Running Linux: A Distribution-Neutral Guide for Servers and Desktops

✍ Scribed by Matthias Kalle Dalheimer; Matt Welsh

• Publisher: "O'Reilly Media, Inc."
• Year: 2005
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 974
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

You may be contemplating your first Linux installation. Or you may have been using Linux for years and need to know more about adding a network printer or setting up an FTP server. Running Linux, now in its fifth edition, is the book you'll want on hand in either case. Widely recognized in the Linux community as the ultimate getting-started and problem-solving book, it answers the questions and tackles the configuration issues that frequently plague users, but are seldom addressed in other books. This fifth edition of Running Linux is greatly expanded, reflecting the maturity of the operating system and the teeming wealth of software available for it. Hot consumer topics suchas audio and video playback applications, groupware functionality, and spam filtering are covered, along with the basics in configuration and management that always have made the book popular. Running Linux covers basic communications such as mail, web surfing, and instant messaging, but also delves into the subtleties of network configuration--including dial-up, ADSL, and cable modems--in case you need to set up your network manually. The book canmake you proficient on office suites and personal productivity applications--and also tells you what programming tools are available if you're interested in contributing to these applications. Other new topics in the fifth edition include encrypted email and filesystems, advanced shell techniques, and remote login applications. Classic discussions on booting, package management, kernel recompilation, and X configuration have also been updated. The authors of Running Linux have anticipated problem areas, selected stable and popular solutions, and provided clear instructions to ensure that you'll have a satisfying experience using Linux. The discussion is direct and complete enough to guide novice users, while still providing the additional information experienced users will need to progress in their mastery of Linux. Whether you're using Linux on a home workstation or maintaining a network server, Running Linux will provide expert advice just when you need it.

✦ Table of Contents

Table of Contents
Preface
Organization of This Book
Conventions Used in This Book
Using Code Examples
How to Contact Us
Safari® Enabled
Acknowledgments
Part I
Introduction to Linux
About This Book
Who’s Using Linux?
System Features
A Bag of Features
Kernel
Commands and Shells
Text Processing and Word Processing
Commercial Applications
Programming Languages and Utilities
The X Window System
KDE and GNOME
Networking
Laptop Support
Interfacing with Windows
Other Applications
About Linux’s Copyright
A Summary of Free Software Licensing
SCO and Other Challenges
Open Source and the Philosophy of Linux
Hints for Unix Novices
Hints for Unix Gurus
Sources of Linux Information
Online Documents
Books and Other Published Works
Usenet Newsgroups
Internet Mailing Lists
Getting Help
Preinstallation and Installation
Distributions of Linux
Getting Linux via Mail Order or Other Hard Media
Getting Linux from the Internet
Preparing to Install Linux
Installation Overview
Repartitioning Concepts
Linux Partition Requirements
Creating Swap Space
Creating the Filesystems
Installing the Software
Creating the Boot Floppy or Installing GRUB
Additional Installation Procedures
Post-Installation Procedures
Creating a User Account
Getting Online Help
Editing /etc/fstab
Shutting Down the System
Running into Trouble
Problems with Booting the Installation Medium
Hardware Problems
Isolating hardware problems
Problems recognizing hard drive or controller
Problems with SCSI controllers and devices
Problems Installing the Software
Problems After Installing Linux
Problems booting Linux from floppy
Problems booting Linux from the hard drive
Problems logging in
Problems using the system
Desktop Environments
Why Use a Graphical Desktop?
The K Desktop Environment
General Features
Installing KDE
Using KDE
The KDE panel and the K menu
The KDE Control Center
KDE Applications
konsole: Your Home Base
Starting up konsole
Cutting and pasting selections
More konsole tricks
Clocks
KGhostview: Displaying PostScript and PDF
Reading Documentation with Konqueror
Burning CDs with K3b
The GNOME Desktop Environment
Core Desktop Interface
Basic GNOME tasks
The panel
Nautilus: your desktop and file manager
Expert Settings: GConf
GNOME Applications
Evolution: Mail, Calendar, and Contacts
Evolution mail
Evolution calendar
Evolution contacts
GNOME and Office Software
Movies and Music: Totem and Rhythmbox
Additional Applications and Resources
Basic Unix Commands and Concepts
Logging In
Setting a Password
Virtual Consoles
Popular Commands
Directories
Listing Files
Viewing Files, More or Less
Symbolic Links
Shells
Useful Keys and How to Get Them to Work
Typing Shortcuts
Word Completion
Moving Around Among Commands
Filename Expansion
Saving Your Output
What Is a Command?
