IT training linux bible 2009 edition

• Master Linux for desktops, servers, and workstations • Find, install, and use loads of free and open source software • Create your own cool apps with useful programming tools • Launch

Shelving Category:

COMPUTERS/

Operating Systems/Linux Reader Level:

Beginning to Advanced www.wiley.com/go/linuxbible2009

Start up a Linux desktop

or server computer

Migrate easily from

Try tons of Linux apps,

then install to hard disk

Negus

Run the world’s most popular free

operating system on your own computer

Get in on the Linux phenomenon! Play music and games,

publish on paper or on the Web, and communicate

step-by-step instructions and software for 18 diff erent

Linux distributions Whether you are an enterprising

do-it-yourselfer or an aspiring Linux professional, you

can start here on your path to software freedom.

• Master Linux for desktops, servers, and workstations

• Find, install, and use loads of free and open source software

• Create your own cool apps with useful programming tools

• Launch all your music, video, images, and documents in Linux

• Browse, e-mail, or chat over the Internet from a Linux desktop

• Set up your own e-mail and Web (LAMP) servers

• Make safe connections with fi rewalls and other security tools

DVD and CD-ROM Included

DVD Includes

• Ubuntu Linux (live/install)

• Fedora Linux (install)

• openSUSE (live/install)

• KNOPPIX (live/install)

• Freespire (live/install)

• Gentoo Linux (live/install)

• Slackware ® Linux (install)

• Debian GNU/Linux (live/install)

• Damn Small Linux (live/install)

• All software built for x86 computers

• See chapters on each distribution for system requirements

A total of 18 different Linux distributions are included

on the DVD and CD-ROM

• To try out Linux, boot directly KNOPPIX, openSUSE, Ubuntu, Gentoo, BackTrack,

and other live Linux distributions

• To keep Linux permanently, install Fedora, Ubuntu, openSUSE, Debian GNU,

Damn Small Linux, Slackware Linux, and other distributions to your hard disk

2009 Edition

Christopher Negus

DVD and CD-ROM Included

Run or install 18 different Linux distributions from the multi-boot DVD and CD-ROM!

2009 Edition

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are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc and/or its affiliates, in the United States and other

countries, and may not be used without written permission Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds All other

trademarks are the property of their respective owners Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associated with any product or

vendor mentioned in this book.

Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats Some content that appears in print may not be available

in electronic books.

Chris Negus has written or co-written dozens of books on Linux and UNIX, including Red

Hat Linux Bible (all editions), Fedora and Red Hat Enterprise Linux Bible, Linux Troubleshooting Bible, Linux Toys, and Linux Toys II Last year, Chris co-authored four books for the new Tool-

box series for power users: Fedora Linux Toolbox, SUSE Linux Toolbox, Ubuntu Linux Toolbox, and BSD UNIX Toolbox

For eight years, Chris worked with the organization at AT&T that developed UNIX before ing to Utah to help contribute to Novell’s UnixWare project in the early 1990s When not writing about Linux, Chris enjoys playing soccer and just hanging out with his family

I consider anyone who has contributed to the free and open source software community to be a contributor to the book you are holding The backbone of any Linux distribution is formed by the organizations that produce the distributions, the major projects included in Linux, and the thou-sands of people who give their time and code to support Linux So, thanks to you all!

I’d like to acknowledge several contributors for their participation in previous editions Wayne Tucker wrote and then updated the chapters on Debian, LAMP servers, and mail servers Bill von Hagen contributed updates to the SUSE, Yellow Dog, and Ubuntu chapters Emmett Dulaney served as technical editor to this edition

Thanks to the folks at Wiley for helping me press through the project Jenny Watson helped me schedule the project so I could do the major rewrite needed to get all the latest Linux innovations

in the book Sara Shlaer did her usual great job keeping the project moving under a very ing schedule Liz Britten shepherded the book through the production process Thanks to Margot Maley Hutchison and Maureen Maloney from Waterside Productions for contracting the book for

challeng-me with Wiley

And finally, special thanks to my wife, Sheree There’s no way I could do the work I do without the solid support I get on the home front I love you, and thanks for taking such good care of Seth, Caleb, and me

Part I: Getting off the Ground with Linux 1

Chapter 1: Starting with Linux 3

Chapter 2: Linux Projects, Activities, and Careers 15

Part II: Running a Linux Desktop 33

Chapter 3: Getting into the Desktop 35

Chapter 4: Playing Music and Video 81

Chapter 5: Working with Words and Images 117

Chapter 6: E-Mailing and Web Browsing 147

Chapter 7: Gaming with Linux 179

Part III: Learning System Administration Skills 205

Chapter 8: Installing Linux 207

Chapter 9: Running Commands from the Shell 237

Chapter 10: Learning Basic Administration 285

Chapter 11: Getting on the Internet 335

Chapter 12: Securing Linux 359

Part IV: Setting Up Linux Servers 407

Chapter 13: Running a Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP (LAMP) Server 409

