Hands-On Linux for Architects: Design and implement Linux-based IT solutions

Designing Linux infrastructure means making connected decisions about storage, performance, availability, and the tools that will manage applications and data. Hands-On Linux for Architects takes an architecture-led approach, pairing design considerations with practical examples across open-source systems and cloud environments.

Denis Salamanca and Esteban Flores begin with the questions that shape a solution, then move into the technologies and implementation choices that help bring it to life. The result is a technical read for practitioners who want to think beyond individual commands and understand how components fit into a working IT design.

Start with the problem, then shape the solution

The opening material introduces a design methodology: clarify requirements, consider technical and business needs, evaluate possible approaches, and plan implementation. That framing gives the later technology chapters a useful context—architecture is not just a collection of tools, but a set of decisions made to address a real need.

Architect resilient storage with GlusterFS

A substantial section focuses on GlusterFS and high-performance storage. It covers storage-cluster concepts, volume types, redundancy, disaster recovery, capacity planning, and performance factors such as throughput, latency, and IOPS. Practical chapters address deploying GlusterFS on cloud infrastructure and examining system performance, including the use of tools such as FIO and iostat.

For readers weighing storage options, this coverage connects configuration choices to their consequences for resilience, capacity, and workload behavior.

Connect infrastructure to cloud and containers

The book also turns to Kubernetes, including cluster components, architecture on Azure, and deployment and configuration. These chapters extend the architectural discussion from storage into container orchestration and the infrastructure that supports applications.

Monitoring and configuration management

Further topics include monitoring with the ELK stack, designing an ELK-based logging solution, and using Salt for management tasks. Together, these areas show how operational visibility and repeatable administration belong in the design of a Linux environment—not just in its day-to-day maintenance.

Who may find it useful

Linux system administrators, DevOps engineers, support professionals, consultants, and other IT practitioners working with open-source infrastructure may value the book’s combination of architecture discussion and implementation-oriented examples. Its broad range of technologies makes it especially relevant to readers who need to consider how storage, cloud platforms, containers, monitoring, and configuration management work together.

Explore Hands-On Linux for Architects for a practical look at the decisions behind Linux-based IT solutions.