OReilly ubuntu hacks tips and tools for exploring using and tuning linux jun 2006 ISBN 0596527209

UbuntuHacks
ByBillChilders,JonathanOxer,KyleRankin
...............................................
Publisher:O'Reilly
PubDate:June2006
PrintISBN-10:0-596-52720-9
PrintISBN-13:978-0-59-652720-4
Pages:447

TableofContents|Index

TheUbuntudistributionsimplifiesLinuxbyprovidingasensiblecollectionofapplications,
aneasy-to-usepackagemanager,andlotsoffine-tuning,whichmakeitpossiblythebest
Linuxfordesktopsandlaptops.ReadersofbothLinuxJournalandTUXMagazine
confirmedthisbyvotingUbuntuasthebestLinuxdistributionineachpublication's2005
ReadersChoiceAwards.Noneofthatsimplification,however,makesUbuntuanylessfunif
you'reahackerorapoweruser.
Likeallbooksinthe"Hacks"series,UbuntuHacksincludes100quicktipsandtricksforall
usersofalltechnicallevels.Beginnerswillappreciatetheinstallationadviceandtipson
gettingthemostoutofthefreeapplicationspackagedwithUbuntu,whileintermediate
andadvancedreaderswilllearntheins-and-outsofpowermanagement,wirelessroaming,
3Dvideoacceleration,serverconfiguration,andmuchmore.


UbuntuHacks
ByBillChilders,JonathanOxer,KyleRankin
...............................................
Publisher:O'Reilly
PubDate:June2006
PrintISBN-10:0-596-52720-9
PrintISBN-13:978-0-59-652720-4

Pages:447

TableofContents|Index

Copyright
creditsCredits
Preface
Chapter1.GettingStarted
Hack1.Test-DriveUbuntu
Hack2.GetHelp
Hack3.MakeLiveCDDataPersistent
Hack4.CustomizetheUbuntuLiveCD
Hack5.InstallUbuntu
Hack6.Dual-BootUbuntuandWindows
Hack7.MoveYourWindowsDatatoUbuntu

Hack8.InstallUbuntuonaMac
Hack9.SetUpYourPrinter
Hack10.InstallUbuntuonanExternalDrive
Hack11.InstallfromaNetworkBootServer
Hack12.SubmitaBugReport
Hack13.UsetheCommandLine
Hack14.GetProductivewithApplications
Chapter2.TheLinuxDesktop
Hack15.GetUndertheHoodoftheGNOMEDesktop
Hack16.TweaktheKDEDesktop
Hack17.SwitchtoaLighterWindowManager
Hack18.InstallJava
Hack19.SearchYourComputer

Hack20.AccessRemoteFilesystems
Hack21.TweakYourDesktopLikeaPro
Hack22.SyncYourPalmPDA
Hack23.SyncYourPocketPC
Hack24.CustomizetheRight-ClickContextualMenu
Hack25.DownloadandShareFileswiththeBestP2PSoftware
Hack26.MakeYourOwnPDFs
Hack27.BlogwithUbuntu
Chapter3.Multimedia
Hack28.InstallMultimediaPlug-ins
Hack29.WatchVideos
Hack30.PlayDVDs
Hack31.BuySongsattheiTunesMusicStore
Hack32.GetaGriponCDRipping
Hack33.BurnCDsandDVDs
Hack34.AutomateAudioCDBurning
Hack35.RipandEncodeDVDs
Hack36.CreateaVideoDVD
Hack37.ConnecttoaDigitalCamera
Chapter4.MobileUbuntu
Hack38.PutYourLaptoptoSleep
Hack39.HibernateYourLaptop
Hack40.ProlongYourBatteryLife
Hack41.GetProprietaryWirelessCardsWorking
Hack42.RoamWirelessly
Hack43.MakeLaptopSettingsRoamwithYourNetwork
Hack44.MakeBluetoothConnections
Hack45.ExpandYourLaptop
Hack46.HotswapYourLaptop'sOpticalDrive

Chapter5.X11
Hack47.ConfigureMultibuttonMice
Hack48.EnableYourMultimediaKeyboard
Hack49.ConfigureaTouchpad
Hack50.ConnectMultipleDisplays
Hack51.ChangetheUbuntuSplashScreen
Hack52.Enable3-DVideoAcceleration
Hack53.MakeYourFontsPretty
Chapter6.PackageManagement
Hack54.ManagePackagesfromtheCommandLine

