Wiley red hat linux fedora for dummies dec 2003 ISBN 076454232x

RedHatLinuxFedoraForDummies
ISBN:076454232x
byJon'maddog'HallandPaul
G.Sery
JohnWiley&Sons©2004
ThishandyguidehelpsyouworkwithFedora
bywalkingyouthroughinstallingand
configuringtheOS,gettingonline,buildinga
firewall,usingWindowsapplicationswithWine,
tuninginwithMPlayer,andmuchmore.
TableofContents
RedHatLinuxFedoraforDummies
Introduction
PartI-InstallingRedHatLinux

Chapter1
Chapter2
Chapter3
Chapter4

AndintheOppositeCorner...a
Penguin?
- GettingReadyforRedHatLinux
- Ready,Set,Install!
- GettingRedHatLinux
-

PartII-GotNet?

Chapter5
Chapter6

Chapter7
Chapter8

- Dial-UpModemsStillGettheJobDone
- BroadbandRocks!
ConnectLocally,CommunicateGlobally:
ConnectingtoaLAN
- OnlyYouCanPreventNetworkBreak-Ins

PartIII-Linux,Huh!WhatIsItGoodFor?Absolutely
Everything!

Chapter9 - GnowingGNOME
Chapter10 - GnowingMoreApplications


Chapter11
Chapter12
Chapter13
Chapter14

- Surfin’theNetandGroovin’toTunes
- LivefromtheNet
- GoingtotheOffice
- DaysofWineandApplications

PartIV-RevengeoftheNerds

Chapter15 - BuildingYourOwn,PrivateNetwork
Chapter16 - CreatingBasicLinuxNetworkServices

Chapter17 - SecuringYourFuture
BringingIntheRedHatLinuxRepair
Chapter18 Man
Chapter19 - BuildingaStreamingAudioServer
PartV-ThePartofTens

Chapter20 - TenProblemAreasandSolutions
Chapter21 - TenSecurityVulnerabilities
PartVI-Appendixes

AppendixA - RedHatLinuxAdministrationUtilities
AppendixB - DiscoveringYourHardware
AppendixC - FilingYourLifeAway
BecomingaSuit:ManagingtheRedHat
AppendixD LinuxFileSystem
AppendixE - RevvingUpRPM
AppendixF - AbouttheDVD
Index
CheatSheet - RedHatLinuxFedoraForDummies
ListofFigures
ListofTables
ListofSidebars


BackCover
ConfigurebroadbandInternetconnections,workwith
OpenOffice.org,andmore.RedHathasmergedits
flagshipRedHatLinuxproductwiththeFedoraProject
tocreatetheFedoraCoredistribution.Thishandy
guidehelpsyouworkwithFedora.Itwalksyou

throughinstallingandconfiguringtheoperating
system,gettingonline,buildingafirewall,using
WindowsapplicationswithWine,tuningintostreaming
multimediawithMPlayer,andevencreatingyourown
secure,privatenetwork.
Discoverhowto:
Getonlinewithcable,DSL,ordial-upmodems
Managee-mailwithMozillaandEvolution
Troubleshootanetwork
Partitionanddefragmentharddrives
UsetheGNOMEdesktopenvironment
WorkwithOpenOffice.org
AbouttheAuthors
Jon“maddog”HallisExecutiveDirectorofLinux
InternationalandauthorofseveralbooksonLinux.
PaulG.Seryassistsinoperatingandmanagingthe
ComputerScienceResearchInstituteNetwork.


RedHatLinuxFedoraforDummies
Jon‘maddog’Hal
PaulG.Sery
PublishedbyWileyPublishing,Inc.
111RiverStreet
Hoboken,NJ07030-5774
Copyright©2004byWileyPublishing,Inc.,Indianapolis,Indiana
PublishedbyWileyPublishing,Inc.,Indianapolis,Indiana
PublishedsimultaneouslyinCanada
Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedinaretrieval
systemortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronic,

