SUSE Linux 10.0 Unleashed

Mike McCallister has spent the last decade making computing easier for the full spectrum of user levels and experience. He is currently a technical writing consultant with Compuware. Mike has run a SUSE Linux desktop at home since version 5.3 and knows firsthand how far the distribution has come over the years. He is the author of Computer Certification Handbook, and his technology stories have been published in places such as Linux Journal, Java Developer's Journal, Internet Voyager, and Isthmus. He is a Senior Member of the Society for Technical Communication and the National Writers Union. He can also be found occasionally at Milwaukee Linux Users Group meetings.

Introduction.

I. INSTALLATION AND CONFIGURATION.

1. Welcome to SUSE Linux.

    What Is SUSE Linux?

      SUSE Linux

      OpenSUSE.org

      The SUSE Linux Install Program

      File Systems in SUSE Linux

      64-Bit SUSE Linux

    Getting Help: Documentation and Other Sources

      Printed Documentation and the SUSE Help Center

      Searching the Help Center

      Man and Info Pages

      SUSE Online Support

      The Linux Documentation Project

      The SUSE Mailing Lists

      Linux User Groups

    References

2. Preparing to Install SUSE Linux.

    Planning Your SUSE Linux Installation

    System Requirements

      Linux on Laptops

      SUSE Linux and Legacy Hardware

      Avoiding Potential Hardware Problems

      Software-Based Modems

      Universal Serial Bus Devices

       "Peripherals" on the Motherboard

      Thinking About Dual Booting, Partitioning, and Other Worries

      Dual Booting with Windows

      How to Partition Your Drive(s)

    References

3. Installing SUSE Linux.

    Methods of Installing SUSE Linux

    Preparing to Install from a CD-ROM or DVD

    Installing SUSE Linux with YaST

      Initial Installation Settings

      Partitioning

      Setting Your Time Zone

      Installing Software Packages

      Creating the root User

      Configuring Network and Internet Connections

      Creating a User

      Configuring Hardware for the X Window System

    Logging In and Shutting Down the First Time

    References

4. Further Configuration with YaST and SaX2.

    Troubleshooting Installation Problems

    Configuring Hardware with YaST

      Gathering Information About Your Hardware

      Modifying Disk Controller Settings

      Configuring a Joystick

      Adjusting Your Keyboard Layout

      Configuring Your Mouse

      Configuring Your Scanner

      Configuring Your TV or Radio Card

    Setting Date and Time

      Using the Network Time Protocol (NTP) to Keep Accurate Time

    Power Management

      YaST Power Management

    Portable PC Issues

      Power Management for Laptops

      Working with PCMCIA Cards

      Configuring Bluetooth Wireless Support

      Configuring Infrared Interface (IrDA) Mode

    Configuring CD, DVD, and Rewritable Drives

      Integrating CD and DVD Drives into Your System

      Speeding Up Your CD Drive Through Direct Memory Access (DMA)