Hack55.ManagePackageswithSynaptic

Hack56.ManagePackageswithAdept
Hack57.InstallandRemoveStandalone.debFiles
Hack58.SearchforPackagesfromtheCommandLine
Hack59.InstallSoftwarefromSource
Hack60.ModifytheListofPackageRepositories
Hack61.CachePackagesLocallywithApt-cacher
Hack62.CreateanUbuntuPackage
Hack63.CompileaSourcePackage
Hack64.ConvertNon-UbuntuPackages
Hack65.CreateYourOwnPackageRepository
Hack66.ConvertDebiantoUbuntu
Chapter7.Security
Hack67.LimitPermissionswithsudo
Hack68.ManageSecurityUpdates
Hack69.ProtectYourNetworkwithaFirewall
Hack70.UseanEncryptedFilesystemtoProtectYourData
Hack71.EncryptYourEmailandImportantFiles
Hack72.SurftheWebAnonymously
Hack73.KeepWindowsMalwareoffYourSystem
Chapter8.Administration
Hack74.EditConfigurationFiles
Hack75.ManageUsersandGroups
Hack76.MountAnyFilesystem
Hack77.ControlStartupServices
Hack78.BuildKernelstheUbuntuWay
Hack79.BackUpYourSystem
Hack80.CloneanInstallation
Hack81.RescueanUnbootableSystem
Hack82.ChecktheCaptain'sLog
Hack83.MountRemovableDeviceswithPersistentNames

Hack84.MountRemoteDirectoriesSecurelyandEasily
Hack85.MakeVideosofYourTech-SupportQuestions
Hack86.SynchronizeFilesAcrossMachines
Chapter9.VirtualizationandEmulation
Hack87.RunWindowsApplications
Hack88.PlayWindowsGames
Hack89.RunUbuntuInsideWindows
Hack90.UseXentoHostVirtualMachines

Hack91.CreateanUbuntu/XenVirtualMachine
Hack92.SplitYourMachine'sPersonality
Chapter10.SmallOffice/HomeOfficeServer
Hack93.InstallandConfigureanUbuntuServer
Hack94.BuildaFileServer
Hack95.AdministerYourServerRemotely
Hack96.BuildaWebServer
Hack97.BuildanEmailServer
Hack98.BuildaCachingProxyServer
Hack99.BuildaDHCPServer
Hack100.BuildaDomainNameServer
Colophon
Index


Copyright©2006O'ReillyMedia,Inc.Allrightsreserved.
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica.
PublishedbyO'ReillyMedia,Inc.,1005GravensteinHighway
North,Sebastopol,CA95472.
O'Reillybooksmaybepurchasedforeducational,business,or
salespromotionaluse.Onlineeditionsarealsoavailablefor
mosttitles().Formoreinformation,
contactourcorporate/institutionalsalesdepartment:(800)
998-9938or
NutshellHandbook,theNutshellHandbooklogo,andthe

O'ReillylogoareregisteredtrademarksofO'ReillyMedia,Inc.
TheHacksseriesdesignations,UbuntuHacks,theimageofa
tuningfork,andrelatedtradedressaretrademarksofO'Reilly
Media,Inc.
Manyofthedesignationsusedbymanufacturersandsellersto
distinguishtheirproductsareclaimedastrademarks.Where
thosedesignationsappearinthisbook,andO'ReillyMedia,Inc.
wasawareofatrademarkclaim,thedesignationshavebeen
printedincapsorinitialcaps.
Whileeveryprecautionhasbeentakeninthepreparationofthis
book,thepublisherandauthorsassumenoresponsibilityfor
errorsoromissions,orfordamagesresultingfromtheuseof
theinformationcontainedherein.
Smallprint:Thetechnologiesdiscussedinthispublication,the
limitationsonthesetechnologiesthattechnologyandcontent
ownersseektoimpose,andthelawsactuallylimitingtheuseof
thesetechnologiesareconstantlychanging.Thus,someofthe
hacksdescribedinthispublicationmaynotwork,maycause
unintendedharmtosystemsonwhichtheyareused,ormay
notbeconsistentwithapplicableuseragreements.Youruseof


thesehacksisatyourownrisk,andO'ReillyMedia,Inc.
disclaimsresponsibilityforanydamageorexpenseresulting
fromtheiruse.Inanyevent,youshouldtakecarethatyouruse
ofthesehacksdoesnotviolateanyapplicablelaws,including
copyrightlaws.

