Running Linux, 5/e (Paperback)

Description

You may be contemplating your first Linux installation. Or you may have been using Linux for years and need to know more about adding a network printer or setting up an FTP server. Running Linux, now in its fifth edition, is the book you'll want on hand in either case. Widely recognized in the Linux community as the ultimate getting-started and problem-solving book, it answers the questions and tackles the configuration issues that frequently plague users, but are seldom addressed in other books.

This fifth edition of Running Linux is greatly expanded, reflecting the maturity of the operating system and the teeming wealth of software available for it. Hot consumer topics such
as audio and video playback applications, groupware functionality, and spam filtering are covered, along with the basics in configuration and management that always have made the book popular.

Running Linux covers basic communications such as mail, web surfing, and instant messaging, but also delves into the subtleties of network configuration--including dial-up, ADSL, and cable modems--in case you need to set up your network manually. The book can
make you proficient on office suites and personal productivity applications--and also tells you what programming tools are available if you're interested in contributing to these applications.

Other new topics in the fifth edition include encrypted email and filesystems, advanced shell techniques, and remote login applications. Classic discussions on booting, package management, kernel recompilation, and X configuration have also been updated.

The authors of Running Linux have anticipated problem areas, selected stable and popular solutions, and provided clear instructions to ensure that you'll have a satisfying experience using Linux. The discussion is direct and complete enough to guide novice users, while still providing the additional information experienced users will need to progress in their mastery of Linux.

Whether you're using Linux on a home workstation or maintaining a network server, Running Linux will provide expert advice just when you need it.

Table of Contents

Preface

Part I. Enjoying and Being Productive on Linux

1. Introduction to Linux

     About This Book

     Who's Using Linux?

     System Features

     About Linux's Copyright

     Open Source and the Philosophy of Linux
     Sources of Linux Information

     Getting Help

2. Preinstallation and Installation

     Distributions of Linux

     Preparing to Install Linux

     Post-Installation Procedures

     Running into Trouble

3. Desktop Environments

     Why Use a Graphical Desktop?

     The K Desktop Environment

     KDE Applications

     The GNOME Desktop Environment

     GNOME Applications

4. Basic Unix Commands and Concepts

     Logging In

     Setting a Password

     Virtual Consoles

     Popular Commands

     Shells

     Useful Keys and How to Get Them to Work

     Typing Shortcuts

     Filename Expansion

     Saving Your Output

     What Is a Command?

     Putting a Command in the Background

     Remote Logins and Command Execution

     Manual Pages

     Startup Files

     Important Directories

     Basic Text Editing

     Advanced Shells and Shell Scripting

5. Web Browsers and Instant Messaging

     The World Wide Web

     Instant Messaging

6. Electronic Mail Clients

     Using KMail

     Using Mozilla Mail & News

     Getting the Mail to Your Computer with fetchmail

     OpenPGP Encryption with GnuPG

7. Games

     Gaming

     Quake III

     Return to Castle Wolfenstein

     Unreal Tournament 2004

     Emulators

     Frozen Bubble

     Tux Racer

8. Office Suites and Personal Productivity

     Using OpenOffice

     KOffice

     Other Word Processors

     Synching PDAs

     Groupware

     Managing Your Finances

9. Multimedia

     Multimedia Concepts

     Kernel and Driver Issues

     Embedded and Other Multimedia Devices

     Desktop Environments

     Windows Compatibility

     Multimedia Applications

     Multimedia Toolkits and Development Environments

     Solutions to Common Problems

     References

Part II. System Administration

10. System Administration Basics

     Maintaining the System

     Managing Filesystems

     Managing Swap Space

     The /proc Filesystem

     Device Files

     Scheduling Recurring Jobs Using cron

     Executing Jobs Once

     Managing System Logs

     Processes

     Programs That Serve You

11. Managing Users, Groups, and Permissions

     Managing User Accounts

     File Ownership and Permissions

     Changing the Owner, Group, and Permissions

12. Installing, Updating, and Compiling Programs

     Upgrading Software

     General Upgrade Procedure

     Automated and Bulk Upgrades

     Upgrading Software Not Provided in Packages

     Archive and Compression Utilities

13. Networking

     Networking with TCP/IP

     Dial-Up PPP

     PPP over ISDN

     ADSL

     Cable Modems

     Network Diagnostics Tools

14. Printing

     Printing

     Managing Print Services

15. File Sharing

     Sharing Files with Windows Systems (Samba)

     NFS and NIS Configuration

16. The X Window System

     A History of X

     X Concepts

     Hardware Requirements

     Installing X.org

     Configuring X.org

     Running X

     Running into Trouble

     X and 3D

17. System Start and Shutdown

     Booting the System

     System Startup and Initialization

     Single-User Mode

     Shutting Down the System

     A Graphical Runlevel Editor: KSysV

18. Configuring and Building the Kernel

     Building a New Kernel

     Loadable Device Drivers

     Loading Modules Automatically

19. Text Editing

     Editing Files Using vi

     The (X)Emacs Editor

20. Text Processing

     TeX and LaTeX

     XML and DocBook

     groff

     Texinfo

Part III. Programming

21. Programming Tools

     Programming with gcc

     Makefiles

     Debugging with gdb

     Useful Utilities for C Programmers

     Using Perl

     Java

     Python

     Other Languages

     Introduction to OpenGL Programming

     Integrated Development Environments

22. Running a Web Server

     Configuring Your Own Web Server

23. Transporting and Handling Email Messages

     The Postfix MTA

     Procmail

     Filtering Spam

24. Running an FTP Server

     Introduction

     Compiling and Installing

     Running ProFTPD

     Configuration

Part IV. Network Services

25. Running Web Applications with MySQL and PHP

     MySQL

     PHP

     The LAMP Server in Action

26. Running a Secure System

     A Perspective on System Security

     Initial Steps in Setting Up a Secure System

     TCP Wrapper Configuration

     Firewalls: Filtering IP Packets

     SELinux

27. Backup and Recovery

     Making Backups

     What to Do in an Emergency

28. Heterogeneous Networking and Running Windows Programs

     Sharing Partitions

     Emulation and Virtual Operating Systems

     Remote Desktop Access to Windows Programs

     FreeNX: Linux as a Remote Desktop Server

Appendix: Sources of Linux Information

Index