Learning Red Hat Linux, Second Edition

Learning Red Hat Linux, Second Edition

by Bill McCarty
Released January 2002
Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ISBN: 9780596000714

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Book description

With roughly 20 million users worldwide, Linux is the most talked about success story of open source and free software. Even devotees of Microsoft Windows and Apple's Macintosh are attracted by the unsurpassed stability and flexibility of Linux, but learning a Unix-style operating system can be a daunting task. The second edition of Learning Red Hat Linux gives newcomers exactly what they need to get started. The book includes a complete Linux system CD-ROM from Red Hat Software, one of the most popular distributions of Linux in the U.S. Once it guides beginners through the process of installing and configuring this software, the book offers a thorough but gentle introduction to the basics of using Red Hat Linux. This new edition has been "upgraded" to cover installation and configuration of Red Hat version 7.2, with improved sections on how to use the GNOME and KDE desktop environments, and how to use the Red Hat Package Manager (RPM). Highlights of Learning Red Hat Linux include:

  • How to prepare your system for installing Linux

  • How to install and configure Linux

  • How to install and configure the X Window System

  • How to use X and the GNOME and KDE desktop environments

  • How to obtain and set up Linux applications

  • How to set up a Linux system for networking, either on your local area network (LAN), or via a dialup connection to the Internet

  • How to install and configure Linux-based servers, including the Apache web server and Samba for integrated file and print services with Windows-based networks