Credits
AbouttheAuthors
JonathanOxer(ispresidentofLinux
Australia,thenationalorganizationforLinuxusersand
developers.Heistheauthorof"HowToBuildAWebsiteAnd
StaySane"(),writesregularlyfor
TheAgeandSydneyMorningHeraldnewspapers,andhis
articleshavebeentranslatedintoFrench,BrazilianPortuguese,
Italian,Norwegian,andSpanishandhaveappearedindozens
ofpublications.
In1994,hefoundedoneofthefirstbusinessesintheworldto
specializeindynamicwebsitesandonlinecontent
management,andin1995hebecameoneofthefirstpeopleto
everdoreal-timeeventcoverageviatheInternetwhenalive
feedwasrunfromtheflooroftheBicycleIndustryTradeShow
inSydney,Australia.Hiscompany,InternetVisionTechnologies
(),hassincedevelopedwebsites,
intranets,extranets,andcustomwebapplicationsforclients
rangingfrombackyardbusinessestomultinationalcorporations.
JonathanhasbeenaDebiandevelopersince2002andhas
convenedtheDebianMiniconfinadifferentcityeveryyear
since2003.Hehaspresenteddozensoftutorials,papers,and
keynotesonvarioustechnologyandbusinesstopicsatboth
corporateandgovernmentseminars;atconferences,including
LinuxTag,linux.conf.au,OpenSourceDevelopersConference,
andDebianMiniconf;andatusergroups,includingMelbourne
PHPUserGroupandLinuxUsersVictoria.Hesitsonthe
AdvisoryGroupofSwinburneUniversity'sCentrefor
CollaborativeBusinessInnovation,whichisresponsiblefor

researchingandformulatingIT-related,post-graduate
curriculumstrategies,andontheAustralianFederal


government'se-ResearchCoordinatingCommitteeReference
Group.
HelivesinMelbourne,Australiawithhiswife,daughter,and
son.
KyleRankinisasystemadministratorforQuinStreet,Inc.,the
currentpresidentoftheNorthBayLinuxUsersGroup,andthe
authorofKnoppixHacks,KnoppixPocketReference,andLinux
MultimediaHacks(allfromO'Reilly).KylehasbeenusingLinux
inoneformoranothersinceearly1998.Inhisfreetime,he
eitherwritesordoesprettymuchthesamethinghedoesat
work:workswithLinux.
BillChildersisDirectorofEnterpriseSystemsforQuinstreet,
Inc.He'sbeenworkingwithLinuxandUnixsincebeforeitwas
cool,andpreviouslyworkedforSunMicrosystemsandSet
Engineering.Inhissparetime,heworkswiththeGilroyGarlic
FestivalAssociationasoneofitschairmen,andenjoysplaying
withhischildren.

Contributors
ScottGrannemanspecializesinhelpingschools,nonprofits,
andbusinessesharnessemergingtechnologies.Through
presentations,consulting,andpublications,Scottexplicates
thepoweroftheInternet,theWorldWideWeb,andrelated
technologies.Hehashelpededucatethousandsofpeopleof
allagesfrompreteenstoseniorcitizensonawidevarietyof
topics.AmixofeducationalexperienceandpracticalknowhowenablesScotttodeliverthekindofhands-onsolutions

hisclientsexpect.And,astheInternetcontinuesits
phenomenalgrowth,hehelpshisclientstakefulladvantage
ofeachnewevolutionofthisemergingtechnology.Detailed
informationisavailableatwww.granneman.com.