mechanical,photocopying,recording,scanningorotherwise,exceptas
permittedunderSections107or108ofthe1976UnitedStatesCopyright
Act,withouteitherthepriorwrittenpermissionofthePublisher,or
authorizationthroughpaymentoftheappropriateper-copyfeetothe
CopyrightClearanceCenter,222RosewoodDrive,Danvers,MA01923,
(978)750-8400,fax(978)646-8600.RequeststothePublisherfor
permissionshouldbeaddressedtotheLegalDepartment,Wiley
Publishing,Inc.,10475CrosspointBlvd.,Indianapolis,IN46256,(317)
572-3447,fax(317)572-4447,e-mail:
Trademarks:Wiley,theWileyPublishinglogo,ForDummies,the
DummiesManlogo,AReferencefortheRestofUs!,TheDummiesWay,
DummiesDaily,TheFunandEasyWay,Dummies.com,andrelated
tradedressaretrademarksorregisteredtrademarksofJohnWiley&
Sons,Inc.and/oritsaffiliatesintheUnitedStatesandothercountries,
andmaynotbeusedwithoutwrittenpermission.Allothertrademarksare
thepropertyoftheirrespectiveowners.WileyPublishing,Inc.,isnot
associatedwithanyproductorvendormentionedinthisbook.
LimitofLiability/DisclaimerofWarranty:Thepublisherandtheauthor
makenorepresentationsorwarrantieswithrespecttotheaccuracyor


completenessofthecontentsofthisworkandspecificallydisclaimall
warranties,includingwithoutlimitationwarrantiesoffitnessfora
particularpurpose.Nowarrantymaybecreatedorextendedbysalesor
promotionalmaterials.Theadviceandstrategiescontainedhereinmay
notbesuitableforeverysituation.Thisworkissoldwiththe
understandingthatthepublisherisnotengagedinrenderinglegal,
accounting,orotherprofessionalservices.Ifprofessionalassistanceis
required,theservicesofacompetentprofessionalpersonshouldbe
sought.Neitherthepublishernortheauthorshallbeliablefordamages

arisingherefrom.ThefactthatanorganizationorWebsiteisreferredtoin
thisworkasacitationand/orapotentialsourceoffurtherinformation
doesnotmeanthattheauthororthepublisherendorsestheinformation
theorganizationorWebsitemayprovideorrecommendationsitmay
make.Further,readersshouldbeawarethatInternetWebsiteslistedin
thisworkmayhavechangedordisappearedbetweenwhenthiswork
waswrittenandwhenitisread.FULFILLMENTOFEACHCOUPON
OFFERISTHESOLERESPONSIBILITYOFTHEOFFEROR.
Forgeneralinformationonourotherproductsandservicesortoobtain
technicalsupport,pleasecontactourCustomerCareDepartmentwithin
theU.S.at800-762-2974,outsidetheU.S.at317-572-3993,orfax317572-4002.
Wileyalsopublishesitsbooksinavarietyofelectronicformats.Some
contentthatappearsinprintmaynotbeavailableinelectronicbooks.
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2003112921
ISBN:0-7645-4232-X
ManufacturedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
AbouttheAuthors
Jon‘maddog’HallistheexecutivedirectorofLinuxInternational,a
vendororganizationdedicatedtopromotingtheuseoftheLinux
operatingsystem.Hehasbeeninthecomputerindustryformorethana
quarterofacentury(somehow,thatsoundsmoreimpressivethanjust
“25years”),thepast18yearsofwhichhavebeenspentusing,


programming,andadmiringtheUnixoperatingsystem.Jonworksfor
CompaqComputerCorporation,whereheishelpingtoshapeCompaq’s
strategywithrespecttoLinux.Previously,Jonwasthedepartmenthead
ofcomputerscienceatHartfordStateTechnicalCollege,wherehis
studentslovingly(hehopes)gavehimthenickname‘maddog’ashetried
toteachthemoperatingsystemdesign,compilertheory,andhowtolive

