Organized into eight, task-oriented minibooks that enable readers to understand all aspects of the latest releases of the major Linux distributions, Fedora Core, SuSE, Debain, Xandros, and Knoppix, this comprehensive manual can either be read from beginning to end or used as a reference for specific tasks Linux® All-in-One For Dummies®, 4th Edition 1 Dedication 7 About the Author 9 Author’s Acknowledgments 11 Contents at a Glance 13 Table of Contents 15 Introduction 27 About This Book 28 Conventions Used in This Book 28 What You Don’t Have to Read 29 Who Are You? 29 How This Book Is Organized 29 What’s on the DVD? 31 Icons Used in This Book 31 Where to Go from Here 32 Book I: Linux Basics 33 Contents at a Glance 34 Chapter 1: Introducing Linux 35 What Is Linux? 35 Contents of a Linux Distribution 42 Managing Your PC with Linux 50 Getting Started 53 Chapter 2: Installing Linux 57 Following the Installation Steps 57 Checking Your PC’s Hardware 61 Trying the Ubuntu Live CD 62 Burning CDs or DVDs from ISO Images 63 Setting Aside Space for Linux 64 Installing Ubuntu 65 Chapter 3: Installing Linux on a Flash Drive 67 Creating the Bootable Flash Drive 67 Troubleshooting the Workstation 69 Working Daily with the New Drive 70 Chapter 4: Troubleshooting and Configuring Linux 71 Using Text Mode Installation 72 Troubleshooting X 72 Resolving Other Installation Problems 74 Setting Up Printers 81 Managing DVDs and CD-ROMs 84 Installing Other Software 84 Chapter 5: Trying Out Linux 91 Starting Linux 91 Playing with the Shell 94 Shutting Down 98 Book II: Linux Desktops 101 Contents at a Glance 102 Chapter 1: The GNOME Desktop 103 Getting to Know the GNOME Desktop 104 Understanding the GNOME Panels 106 Chapter 2: The KDE Desktop 113 Getting to Know the KDE Desktop 113 Understanding the KDE Panel 116 Configuring the KDE Bottom Panel 120 Configuring the KDE Desktop 121 Chapter 3: Commanding the Shell 125 Opening Terminal Windows and Virtual Consoles 125 Using the bash Shell 126 Discovering and Using Linux Commands 134 Writing Shell Scripts 143 Chapter 4: Navigating the Linux File System 145 Understanding the Linux File System 145 Navigating the File System with Linux Commands 150 Chapter 5: Introducing Linux Applications 163 Taking Stock of Linux Applications 163 Introducing Office Applications and Tools 169 Checking out Multimedia Applications 175 Using Graphics and Imaging Apps 178 Using GUI File Managers 180 Chapter 6: Using Text Editors 187 Using GUI Text Editors 187 Text Editing with ed and vi 189 Book III: Networking 199 Contents at a Glance 200 Chapter 1: Connecting to the Internet 201 Understanding the Internet 201 Deciding How to Connect to the Internet 202 Connecting with DSL 204 Connecting with a Cable Modem 210 Setting Up Dial-up Networking 215 Chapter 2: Setting Up a Local Area Network 221 Understanding TCP/IP 221 Setting Up an Ethernet LAN 225 Configuring TCP/IP Networking 229 Connecting Your LAN to the Internet 230 Chapter 3: Going Wireless 233 Understanding Wireless Ethernet Networks 233 Setting Up Wireless Hardware 237 Configuring the Wireless Access Point 238 Configuring Wireless Networking 239 Chapter 4: Managing the Network 243 Discovering the TCP/IP Configuration Files 243 Checking Out TCP/IP Networks 247 Configuring Networks at Boot Time 253 Book IV: The Internet 257 Contents at a Glance 258 Chapter 1: E-Mailing and IMing in Linux 259 Understanding Electronic Mail 260 Taking Stock of Mail Readers and IM Clients in Linux 262 E-Mailing in Linux 263 Instant Messaging in Linux 272 Chapter 2: Browsing the Web 275 Discovering the Web 275 Web Browsing in Linux 280 Chapter 3: Reading Newsgroups and RSS Feeds 287 Understanding Newsgroups 287 Reading Newsgroups from Your ISP 292 Reading and Searching Newsgroups at Web Sites 298 Reading RSS Feeds 299 Chapter 4: Using FTP 303 Using Graphical FTP Clients 303 Using the Command-Line FTP Client 309 Book V: Administration 315 Contents at a Glance 316 Chapter 1: Introducing Basic System Administration 317 Taking Stock of System Administration Tasks 317 Introducing Some GUI Sysadmin