    References

II. USING SUSE LINUX.

5. Getting Started with SUSE Linux.

    Logging In to SUSE Linux

      Logging In from the Shell

      Logging Out of the Shell

    Working with the Linux File System

    Essential File System Commands from the /bin and /sbin Directories

    Using the /boot and /dev Directories

    Editing Configuration Files in the /etc Directory

    Where All the Good Stuff Goes: Your /home Directory

    Finding Desktop Programs in /opt

    Where Most of the Programs Go: The /usr Directory

    Variable Data: The /var Directory

    Changing User Information and the Finger Program

    Choosing and Using a Shell

      Cool Stuff That All Shells Have in Common

      Running bash

      Running tcsh

      Running zsh

      Managing Files with Midnight Commander

      ksh and ash

      Choosing a Shell

    Editing Text

      Working with vim and Its Clones

      Working with Emacs and Its Clones

      Some of the Others

    Why Can't I Edit This File? How Permissions Work

      Changing Permissions

      Directory Permissions

    Working as Root

      Creating and Deleting Users

      Shutting Down and Rebooting the System

    References

      File System

      Shells

      Editors

      Working as Root

6. Launching Your Desktop.

    Understanding the X Window System

      Configuring X in SUSE Linux

    Choosing a Desktop Environment: KDE and GNOME

      KDE: The K Desktop Environment

      GNOME: The GNU Network Object Model Environment

    Managing Files from Your Desktop

      Using Konqueror in KDE

      Using Krusader in KDE

      Using Nautilus in GNOME

    Configuring Your Desktop Environment

      KDE Control Center

      Customizing GNOME

    What Is a Window Manager and Why Would I Want to Use It?

      Why Run a Window Manager?

      Starting Up with a Window Manager

      Running fvwm

      Running WindowMaker

      Running IceWM

    References

7. Printing with SUSE Linux.

    Printing: An Overview

    Common Unix Printing System (CUPS)

    Configuring Printers with YaST

    Configuring CUPS and Network Printers with KDEPrint

    Printing with CUPS

    Working with the Portable Document Format (PDF)

    Console Print Control

      Using Basic Print Commands

    Avoiding Printing Problems

      Multifunction (Print/Fax/Scanner) Devices

      USB and Older Inkjet Printers

    References

8. Shaking Hands with Your Shell.

    The Power of the Command Line

      Pattern-Matching in the Shell

      Redirecting Input and Output

      Piping Data

      Background Processing

    Writing a Shell Script: The Basics

    Scripting in bash

    Variables in Shell Scripts

      Assigning Values to Variables

      Accessing Variable Values

    Positional Parameters

      Using Positional Parameters to Get Command-Line Variables

      Automating Tasks with Scripts

    Built-In Variables

    References

9. Being Productive: Office Suites and Other Tools.

    Comparing Linux Office Suites

      Running OpenOffice.org

      Running Koffice

      Running GNOME Office

      Running Softmaker Office

      Other Commercial Suites

    PDA Connectivity

      Command-Line PDA Software for SUSE Linux

      Managing Your Finances

    More Tools to Make You Productive

      Desktop Publishing with Scribus

      Diagramming and Flowcharting with Dia

      Mindmapping with VYM

      Fax and Scanner Applications

    References

10. Sights, Sounds, and Other Fun Things.

    Starting Out: Configuring Your Sound and Video Cards

      Configuring Sound Cards in YaST

    Playing Music and Listening to the Radio

      Sound Formats

      Internet Radio and Other Streaming Media

    Making Your Own Music

    Burning CDs and DVDs

      Creating CDs and DVDs from Your Desktop

      Creating a CD from the Shell

      Creating DVDs from the Shell

    TV and Video: Xine and Mplayer

      TV and Video Hardware

    Linux and Your Digital Camera

      Webcams

    Editing Images with The GIMP

      Graphics Formats

    Gaming on Linux

      KDE Games

      GNOME Games

      Freeciv: A Free Strategy Game

    References

11. Going Cross-Platform.

    Viewing Files from the Windows Side of Your Computer

    Emulating Other Operating Systems in Linux: An Overview

      A Few Misconceptions About Cross-Platform Tools

    Using Wine to Run Windows Applications

      Installing and Configuring Wine

      Installing Windows Applications Under Wine

      Running Wine

      Crossover Office

    Running Windows Applications with Win4Lin

      Installing Win4Lin

      Running Win4Lin

    Running Windows Applications with Vmware

      Installing Vmware

      Running Vmware

    Emulating a Mac with Basilisk II

    Using dosemu and DOSBox

    Xen: The Future of Virtualization?