anhonorablelife
WhileworkingforDigitalEquipmentCorporationinMayof1994,
‘maddog’metLinusTorvalds,andwasintelligentenough(hiscriticssay
‘maddog’wasjustlucky)torecognizethepotentialoftheLinuxoperating
system.Linuxchangedhislife,mostlybyprovidinghimwith22-hour
workdays.Since‘maddog’hasstartedworkingwithLinux,however,he
hasalsostartedmeetingmoregirls(inparticular,histwogodchildren).
YoucanusuallyfindJonspeakingatvariousLinuxconferencesand
events(‘maddog’justbarks),andhehasalsobeenknowntotravellong
distancestospeaktolocalLinuxusergroups.
PaulG.SeryisacomputersystemsengineeremployedbySandia
NationalLaboratoriesinAlbuquerque,NewMexico.Heisamemberof
theComputerSupportUnit,SpecialProjects,whichspecializesin
managingandtroubleshootingUNIXandLinuxsystems.
Whenheisnotbeatinghisheadagainstsystemsadministration
problems,Paulandhiswife,Lidia,enjoyridingtheirtandembicycle
throughtheRioGrandevalley.Theyalsoenjoytravelingthroughout
Mexico.PaulistheauthorofLinuxNetworkToolkitandtheco-authorof
severalotherbooks.Hehasabachelor’sdegreeinelectricalengineering
fromtheUniversityofNewMexico.
Dedication
Jon‘maddog’Hall:ToMom&Pop(TM),whoseaversiontothings
electroniciswellknown,andwhocanstillcalltheirsonJonratherthan
maddog.
PaulG.Sery:Tomywife,LidiaMauraVazquezdeSery.
Author’sAcknowledgments


Iwanttothankmywife,Lidia,forherpatience,support,andgoodadvice,
allofwhichhavemadewritingthisbookpossible.Withouther,Iwould

stillbethepocket-protector-wearing,busted-eye-glass-fixed-with-tapelooking,“StarTrek”-watching,wrinkled-shirt-suffering,spaghetti-in-thepot-over-the-sinkeating,Saturday-night-hackingsorrysortaguy.Well,I
neverwasinto“StarTrek,”andIampeckingatthiskeyboardon
Saturdaynight,butmybeautifulwifesurehasmademeabetterman.
IwouldalsoliketothankAnneHamiltonandLauraLewin,whogaveme
thechancetowriteingeneralandthisbookinparticular.Bothshowed
greatconfidenceandpatienceinme.Iamverygratefulandwishthem
successintheirventures.
And,ofcourse,IwanttothankthestaffatWileyPublishing,who
providedconsiderableandessentialhelp,too.TerriVarverisand
RebeccaWhitneyprovidedconstantandessentialassistance.
Iwanttoacknowledgeatotallackofassistanceinwritingthisbookfrom
mydog,theinfamousOsoMaloso;eaterofmanythingsthatshouldhave
endedhislongcareerearly,includingbutnotlimitedtoantpoison,Advil,
manypoundsofTootsieRollsoneHalloween,severalbagsofchicken
bonesatoneparty,beer,andotherassorteditems;escaperofmany
fencesandgates;andfriendofthelate,greatPaunchy(whosenameyou
seethroughoutthisbook)andotherlocaldogs.
HowusefulwasOso?Well,onenightwhileworkingonthisbookIgota
phonecall.Leavingmyapplepiebehindnexttothekeyboard,Iwent
downstairstotakethecallandpassedhimonhiswayup.Ishouldhave
knownsomethingwasupbecausehehadacellphonewithhimandno
oneansweredwhenIpickeduptotakethecall.Iwentupthestairswhile
hewentdown.Theapplepiewasgone.Oso1,human0.—PaulG.Sery
Publisher’sAcknowledgments
We’reproudofthisbook;pleasesendusyourcommentsthroughour
onlineregistrationformlocatedatwww.dummies.com/register/.
Someofthepeoplewhohelpedbringthisbooktomarketincludethe
following:

Acquisitions,Editorial,andMediaDevelopment
ProjectEditor
RebeccaWhitney
AcquisitionsEditor
TerriVarveris
TechnicalEditors
KorryandSusanDouglas
EditorialManager
CarolSheehan
PermissionsEditor
LauraMoss
MediaDevelopmentSpecialist
AngelaDenny
MediaDevelopmentManager
LauraVanWinkle
MediaDevelopmentSupervisor
RichardGraves
EditorialAssistant
AmandaFoxworth
Cartoons
RichTennant(www.the5thwave.com)Production
ProjectCoordinator
ErinSmith
LayoutandGraphics
CarrieFoster
JoyceHaughey
KristinMcMullan
MaryGillotVirgin

