Linux® Bible2008 Edition

Boot Up to Ubuntu®, Fedora®, KNOPPIX, Debian®, openSUSE®, and 11 Other Distributions

Christopher Negus

Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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Linux® Bible2008 Edition

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Linux® Bible2008 Edition

Boot Up to Ubuntu®, Fedora®, KNOPPIX, Debian®, openSUSE®, and 11 Other Distributions

Christopher Negus

Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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Linux® Bible 2008 Edition: Boot Up to Ubuntu®, Fedora®, KNOPPIX, Debian®, openSUSE®, and 11 Other Distributions

Published byWiley Publishing, Inc.10475 Crosspoint BoulevardIndianapolis, IN 46256www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2008 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

ISBN: 978-0-470-23019-0

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available from the publisher.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means,electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorizationthrough payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the LegalDepartment, Wiley Publishing, Inc., 10475 Crosspoint Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46256, (317) 572-3447, fax (317) 572-4355, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: The publisher and the author make no representations or warranties with respectto the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim all warranties, including withoutlimitation warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales or promotionalmaterials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for every situation. This work is sold with theunderstanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If professionalassistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. Neither the publisher nor the authorshall be liable for damages arising herefrom. The fact that an organization or Website is referred to in this work as a citationand/or a potential source of further information does not mean that the author or the publisher endorses the informationthe organization or Website may provide or recommendations it may make. Further, readers should be aware that InternetWebsites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read.

For general information on our other products and services please contact our Customer Care Department within theUnited States at (800) 762-2974, outside the United States at (317) 572-3993 or fax (317) 572-4002.

Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley logo, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons,Inc. and/or its affiliates, in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. Linuxis a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. Fedora is a registered trademark of Red Hat, Inc. Debian is a registered trademarkof Software in the Public Interest, Inc. openSUSE is a registered trademark of Novell, Inc. Ubuntu is a registered trademarkof Canonical Limited Company. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc. isnot associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.

Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be availablein electronic books.

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www.wiley.com

As always, I dedicate this book to my wife, Sheree.

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About the AuthorsChris Negus has written or co-written dozens of books on Linux and UNIX, including Red HatLinux Bible (all editions), Fedora and Red Hat Enterprise Linux Bible, Linux Troubleshooting Bible, LinuxToys, and Linux Toys II. In late 2007, Chris co-authored three books for the new Linux Toolbox seriesfor power users: Fedora Linux Toolbox, SUSE Linux Toolbox, and Ubuntu Linux Toolbox. For eightyears, he worked with the organization at AT&T that developed UNIX before moving to Utah tocontribute to Novell’s short-lived UnixWare project in the early 1990s. When not writing aboutLinux, Chris enjoys playing soccer and just hanging out with his family.

Emmett Dulaney is the author of several books on operating systems, networking, and certification.An assistant professor at Anderson University, he is also a columnist for CertCities and a frequentcontributor to a number of other magazines.

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CreditsAcquisitions EditorJenny Watson

Development EditorSara Shlaer

Technical EditorEmmett Dulaney

Copy EditorNancy Rapoport

Editorial ManagerMary Beth Wakefield

Production ManagerTim Tate

Vice President and Executive Group PublisherRichard Swadley

Vice President and Executive PublisherJoseph B. Wikert

Project Coordinator, CoverLynsey Stanford

Media Associate Project ManagerLaura Atkinson

Media Assistant ProducerJosh Frank

Media Quality ControlKit Malone

CompositorKate Kaminski, Happenstance Type-O-Rama

ProofreaderKathryn Duggan

IndexerJohnna VanHoose Dinse

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I consider anyone who has contributed to the free and open source software community to be acontributor to the book you are holding. The backbone of any Linux distribution is formed bythe organizations that produce the distributions, the major projects included in Linux, and thethousands of people who give their time and code to support Linux. So, thanks to you all!