BrianJepsonisanO'Reillyeditor,programmer,and
coauthorofMacOSXTigerforUnixGeeksandLearning
UnixforMacOSXPanther.He'salsoavolunteersystem
administratorandall-aroundgeekforAS220,anonprofit
artscenterinProvidence,RhodeIsland.AS220givesRhode
Islandartistsuncensoredandunjuriedforumsfortheir
work.Theseforumsincludegalleries,performancespace,
andpublications.Brianseestoitthattechnology,especially
freesoftware,supportsthatmission.
ThomasPletcheroperatesacommunicationsagencyin
upstateNewYorkusingUbuntuandotherfreeandopen
sourcesoftware.Heisalsoawriter/partnerat
CommunityMX.com.HeandhiswifeBarbaraoperateasite
(devotedtorescuingGreat
Pyreneesdogs,awonderfulbreedhehopestoseeonthe
coverofanO'Reillybookbeforelong.

Acknowledgments
Theauthorswouldliketothankthepeoplewho
madethisbookpossible.
Jonathan
ThebiggestthanksdefinitelyhavetogotomywifeAnnandour
childrenAmeliaandThomas,whoforseveralmonthsbarely
sawmefromoneweektothenext.WritingUbuntuHackshas

beenoneofthoseperiodswheneverythingelse,including
sleep,becamesecondarytojustgettingthejobdone,andmy
familywasamazinglysupportiveandunderstandingthrough
everything.


ThanksalsotomycoauthorsKyleRankinandBillChilders,who
sowillinglysharedtheirknowledgeofallthingsLinux,andthe
contributingwriterswhoputinabigefforttosupplementthe
bodyofthetextwiththeirparticularareasofexpertise.Andthe
wholeUbuntuHackscircuswouldn'thavebeenpossiblewithout
oureditor,BrianJepson,actingasringmasterandkeepingall
ourperformancesonschedulewhileevenmanagingto
contributesomeofhisown.
Finally,withouttheCanonicalteamtherewouldn'tbeanUbuntu
tohackon,andwithoutDebiantherewouldneverhavebeen
Canonical,andwithoutthewholefree/opensourcesoftware
communitytherewouldneverhavebeenDebian,sothe
ultimatethankshavetogototheamazingcommunitythat
we'reallpartof.Toeverypersonwhohaseverwrittenopen
sourcesoftware,orsubmittedabugreport,orwrittenahow-to,
ormaintainedaDebianpackage,orstoodonastreetcorner
andhandedoutUbuntuCDs:thankyou.Thisbookiswrittenin
yourhonor.

Kyle
FirstI'dliketothankmywifeJoyforhelpingmeyetagain
throughthecrunchperiodofthisbook.I'dalsoliketothank
DavidBricknerforbringingmeonthisproject,alongwithBrian
Jepsonforhisguidanceineditingthebook.

Thisbookwastheresultofagreatteameffort,somanythanks
toBillandJonforalltheirhardworktomakethebookhappen,
andthankstoallthecontributingwriters.
Finally,I'dliketothankUbuntu'samazingcommunityofusers
anddevelopersfortheirhardworkinmakingUbuntuasuccess
insuchashortamountoftime.


Bill
Iwanttokickoffthisacknowledgmentssectionbythankingand
recognizingthemostimportantpeopleinmylife:myfamily.
GillianandConner,thisbookisforyou.ThisiswhyDaddy's
beenatthekeyboardforsomanynightsandweekends.Special
thankstoKellyforputtingupwithmewhileIundertookthis
projectamongstalltheotherthingsIdoIloveyou,honey.
You'vebeenatremendousinfluenceandsourceofsupport,and
Icouldn'thavepulledanyofthisoffwithoutyou.
Thankstomyparentsandgrandparentsforgettingmemyfirst
computerandsupportingmyinitial"addiction"Iwouldn'tbe
whereIamtodaywithoutthem.
Thankstoalltheprogrammers,documentationpeople,bug
testers,andeveryoneelsewhocontributestotheUbuntuand
Debianprojects.Everyoneofyoushouldbeproudofyour
workyou'vecreatedsomethingtrulyspecial.Thankstothe
crowdof#linuxtoo,particularlyJorge,whoseongoingpursuit
ofshinystuffledmetoruntheprereleaseofWartywayback
when.AlsothankstomyfellowwriterKyle:allthestuffwe've
beenthroughhasbeenatotalblast,andI'mlookingforwardto
thefuture.
Finally,thankstoDavidBricknerandBrianJepsonforgivingme

thisshotandforeditingallmymistaeks(sic).




