDF format (based on your current format)