For Linux Bible 2008 Edition, Emmett Dulaney did most of the heavy lifting. Emmett’s thoroughtechnical edit of the entire book and updates to several critical sections made it possible for us tobring the book to market on schedule.

I’d like to acknowledge several contributors for their participation in previous editions. WayneTucker wrote and then updated the chapters on Debian, LAMP servers, and mail servers. Bill vonHagen contributed updates to the SUSE, Yellow Dog, and Ubuntu chapters. Jaldhar Vyas updatedthe Linspire chapter.

Thanks to the folks at Wiley for helping me press through the project. Jenny Watson did a wonder-ful job putting together the personnel needed to complete this book, in the face of my having fivebooks scheduled to complete within a two-month period. Sara Shlaer did her usual great job keep-ing the project moving under a very challenging schedule. Thanks to Margot Maley Hutchison andMaureen Maloney from Waterside Productions for contracting the book for me with Wiley.

And finally, special thanks to my wife, Sheree. There’s no way I could do the work I do withoutthe solid support I get on the home front. I love you, and thanks for taking such good care of Seth,Caleb, and me.

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Introduction ............................................................................................................................xxxiii

Part I: Linux First StepsChapter 1: Starting with Linux........................................................................................................3Chapter 2: Running Commands from the Shell ............................................................................35Chapter 3: Getting into the Desktop ............................................................................................81

Part II: Running the ShowChapter 4: Learning Basic Administration ..................................................................................131Chapter 5: Getting on the Internet ..............................................................................................179Chapter 6: Securing Linux ..........................................................................................................203

Part III: Choosing and Installing a Linux DistributionChapter 7: Installing Linux ........................................................................................................253Chapter 8: Running Fedora and Red Hat Enterprise Linux..........................................................283Chapter 9: Running Debian GNU/Linux ....................................................................................303Chapter 10: Running SUSE and openSUSE Linux ......................................................................327Chapter 11: Running KNOPPIX..................................................................................................343Chapter 12: Running Yellow Dog Linux ......................................................................................365Chapter 13: Running Gentoo Linux ............................................................................................383Chapter 14: Running Slackware Linux ........................................................................................403Chapter 15: Running Linspire and Freespire ..............................................................................419Chapter 16: Running Mandriva ..................................................................................................435Chapter 17: Running Ubuntu Linux ..........................................................................................449Chapter 18: Running a Linux Firewall/Router ............................................................................467Chapter 19: Running Bootable Linux Distributions ....................................................................493

Part IV: Running ApplicationsChapter 20: Playing Music and Video ........................................................................................513Chapter 21: Working with Words and Images ............................................................................549Chapter 22: E-Mailing and Web Browsing ..................................................................................589Chapter 23: Gaming with Linux..................................................................................................623

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Part V: Running ServersChapter 24: Running a Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP (LAMP) Server ..................................649Chapter 25: Running a Mail Server ............................................................................................671Chapter 26: Running a Print Server ............................................................................................689Chapter 27: Running a File Server ..............................................................................................713

Part VI: Programming in LinuxChapter 28: Programming Environments and Interfaces ............................................................749Chapter 29: Programming Tools and Utilities..............................................................................779

Appendix A: Media ....................................................................................................................809Appendix B: Entering the Linux Community ..............................................................................819

Index ..........................................................................................................................................825

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Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxxiii

Part I: Linux First Steps

Chapter 1: Starting with Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Taking Your First Step ..................................................................................................4Starting Right Now......................................................................................................6Understanding Linux ..................................................................................................6Exploring Linux History ..............................................................................................8

From a Free-Flowing UNIX Culture at Bell Labs..........................................................9To a Commercialized UNIX ......................................................................................11

BSD Arrives ....................................................................................................11UNIX Laboratory and Commercialization ........................................................11

To a GNU Free-Flowing (not) UNIX..........................................................................13BSD Loses Some Steam..............................................................................................14Linus Builds the Missing Piece ..................................................................................14