Preface
ThefirstreleaseofUbuntu,theWartyWarthog,wasmade
availabletotheworldonOctober20,2004.Lessthantwoyears
later,Ubuntuisnowthenumber-onemostpopularLinux
versionatDistroWatch.com,faraheadofthedistributionin
secondplace.Countlessarticles,reviews,andblogpostings
havebeenwrittenaboutUbuntuanditssisterdistros,Kubuntu
andEdubuntu.InMacedonia,Ubuntuwillbeinstalledin468
schoolsand182computerlabs.InSouthAfrica,HPisgoingto
offerdesktopsandnotebookswithUbuntuonthem.Aroundthe
world,hundredsofthousandsofpeoplehaveinstalledUbuntu,
and,inmanycases,itwasthefirstLinuxdistrothey'dever
tried.FormanyofthosenewLinuxusers,Ubuntuhasbeenso
goodthatthey'veswitchedtoLinux.ForaLinuxdistrothat's
stillaninfant,thisisremarkablestuff!
WhyhasUbuntubeensosuccessful?Technically,it'sbasedon
Debian,whichisanexcellentfoundationforaLinuxdistro,but
Ubuntuhasaddedaleveloffinishandpolishthathasmadeita
joytousefornewbies,thoughitisstillapowerhouseformore
experiencedusers.It'sincrediblyup-to-date;ateamof
dedicateddevelopersensuresthateverything"justworks,"with
regularupdatestothevariouspackagesthatmakeupthedistro
andaroughlysix-monthreleaseschedulebetweendistros.
Butthesecretbehindthephenomenalsuccessandgrowthof
Ubuntuisreallyoneman:SouthAfricanMarkShuttleworth.

AfterfoundingThawte,acompanyprovidingdigitalcertificates,
whenhewas22,Shuttleworthsoldthecompanyfouryears
latertoVeriSignforalargeamountofmoney.Afterfulfillinghis
dreamofgoingintospace,hedecidedtofulfillanotherand
buildthebestLinuxdistrointheworld.Inthathehas
succeeded.
Butit'salsoaboutprincipleswithShuttleworth.Hehasplentyof


money,andhewantstodothingswithhisfortunethatwill
changetheworld.Consequently,Ubuntuwillalwaysaimforthe
highestquality,anditwillalwaysbefree.ThenameUbuntu
itselfisladenwithmeaning,asitisanAfricanwordmeaning
both"humanitytoothers"and"IamwhatIambecauseofwho
weallare,"whileKubuntumeans"towardshumanity."
ShuttleworthhaspromulgatedtheUbuntuCodeofConduct,
whichstatesthatmembersofthecommunitymustpractice
consideration,respect,andcollaboration.
ThisisabookwrittenbypassionateUbuntuandKubuntuusers
whoareexcitedtotalkaboutapowerful,cooldistrothatmeets
theneedsofnovice,intermediate,andexperiencedusersina
widevarietyofways.Thehacksinthisbookcovertheessential
areasofUbuntu,andthey'llhelpyoumaximizeyouruseofthe
distro.Whetheryouwanttoplaymusicandmovies,oruse
Ubuntuonyourlaptopasyoutravel,orinstalljustaboutany
softwarepackageyoucouldeverwant,orrunotheroperating
systemsinsideUbuntu,we'vegotitallcovered.
Weknowyou'llgetalotoutofUbuntuHacks,butwealsowant
toencourageyoutogivebacktothecommunityandhelpgrow
Ubuntu:

VisitthemainUbuntuandKubuntuwebsitesat
and.The
entiresitesareworthexploringindepth,buttheWikis
especiallyofferawealthofusefulinformation.
DownloadUbuntuandofferittofriends,family,and
acquaintances.Heck,offerittototalstrangers!Themore
peoplewhotryUbuntu,themorepeoplewhowilluseUbuntu.
Ifyoudon'twanttodownloadthedistro,youcanrequestfree
CDsat.Don'tbeshyaskandyeshall
receive!
Ifyouknowhowtoprogram,considerbecomingaUbuntu


developer.Ifyoudon'tknowhowtoprogram,there'sstillplenty
ofworkyoucando.Eitherway,headoverto
Ifyouthinkyouhavethe
rightstuff,youcanevenapplyforworkat
/>BuysomeUbuntuswagfromtheUbuntuShop
(ordonatemoneyat
/>Mostimportantly,telltheworldaboutUbuntu!Let'sgetthe
wordout:there'sanawesome,free,super-powerfuloperating
systemthatanyonecanusenamedUbuntu,andit'smadefor
you.