ShaeLynnWilson
Proofreaders
LauraAlbert
CarlWilliamPierce
CharlesSpencer
EthelM.Winslow
Indexer
TECHBOOKSProductionServices
PublishingandEditorialforTechnologyDummies
RichardSwadley
VicePresidentandExecutiveGroupPublisher
AndyCummings
VicePresidentandPublisher
MaryC.Corder
EditorialDirector
PublishingforConsumerDummies
VicePresidentandPublisher
DianeGravesSteele
AcquisitionsDirector
JoycePepple
CompositionServices
VicePresidentofProductionServices
GerryFahey
DirectorofCompositionServices
DebbieStailey


Introduction
RedHatLinuxFedoraForDummiesisdesignedtohelpyouinstalland
useRedHatLinux.Thisbookshowsyouhowtodofunandinteresting—

tosaynothingofuseful—taskswithRedHatLinux.Thisbookisalso
designedtobeaneffectivedoorstoporcoffeecupcoaster.Whateveryou
useitfor,wehopethatyouhavefun.


AboutThisBook
Thisbookisdesignedtobeahelping-handstutorial.Itprovidesaplace
toturnforhelpandsolaceinthosemomentswhen,aftertwohoursof
tryingtogetyournetworkconnectionworking,yourdogbumpsintothe
cableanditmagicallystartsworking.
Note:Atpresstime,RedHatrenameditsLinuxproducttotheFedora
Project.Throughoutthisbook,weusuallyrefertotheproductasRedHat
Linux.You’llprobablyseetheproductreferredtoastheFedoraProjectin
thenews,ontheWeb,andelsewhere,butyoucanrestassuredthatthe
differentterms,asusedinthisbook,arereferringtothesameproduct.
Wetriedourhardesttofillupthisbookwiththethingsyouneedtoknow
about,suchashowto
InstallRedHatLinux
GetconnectedtotheInternetbyusingbroadbandDSLandcable
modemsorold-fashioneddial-upmodems
GetconnectedtoyourLocalAreaNetwork(LAN)
Buildasimplebuteffectivefirewall
BuildInternetandLANservices,suchasWebpagesandprint
servers
UseRedHatLinuxtoplayCDsandlistentoInternetradio
stations
UsetheGNOMEdesktopenvironment
Takeadvantageofusefulandusableapplications,suchasthe
OpenOfficedesktopproductivitysuite,Evolutiondesktop
organizerande-mailclient,andstreamingmultimediaMPlayer.

WorkwiththeOpenOfficedesktopproductivitysuitetosatisfy


yourwordprocessing,spreadsheet,andpresentationneeds
Upgradeyourcomputerandnetworksecurity
Knowwheretogoforhelp
ManageyourRedHatLinuxworkstation
Youseetroubleshootingtipsthroughoutthisbook,andChapter18is
devotedtothesubject.It’snotthatRedHatLinuxisallthatmuchtrouble,
butwewantyoutobepreparedincaseyourunintobadluck.
Warning Theinstructionsinthisbookaredesignedtoworkwiththe
versionofRedHatLinuxyoufindonthecompanionDVD;
wealsodescribehowtodownloadseveralsoftware
packagesnotfoundontheDVD-ROMs.Feelfreetouse
otherversionsofRedHatLinuxorevenotherLinux
distributions,butbeawarethatourinstructionsmaynot
workexactlyorevenatall.Goodluck!


FoolishAssumptions
Youknowwhattheysayaboutpeoplewhomakeassumptions,butthis
bookwouldneverhavebeenwrittenifwedidn’tmakeafew.Thisbookis
foryouifyou
WanttobuildaRedHatLinuxworkstation:Youwanttouse
theLinuxoperatingsystemtobuildyourpersonalworkstation.
Surprise!TheDVD-ROMinthebackofthisbookcontainsthe
RedHatLinuxdistribution.
Haveacomputer:It’sjustatechnicality,butyouneeda
computerbecausethisbookdescribeshowtoinstallRedHat
Linuxonacomputer.