Putting a Command in the Background
Remote Logins and Command Execution
Manual Pages
Startup Files
Important Directories
Basic Text Editing
Advanced Shells and Shell Scripting
Setting Terminal Attributes
Shell Programming
Being More Efficient with the Z Shell
Web Browsers and InstantMessaging
The World Wide Web
Using Konqueror
Other Web Browsers
Instant Messaging
Initial Configuration
Chatting
Advanced Configuration
Electronic Mail Clients
Using KMail
Using Mozilla Mail & News
Getting the Mail to Your Computer with fetchmail
OpenPGP Encryption with GnuPG
Symmetric Encryption
Public-Key Cryptography
Creating a New Key Pair
Encrypting with Public Keys
Digital Signatures
The Web of Trust
Using gPG-agent
Games
Gaming
Quake III
Installation
Single Player
Multiplayer
Mods
Return to Castle Wolfenstein
Installation
Single Player
Multiplayer
Unreal Tournament 2004
Installation
Play
Game Server
Updates
Emulators
MAME
Nestra
SNES9x
Frozen Bubble
Tux Racer
Office Suites and Personal Productivity
Using OpenOffice
“OpenOffice” Versus “OpenOffice.org”
The Modules of OpenOffice
OpenDocument and OpenOffice 2
OpenOffice Writer
Launching OOoWriter
Opening files
Saving files
Exporting and sending files
Identifying the toolbars
Basic formatting
Printing a document
Advanced formatting
Templates
Styles
Collaboration with documents
Navigator
Keyboard shortcuts
Searching a document with Find & Replace
Inserting hyperlinks
Word count
Password-protecting documents
OOoWriter Customization
OOoWriter toolbar customization
Adding an OOoWriter icon on the desktop or taskbar panel
Adjusting unpopular default settings
OpenOffice Calc
Managing files
Entering labels (text)
Autofill
Entering simple formulas
Summing a column of numbers
Moving cell contents
Adjusting column widths and row heights
Merging cells
Freezing and splitting windows
Page Break View
Setting the print range
Functions
Worksheets, or sheets
Sorting data
Data sources
Macros
OpenOffice Impress
Creating a presentation from scratch with AutoPilot
Opening an existing presentation
Saving a presentation
Export formats
OOoImpress workspace views
OOoImpress modes
Editing a presentation
The presentation palette
Putting on a slide show
Customizing OpenOffice
Adding a Launcher icon
Defaulting to the MS Office file formats
KOffice
Hands On: Getting to Know KOffice
Using tabulators in KWord
Embedding charts into spreadsheets
Other Word Processors
Synching PDAs
Checking the Connection
KPilot Synchronization
Groupware
Basic Group Organization
Groupware Server Solutions
Kolab
OpenGroupware.org
phpGroupWare and eGroupware
OPEN-XCHANGE
Closed-source products
LDAP: Accessing Global Address Books
Managing Your Finances
Getting Started
Choosing a currency
Choosing accounts
Entering opening balances
Finishing your account setup
The Account
The GnuCash Accounts Window
Creating new accounts
Deleting accounts
Transactions
Entering transactions
Recording split transactions
Scheduling transactions
Reports
Real-Life Examples
Going to the grocery store
Getting a tax refund
Buying a car
Multimedia
Multimedia Concepts
Digital Sampling
File Formats
Multimedia Hardware
Kernel and Driver Issues
Sound Drivers
Installation and configuration
Collecting hardware information
Configuring ISA Plug and Play (optional)
Configuring the kernel (optional)
Configuring kernel modules
Testing the installation
Video Drivers
Alternate Input Devices
Embedded and Other Multimedia Devices
Desktop Environments
KDE
GNOME
Windows Compatibility
Multimedia Applications
Sound Mixers
Multimedia Players
CD and DVD Burning Tools
Speech Tools
Image, Sound, and Video Editing and Management Tools
Imaging Tools
Image management with KimDaBa
Image manipulation with the GIMP
Recording Tools
Music Composition Tools
Internet Telephony and Conferencing Tools
Browser Plug-ins
Putting It All Together
Multimedia Toolkits and Development Environments
Solutions to Common Problems
References
Part II
System Administration Basics
Maintaining the System
Managing Filesystems
Filesystem Types
Mounting Filesystems
Automounting Devices
Creating Filesystems
Checking and Repairing Filesystems
Encrypted Filesystems
Configuring the kernel
Creating an encrypted filesystem
Mounting the filesystem
Security Issues
Managing Swap Space
Creating Swap Space
Enabling the Swap Space
Disabling Swap Space
The /proc Filesystem
Device Files
Scheduling Recurring Jobs Using cron
Executing Jobs Once
Managing System Logs
Processes
Programs That Serve You
Managing Users, Groups, and Permissions
Managing User Accounts
The passwd File
Shadow Passwords
PAM and Other Authentication Methods
The Group File
Creating Accounts
Deleting and Disabling Accounts
Modifying User Accounts
File Ownership and Permissions
What Permissions Mean
Owners and Groups
Changing the Owner, Group, and Permissions
Installing, Updating, andCompilingPrograms
Upgrading Software
General Upgrade Procedure
Using RPM
Using dpkg and apt
Automated and Bulk Upgrades
YaST Online Update: Automated Updates
Red Carpet and ZENworks Linux Management: AlternativePackageManagement Tools
Installing Red Carpet
Using the Red Carpet GUI
Using the rug command
Multiple users
Operating an update server
Upgrading Software Not Provided in Packages
Upgrading Libraries
Upgrading the Compiler
Archive and Compression Utilities
Using gzip and bzip2
Using tar
Using tar with gzip and bzip2
tar Tricks
Networking
Networking with TCP/IP
TCP/IP Concepts
Hardware Requirements
Configuring TCP/IP with Ethernet
Your network configuration
The network configuration files
/etc/hosts
/etc/networks
/etc/host.conf
/etc/resolv.conf
Setting your hostname
Trying out your network
Dial-Up PPP
Basic PPP Configuration for Modems
Requirements
Serial device names
Setting up PPP
Writing a chat script
Starting up pppd
Configuring DNS
Troubleshooting PPP configuration
PAP and CHAP
PPP over ISDN
Configuring Your ISDN Hardware
Setting Up Synchronous PPP
And If It Does Not Work?