Tools 319 How to Become root 324 Understanding How Linux Boots 327 Taking Stock of Linux System Configuration Files 333 Monitoring System Performance 336 Viewing System Information with the /proc File System 341 Understanding Linux Devices 345 Managing Loadable Driver Modules 348 Scheduling Jobs in Linux 350 Chapter 2: Managing Users and Groups 357 Adding User Accounts 357 Understanding the /etc/passwd File 361 Managing Groups 363 Exploring the User Environment 364 Changing User and Group Ownership of Files 366 Chapter 3: Managing File Systems 369 Exploring the Linux File System 369 Sharing Files with NFS 376 Backing Up and Restoring Files 378 Accessing a DOS or Windows File System 385 Using mtools 388 Chapter 4: Installing and Updating Applications 393 Working with RPM Files 393 Working with DEB Files 400 Building Software Packages from Source Files 404 Updating Linux Applications Online 408 Book VI: Security 415 Contents at a Glance 416 Chapter 1: Introducing Linux Security 417 Why Worry about Security? 417 Establishing a Security Framework 418 Securing Linux 423 Delving into Computer Security Terminology 425 Keeping Up with Security News and Updates 430 Chapter 2: Securing Linux 433 Securing Passwords 433 Protecting Files and Directories 436 Encrypting and Signing Files with GnuPG 440 Monitoring System Security 447 Securing Internet Services 447 Using Secure Shell (SSH) for Remote Logins 450 Setting Up Simple Firewalls 452 Chapter 3: Performing Computer Security Audits 463 Understanding Security Audits 463 Implementing a Security Test Methodology 465 Exploring Security Testing Tools 473 Book VII: Linux Servers 479 Contents at a Glance 480 Chapter 1: Managing Internet Services 481 Understanding Internet Services 481 Using the Internet Super Server 487 Running Standalone Servers 490 Chapter 2: Managing Mail and News Servers 499 Installing the Mail Server 499 Installing the INN Server 512 Configuring and Starting the INN Server 512 Setting Up Local Newsgroups 519 Chapter 3: Managing DNS 521 Understanding Domain Name System (DNS) 521 Configuring DNS 527 Chapter 4: Working with Samba and NFS 541 Sharing Files with NFS 541 Setting Up a Windows Server Using Samba 545 Book VIII: Programming 551 Contents at a Glance 552 Chapter 1: Programming in Linux 553 An Overview of Programming 553 Exploring the Software-Development Tools in Linux 557 Understanding the Implications of GNU Licenses 576 Chapter 2: Introductory Shell Scripting 579 Trying Out Simple Shell Scripts 579 Exploring the Basics of Shell Scripting 581 Chapter 3: Working with Advanced Shell Scripting 591 Trying Out sed 591 Working with awk and sed 593 Final Notes on Shell Scripting 597 Appendix: About the DVD 599 System Requirements 599 DVD Installation Instructions 600 What You’ll Find on the DVD 602 Troubleshooting 604 Index 615
A complete guide and reference to five major Linux distributions
Linux continues to grow in popularity worldwide as a low-cost, reliable operating system for enterprise use. Nine minibooks in this guide cover everything administrators need to know about the five leading versions: Ubuntu, Fedora Core, OpenSUSE, Mint, and Mandriva. The companion DVD includes full Ubuntu installations and ISO images for the other four, saving hours of downloading time.
- The open source Linux operating system is gaining market share around the world for both desktop and server use; this soup-to-nuts guide covers installation and everything else administrators need to know about Ubuntu, Fedora Core, OpenSUSE, Mint, and Mandriva
- Nine self-contained minibooks cover Linux basics, desktops, networking, Internet, administration, security, Linux servers, programming, and scripting
- Updated to cover the newest versions of the five top distributions, with complete installation instructions and a DVD including the full Ubuntu installations and ISO images for the others
Linux users and administrators will be able to install and sample five popular Linux flavors with the information in Linux All-in-One For Dummies.
Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.