WhyUbuntuHacks?
Thetermhackinghasabadreputationinthepress.Theyuseit
torefertopeoplewhobreakintosystemsorwreakhavocwith
computersastheirweapon.Amongpeoplewhowritecode,
though,thetermhackreferstoa"quick-and-dirty"solutiontoa
problem,oracleverwaytogetsomethingdone.Andtheterm

hackeristakenverymuchasacompliment,referringto
someoneasbeingcreative,havingthetechnicalchopstoget
thingsdone.TheHacksseriesisanattempttoreclaimthe
word,documentthegoodwayspeoplearehacking,andpass
thehackerethicofcreativeparticipationontotheuninitiated.
Seeinghowothersapproachsystemsandproblemsisoftenthe
quickestwaytolearnaboutanewtechnology.

HowtoUseThisBook
Youcanreadthisbookfromcovertocoverifyoulike,buteach
hackstandsonitsown,sofeelfreetobrowseandjumptothe
differentsectionsthatinterestyoumost.Ifthere'sa
prerequisiteyouneedtoknowabout,across-referencewill


guideyoutotherighthack.

HowThisBookIsOrganized
Thisbookisdividedinto10chapters,organizedbysubject:

Chapter1,GettingStarted
ThischaptershowsyouhowtogetstartedwithUbuntu.
WhetheryouwanttogiveitawhirlwithaliveCD,oryou're
readytojumprightinandinstallUbuntuonyourcomputer,
you'llfindwhatyouneedhere.Inadditiontogettingallthe
informationyouneedtoinstallUbuntuonyoursystem,
you'llalsolearnhowtogetstartedwiththeLinuxcommand
line,setupyourprinter,fileabugreport,andmore.

Chapter2,TheLinuxDesktop

You'regoingtospendalotoftimeinfrontofamouse,
keyboard,andmonitor,workingwithoneoftheLinux
desktops.Thischapterhelpsyougetthemostoutofthe
GNOMEandKDEdesktopenvironmentsforLinux,andeven
helpsyoufindoutaboutafewothersthatareworth
checkingout.You'llalsolearnsuchthingsashowtoget
Javasetup,howtoworkwithfilesonremotecomputers,
andhowtogetUbuntutalkingtohandheldcomputers.

Chapter3,Multimedia
Thischaptergetsthemusicandmoviesrunningsoyoucan
havesomefuninbetweenalltheworkyougetdonewith
Ubuntu.You'lllearnhowtoplaynearlyanykindofaudio


andvideo,andburnfiles,music,andmoviestooptical
discs.

Chapter4,MobileUbuntu
Ifyou'reusingUbuntuonanotebookcomputer,you're
probablygoingtowanttocutafewwires.Thischapter
helpsyougetgoingwithvariouswirelesscards.You'llalso
learnhowtogetthemostoutofyourlaptop,fromsaving
energytoinstallingadd-oncards.

Chapter5,X11
ThischaptershowsyouhowtotweakX11,thewindowing
systemthatlurksbeneaththeshinyveneerofKDEand
GNOME.You'lllearnhowtogetyourmouseandkeyboard
workingjustright,andalsohowtogetX11configuredsoit

takesfulladvantageofthegraphicsadapterinyour
computer.

Chapter6,PackageManagement
Tosomeextent,anyLinuxdistributionisabigcollectionof
packagesheldtogetherbyawholelotofinterestingand
usefulglue.Ubuntu'sgreatadvantageisthequalityofthose
packingsandallthetestingandimprovementthatgoesinto
them.Thischaptershowsyouhowtoworkwithpackages,
whetheryou'reinstallingthem,findingnewonesfrom
beyondtheedgesoftheUbuntuuniverse,orcreatingyour
own.