Chapter 14: Running a Mail Server 431

Chapter 15: Running a Print Server 447

Chapter 16: Running a File Server 469

Part V: Choosing and Installing Different Linux Distributions 503

Chapter 17: Running Ubuntu Linux 505

Chapter 18: Running Fedora and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 523

Chapter 19: Running Debian GNU/Linux 547

Chapter 20: Running SUSE and openSUSE Linux 571

Chapter 21: Running KNOPPIX 585

Chapter 22: Running Yellow Dog Linux 607

Chapter 23: Running Gentoo Linux 619

Chapter 24: Running Slackware Linux 641

Chapter 25: Running Freespire and Xandros 657

Chapter 26: Running Mandriva 667

Chapter 27: Running a Linux Firewall/Router 681

Chapter 28: Running Bootable Linux Distributions 707

Part VI: Programming in Linux 727

Chapter 29: Programming Environments and Interfaces 729

Chapter 30: Programming Tools and Utilities 759

Appendix A: Media 789

Appendix B: Linux History and Background 799

Index 819

Part I: Getting off the Ground with Linux 1

Chapter 1: Starting with Linux 3

Taking Your First Step 4

What Comes in Linux Systems? 4

What Do You Need to Get Started? 5

Starting Right Now 6

Understanding Linux 10

What’s So Great About Linux? 13

Summary 14

Chapter 2: Linux Projects, Activities, and Careers 15

Making Things with Linux 16

Linux in Outer Space 16

Linux in Gadgets 17

Linux in Projects 19

Getting Involved with Linux 21

Joining a Linux User Group 21

Joining Linux Communities 22

Companies and Groups Supporting Linux 22

Keeping Up with Linux 23

Major Linux Projects 24

Exploring Linux Distributions 25

Linux in the Real World 27

Linux in Schools 27

Linux in Small Business 28

Linux in the Enterprise 29

Becoming a Linux Professional 30

Summary 31

Part II: Running a Linux Desktop 33

Chapter 3: Getting into the Desktop 35

Understanding Your Desktop 35

Starting the Desktop 36

Boot to the Desktop 36

Boot to a Graphical Login 37

Boot to a Text Prompt 39

K Desktop Environment 39

Using the KDE Desktop 40

Managing Files with the Dolphin and Konqueror 44

Using the Dolphin File Manager 44

Using the Konqueror Web Browser/File Manager 49

Managing the KDE Desktop 52

Confi guring the Desktop 54

The GNOME Desktop 56

Using the Metacity Window Manager 58

Using the GNOME Panels 60

Using the Nautilus File Manager 64

3D Effects with AIGLX 67

Changing GNOME Preferences 69

Exiting GNOME 70

Confi guring a GNOME Online Desktop 71

Confi guring Your Own Desktop 73

Confi guring X 73

Choosing a Window Manager 77

Choosing Your Personal Window Manager 79

Getting More Information 79

Summary 80

Chapter 4: Playing Music and Video 81

Playing Digital Media and Obeying the Law 82

Copyright Protection Issues 82

Exploring Codecs 84

Playing Music 85

Using Sound Systems in Linux 86

Adjusting Sound with PulseAudio 86

Setting Up Audio Cards 88

Choosing an Audio CD Player 89

Using MIDI Audio Players 96

Performing Audio File Conversion and Compression 96

Recording and Ripping Music 99

Creating an Audio CD with cdrecord 100

Ripping CDs with Grip 101

Creating CD Labels with cdlabelgen 103

Working with TV, Video, and Digital Imaging 104

Watching TV with tvtime 104

Video Conferencing with Ekiga 106

Watching Movies and Video 108

Watching Video with xine 108

Using Totem Movie Player 112

Using a Digital Camera 113

Displaying Images in gThumb 113

Using Your Camera as a Storage Device 114

Summary 115

Chapter 5: Working with Words and Images 117

Desktop Publishing in Linux 117

Using Text Editors and Notepads 118

Using Word Processors 119

Transitioning Documents from Windows 124

Converting Documents 126

Building Structured Documents 128

Doing Page Layout with Scribus 132

Working with Graphics 134

Manipulating Images with GIMP 134

Creating Vector Graphic Images with Inkscape 136

Acquiring Screen Captures 138

Viewing Images 139

Displaying PDF and PostScript Documents 141

Using the ghostscript and gv Commands 141

Using Adobe Reader 141

Using Scanners with SANE 143

Web Publishing 144

Summary 145

Chapter 6: E-Mailing and Web Browsing 147

Using E-Mail 147

Choosing an E-Mail Client 147

Getting Here from Windows 149

Getting Started with E-Mail 150

Tuning Up E-Mail 151

Reading E-Mail with Thunderbird 152

Managing E-Mail in Evolution 158

Reading E-Mail with SeaMonkey Mail 162

Working with Text-Based E-Mail Readers 162

Choosing a Web Browser 164

Exploring the SeaMonkey Suite 165

Using Firefox 166

Setting Up Firefox 168

Securing Firefox 172

Tips for Using Firefox 173

Using Firefox Controls 174

Improving Firefox Browsing 175

Doing Cool Things with Firefox 176

Using Text-Based Web Browsers 177

Summary 178

Chapter 7: Gaming with Linux 179

Jumping into Linux Gaming 179

Overview of Linux Gaming 181

Basic Linux Gaming Information 182

Choosing Gaming Hardware for Linux 184

Running Open Source Linux Games 185

GNOME Games 186

KDE Games 187

Games in Fedora 188

Commercial Linux Games 195

Getting Started with Commercial Games in Linux 195

Playing Commercial Linux Games .196

id Software Games 197

Playing TransGaming and Cedega Games 198

Loki Software Game Demos 200

Summary 204

Part III: Learning System Administration Skills 205 Chapter 8: Installing Linux 207