    References

III. USING THE INTERNET.

12. Connecting to the Internet.

    Basic Connectivity Information

    Starting with a localhost Interface

      Configuring localhost Manually

    Configuring Your Dial-up Internet Connection

      Using YaST to Set Up Your Dial-up Connection

    Configuring a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) Connection

      Using YaST to Set Up Your DSL Connection

    Connecting Your Computer to a Wireless Network

      Getting Firmware and Drivers in Place

      Finding an Access Point

      Configuring Your Wireless Card

    When to Call Your Internet Service Provider

    References

13. Using the Internet: Browsing the Web and Writing Email.

    Choosing a Web Browser

      Mozilla and Mozilla Firefox

      Konqueror

      Epiphany

      Galeon

      Opera

    Setting Up Your SUSE Linux Email Account

    Choosing a Mail Client (Mail User Agent)

      Evolution

      KDE Personal Information Manager: Kmail/KOrganizer and Kontact

      Mozilla Mail and Thunderbird

      Sylpheed

      mutt

    Sending File Attachments

      BinHex

      yEnc

      UUEncode/UUDecode

      MIME/Base64

      Using UUDeview to Decode a File Attachment

    References

14. Creating Basic Websites.

    Choosing a Web Development Tool

      For the Beginner

      Browser-Based Page Creators

      Specialized Web Tools

      Übergeek Web Page Tools

    Practice: Building a Site with Quanta Plus

    Weblogging with SUSE Linux

      Blogging with Blosxom

      Movable Type and Typepad

      Blogging with WordPress

      Popular Blog Services

      Syndicating Your Blog

    References

15. Managing Email Servers.

    How Email Works

    MTA Configuration

      Masquerading

      Authentication

      Remote SMTP Connections

      Incoming Mail Protocols

      Delivery Mode

      Aliases

      Virtual Domains

    Fighting Spam and Viruses

      Antispam Tools

      Client-Side Spam Filters

      Procmail

      Antivirus Tools

    Alternatives to Postfix

      Microsoft Exchange Server

      CommuniGate Pro

      Novell GroupWise

      Samsung Connect

      OPEN-XCHANGE

      Kolab/Kroupware

      OpenGroupware (Ogo)

      phpGroupWare

      Hula

      Conclusion

    References

16. Collaborating with Others.

    Usenet News Today

    Choosing a Usenet Newsreader

      Mail/News Clients

      Standalone GUI Newsreaders

      Text-Based Newsreaders

    Collaborating with Wikis

      Zwiki

    Hosting Electronic Mailing Lists

      Installing Mailman

      Running a Mailman List

    Working with Instant Messengers and Internet Relay Chat

      Internet Relay Chat (IRC)

      Linux Instant Messaging

    Linux Videoconferencing

    References

17. Secure File Transfer.

    Choosing a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) Client

      Text-Based FTP Clients

      Using sftp for Secure File Transfers

      GUI FTP Clients

    Peer-to-Peer File Transfer

      Napster-Style File Sharing

      Wrangling the BitTorrent

    Building an FTP Server

    Configuring xinetd for Secure File Transfer

    Configuring Secure File Transfer Servers

    References

IV. BASIC SYSTEM ADMINISTRATION.

18. Managing Files, Volumes, and Drives.

    Choosing a File System

      Understanding the Physical Structure of a Disk

      Working with ReiserFS

      The Extended File System (ext2, ext3)

      JFS and XFS

      Choosing a File System

    Creating and Managing File Systems with Expert Partitioner

      Using Expert Partitioner

    Mounting a File System

      The mount Command

      The umount Command

      Using /etc/fstab to Automatically Mount File Systems

    Logical Volume Management (LVM)

    Finding Files

      Using find

      Using locate

      Using which

      Using whereis

      Using kfind

      Using Beagle

    File System Manipulation

      Creating a File System for Testing

      Mounting a Read-Only Partition on a Running System

      Examining a Floppy Image File

    Managing Files for Character Devices, Block Devices, and Special Devices

    References

19. Managing Users, Managing Security.

    User Accounts and Permissions

      Setting Up User Accounts in YaST

      System Users

      RWX: Understanding Permissions

    Who Needs What? Managing Groups

      Adding Groups

    Passwords: The First Line of Security

      The passwd and shadow Files

      Selecting Passwords

      User Authentication Settings with Pluggable Authentication Modules (PAM)

