Linux bible ninth edition web companion

Linux Bible, Ninth Edition
Web Companion
Although the focus of the Linux Bible, 9th Edition is on Red Hat and Debian
(Ubuntu) based Linux distributions, you can choose from hundreds of Linux
distributions. You also have many ways to expand your knowledge of Linux beyond
what is covered in the book. Use this document to expand your interactions with
Linux to find other distributions and topics of interest associated with Linux and
other free and open source software.

Finding Linux Distributions
Because Linux rarely comes preinstalled on a computer, you must typically
download a Linux distribution from the Internet before you can start using Linux.
This section contains links to Linux distributions you can use with the book, as well
as to other Linux distributions that may interest you.
After you have chosen and downloaded the Linux distribution image (usually
a CD, DVD, or USB image), you can burn the image to the appropriate physical
medium using the instructions included in Appendix A of Linux Bible, 9th Edition.

Getting Linux distributions for use with this book
Linux Bible, 9th Edition uses Fedora 21 and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 for
most of the demonstrations and exercises in the book. Using later versions of Fedora
and Red Hat Enterprise Linux should work for most cases as well.
Using Ubuntu to follow along with the book will not work consistently. The
most common differences relate to package names and packaging tools, as well as
techniques for managing services. On occasion, configuration files have different
names.
To download the Linux distributions that work with the book, follow these
links:
 Fedora—With few exceptions, almost all of the descriptions and exercises
in the book will work on the Fedora Linux distribution. You can get the
latest version of Fedora here:

/>
In particular, the Fedora 21 Live Workstation DVD was used to test most
of the book.
 Red Hat Enterprise Linux—If you are a customer of Red Hat, Inc., you
can use the Red Hat Customer portal to download any release of Red Hat
Enterprise Linux you choose from this location:
/>
If you are not a customer, you can get a trial version by clicking the
following link and filling out the information requested:
/>
Those sections of the book that specifically refer to Red Hat Enterprise
Linux were tested against Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7, although there are
also references to many Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 features (including
the System V init facility, iptables firewalls, and the GNOME 2 desktop).
 Ubuntu—If you want to use Ubuntu to work through examples in the
book, you can download the latest version of Ubuntu from the following
link. (Be sure to choose either the 32-bit or 64-bit version to match your
computer hardware):
/>
NOTE: Although many procedures in this edition of the Linux Bible were
enhanced to include instructions for Ubuntu, if you choose to use Ubuntu,
not all of the examples and exercises described in the book will work as
illustrated.
The descriptions from the book will match better if you install the
GNOME 3 desktop software packages and choose GNOME 3 as the
default desktop environment on your Ubuntu system.

Getting other Linux distributions

In previous editions of the Linux Bible, we described many different Linux
distributions. While this made the book’s coverage very wide, it did not make it very
deep. For that reason, we decided to focus this edition primarily on Fedora and Red
Hat Enterprise Linux (which are very similar) and touch on Ubuntu (which gives you
a flavor of how such things as software packaging and service management can be
done on different Linux distributions).


That said, you still may be interested in exploring different Linux
distributions for different reasons. This section includes a list of some other popular
Linux distributions, along with links for obtaining those distributions.

Debian GNU/Linux
Debian offers thoroughly tested Linux operating system releases that many
Linux consultants and experts use because of Debian’s excellent software packaging
and stability. Many other popular Linux distributions, such as Ubuntu, Linux Mint,
KNOPPIX and Damn Small Linux, are all based on Debian. You can download
Debian GNU/Linux from here:
/>
KNOPPIX Linux
KNOPPIX was one of the first popular live CD Linux distributions and offers
some unique features that set it apart from other bootable Linux distributions. It was
one of the first live CD Linux systems to work immediately with a large number of
video cards and network interfaces. Features in KNOPPIX also made it easy to save
your data to alternate media (such as a USB drive), making your KNOPPIX sessions
persistent across reboots. You can get KNOPPIX at the following location:
/>
Slackware Linux
Slackware is the oldest surviving Linux system and continues to have a loyal
following among Linux enthusiasts. One of Slackware’s goals was simplicity.