Choosing a Linux Distribution 208

Linux at Work 208

Other Distributions 209

Getting Your Own Linux Distribution 209

Finding Another Linux Distribution 210

Understanding What You Need 210

Downloading the Distribution 211

Burning the Distribution to CD 212

Exploring Common Installation Topics 213

Knowing Your Computer Hardware 213

Upgrading or Installing from Scratch 215

Dual Booting with Windows or Just Linux? 215

Using Installation Boot Options 217

Partitioning Hard Drives 217

Using LILO or GRUB Boot Loaders 225

Confi guring Networking 235

Confi guring Other Administrative Features 235

Installing from the Linux Bible CD or DVD 236

Chapter 9: Running Commands from the Shell 237

Starting a Shell 238

Using the Shell Prompt 238

Using a Terminal Window 239

Using Virtual Terminals 240

Choosing Your Shell 240

Using bash (and Earlier sh) Shells 241

Using tcsh (and Earlier csh) Shells 241

Using ash 242

Using ksh 242

Using zsh 242

Exploring the Shell 242

Checking Your Login Session 242

Checking Directories and Permissions 243

Checking System Activity 245

Exiting the Shell 246

Using the Shell in Linux 247

Locating Commands 248

Rerunning Commands 250

Connecting and Expanding Commands 256

Creating Your Shell Environment 259

Confi guring Your Shell 259

Using Shell Environment Variables 263

Managing Background and Foreground Processes 266

Working with the Linux File System 268

Creating Files and Directories 270

Moving, Copying, and Deleting Files 278

Using the vi Text Editor 278

Starting with vi 279

Moving Around the File 282

Searching for Text 282

Using Numbers with Commands 283

Summary 283

Chapter 10: Learning Basic Administration 285

Graphical Administration Tools 286

Using Web-Based Administration 286

Graphical Administration with Different Distributions 287

Using the root Login 291

Becoming Root from the Shell (su Command) 292

Allowing Limited Administrative Access 293

Exploring Administrative Commands, Confi guration Files, and Log Files 294

Administrative Commands 294

Administrative Confi guration Files 295

Administrative Log Files 299

Using sudo and Other Administrative Logins .300

Administering Your Linux System 303

Creating User Accounts 303

Adding Users with useradd 303

Setting User Defaults 307

Modifying Users with usermod 309

Deleting Users with userdel 310

Confi guring Hardware 310

Managing Removable Hardware 311

Working with Loadable Modules 314

Managing File Systems and Disk Space 317

Mounting File Systems 319

Using the mkfs Command to Create a File System 326

Adding a Hard Disk 327

Checking System Space 330

Monitoring System Performance 332

Summary 333

Chapter 11: Getting on the Internet 335

Connecting to the Network 336

Connecting via Dial-Up Service 336

Connecting a Single Computer to Broadband 337

Connecting Multiple Computers to Broadband 338

Connecting Servers 339

Connecting Other Equipment 341

Using Ethernet Connections to the Internet 342

Confi guring Ethernet During Installation 342

Confi guring Ethernet from the Desktop 342

Using Network Confi guration GUI in Fedora 344

Identifying Other Computers (Hosts and DNS) 345

Using the Network Settings GUI in Ubuntu 347

Understanding Your Internet Connection 348

Using Dial-Up Connections to the Internet 351

Getting Information 351

Setting Up Dial-Up PPP 352

Creating a Dial-Up Connection with the Internet Confi guration Wizard 353

Launching Your PPP Connection 355

Launching Your PPP Connection on Demand 355

Checking Your PPP Connection 356

Checking That Your Modem Was Detected 356

Connecting to the Internet with Wireless 357

Summary 358

Chapter 12: Securing Linux 359

Linux Security Checklist 360

Finding Distribution-Specifi c Security Resources 363

Using Linux Securely 365

Using Password Protection 365

Choosing Good Passwords 365

Using a Shadow Password File 367

Using Log Files 369

The Role of syslogd 372

Redirecting Logs to a Loghost with syslogd 372

Understanding the messages Log File 374

Using Secure Shell Tools 374

Starting the SSH Service 375

Using the ssh, sftp, and scp Commands 375

Using ssh, scp, and sftp without Passwords 377

Securing Linux Servers 378

Controlling Access to Services with TCP Wrappers 378

Understanding Attack Techniques 381

Protecting Against Denial-of-Service Attacks 382

Protecting Against Distributed DoS Attacks 385

Protecting Against Intrusion Attacks 389

Securing Servers with SELinux 392

Protecting Web Servers with Certifi cates and Encryption .393

Using Linux Live CD Security Tools 403

Advantages of Security Live CDs 403

Using INSERT to Check for Rootkits 403

Summary 405

Part IV: Setting Up Linux Servers 407 Chapter 13: Running a Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP (LAMP) Server 409