Havenoducttape:YouwanttoputtheRedHatLinuxoperating
systemandthecomputertogether,andusingducttapehasn’t
worked.
Don’twanttobeaguru:Youdon’twanttobecomeaRedHat
Linuxguru—atleastnotyet.
However,thisbookisnotforyouifyou’relookingfor
Anall-encompassingreference-stylebook:Wesimplydon’t
haveenoughspace,orpermissionfromthepublisher,toprovide
acomprehensiverangeoftopics.Weconcentrateonproviding
helpwithgettingpopularandusefulstuffupandrunning.We
devotemorespace,forexample,togettingyourDSLorcable
modemworkingthantodescribingthetheorythatmakesthem
work.
Asystemadministrationbook:Again,wedon’thaveenough
spacetodothesubjectjustice.Weprovideinstructionsonhowto
performcertainessentialadministrativetasks,likeaddingusers,
packages,andnetworkconnections.Thisbookselectscertain
topicstofocusonandleavestherestforotherbooks.


ConventionsUsedinThisBook
Atcomputerconventions,thousandsofcomputerpeoplegettogether
andtalkaboutdeeptechnicalissues,suchas
WhatisthebesthardwareforrunningRedHatLinux?
IsCokebetterthanPepsi?
CouldSupermanbeatBatman?
CouldSuperman,Batman,andSpidermantogetherbeatThe
Punisher?(Noway!)
Buttheseconventionsaren’tthetypeswemean.Ourconventionsare
shorthandwaysofdesignatingspecificinformation,suchaswhatisand

isn’tacommandorthemeaningofcertainfunny-lookingsymbols.

Typingcode
Weshowyouhowtousegraphicalinterfacestorunmostofthe
programs,utilities,andapplicationswedescribeinthisbook.Sometimes,
however,runningcommandsfromatext-basedinterfaceisbetteror
necessary.InChapter4,forexample,wedescribehowtostartaterminal
emulatorwindowinwhichtorunthecommand.Inanticipationofrunning
text-basedcommands,wedescribetheconventionsweuse.
Whenyouseefilenames,directories,commands,andparametersinthe
text,they’reformattedinmonospacetype.Thathelpsdifferentiate
thoseitemsfromthegeneraltext.
Whenyouseewordsinboldface,theyindicatesomethingyoushould
type;forexample:
TypemanchownatthecommandpromptandpressEnter.
ThatlinemeanstoenterthecommandmanchownandpresstheEnter
(orReturn)key.Thecommandisthenexecuted.(Throughoutthisbook,
wesay“presstheEnterkey”wheneverwewantyoutoexecutea


command;theEnterkeyissynonymouswiththeReturnkey.)
Commandsnotshowninthetext,butsetoffonlinesbythemselves,look
likethis:
pwd
Here’sarundownofthecommandsyntaxinLinux:
Textnotsurroundedby[]or{}bracketsmustbetyped
exactlyasshown.
Textinsidebrackets[]isoptional.
Textinitalicsindicatesthepartofacommandthatmustbe
replacedwithappropriatetext.Youshouldnottypeverbatimthe

italicizedpartofacommand.Ifwesay“Enterthecommandmore
somefile,”wemeanforyoutoreplacesomefilewiththenameof
thefileyou’reinterestedin.Forexample,youmayendup
enteringthecommandmore/etc/passwd,whereyousubstitute
/etc/passwdforsomefile.
Textinsidebraces{}indicatesthatyoumustchooseoneofthe
valuesinsidethebracesandseparatedbythe|sign.For
example,youshouldentereitherecho“one”orecho“two”or
echo“three”ifyouseethecommandecho“{one|two|three}”.
Anellipsis(...)meansandsoonortorepeatthepreceding
commandlineasneeded.
Don’tconcernyourselfmuchwiththeseconventionsfornow.Inmost
chaptersinthisbook,youdon’tneedtoknowtheseparticulars.When
youdoneedtoknowsomethingaboutaparticularsyntax,comebackto
thisintroductionforarefreshercourse.