What’s So Great About Linux? ..................................................................................15Features in Linux ......................................................................................................16OSI Open Source Definition ......................................................................................17Vibrant Communities ................................................................................................18Major Software Projects ............................................................................................19

Linux in the Real World ............................................................................................20Linux in Schools........................................................................................................20Linux in Small Business ............................................................................................21Linux in the Enterprise ..............................................................................................22

Linux Myths, Legends, and FUD................................................................................23Can You Stop Worrying About Viruses? ....................................................................23Will You Be Sued for Using Linux? ............................................................................24

Microsoft Versus Linux ....................................................................................24The SCO Lawsuits ..........................................................................................25Software Patents ..............................................................................................26Other Potentially Litigious Issues ....................................................................27

Can Linux Really Run on Everything from Handhelds to Supercomputers? ..............27Will Microsoft Crush Linux?......................................................................................27Are You on Your Own If You Use Linux? ..................................................................29Is Linux Only for Geeks? ..........................................................................................29

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How Do Companies Make Money with Linux? ..........................................................29How Different Are Linux Distributions from One Another? ......................................30Is the Linux Mascot Really a Penguin? ......................................................................31

Getting Started with Linux ........................................................................................32Summary ..................................................................................................................33

Chapter 2: Running Commands from the Shell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35Starting a Shell ..........................................................................................................36

Using the Shell Prompt..............................................................................................36Using a Terminal Window ........................................................................................37Using Virtual Terminals ............................................................................................38

Choosing Your Shell ..................................................................................................38Using bash (and Earlier sh) Shells..............................................................................39Using tcsh (and Earlier csh) Shells ............................................................................39Using ash ..................................................................................................................40Using ksh ..................................................................................................................40Using zsh ..................................................................................................................40

Exploring the Shell ....................................................................................................40Checking Your Login Session ....................................................................................41Checking Directories and Permissions ......................................................................41Checking System Activity ..........................................................................................43Exiting the Shell ........................................................................................................44

Using the Shell in Linux ............................................................................................45Locating Commands..................................................................................................46Rerunning Commands ..............................................................................................48

Command-Line Editing ..................................................................................49Command-Line Completion ............................................................................51Command-Line Recall ....................................................................................52

Connecting and Expanding Commands ....................................................................54Piping Commands ..........................................................................................54Sequential Commands ....................................................................................54Background Commands ..................................................................................55Expanding Commands ....................................................................................55Expanding Arithmetic Expressions ..................................................................56Expanding Environment Variables ..................................................................56

Creating Your Shell Environment ..............................................................................56Configuring Your Shell ..............................................................................................56

Setting Your Prompt ........................................................................................57Adding Environment Variables ........................................................................59Adding Aliases ................................................................................................60

Using Shell Environment Variables ............................................................................60Common Shell Environment Variables ............................................................60Setting Your Own Environment Variables ........................................................62

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Managing Background and Foreground Processes......................................................63Starting Background Processes ........................................................................64Using Foreground and Background Commands ..............................................64

Working with the Linux File System ..........................................................................65Creating Files and Directories ....................................................................................68

Using Metacharacters and Operators................................................................69Using File-Matching Metacharacters ................................................................70Using File-Redirection Metacharacters ............................................................71Understanding File Permissions ......................................................................71

Moving, Copying, and Deleting Files ........................................................................74Using the vi Text Editor ............................................................................................74

Starting with vi ..........................................................................................................76Moving Around the File ............................................................................................78Searching for Text......................................................................................................78Using Numbers with Commands ..............................................................................79

Summary ..................................................................................................................79

Chapter 3: Getting into the Desktop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81Understanding Your Desktop ....................................................................................81Starting the Desktop ................................................................................................82

Boot to the Desktop ..................................................................................................82Boot to a Graphical Login ..........................................................................................83Boot to a Text Prompt................................................................................................85