Components of a LAMP Server 410

Apache 410

MySQL 410

PHP 411

Setting Up Your LAMP Server 411

Installing Apache 412

Installing PHP 412

Installing MySQL 414

Operating Your LAMP Server 414

Editing Your Apache Confi guration Files 415

Adding a Virtual Host to Apache 417

User Content and the userdir Setting 418

Installing a Web Application: Coppermine Photo Gallery 419

Troubleshooting 422

Confi guration Errors 422

Access Forbidden and Server Internal Errors 424

Securing Your Web Traffi c with SSL/TLS 425Generating Your Keys 427Confi guring Apache to Support SSL/TLS 428Summary 429

Chapter 14: Running a Mail Server 431

Internet E-Mail’s Inner Workings 431About the System and the Software Used 433Preparing Your System 433Confi guring DNS for Direct Delivery 434Confi guring for Retrieval from a Mail Host 435Installing and Confi guring the Mail Server Software 435Installing Exim and Courier 435Installing ClamAV and SpamAssassin 438Testing and Troubleshooting 440Checking Logs 440Common Errors (and How to Fix Them) 441Confi guring Mail Clients 444Confi guring Fetchmail 444Confi guring Web-Based Mail 445Securing Communications with SSL/TLS 445Summary 446

Chapter 15: Running a Print Server 447

Common UNIX Printing Service .448Setting Up Printers 449Using Web-Based CUPS Administration 449Using the Printer Confi guration Window 452Working with CUPS Printing 459Confi guring the CUPS Server (cupsd.conf) 460Starting the CUPS Server 461Confi guring CUPS Printer Options Manually 462Using Printing Commands 463Printing with lpr 463Listing Printer Status with lpc 464Removing Print Jobs with lprm 464Confi guring Print Servers 465Confi guring a Shared CUPS Printer 465Confi guring a Shared Samba Printer 467Summary 468

Chapter 16: Running a File Server 469

Setting Up an NFS File Server 470Getting NFS 472Sharing NFS File Systems 472Using NFS File Systems 477

Setting Up a Samba File Server 484Getting and Installing Samba 485Confi guring Samba with SWAT 486Working with Samba Files and Commands 495Using Samba Shared Directories 498Troubleshooting Your Samba Server 499Summary 501

Part V: Choosing and Installing Different Linux Distributions 503

Chapter 17: Running Ubuntu Linux 505

Overview of Ubuntu 506Ubuntu Releases 506Ubuntu Installer 507Ubuntu as a Desktop 508Ubuntu as a Server 508Ubuntu Spin-Offs 510Challenges Facing Ubuntu 510Installing Ubuntu 512Starting with Ubuntu 516Trying Out the Desktop 517Adding More Software 518Getting More Information about Ubuntu 521Summary 521

Chapter 18: Running Fedora and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 523

Digging into Features 525Red Hat Installer (Anaconda) 525Custom Spins, Install Sets, and Live CDs 526RPM Package Management 526Latest Desktop Technology 527System Confi guration Tools 528Going Forward with Fedora 529Growing Community Support for Fedora 530Joining Fedora Special Interest Groups 530Forums and Mailing Lists 531Fedora Comes of Age 531Installing Fedora 533Choosing Computer Hardware 533Choosing an Installation Method 534Choosing to Install or Upgrade 535Beginning the Installation 537Running the Fedora Firstboot 545Adding Cool Stuff to Your Fedora Desktop 545Summary 546

Chapter 19: Running Debian GNU/Linux 547

Inside Debian GNU/Linux 548Debian Packages 548Debian Package Management Tools 549Debian Releases 551Getting Help with Debian 551Installing Debian GNU/Linux 552Hardware Requirements and Installation Planning 552Running the Installer 553Managing Your Debian System 557Confi guring Network Connections 558Package Management Using APT 561Package Management Using dpkg 564Installing Package Sets (Tasks) with tasksel 567Alternatives, Diversions, and Stat Overrides 567Managing Package Confi guration with debconf 569Summary 569

Chapter 20: Running SUSE and openSUSE Linux 571

Understanding SUSE Linux Enterprise and openSUSE 572What’s in SUSE Distributions 573Installation and Confi guration with YaST 574RPM Package Management 576Automated Software Updates 577Managing Software with zypper 578Getting Support for SUSE Linux Enterprise and openSUSE 578Installing openSUSE 579Before You Begin 579Starting Installation 580Starting with openSUSE 584Summary 584