Chapter7,Security
Thischaptershowsyouhowtotightenupsecurityonyour
system.You'lllearnthebasicsofhowthesudocommand
keepsyouandyourfellowusersoutoftrouble,howto
protectyournetworkfromintruders,andevenhowtokeep
yourdatasafeifoneofthebadguysdoesmakeitin.

Chapter8,Administration
Everynowandthen,you'regoingtohavetotakeabreak
fromthefunofusingUbuntuanddosomeadministrative
tasks.Whetheryou'readdinganewuser,tweakingyour
system'sconfiguration,ordoingthosebackupsyoushould
havedonelongago,you'llfindwhatyouneedinthis
chapter.

Chapter9,VirtualizationandEmulation

ThischaptershowsyouhowtorunUbuntuinsideofother
operatingsystems,andotheroperatingsystemsinsideof
Ubuntu.It'sallmadepossiblebyacombinationof
emulationandvirtualization,whicheffectivelyletsyouruna
computerinsideofacomputer.

Chapter10,SmallOffice/HomeOfficeServer
Ubuntuisn'tjustagreatdesktopoperatingsystem;italso
makesafantasticbasisforaserver.Inthischapter,you'll
learneverythingfromdoingabasicserverinstallto
installingnetworkservicessuchasDNS,mail,Apache,and
more.


ConventionsUsedinThisBook
Thefollowingisalistofthetypographicalconventionsusedin
thisbook:

Italic
Usedforemphasisandnewtermswheretheyaredefined,
aswellastoindicateUnixutilities,URLs,filenames,
filenameextensions,anddirectory/foldernames.For
example,apathinthefilesystemwillappearas/usr/local.

Constantwidth
Usedtoshowcodeexamples,thecontentsoffiles,and
consoleoutput,aswellasthenamesofvariables,
commands,andothercodeexcerpts.

Constant

width
bold
Usedtohighlightportionsofcode,eitherforemphasisorto
indicatetextthatshouldbetypedbytheuser.

Constantwidthitalic

Usedincodeexamplestoshowsampletexttobereplaced
withyourownvalues.


Graytype
Usedtoindicateacross-referencewithinthetext.

Usedinfilecontentsattheendofalineofcodetoindicate
thatitcarriesovertothefollowinglinebecauseofspace
limitations.Youshouldentertheselinesasonelineinthe
actualfiles.
Youshouldpayspecialattentiontonotessetapartfromthe
textwiththefollowingicons:

Thisisatip,suggestion,orgeneralnote.Itcontainsuseful
supplementaryinformationaboutthetopicathand.

Thisisawarningornoteofcaution,oftenindicatingthatyourmoney
oryourprivacymightbeatrisk.

Thethermometericons,foundnexttoeachhack,indicatethe
relativecomplexityofthehack:

UsingCodeExamples


Thisbookisheretohelpyougetyourjobdone.Ingeneral,you
mayusethecodeinthisbookinyourprogramsand
documentation.Youdonotneedtocontactusforpermission
unlessyou'rereproducingasignificantportionofthecode.For
example,writingaprogramthatusesseveralchunksofcode
fromthisbookdoesnotrequirepermission.Sellingor
distributingaCD-ROMofexamplesfromO'Reillybooksdoes
requirepermission.Answeringaquestionbycitingthisbook
andquotingexamplecodedoesnotrequirepermission.
Incorporatingasignificantamountofexamplecodefromthis
bookintoyourproduct'sdocumentationdoesrequire
permission.
Weappreciate,butdonotrequire,attribution.Anattribution
usuallyincludesthetitle,author,publisher,andISBN.For
example:"UbuntuHacksbyJonathanOxer,KyleRankin,and
BillChilders.Copyright2006O'ReillyMedia,Inc.,0-596-527209."
Ifyoufeelyouruseofcodeexamplesfallsoutsidefairuseor
thepermissiongivenabove,feelfreetocontactusat


SafariEnabled

WhenyouseeaSafari®Enabledicononthecover
ofyourfavoritetechnologybook,thatmeansthebookis
availableonlinethroughtheO'ReillyNetworkSafariBookshelf.
Safarioffersasolutionthat'sbetterthane-books.It'savirtual
librarythatletsyoueasilysearchthousandsoftoptechbooks,

cutandpastecodesamples,downloadchapters,andfindquick
answerswhenyouneedthemostaccurate,currentinformation.
Tryitforfreeat.