    Monitoring User Activity

      Shell Tools for Watching Users

    Letting Mortals Play at Wizardry: SuperUsers

      Changing User Identity with su

      Using sudo to Grant Root Privileges

    References

20. Managing Data: Backup, Restoring, and Recovery.

    Preparing for Preventing Data Loss

      How to Lose Data

      Assessing Your Needs and Resources

      Choosing a Backup Strategy

    Choosing Your Backup Medium

      Mirrors and RAID Arrays

      Removable Storage Media

      Network Storage

      Tape Drive Backup

    Using YaST System Backup

    Backup Software

      Backups with tar

      Using Ark

      Using GNOME File Roller

    Setting Up Mirror Disks and RAID Arrays

    Rescuing a Broken System

      Booting from the SUSE Linux CD

      Booting from a Rescue Disk Set

      Using System Restore

    References

21. Keeping Your System Current: Package Management.

    Installing Software with YaST

    The Basics of the Red Hat Package Management System (RPM)

      Downloading RPM Packages Outside of YaST

    Updating Your System with YaST Online Update (YOU)

    Running YOU

      Using SUSEwatcher to Monitor YOU Servers

    Updating Your System with apt

    Updating Your System with Red Carpet

      Installing Red Carpet

      Running Red Carpet from the Command Line (rug)

      Updating with the Red Carpet GUI

    Compiling Software from Source

    References

V. ADVANCED SYSTEM ADMINISTRATION.

22. Managing the Boot Process and Other Services.

    Understanding the Boot Process

      Starting to Boot: BIOS to Boot Manager

      Choosing a Boot Manager: GRUB Versus LILO

      Loading the Kernel

    System Services and Runlevels

    Controlling Services at Boot with the YaST Runlevel Editor

      Using the Runlevel Editor

      Expert Mode

    Manually Starting and Stopping Services

    System Monitoring Tools

      KsysGuard

      KDiskFree and KwikDisk

      GkrellM

    References

23. Securing Your Machines.

    Understanding Computer Attacks

    Assessing Your Vulnerability

    Protecting Your Machine

      Securing a Wireless Network

      Another Word on Passwords and Physical Security

    Configuring the SUSE Firewall

    Other Security Utilities to Consider

    What to Do if You've Been Hacked

    Keeping Up to Date on Linux Security Issues

    References

24. Kernel and Module Management.

    Linus's Baby: The Linux Kernel

      The Linux Source Tree

      Types of Kernels

    Managing Modules

    When to Recompile

    Kernel Versions

    Getting New Kernel Sources

    Patching the Kernel

    Compiling the Kernel

    Troubleshooting Problems

      Errors During Compile

      Runtime Errors, Bootloader Problems, and Kernel Oops

    Kernel Tuning with sysctl

    References

25. Setting Up Networks and Samba.

    Networking with TCP/IP

      TCP/IP Addressing

      The Next Step: Internet Protocol, Version 6 (IPv6) Addressing

      Ports

    Network Organization

      Subnetting

      Netmasks

      Network Address Translation (NAT)

    Hardware Devices in Networking

      Network Interface Cards (NICs)

      Network Cable

      Hubs

      Routers and Bridges

      Initializing New Network Hardware

    Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)

      How DHCP Works

      DHCP Software Installation and Configuration

      Setting Up a DHCP Server

    Using the Network File System

      Starting and Configuring the NFS Server

      Importing Directories with the NFS Client

    Playing Nice with Microsoft Windows with Samba

    Securing Network Services

    References

26. Managing Your Apache Web Server.

    What Is Apache?