Where to Go from Here?
ADSL
Cable Modems
Network Diagnostics Tools
ping
traceroute
dig
Printing
Printing
Basic Linux Printing Commands
Some Common Command-Line Printing Tasks
nenscript and enscript
Printing Using GUI Tools
How the Printing System Processes a File
Managing Print Services
Linux Printing Software
Linux printing daemons
Ghostscript
Printer definitions
Additional printing software
Configuring Printer Hardware
Verifying printer compatibility
Printer interfaces
Verifying basic printer connectivity
Configuring CUPS Security
Enabling web-based configuration
Enabling or disabling browsing
Restarting CUPS
Defining Printers in CUPS
Accessing the printer definition tool
Creating a printer definition
Testing your printer definition
Fine-Tuning Printer Definitions
Managing Printer Queues
Using command-line tools
Using the CUPS web-based interface
Maintaining LPD Compatibility
Maintaining a legacy /etc/printcap file
Accepting print jobs from LPD systems
Printer Troubleshooting
Behind the Scenes: CUPS Files and Directories
File Sharing
Sharing Files with Windows Systems (Samba)
Protocols and Things Windows-Related
Linux System Preparation and Installing Samba
Accessing Remote Windows Files and Printers
Using the FTP-like smbclient to access Windows
Using Linux-kernel-based smbfs
Using Linux-kernel-based cifsfs
Using Linux desktop tools with libsmbclient
Printing to printers on Windows systems
Sharing Linux Files and Printers with Windows Users
Installing Samba
Configuring Samba
Starting the Samba server
Adding users
An Office File- and Print-Sharing Solution Using Samba
Automatic Printer Driver Download
Using smbsh for Direct File Manipulation on Remote Systems
NFS and NIS Configuration
Configuring Your System as an NFS Client
Using /etc/fstab NFS client entries
Finding NFS exported resources and diagnosing problems
Manual mounting of NFS filesystems
Adding a directory to the NFS server’s exports
Configuring Your System as an NIS Client
The X Window System
A History of X
X Concepts
Hardware Requirements
Installing X.org
Configuring X.org
Running X
Running into Trouble
X and 3D
OpenGL Setup
GLX
DRI
Proprietary drivers
Configuring X.org for OpenGL
Mesa
System Start and Shutdown
Booting the System
Using a Boot Floppy
Using GRUB
The /etc/grub.conf file
Specifying boot-time options
Removing GRUB
System Startup and Initialization
Kernel Boot Messages
init, inittab, and rc Files
rc Files
Single-User Mode
Shutting Down the System
A Graphical Runlevel Editor: KSysV
Configuring and Building the Kernel
Building a New Kernel
Obtaining Kernel Sources
Unpacking the sources
Applying patches
Building the Kernel
Kernel configuration: make config
Preparing the ground: make clean
Compiling the kernel
Installing the kernel
Loadable Device Drivers
Installing the Kernel
Compiling Modules
Loading a Module
Loading Modules Automatically
Text Editing
Editing Files Using vi
Starting vi
Inserting Text and Moving Around
Deleting Text and Undoing Changes
Changing Text
Moving Around the File
Saving Files and Quitting vi
Editing Another File
Including Other Files
Running Shell Commands
Global Searching and Replacing
Moving Text and Using Registers
Extending vi
The (X)Emacs Editor
Firing It Up
Simple Editing Commands
Tutorial and Online Help
Deleting, Copying, and Moving Text
Searching and Replacing
Macros
Running Commands and Programming Within Emacs
Tailoring Emacs
Regular Expressions
Emacs and the X Window System
Text Processing
TeX and LaTeX
Learning the Ropes
Formatting and Printing
Further Reading
XML and DocBook
groff
Writing a Manual Page
Formatting and Installing the Manual Page
Texinfo
Writing the Texinfo Source
Formatting Texinfo
Part III
Programming Tools
Programming with gcc
Quick Overview
gcc Features
Basic gcc Usage
Using Multiple Source Files
Optimizing
Enabling Debugging Code
More Fun with Libraries
Creating shared libraries
Using C++
Makefiles
What make Does
Some Syntax Rules
Macros
Suffix Rules and Pattern Rules
Multiple Commands