HowtoContactUs
Wehavetestedandverifiedtheinformationinthisbooktothe
bestofourability,butyoumayfindthatfeatureshavechanged
(oreventhatwehavemademistakes!).Asareaderofthis
book,youcanhelpustoimprovefutureeditionsbysendingus
yourfeedback.Pleaseletusknowaboutanyerrors,
inaccuracies,bugs,misleadingorconfusingstatements,and
typosthatyoufindanywhereinthisbook.
Pleasealsoletusknowwhatwecandotomakethisbookmore
usefultoyou.Wetakeyourcommentsseriouslyandwilltryto
incorporatereasonablesuggestionsintofutureeditions.Youcan
writetousat:
O'ReillyMedia,Inc.
1005GravensteinHighwayNorth
Sebastopol,CA95472
800-998-9938(intheU.S.orCanada)
707-829-0515(international/local)
707-829-0104(fax)
Toasktechnicalquestionsortocommentonthebook,send
emailto:

ThewebsiteforUbuntuHackslistsexamples,errata,andplans
forfutureeditions.Youcanfindthispageat:
/>Formoreinformationaboutthisbookandothers,seethe
O'Reillywebsite:

GotaHack?
ToexploreHacksbooksonlineortocontributeahackforfuture
titles,visit:



Chapter1.GettingStarted
Anoperatingsystemtakessomegettingusedto.Whetheryou
arenewtoUbuntuornewtoLinuxitself,therearesomebasic
thingsyouneedtogetfamiliarwithbeforeyoucanmoveon.
Thehacksinthischaptercoverthosebasicsandthensome.
TheUbuntuLiveCDisagoodwaytoexploreUbuntuwithout
changinganythingonyourharddrive.Thischapterexplains
howtogetupandrunningwiththeLiveCD,andevenshows
youhowtouseitwithamemorysticktokeepyoursettings
anddocumentsaroundbetweenreboots.You'llalsolearnhow
toinstallUbuntu,whetheryouwanttomakeitthesole
operatingsystemonyourcomputerorwanttodual-boot
betweenUbuntuandWindows.You'llevenlearnhowtoinstall
UbuntuonaMacintosh.
Thischapteralsocoversfundamentalssuchasgettingyour
printersetup,gettinghelp(andhelpingUbuntubysubmitting
bugreports),gettingstartedwiththecommandline,and
findingthemostimportantapplicationsyouneedtostart"doing
stuff"withUbuntu.

Hack1.Test-DriveUbuntu

UsetheUbuntuLiveCDtogettoknowLinuxbefore
installingitonyoursystem.Thisissimplythefastestand
safestwaytotryoutLinux.
ThoughLinuxonthedesktoplooksandbehavesalotlike
Windows,thesimplefactisitisn't.YourfavoriteWindows
programsprobablywon'truninLinux,itmaybedifficultto
migratedatafromyourWindowsinstall[Hack#7],andthe
yearsyou'vespentgettingusedtohowWindowsdoesthings
willprovemostlyuselesswhenitcomestounderstandinghow
Linuxworks.Withallofthisinmind,wouldn'titbegreatifyou
couldtryoutLinuxwithoutspendinghoursordaysgettingit
installedandconfiguredonyoursystem?Well,youcan.With
theUbuntuLiveCD,youcantakeLinuxforatest-drivetobe
certainyoureallywanttocommitthetimeandresourcesto
runningitfull-time.Thishackshowsyouhowtodownloadthe
UbuntuLiveCDandbootyoursystemusingit.Otherhacksin
thebookshowyouhowtogetaroundinGNOME[Hack#15]or
KDE[Hack#16],thetwopopulargraphicalenvironmentsthat
runontopofLinux.

DownloadingtheLiveCD
AliveCDisacompleteinstallationofLinuxthatrunsentirely
fromCD.WhileyouareusingaliveCD,nothingiswrittento
yourharddrive,soyourWindowsorMacOSinstallationisnot
affectedinanyway.However,becauseyou'rerunningfroma
CD,you'relimitedtousingonlytheprogramsthatareinstalled
ontheCD,andeverythingwillrunabitslowerbecauseCD