Chapter 21: Running KNOPPIX 585

KNOPPIX Features 586Understanding KNOPPIX 586Looking Inside KNOPPIX 586What’s Cool About KNOPPIX 588Examining Challenges with KNOPPIX 589Seeing Where KNOPPIX Comes From 590Exploring Uses for KNOPPIX 591Starting KNOPPIX 592Getting a Computer 592Booting KNOPPIX 593Correcting Boot Problems 593

Using KNOPPIX 598Getting on the Network 599Installing Software in KNOPPIX 600Saving Files in KNOPPIX 601Keeping Your KNOPPIX Confi guration 603Restarting KNOPPIX 604Summary 605

Chapter 22: Running Yellow Dog Linux 607

Understanding Yellow Dog Linux 608Going Forward with Yellow Dog 609Digging into Yellow Dog 610Installing Yellow Dog Linux 611Hardware Support 612Installing Yellow Dog Linux on a PowerStation 613Updating Yellow Dog Linux 614Running Mac Applications with Mac-on-Linux 616Support Options 616Summary 617

Chapter 23: Running Gentoo Linux 619

Understanding Gentoo 619Gentoo’s Open Source Spirit 620The Gentoo Community 621Building, Tuning, and Tweaking Linux 621Where Gentoo Is Used 622What’s in Gentoo 623Managing Software with Portage 624Finding Software Packages 624New Gentoo Features .625Installing Gentoo 626Getting Gentoo 626Starting Gentoo Installation from a Live CD 627Starting Gentoo Installation from a Minimal CD 629Getting Software with emerge 638Summary 639

Chapter 24: Running Slackware Linux 641

Getting into Slackware 641Characterizing the Slackware Community 643The Slackware Creator 643Slackware Users 645Slackware Internet Sites 645Challenges of Using Slackware 646Using Slackware as a Development Platform 646

Installing Slackware 647Getting Slackware 647New Features in Slackware 12.1 648Hardware Requirements 648Starting Installation 649Starting with Slackware 653Summary 655

Chapter 25: Running Freespire and Xandros 657

Understanding Freespire 658Freespire’s Roots in Linspire 658Installing Software with Click-N-Run 660Freespire Support .661Installing Freespire .661Hardware Requirements 661Trying Out Freespire 662Starting a Freespire Install 662Summary 666

Chapter 26: Running Mandriva 667

Mandriva Features 667Exploring Mandriva 669Mandriva Installer (DrakX) 670RPM Package Management with RPMDrake 671Mandriva Linux Control Center 672The Mandriva Community 673RPM Repository on Mandriva Club 674Mandriva Forums 674Installing Mandriva Limited Edition 674The Right Hardware for Mandriva 675Installing Mandriva with the DrakX Installer 676Summary 679

Chapter 27: Running a Linux Firewall/Router 681

Understanding Firewalls 682Protecting Desktops with Firewalls 683Starting Your Firewall in Fedora 683Confi guring a Firewall in Mandriva 685Using Firewalls with iptables 686Starting with iptables 687Using iptables to Do SNAT or IP Masquerading 692Adding Modules with iptables 693Using iptables as a Transparent Proxy 693Using iptables for Port Forwarding 694Making a Coyote Linux Bootable Floppy Firewall 695Creating a Coyote Linux Firewall 695

Running the Coyote Linux Floppy Firewall 702Managing the Coyote Linux Floppy Firewall 703Using Other Firewall Distributions 704Summary 706

Chapter 28: Running Bootable Linux Distributions 707

Overview of Bootable Linux Distributions 708Trying a Bootable Linux 709Showcasing Linux from a live CD 710Security and Rescue Bootables 711Demonstration Bootables 716Multimedia Bootables 716Tiny Desktops 719Special-Purpose Bootables 722Customizing a Bootable Linux 723Building a Live CD with Fedora 725Summary 726

Part VI: Programming in Linux 727

Chapter 29: Programming Environments and Interfaces 729

Understanding Programming Environments 729Using Linux Programming Environments 730The Linux Development Environment 731Graphical Programming Environments 739The Command-Line Programming Environment 744Linux Programming Interfaces 745Creating Command-Line Interfaces 746Creating Graphical Interfaces 752Application Programming Interfaces 753Summary 758

Chapter 30: Programming Tools and Utilities 759

The Well-Stocked Toolkit 759Using the GCC Compiler 760Compiling Multiple Source Code Files 762GCC Command-Line Options 764Automating Builds with make 766Library Utilities 768The nm Command 770The ar Command 771The ldd Command 771The ldconfi g Command 772Environment Variables and Confi guration Files 772

Source Code Control 773Source Code Control Using RCS 773Source Code Control with CVS 777Debugging with GNU Debugger 780Starting GDB 781Inspecting Code in the Debugger 784Examining Data 785Setting Breakpoints 786Working with Source Code 788Summary 788

Appendix A: Media 789 Appendix B: Linux History and Background 799

Index 819

of us who have been bitten by the Linux bug, you won’t ever look back

Linux Bible 2009 Edition is here to open your eyes to what Linux is, where it came from, and

where it’s going But, most of all, the book is here to hand you Linux and help you get started