  • How to understand and write shell scripts to extend the power of Linux

  • How to install, upgrade, and remove packages using RPM

Table of contents

  1. Learning Red Hat Linux, 2nd Edition
    1. Preface
      1. Organization of This Book
      2. Sources of Information
        1. Red Hat’s Web Site
        2. Linux Documentation Project Guides
        3. Documentation Available via FTP
        4. Documentation Available via WWW
        5. Documentation Available Commercially
        6. Linux Journal and Linux Magazine
        7. Linux Usenet Newsgroups
          1. Red Hat-specific lists
          2. General Linux topics
        8. Linux Mailing Lists
        9. Online Linux Support
        10. Linux User Groups (LUGs)
        11. Other Web Sites
      3. Conventions Used in This Book
        1. Path Notation
        2. Keyboard Accelerators
      4. How to Contact Us
      5. Acknowledgments
    2. 1. Why Run Linux?
      1. What Is Linux?
        1. Desktop and Server Operating Systems
        2. How Linux Is Different
        3. The Origins of Linux
        4. Free Software
        5. The Linux Kernel
        6. The X Window System
        7. Linux Distributions
        8. Linux Features and Performance
      2. Reasons to Choose or Not Choose Linux
    3. 2. Preparing to Install Red Hat Linux
      1. Minimum Hardware Requirements
        1. Central Processing Unit (CPU)
        2. Motherboard
        3. Drives
      2. Collecting Information About Your System
        1. Information You Need
        2. Collecting Configuration Information from Windows
      3. Installation Types
        1. Workstation Installation
        2. Laptop Installation
        3. Server Installation
        4. Custom Installation
      4. Preparing Your Hard Disk
        1. How Hard Disks Are Organized
        2. Viewing Disk Partitions
        3. Obtaining Sufficient Disk Space
          1. Installing a new disk drive
          2. Identifying an unused partition
          3. Shrinking a partition
    4. 3. Installing Red Hat Linux
      1. Installing the Operating System and Applications
      2. Start the Installation
        1. Creating a Boot Floppy
        2. Boot the Installation Program
        3. Understanding the Installer’s User Interface
        4. Use Virtual Consoles to Monitor the Installation
        5. Choose the Installation Language
        6. Select the Keyboard Type
        7. Select the Mouse Type
        8. Select the Installation Type
        9. Create Partitions
          1. Use Disk Druid
          2. Adding a partition
          3. Create the /boot partition
          4. Create the / partition
          5. Create the swap partition
          6. Editing a partition
          7. Deleting a partition
          8. Starting over
          9. Save your changes
        10. Configure the Boot Loader
        11. Configure Networking
        12. Configure the Language
        13. Configure the System Clock
        14. Configure User Accounts and Authentication
        15. Selecting Packages
        16. Configure Video
        17. Installing the Packages
        18. Create a Boot Floppy
        19. Complete the Video Configuration
          1. Identifying your system’s monitor
          2. Selecting custom graphics options
        20. Complete the Installation
      3. Logging In
        1. Logging into GNOME
        2. Logging into KDE
      4. Getting Help
        1. Failed Graphical Login
        2. Additional Resources
    5. 4. How Linux Works
      1. User Accounts
      2. How Linux Organizes Data
        1. Devices
        2. Filesystems
        3. Directories and Paths
          1. Home and working directories
          2. The directory tree
          3. Absolute and relative pathnames
        4. File Permissions
        5. Mounting and Unmounting Filesystems
      3. Using X
        1. Keyboard Operations
          1. Switching video modes
          2. Using virtual consoles
          3. Terminating X
        2. Terminal Windows and Pop-up Menus
        3. Mouse Operations
          1. Copying and pasting text
          2. Using scrollbars
        4. Virtual Desktop
        5. Window Managers
        6. Desktop Environments
          1. GNOME
          2. KDE
    6. 5. Using the GNOME Desktop
      1. Using GNOME
        1. The GNOME Desktop
          1. Home directory icon
          2. Drive icons
          3. Start Here icon
          4. Trash icon
        2. The GNOME Panel
        3. Using Nautilus
        4. Using GNOME Terminal
      2. Configuring GNOME
        1. The GNOME Panel
        2. Configuring the GNOME Main Menu
        3. The GNOME Start Here Facility
          1. Themes
      3. GNOME Office
        1. AbiWord
        2. Gnumeric
        3. The GIMP
      4. GNOME Resources
    7. 6. Using the KDE Desktop
      1. Using KDE
      2. KDE’s Desktop
        1. The KDE Desktop
        2. The KDE Panel
        3. Using Konqueror
        4. Using KDE Terminal
      3. Configuring KDE
        1. The KDE Panel
        2. The KDE Control Panel
        3. The KDE Control Center
        4. KDE Themes
        5. The KDE Main Menu
      4. KOffice
        1. Installing KOffice
        2. Using KOffice
      5. KDE Resources
    8. 7. Conquering the bash Shell
      1. Issuing Shell Commands
      2. Correcting Commands
      3. Working with the Linux Command Prompt
        1. Commands and Arguments
        2. Getting Help
          1. Using man
          2. Using apropos
        3. Using Commands That Work with Directories
          1. Displaying the working directory
          2. Changing the working directory
          3. Displaying directory contents
          4. Creating a directory
          5. Removing a directory
        4. Working with Files
          1. Displaying the contents of a file
          2. Removing a file
          3. Copying a file
          4. Renaming or moving a file
          5. Finding a file
          6. Printing a file
          7. Working with compressed files
          8. Working with links