Including Other makefiles
Interpreting make Messages
Autoconf, Automake, and Other Makefile Tools
Debugging with gdb
Tracing a Program
Examining a Core File
Debugging a Running Program
Changing and Examining Data
Getting Information
Miscellaneous Features
Breakpoints and watchpoints
Instruction-level debugging
Using Emacs with gdb
Useful Utilities for C Programmers
Debuggers
Profiling and Performance Tools
Using strace
Using Valgrind
Interface Building Tools
Revision Control Tools: RCS
Revision Control Tools: CVS
Setting up a CVS repository
Working with CVS
CVS over the Internet
Patching Files
Indenting Code
Using Perl
A Sample Program
More Features
Pros and Cons
Java
The Promise of Java, or Why You Might Want to Use Java
Getting Java for Linux
Python
Parsing Output from the Last Command Using Python
Developing a Calculator Using Python
Other Languages
Introduction to OpenGL Programming
GLUT
Qt
Integrated Development Environments
Running a Web Server
Configuring Your Own Web Server
httpd.conf
srm.conf and access.conf
Starting httpd
Transporting and Handling Email Messages
The Postfix MTA
A Word About DNS
Installing Postfix
Postfix Configuration
Starting Postfix
Postfix Logging
Running Postfix on System Startup
Postfix Relay Control
Additional Configurations
Procmail
Procmail Concepts
Preparing Procmail for Use
Setting up a sandbox
Recipe Syntax
Examples
Making a backup of all incoming mail
Storing mail from a mailing list in a special mailbox
Forward messages as SMS
Sending an out-of-office reply
Filtering Spam
Running an FTP Server
Introduction
Compiling and Installing
RPM Install
Compiling from Source
Running ProFTPD
Configuration
Getting Started
Basic Configuration
Advanced Configuration
Virtual Hosts
Part IV
Running Web Applications with MySQL and PHP
MySQL
MySQL Installation and Initial Configuration
Initial Tasks: Setting Up Users and SQL
Creating and Populating a Database
PHP
Some Sample PHP
PHP4 as an Apache Module
The LAMP Server in Action
Running a Secure System
A Perspective on System Security
Initial Steps in Setting Up a Secure System
Shutting Down Unwanted Network Daemons
Top 10 Things You Should Never Do
TCP Wrapper Configuration
Using TCP Wrappers with inetd
Using TCP Wrappers with xinetd
/etc/hosts.allow and /etc/hosts.deny
Firewalls: Filtering IP Packets
netfilter Basics
Using the iptables command
Developing IP Filtering Rulesets
IP Filter Management and Script Files
Sample netfilter Configurations
Simple IP filtering example
IP filtering to protect an entire network
IP masquerading example
SELinux
Backup and Recovery
Making Backups
Simple Backups
Backing up to tape
Backing up to CD-R
Backing up to hard disks
To compress or not to compress?
Incremental Backups
What to Do in an Emergency
Repairing Filesystems
Accessing Damaged Files
Restoring Files from Backup
Heterogeneous Networking and Running Windows Programs
Sharing Partitions
Filesystems and Mounting
File Translation Utilities
Emulation and Virtual Operating Systems
Wine
Getting and installing Wine
A simple example of using Wine
Configuring Wine
Running Wine
Further help
CrossOver Office
VMware Workstation
So what does it actually do?
Installing VMware Workstation 5
VMWare Workstation 5 features
Other Programs for Running MS-DOS andWindowsApplicationsonLinux
Remote Desktop Access to Windows Programs
rdesktop and TSCLient
Setting up Windows Terminal Services
Connecting to the terminal server
Making Windows applications multiuser aware
Using Windows applications from the Linux desktop
Virtual Network Connection
Setting up VNC
Running a Linux VNC server
FreeNX: Linux as a Remote Desktop Server
Sources of Linux Information
Linux Documentation Project
FTP Sites
World Wide Web Sites
General Documentation
Open Source Projects
Programming Languages and Tools
News and Information Sites
Linux Software Directories and Download Sites
Linux Distributions
Commercial Linux Software Companies
Internet RFCs and Other Standards
Miscellaneous
Index