Instead of having lots of fancy packaging facilities and slick graphical interfaces,
Slackware provides more opportunities for learning the basic commands for things
such as configuring disks, managing users, and managing services. You can get
Slackware here:
/>
AntiX Linux
AntiX is a lightweight, desktop-oriented Live CD that is suitable for older,
less powerful computers. It can run on machines with as little as 64MB of RAM
(although 128MB is recommended). AntiX is based on MEPIS
( You can get AntiX here:
/>

Kali Linux Penetration Testing Distribution
Kali Linux is a Live DVD Linux distribution that contains a set of tools for
testing, repairing, and otherwise securing Linux systems, Windows systems, and
networks. You can download Kali Linux from this location:
/>
Gentoo Linux
Gentoo is a highly tunable Linux distribution. You can start Gentoo with prebuilt live media or installation media, just as you can with other Linux distributions.
However, Gentoo also gives you the option of building the entire operating system
from scratch, compiling the source code into binaries that exactly suit the processors
and other hardware features of your computer. You can get Gentoo in various forms
from this site:
/>
PCLinuxOS
PCLinuxOS is a popular desktop Linux distribution. PCLinuxOS makes it
easy to get support for common multimedia content that isn’t always so easy to find
with other Linux distributions. There is a KDE-based PCLinuxOS system. However,
PCLinuxOS also provides excellent light-weight desktops you can download that
feature Xfce and LXDE graphical desktop environments. You can get PCLinuxOS

from the following site:
/>
Puppy Linux
This live mini-CD contains a desktop Linux system that you can use for
creating documents, playing multimedia content, accessing the Internet, and many
other functions. Puppy Linux also contains many features for configuring your
desktop and saving your features across reboots. To download Puppy Linux, go to
the following site:
/>
Damn Small Linux
Damn Small Linux (DSL) illustrates how a useful desktop Linux distribution,
which includes full network connectivity, a functional Web browser, and some
useful productivity applications, can fit in a very small space. The basic DSL
desktop live image is only 50MB in size. From there, you can add an array of


prebuilt packages to tailor the exact Linux system you want. You can download
Damn Small Linux from here:
/>
SystemRescueCd
Like INSERT, SystemRescueCd is a bootable Linux that includes a variety of
tools for checking and fixing your installed computer systems. It includes tools for
managing and fixing file systems, checking for viruses, monitoring the network, and
checking whether a machine has been cracked. You can get SystemRescueCd from
here:
/>
Finding more Linux distributions
Hundreds of Linux distributions are available. Some are general-purpose
Linux systems, while others are specialized for running live or managing specialty
devices. A good place to find Linux distributions is the Distrowatch site:

From the Distrowatch homepage, you can get a sense of which Linux
distributions are popular by viewing the page hit rankings in the right column.

Preparing for Linux Certification
As noted in Linux Bible, 9th Edition, almost all of the content needed to pass
Red Hat Certification programs (RHCE and RHCSA) is covered in the book.
However, simply because of the constraints of space, not every topic you need to
pass the RHCE exam, in particular, is fully covered. If you are preparing to take the
RHCSA and/or the RHCE certification exams, the next section provides some
additional information so you can be fully prepared for all content you may see in
those exams.


Preparing for a Red Hat Certified System
Administrator (RHCSA) exam
The RHCSA exam (EX200) tests the basic skills needed to become a Linux
system administrator. Refer to the following the RHCSA exam objectives page for a
complete list of topics you need to know to be able to pass an RHCSA exam:
/>
Keep in mind that the test is a “hands-on, practical exam,” which means that
you need to expect to carry out tasks on a Linux system directly, rather than just
answer questions about it. Read through the bullet items on the exam objectives page
and make sure you can understand the topics and do the exercises associated with
each bulleted item. You should be able to find nearly every topic in the Linux Bible,
9th Edition.
Coverage of RHCSA exam objectives is fairly complete in the book, with the
exception of the area of virtualization. Fedora, RHEL, and other Linux systems are
capable of working as virtual hosts. What that means is that guest operating systems

can run as virtual machines on a virtual Linux host.
The RHCSA exam objectives don’t ask you to be able to configure a virtual
host. However, you should be able to open virtual consoles from a virtual host and
start and stop virtual machines. For information on how to use the Virtual Machine
Manager in Red Hat Enterprise Linux, refer to the Red Hat Virtualization
Administration Guide:
/>
Preparing for a Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE)
exam
To pass an RHCE exam (EX300), you are expected to have basic RHCSA
skills (the ability to work from the command-line shell, work with users and file
systems, install packages, and do basic system administration). Most of the
additional skills you need to pass the RHCE are related to configuring and managing
servers, as well as securing those services. Refer to the following site to see the
RHCE exam objectives:
/>
Although the security features in Linux, such as iptables, SELinux, and TCP
wrappers, are well covered in the Linux Bible, 9th Edition, not all of the servers you