          9. Working with file permissions
          10. Running programs
        5. Mounting and Unmounting Drives
        6. Formatting a Floppy Disk
      4. Useful Linux Programs
        1. Viewing System Information
        2. Using the pico Editor
    9. 8. Using the RPM Package Manager
      1. Packages
      2. The rpm Command
        1. General rpm Options
      3. Finding Packages
      4. Querying the RPM Database
      5. Installing a Package
        1. Package Is Already Installed
        2. Conflicting File
        3. Failed Dependency
      6. Uninstalling a Package
      7. Updating a Package
      8. Advanced RPM Techniques
      9. Gnome RPM
        1. Installing GnoRPM
        2. Launching GnoRPM
        3. Querying, Verifying, and Uninstalling Packages
        4. Installing and Upgrading Packages
        5. Finding New Packages
        6. Configuring GnoRPM
      10. The Red Hat Network
    10. 9. Configuring and Administering Linux
      1. Configuring the Locale
        1. Switching Desktops
        2. User Mount Tool
        3. Change Password
        4. Date/Time Properties
        5. Hardware Browser
        6. User and Group Administration
          1. Modifying a user account
          2. Adding a new user
          3. Deleting a user account
          4. Configuring groups
      2. Configuring a Printer
      3. Configuring Sound
    11. 10. Connecting to the Internet
      1. Configuring Your Modem Using rp3
        1. Installing rp3
        2. Configuring rp3
        3. Connecting to Your ISP
        4. Terminating an Internet Connection
      2. Using wvdial
        1. The /etc/wvdial.conf File
      3. Web Browsers
        1. Mozilla
        2. Netscape Navigator and Communicator
        3. Links
        4. Opera
      4. gFTP FTP Client
      5. Configuring Linux to Use a Cable or DSL Modem
    12. 11. Setting Up a Networked Workstation
      1. Networking Overview
      2. LAN Administration Using Neat
        1. Configuring Hardware
        2. Configuring Devices
          1. General device options
          2. Device protocol options
          3. Hardware device options
        3. Configuring Hosts
        4. Configuring DNS
      3. Samba
        1. Installing the Samba Server
        2. Configuring Samba
          1. Configuring global variables
          2. Configuring file share parameters
          3. Configuring printer share parameters
        3. Viewing Samba Server Status
        4. Viewing Samba Server Configuration
        5. Managing Users and Passwords
        6. Starting and Stopping Samba
        7. Troubleshooting Samba
      4. Samba Client Configuration and Use
        1. Windows Client
        2. Linux Client
        3. Using the Linux Samba Client for File Backup and Recovery
      5. Setting Up a DHCP Server
        1. Installing the DHCP Server
        2. Configuring the DHCP Service
        3. Starting the DHCP Service
        4. Configuring DHCP Clients
    13. 12. Setting Up Internet Services
      1. Running an FTP Server
        1. Installing and Starting the FTP Server
        2. Testing the FTP Server
      2. Running Apache
        1. Installing Apache
        2. Configuring Apache
        3. Starting and Stopping Apache
      3. Configuring a Mail Server
      4. The Secure Shell
        1. Installing SSH
        2. Using SSH
        3. Using a Windows SSH Client
        4. Protocol Tunneling
      5. Configuring DNS
      6. Implementing a Basic Firewall
        1. Configuring the Firewall
        2. Controlling the Firewall
        3. Configuring IP Masquerading
      7. Network Security Tips
    14. 13. Advanced Shell Usage and Shell Scripts
      1. The Power of the Unix Shell
      2. Filename Globbing
      3. Shell Aliases
      4. Using Virtual Consoles
        1. Logging In
        2. Logging Out
      5. X and the Shell
        1. Configuring a Nongraphical Login
        2. Starting and Stopping X from a Text-based Login
      6. Shell Scripts
        1. Input/Output Redirection and Piping
        2. Shell Variables
        3. The Search Path
        4. Quoted Strings
      7. Understanding Shell Scripts
        1. Processing Arguments
        2. Exit Codes
        3. Conditional Logic
          1. The test command
          2. The if command
          3. The case command
          4. The while command
          5. The until command
          6. The for command
          7. The break and continue commands
        4. Periscope: A Useful Networking Script
        5. Using Periscope
    15. A. Linux Directory Tree
    16. B. Principal Linux Files
    17. C. Managing the Boot Process
      1. Booting Linux
      2. Boot Floppies
        1. Creating a Boot Floppy
        2. Using a Boot Floppy
      3. The GRUB Loader
      4. The loadlin Loader
        1. Installing loadlin
        2. Using loadlin
        3. Configuring loadlin
      5. Boot Parameters
        1. General Boot Arguments
        2. RAM Disk Boot Arguments
        3. SCSI Host Adapter Boot Arguments
        4. IDE Hard Drive and CD-ROM Boot Arguments
        5. Non-IDE CD-ROM Drive Boot Arguments
        6. Floppy Drive Boot Arguments
        7. Bus Mouse Boot Arguments
        8. Parallel Port Printer Boot Arguments
      6. Loadable Ethernet Drivers
        1. Dynamically Loading a Modular Driver
        2. Loading Modular Drivers at Boot Time
        3. Administering Modular Drivers
    18. D. Installing and Configuring X
      1. Installing X
      2. Configuring X
      3. Manually Configuring X
        1. Files Section
        2. ServerFlags Section
        3. Keyboard Section
        4. Pointer Section
        5. Monitor Section
        6. Device Section
        7. Screen Section
    19. E. Linux CommandQuick Reference
    20. Glossary
    21. Index
    22. Colophon

Product information

  • Title: Learning Red Hat Linux, Second Edition
  • Author(s): Bill McCarty
  • Release date: January 2002
  • Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
  • ISBN: 9780596000714