    Installing Apache

      Building Apache from the Source Code

    Starting and Stopping Apache

    Runtime Server Configuration Settings

      Additional Settings in httpd.conf

    File System Authentication and Access Control

      Restricting Access with allow and deny

      Authentication

    Apache Modules

    Virtual Hosting

      Name-Based Virtual Hosting

      IP-Address-Based Virtual Hosting

    Dynamic Content

      CGI Programs

      Server-Side Includes

      Active Content Modules

    Other Web Servers

      thttpd

      Caudium WebServer

      Xitami

      Zope

      ColdFusion

      TomCat

    References

27. Managing Domain Names.

    Essential DNS Concepts

    DNS Hierarchy

      Zones

      Records

    Configuring DNS with YaST2

    Hosts File

    Basic DNS Tools

    Configuring Name Servers with BIND

    Logging

    Summary

    References

VI. PROGRAMMING.

28. Using the GNU Compiler Collection and Other Programming Tools.

    Basic Programming in C Under Linux

      A Simple C Program

    Using the GNU Compiler Collection

    Building Java Applications with Eclipse

      Using the Eclipse Workbench

      Creating a Small Java Application in Eclipse

    Using the KDevelop Integrated Development Environment

    Using Anjuta to Create GNOME Applications

    Managing Collective Software Development with CVS and Subversion

    Creating RPM Packages

      Making a Spec File

      Listing Files and Generating Patches

      Building and Testing Your RPM Package

    Other Linux Programming Resources

    References

29. Managing Databases.

    What Is a Relational Database?

    Implementing MySQL

      Installing MySQL

      Completing MySQL Initial Configuration Tasks

      Using the MySQL Control Center

    Connecting to a MySQL Database with a Database Client

      Using the MySQL Monitor Database Client

    Optimizing MySQL

      Measuring Key Buffer Usage

      Using the Query Cache

      Miscellaneous Tweaks

      Query Optimization

    Summary

    References

30. Using Perl and Python.

    What Is Perl?

    Perl Variables and Data Structures

    Operators and Other Statements

    Regular Expressions

    Perl Modules and CPAN

    The Future of Perl

    What Is Python?

    Python Variables and Data Structures

    Indentation

    Extreme Object Orientation

    Python IDEs and the Interactive Shell

    References

31. Creating Dynamic Websites.

    Using PHP

      Installing PHP

      Writing PHP Scripts

      Adding More Functions to PHP

      The Future with PHP 5

    Setting Up an Interactive Site with WordPress

      Installing WordPress

      Overseeing Users' Access to WordPress

    Setting Up a Web-Based Community Forum

      Installing phpBB

      Configuring phpBB and Creating Forums

    References

32. Performance Tuning.

    Optimizing Services

    Using PowerTweak

    Tuning Hard Disk Drives

      Choosing the Best Hardware

      Tuning Hard Drive Parameters at Boot

      The hdparm Command

      Disabling File Access Time

      Spreading Out the Load

    References

33. Command-Line Master Class.

    Some Basic Commands

      Displaying the Contents of a File with cat

      Making and Changing Directories with mkdir and cd

      Changing File Access Permissions with chmod

      Copying, Moving, and Renaming Files with cp and mv

      Displaying Disk Usage with du

      Searching for Strings with grep

      Finding Files from an Index with locate

      Listing Files in the Current Directory with ls

      Reading Man Pages with man

      Listing Processes with ps

      Deleting Files and Directories with rm

      Displaying the Last Lines of a File with tail

      Displaying Resource Usage with top

      Displaying the Location of a Command with which

    Combining Commands Together

    References

VII. APPENDICES.

A. Versions of Novell's SUSE Linux

    SUSE Linux 10

      Version 10.0

    SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES)

    Novell Linux Desktop (NLD)

    Open Enterprise Server (OES)

B. SUSE and Linux Internet Resources

    Novell SUSE Linux Reference

    Mailing Lists

    Unix General Reference

    General Linux Resources

    Linux News Reference

    Linux Search Reference

    General Web Link Reference

      SUSE and Linux Internet Resources

      Installation, Disk Tools, and General Systems Administration

    Linux Networking and Security Reference

    LAMP and Other Programming References

    Worldwide Linux Newsgroups

Index.