need to configure for an RHCE exam are described there. Here is the list of servers
from the RHCE exam objectives along with suggestions on how to you should
extend your study for the RHCE exam beyond what is included in Linux Bible, 9th
Edition:
 HTTP/HTTPS—Chapter 17 covers all the topics listed in the RHCE
exam objectives for configuring a web server (HTTP and HTTPS). Topics
include configuring a virtual host and private directories, deploying CGI
applications, and configuring group-managed content.
 DNS—A Domain Name System server translates hostnames into IP
addresses (and vice versa). In most Linux systems, including Red Hat

Enterprise Linux, the Berkeley Internet Name Domain (BIND) software
project is available to configure as a DNS service.
In RHEL, the bind package provides the components you need to
configure a BIND DNS server. As the RHCE objective states, you don’t
have to configure a full master or slave DNS server. You only have to be
able to configure a caching-only name server and enable forwarders.
In the bind package is the /usr/share/doc/bind*/named.conf.default file. You can copy that file to
/etc/named.conf or /var/named/chroot/etc/named.conf
(if you are running it in a chroot environment) and edit that file as
needed (type man named.conf for details). Then enable and start the
named service.
 FTP—Chapter 18 describes everything you need to know to meet the
RHCE exam objectives for configuring an FTP server. In particular, you
need to be able to configure an anonymous-only download.
 NFS—Chapter 20 describes what you need to know to configure an NFS
server. In particular, you need to configure network shares to specific
clients and configure shares for group collaboration.
 SMB—Chapter 19 covers how to configure a Samba (SMB) server. As
with NFS, you need to be able to configure network shares to specific
clients and configure shares for group collaboration.
 SMTP—There is no information on configuring an SMTP (e-mail) server
in the book. Red Hat Enterprise Linux provides the sendmail and
postfix packages for configuring an SMTP server. When you start the
sendmail or postfix services, they only listen on localhost. To make
either service accept inbound e-mail, you need to edit the configuration


files for the one you choose (/etc/mail/sendmail.mc or
/etc/postfix/main.cf).
The other objective listed for an SMTP service is to be able to configure

sendmail or postfix to forward (relay) e-mail through a smart host.
Editing the configuration file, enabling the service, and starting the service
are the basic steps you need to complete any of those objectives.
 SSH—Commands related to the Secure Shell (SSH) service (ssh, scp,
rsync, and so on) are installed by default in Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
The SSH server is installed by default as well (openssh-server
package). On the client side, the RHCE requirement is to be able to do
key-based authentication (described in the “Using key-based
(passwordless) authentication” section of Chapter 13).
On the SSH server side, you need to be able to configure different features
of the sshd service. For that, read the sshd_config man page. Type
man sshd_config.
 NTP—The Network Time Protocol (NTP) server is included in Red Hat
Enterprise Linux by way of the ntp package. Although the book doesn’t
describe how to configure this service, a simple graphical tool is available
for configuring NTP.
To install the Date/Time Properties window, install the systemconfig-date package (if it is not already installed) and run the
command of the same name. Select the Synchronize date and time over
the network box, and then add the NTP servers you want to synchronize
with.
For each of the services just listed, practice configuring the service. Then
configure security services to make sure you can restrict or allow access to the
service in various ways.

Cloud Computing with Linux
The Linux Bible 9th Edition covers some of the basic features you need to
understand to enter the world of cloud computing with Linux. If you are interested in
going beyond the cloud features described in the book, I recommend you refer to the
following:
 Try OpenStack with RDO ( />The RDO project is the upstream project for Red Hat Enterprise Linux

OpenStack Platform. You don’t need Red Hat subscriptions to try out


OpenStack from the RDO project. That page also points to a quick way to
try out OpenStack from the TryStack page ( /> Try different Linux distros with Google Compute Engine
( />This page describes a variety of instances from different Linux
distributions that you can try out in Google Compute Engine. Distributions
include CentOS, Debian, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, SUSE, CoreOS,
openSUSE, and Ubuntu.