Because Linux is the operating system of free speech and free choice, Linux Bible gives you

choices in selecting the Linux that is right for you

On the DVD and CD that come with this book are 18 different Linux distributions that you are free to install, try out, and keep You learn how those distributions are alike or different, and the book leads you through the basics of installing and setting up your Linux system as a:

Desktop computer user

■ — You have a full range of office, music, gaming, graphics, and other applications to use

Linux system administrator

■ — Learn how to install software, use shell commands, configure system services, and secure your computers and networks

Linux server administrator

■ — Using some of the world’s best server software, you can set up your computer to be a Web server, file server, mail server, or print server

Software developer

■ — You can draw on thousands of open source programming tools

to develop your own software applications

The Linux systems you have in your hand don’t contain trialware or otherwise hobbled software

On the contrary, they feature software created by world-class development projects, the same teams that build the software that powers many professional businesses, schools, home desktops, and Internet service providers In other words, this is truly first-rate software from develop-ers who have made a commitment to producing software that can be used in the ways that you choose to use it

Most of the Linux distributions offered on the DVD and CD that come with this book are live CDs that let you try a Linux distribution without installing Almost all of those live CDs include features that let you install the contents of those live CDs to your hard disk For example, you can try out Fedora, Gentoo, Ubuntu, and Mandriva as live CDs, and then install those distributions permanently to your hard drive from icons on the desktops of those live CDs

Unlike some other books on Linux, this book doesn’t tie you to one Linux distribution The book teaches you the essentials of Linux graphical desktop interfaces, shell commands, and basic

available today Then descriptions of the major software projects in most Linux distributions (KDE and GNOME desktops, Apache Web servers, Samba file and printer sharing, and so on) guide you in setting up and using those features, regardless of which Linux you choose.

Understanding the Linux Mystique

This book is designed to spark your imagination about what is possible with Linux, and then give you the software and instructions to jump right into Linux From there, the approach is to help you learn by using it

In the first two chapters, you’ll learn a lot of exciting ways Linux is being used today and see who many of the major players are in the free and open source software (FOSS) world You will see how people are adapting Linux to run on handhelds, mini laptops, 32- and 64-bit PCs, Macs, main-frames, and super computers Linux is truly everywhere!

However, if you are concerned that somehow “free” software is too good to be true, skip ahead for the moment to the brief history of Linux in Appendix B, which guides you through the strange and circuitous path of open source software development that led to the Linux phenomenon

If you are intrigued by what you learn, Chapter 2 tells you how you can become part of the open source and free software communities, whose stars are known by a single name (such as Linus) or a few initials (such as rms) You’ll find a staggering number of open source projects, forums, and mail-ing lists that are thriving today (and always looking for more people to get involved)

How This Book Is Organized

Learn the basics of what goes into Linux and you will be able to use all sorts of devices and ers in the future The book is organized in a way that enables you to start off at the very beginning with Linux, but still grow to the point where you can get going with some powerful server and pro-gramming features, if you care to

comput-Part I includes two short chapters designed to open your eyes to what you can do with Linux, and

then get your hands on it quickly Those two chapters describe:

How others use Linux, how to transition to Linux from Windows, and how to start with

■

Linux using the CD and DVD inside this book (Chapter 1)

What you can do, what you can make, and what you can become with Linux (Chapter 2)

Desktop publishing and Web publishing using word processing, layout, drawing, and

In Part III, you learn how to administer Linux systems, including:

Installing Linux systems (Chapter 8)

Linux creates powerful servers, and in Part IV you learn to:

Set up a Web server using Apache, MySQL, and PHP in Linux (Chapter 13)

If you don’t have Linux installed yet, this book helps you understand the different Linux distributions,

and then install the systems you want from the DVD and CD included with this book Part V

(Chap-ters 17 through 28) describes each of those distributions and how to run them live or install them

If you are coming to Linux for its programming environment, Part VI provides chapters that

What You Will Get from This Book

By the time you finish this book, you’ll have a good basic understanding of many of the major tures in Linux and how you can use them If you decide then that you want to go a bit deeper into

fea-any Red Hat-sponsored distribution, Fedora 9 and Enterprise Linux Bible (Wiley, 2008) is a good

next step, with content that includes how to set up many different types of Linux servers You can find similar books for other distributions

If you are more technically oriented, Linux Troubleshooting Bible (Wiley, 2004) can be a good way

to learn more advanced skills for securing and troubleshooting Linux systems Or a Linux Toolbox

book for Fedora, Ubuntu, BSD, or SUSE (Wiley, 2007 and 2008) can provide you with over 1000 Linux commands to help you become a Linux power user

If you are looking for some fun, try out some projects with an old PC and free software from Linux

Toys II (Wiley, 2005).

Conventions Used in This Book

Throughout the book, special typography indicates code and commands Commands and code are shown in a monospaced font:

This is how code looks.

