Hadoop Operations by Eric Sammer (O’Reilly Media) is a thoughtfully organized book that guides the operational and architectural reader into a viable Hadoop-centric solution.  In his book, Sammer spends a reasonable amount of time providing the reader with enough Hadoop background to be able to move onto the more complex considerations and actions needed to implement high quality Hadoop clusters in an operations environment.  Sammer provides some very specific information in his books that puts it into my “must have” collection for Hadoop.

First, instead of trying to cover what Hadoop can do in all flavors and colors, Sammer describes configurations that will meet the needs of a general operational implementation.  This allows the reader to focus on the key concepts of installing, configuring, and operating a Hadoop cluster instead of learning the many Hadoop features that most shops will never use.  Secondly, Sammer spends an appropriate amount of time discussing ways that an operational team can monitor and troubleshoot Hadoop clusters.  Very few authors cover the areas needed so that a solution can move from “proof of concept” into a “production-level” implementation.  Third, Sammer looks at products that work around Hadoop to either add features or allow for better maintainability/management of the system.  This gives the reader the ability to see how Hadoop fits into the larger operational model.  Finally, Sammer approaches the chapters in the book from the view of someone that has actually implemented Hadoop clusters by providing suggestion, tips, and tricks that allow the reader to bypass many of the more common challenges that Hadoop adopters can face.

I highly recommend Hadoop Operations by Eric Sammer for the operational and architectural readers that want to get a highly viable solution as soon as possible.

Disclaimer: I received a free electronic copy of this book as part of the O’Reilly Blogger Program