Keystrokesandsuch
Keystrokesareshownwithaplussignbetweenthekeys.Forexample,
Ctrl+Alt+DeletemeansthatyoushouldpresstheCtrlkey,Altkey,and


Deletekeyallatthesametime.(No,wedon’tmakeyoupressanymore
thanthreekeysatthesametime.)
Mostapplicationsandutilitieswedescribeinthisbookuseagraphical
userinterface(GUI),suchasGNOME,whichallowsyoutocontrolyour
computerbypointingandclickingwithyourmouse.Occasionally,
however,wegivenongraphicalinstructionsthatrequireyoutopresskeys
onyourkeyboard.Inthosesituations,weoftensimplifytheinstructions
bysaying“clickOK.”Thatinstructiongenerallymeansthatyoupressthe
Tabkey,whichmovesthecursortotheOKbutton,andthenpressthe

Enterkey.Thattwo-stepprocessisequivalenttoclickinganOKbuttonin
aGUI.


HowThisBookIsOrganized
LikeallproperForDummiesbooks,thisbookisorganizedinto
independentparts.Youcanreadthepartsinanyorder.Heck,tryreading
thembackwardforarealchallenge.Thisbookisnotmeanttoberead
fromfrontcovertoback;rather,it’smeanttobeareferencebookthat
helpsyoufindwhatyou’relookingforwhenyou’relookingforit.Between
theContentsataGlancepage,thetableofcontents,andtheindex,you
shouldhavenoproblemfindingwhatyouneed.
Ifyoudoreadthechaptersinthisbookinorder,youencountertheuseful
andinterestingthingsfirstandthemoretechnicalitemslast.For
example,afterinstallingRedHatLinuxinPartI,youmaywantto
proceedimmediatelytoPartIItoseehowtoconnectLinuxtotheInternet
oryourlocalnetwork.Fromthere,youcanuseyournewworkstationto
surftheInternetandusee-mail.
Thefollowingsectionsdescribeeachpart.

PartI:InstallingRedHatLinux
InPartI,youfindoutwhatLinuxisandhowtoprepareyourcomputerto
installRedHatLinux.Wethenwalkyouthroughtheinstallationandshow
youthebasicsofworkingwithRedHatLinux.

PartII:GotNet?
InPartII,youfindoutaboutconnectingtotheInternetandlocal
networks.YouseehowtojumpontheInternetwithyoureveryday
modemorhigh-speed(broadband)DSLorcablemodem.Wealsoshow
youhowtoconnecttoanexistingnetwork.Ifthatlocalnetworkhasa

high-speedInternetconnection,youcanuseitasyourportaltothe
wonderfulworldofsurfing.TheInternetcanbedangerous,soweinclude
instructionsforcreatingyourownfirewall.

PartIII:Linux,Huh!WhatIsItGoodFor?Absolutely
Everything!


PartIIIguidesyouthroughthegloriousparticularsofdoingsomething
withRedHatLinux.You’reintroducedtotheGNOMEdesktopwindow
environment.You’retakenthroughitspacesbyfindingouthowtomove,
resize,hide,andclosewindowsandhowtousethefilemanagerand
muchmore.TwochaptersaredevotedtousingtheRedHatLinux
multimediacapabilities,suchaslisteningtoCDsandMP3s,inadditionto
howtoripandrecordthem.Theworld’sradiostationsarenowavailable
toyouwithstreamingmediatechnology.WeintroduceyoutotheMozilla
browsersothatyoucansurftheNetandusetheEvolutionorganizerto
readyoure-mail,docalendaring,andothertasks.Wealsodescribein
detailthefull-featuredOpenOfficedesktopproductivitysuite.Youcanuse
OpenOfficewithyourRedHatLinuxmachinetodoallyourwritingand
otherwork-relatedfunctions.Youcanevenwriteabookwithit!Finally,
youseehowtogetorganizedwithRedHatLinux.

PartIV:RevengeoftheNerds
InPartIV,weguideyouthroughtheuseofyourRedHatLinux
computer’snetworkcapabilities.It’sNerdCity,butit’salsofunanduseful.
Westartbyshowingyouhowtobuildasimplenetwork.Afteryour
networkisupandrunning,wedescribehowtobuildnetworkservices,
suchastheApacheWebserver,Samba,andprinterservers.Thelast
twochaptersaredevotedtoexploringtheartofnetworkcomputer

securityandtroubleshootingnetworkproblems.Insertyourpocket
protector,straptheoldHPcalculatortoyourhip,retapeyourglasses,
andgetreadyforSaturdaynight!