In the event that an example includes both input and output, the monospaced font is still used, but input is presented in bold type to distinguish the two Here’s an example:

Name (home:jake): jake

Password: ******

As for styles in the text:

We highlight new terms and important words with italics when we introduce them

The following items are used to call your attention to points that are particularly important

A Note box provides extra information to which you need to pay special attention.

A Tip box shows a special way of performing a particular task.

A Caution box alerts you to take special care when executing a procedure, or damage to your computer hardware or software could result.

A Cross-Reference box refers you to further information on a subject that you can fi nd outside the current chapter.

A Coming from Windows box provides tips to help you transfer your knowledge of Windows systems to the Linux world.

The On the CD and On the DVD icons point out features related to the media that accompany the book

IN THIS PART

Chapter 1 Starting with Linux Chapter 2 Linux Projects, Activities, and Careers

Getting off the Ground with Linux

In only a few years, Linux has advanced from being considered a

specialty operating system into the mainstream Precompiled and

configured Linux systems can be installed with no technical

exper-tise Versions of Linux run on all kinds of devices, from PCs to handhelds

(see www.linuxdevices.com) to game consoles (such as PlayStation 3)

to supercomputers In short, Linux has become a system that can be run

almost anywhere by almost anyone

On both desktop and server computers Linux has become a formidable

operating system across a variety of business applications Today, large

enterprises can deploy thousands of systems using Linux distributions from

companies such as Red Hat, Inc and Novell, Inc Small businesses can put

together the mixture of office and Internet services they need to keep their

costs down

The free and open source software (FOSS) development model that espoused

sharing, freedom, and openness is now on a trajectory to surpass the quality

of other operating systems outside of the traditional Linux servers and

tech-nical workstations What were once weak components of Linux, such as

easy-to-use desktops and personal productivity applications, have improved at a

rapid pace In areas of security, usability, connectivity, and network services,

Linux has continued to improve and outshine the competition

Computer industry heavy-hitters such as Microsoft and Oracle have taken

notice of Linux Microsoft has struck agreements with Linux companies

including Novell and Xandros to form partnerships that primarily protect

those companies against threatened Microsoft lawsuits Oracle began

pro-ducing its own Linux system called Unbreakable Linux, to try to stem the

flow of customers to Red Hat Enterprise Linux

IN THIS CHAPTER

Getting started with Linux Understanding Linux Linux features and advantages

What does this all add up to? A growing swirl of excitement around the operating system that the big guys can’t seem to get rid of For people like you, who want the freedom to use your computer software as you like, it means great prospects for the future.

Let this book help you grab your first look at the distributions, applications, services, and nity that make up the phenomenon that has become Linux

commu-Taking Your First Step

In your hands, you have 18 different Linux distributions (on CD and DVD), thousands of tions, and descriptions for getting it all running on your own computer For you right now, the worldwide Linux phenomenon is just a reboot away

applica-Linux Bible 2009 Edition brings you into the world of free and open source software that, through

some strange twists and turns, has fallen most publicly under the “Linux” banner Through tions and procedures, this book helps you:

descrip-Understand what people do with Linux and how you can use Linux for all your

high-quality software projects that are included with Linux

What Comes in Linux Systems?

Whether you are using Linux for the first time or just want to try out a new Linux distribution,

Linux Bible 2009 Edition is your guide to using Linux and the latest open source technology While

different Linux distributions vary in the exact software they include, this book describes the most popular software available for Linux to:

Manage your desktop (menus, icons, windows, and so on)

Because most Linux distributions also include features that let them act as servers (in fact, that’s one

of the things Linux has always been best at), you’ll also learn about software available for Linux that lets you do the following:

Connect to the Internet or other network

Google and Amazon.com), universities, and businesses of all sizes

This book guides you through the basics of getting started with these Linux features, plus many more Once you’ve been through the book, you should be proficient enough in the basics to track down answers to your more advanced questions through the volumes of man pages, FAQs, HOW-TOs, and forums that cover different aspects of the Linux operating system

To get started with Linux right now, all you need is a standard PC with a bootable CD or DVD drive

What Do You Need to Get Started?

Although Linux will run great on many low-end computers (even some old 486s and early tiums), if you are completely new to Linux, I recommend that you start with a PC that has a little more muscle Here’s why:

Pen-Full-blown Linux operating systems with complete GNOME or KDE desktop environments

■

(see Chapter 3) perform poorly on slow CPUs and less than the recommended amount of RAM The bells and whistles come at the price of processing power Lighter-weight options

do exist if you have limited resources

You can use streamlined graphical Linux installations that will fit on small hard disks (as

■

small as 100MB) and run fairly well on slow processors Also, there are small live CD Linux distributions, such as Damn Small Linux (DSL), that can be copied to hard disk and run from there (read about some of these small “bootables” in Chapter 28) The 50MB DSL desktop system will run fine on old Pentium machines with little RAM But if you want to add some of the more demanding applications to these small systems, such as OpenOffice.org office applications, you will find you need more than minimal computer hardware

If you are starting with a 400 MHz Pentium II, your desktop will run slowly in default KDE or GNOME configurations with less than 128MB of RAM A simpler desktop system, with just X and a window manager, will work, but won’t give you the full flavor of a Linux desktop (See Chapter 3 for information about different desktop choices and features.)