PartV:ThePartofTens
AForDummiesbookjustisn’tcompletewithoutThePartofTens,where
youcanfindtenall-importantresourcesandanswerstothetenmost
bothersomequestionspeoplehaveafterinstallingRedHatLinux.(The
folksatRedHatSoftwareprovidedthesequestions.)Weintroducethe
tenmostimportantsecurityconcernstoo.

PartVI:Appendixes


Ah,theappendixes.AppendixAoutlinestheRedHatLinuxsystems
administrationutilities.AppendixBdescribeshowtofindoutaboutthe
detailsofyourcomputer’sindividualpiecesofhardware;thisinformation
issometimeshelpfulwhenyou’reinstallingRedHatLinux.AppendixesC
andDintroduceyoutousingandmanagingtheLinuxfilesystem.
AppendixEshowshowtousetheRedHatPackagemanager(RPM).
AppendixFcompletesthisbookbydescribingwhatyoucanfindonthe
companionDVD-ROM.


WhatYou’reNottoRead
Heck,youdon’thavetoreadanyofthisbookifyoudon’twantto,but
whydidyoubuyit?(Notthatwe’recomplaining.)PartIhasbackground
information.Ifyoudon’twantit,don’treadit.Also,thetextinsidebarsis
optional,althoughoftenhelpful.Ifyou’reonthefasttracktousingLinux,
youcanskipthesidebarsandthetextnexttotheTechnicalStufficon,as

describedinthefollowingsection.Butwesuggestinsteadthatyouslow
downabitandenjoytheexperience.


IconsinThisBook
Thissectiondescribestheiconsyouseeinthisbook.Iconsamplifythe
discussionbyinjectinginterestingorimportantinformation.
TipNiftylittleshortcutsandtimesaversareunderthisicon.RedHat
Linuxisapowerfuloperatingsystem,andyoucansaveunbelievable
amountsoftimeandenergybyusingitstoolsandprograms.Wehope
thatourtipsshowyouhow.
WarningDon’tletthishappentoyou!Wehopethatourexperiences
withRedHatLinuxcanhelpyouavoidthemistakeswehavemade.
RememberThisinformationhelpsyoutorecallinformationpresented
elsewhereinthebook.
TechnicalStuffThisinformationisparticularlynerdyandtechnical.You
canskipit,butyoumayfinditinterestingifyou’reofageekierbent.


WheretoGofromHere
You’reabouttojointhelegionsofpeoplewhohavebeenusingand
developingLinux.WehavebeenusingUnixformorethan20years,
Linuxformorethan10years,andRedHatLinuxfor10years.Wehave
foundRedHatLinuxtobeaflexible,powerfuloperatingsystem,capable
ofsolvingmostproblemsevenwithoutalargesetofcommercial
software.ThefutureoftheLinux—andRedHatLinux,inparticular—
operatingsystemisbright.Thetimeandenergyyouexpendinbecoming
familiarwithitwillbeworthwhile.CarpeLinuxum.

PartI:InstallingRedHatLinux


ChapterList:
Chapter1:AndintheOppositeCorner...aPenguin?
Chapter2:GettingReadyforRedHatLinux
Chapter3:Ready,Set,Install!
Chapter4:GettingRedHatLinux
Inthispart...
You’reabouttoembarkonajourneythroughtheRedHatLinux
installationprogram.Perhapsyouknownothingaboutsettingupan
operatingsystemonyourcomputer.That’sokay.TheRedHatLinux
installationsystemiseasygoingbynatureandstraightforwardtouse.
Plus,wehelpguideyouthroughtheinstallationprocess.
InChapter1,youbegintodiscoverwhatRedHatLinuxisallaboutand
whatitcandoforyou.Chapter2helpsyoutogetreadytoinstallRedHat
Linuxandrepartitionyourharddrive,ifnecessary.Therealfunbeginsin
Chapter3,whenyouinstallyourownpenguin.(LinusTorvalds,the
inventorofLinux,lovespenguins;andtheyhavebeenadoptedasthe
Linuxmascot.)Chapter4givesyouabrief,butimportant,introductionto
workingwithRedHatLinux.


Chapter1:AndintheOppositeCorner...a
Penguin?