The good news is that cheap computers that you can buy from Wal-Mart or other retailers start at less than $300 Those systems will perform better than most PCs you have laying around that are more than a few years old, and some even come with Linux pre-installed The bottom line is that the less you know about Linux, the more you should try to have computer hardware that is up to spec in order to have a pleasant experience.

Starting Right Now

If you are anxious to get started, insert either the DVD or CD accompanying this book into the appropriate drive on your PC and reboot When you see the boot screen, press Enter When the DVD or CD boots, the following happens, respectively:

KNOPPIX starts up.

■ A fully functional KNOPPIX desktop Linux system will boot directly from the DVD From that Linux system, you can do everything you’d expect to do from a modern desktop computing system: write documents, play music, communicate over the Internet, work with images, and so on If you have a wired Ethernet connection that con-nects to the Internet when you start up Windows, most likely it will also connect automati-cally when KNOPPIX starts

Damn Small Linux (DSL) starts up.

starts up directly from the CD that comes with this book Besides being expandable and adaptable, DSL runs on everything from low-end PCs to powerful workstation hardware while being small enough to fit on a mini CD (only about 50MB in size)

What you have in front of you is a functioning desktop system that can be installed to your hard disk to use permanently, if you like Thousands of software packages available for Linux can be added Depending on your Linux system, installing extra software might just take a few clicks

The next sections step you through a few things you can do with KNOPPIX and DSL

Trying KNOPPIX

When KNOPPIX starts up, you bypass a login screen and go directly to a K Desktop Environment (KDE) that is loaded with free software for you to try Figure 1-1 shows an example of the KNOPPIX KDE desktop with several applications running

If you have any trouble starting KNOPPIX, refer to Chapter 21 for descriptions of boot options to help you overcome certain problems (such as a garbled screen or hanging when certain hardware is encountered) That chapter also describes other KNOPPIX features.

Here is a quick tour of the KNOPPIX desktop:

Browsing

■ — Select the Konqueror icon from the bottom panel to open the Konqueror Web browser/file manager The Konqueror window shown in Figure 1-1 displays the English version of the KNOPPIX Web site (http://knopper.net)

NOTE

Accessing disks

■ — A live CD, such as KNOPPIX, is designed to run without touching the contents of your hard disk However, if you have something on your hard disk you want to use with KNOPPIX (such as a music file or document), KNOPPIX makes it easy to do that

Icons on the left side of the desktop appear, representing every partition on your hard disk,

as well as detected removable media (such as a USB flash drive) In Figure 1-1, Hard Disk icons hda1, hda2, and hda5 represent several partitions on your hard disk Select an icon to display the contents of the partition in a file manager window To be able to add content to that disk partition, right-click the partition and select Change Read/Write Mode

Special Knoppix features

■ — Because of the temporary nature of a live CD, settings have

to be configured each time you boot, unless you take steps to save those settings From the small penguin icon on the left side of the bottom panel, you can see a menu of selections

to do special things to make the live CD work better Select Configure ➪ Save KNOPPIX Configuration to save your settings to your hard disk or a USB drive so you can use those settings later

Other KNOPPIX features are also available from that menu You can configure a persistent disk image, make a swap file, or configure printers, TV cards, or sound cards You can also configure different services Many of these features are described in Chapter 21

When you are done trying KNOPPIX, select Log Out from the K menu and choose Turn Off puter After KNOPPIX shuts down, it will eject the disc After you remove the disc, you can use your computer again with whatever operating system you have installed there

Com-Trying Damn Small Linux

Because Damn Small Linux (DSL) is based on KNOPPIX, you may notice some similarities DSL is smaller and faster, however, so you should get to the DSL desktop screen quicker Instead of KDE, the DSL desktop features a lightweight window manager Figure 1-2 shows an example of a DSL desktop with several applications open

Many of the same boot options that come with KNOPPIX will work with DSL, so check Chapter 21 if you have trouble booting DSL For other descriptions of DSL, see Chapter 28.

Here are some things to try on your DSL desktop:

Web browsing

■ — With an active wired Internet connection, you should be able to connect

to the Internet automatically when DSL boots up The Dillo Web browser opens to a page

of basic DSL information Continue to browse the Web from Dillo, or open the Firefox icon from the desktop to browse with Firefox instead

Install applications

■ — Open the MyDSL icon from the desktop and then, when prompted, download the applications database After that, select categories from the left column to look through listings of hundreds of applications you can add to DSL When you find one you like, choose Install Selected to download and install it

Check out the desktop

■ — On the desktop itself, view information about your computer (CPU Usage, RAM Usage, Swap Used, File systems, and so on) in the upper-right corner

Select DSL in the lower-left corner of the bottom panel to see a menu of available tions Then try a few applications You can view the same menu by right-clicking on the desktop

applica-NOTE