K Desktop Environment ............................................................................................85Using the KDE Desktop ............................................................................................86Managing Files with the Konqueror File Manager......................................................90

Working with Files ..........................................................................................91Searching for Files ..........................................................................................92Creating New Files and Folders ......................................................................93Using Other Browser Features..........................................................................95

Configuring Konqueror Options................................................................................95Managing Windows ..................................................................................................97

Using the Taskbar ............................................................................................97Uncluttering the Desktop ................................................................................99Moving Windows ............................................................................................99Resizing Windows ..........................................................................................99Pinning Windows on the Top or Bottom..........................................................99Using Virtual Desktops ..................................................................................100

Configuring the Desktop ........................................................................................100Changing the Display ....................................................................................101Changing Panel Attributes ............................................................................102

Adding Application Launchers and MIME Types ....................................................102Adding Applications to the Panel ..................................................................103Adding Applications to the Desktop ..............................................................103

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The GNOME Desktop ............................................................................................103Using the Metacity Window Manager ......................................................................105Using the GNOME Panels........................................................................................107

Using the Applications, Places, and System Menus ........................................108Adding an Applet ..........................................................................................109Adding Another Panel....................................................................................109Adding an Application Launcher ..................................................................110Adding a Drawer............................................................................................111Changing Panel Properties ............................................................................111

Using the Nautilus File Manager..............................................................................1123D Effects with AIGLX ............................................................................................114Changing GNOME Preferences................................................................................116Exiting GNOME ......................................................................................................117

Configuring a GNOME Online Desktop..................................................................118Configuring Your Own Desktop ..............................................................................120

Configuring X..........................................................................................................120Creating a Working X Configuration File ......................................................121Getting New X Drivers ..................................................................................122Tuning Up Your X Configuration File ............................................................122

Choosing a Window Manager..................................................................................124Choosing Your Personal Window Manager ..............................................................126

Getting More Information ......................................................................................126Summary ................................................................................................................127

Part II: Running the Show

Chapter 4: Learning Basic Administration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131Graphical Administration Tools ..............................................................................132

Using Web-Based Administration ............................................................................132Open Source Projects Offering Web Administration ......................................132The Webmin Administration Tool ..................................................................133

Graphical Administration with Different Distributions ............................................133Red Hat Config Tools ....................................................................................134SUSE YaST Tools............................................................................................136

Using the root Login ..............................................................................................137Becoming Root from the Shell (su Command) ........................................................138Allowing Limited Administrative Access ..................................................................139

Exploring Administrative Commands, Configuration Files, and Log Files ................140Administrative Commands ......................................................................................140Administrative Configuration Files ..........................................................................141Administrative Log Files ..........................................................................................145

Using sudo and Other Administrative Logins ........................................................146Administering Your Linux System ............................................................................148

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Creating User Accounts ..........................................................................................149Adding Users with useradd......................................................................................149Setting User Defaults ..............................................................................................152Modifying Users with usermod................................................................................154Deleting Users with userdel ....................................................................................155

Configuring Hardware ............................................................................................155Managing Removable Hardware ..............................................................................156

Removable Media on a GNOME Desktop ......................................................157Removable Media on a SUSE KDE Desktop ..................................................159

Working with Loadable Modules ............................................................................160Listing Loaded Modules ................................................................................160Loading Modules ..........................................................................................161Removing Modules ........................................................................................162

Managing File Systems and Disk Space ..................................................................162Mounting File Systems ............................................................................................165

Supported File Systems..................................................................................165Using the fstab File to Define Mountable File Systems ..................................167Using the mount Command to Mount File Systems ......................................169Using the umount Command ......................................................................171

Using the mkfs Command to Create a File System ..................................................172Adding a Hard Disk ................................................................................................173Checking System Space ..........................................................................................175

Displaying System Space with df....................................................................175Checking Disk Usage with du........................................................................176Finding Disk Consumption with find ............................................................176

Monitoring System Performance ............................................................................177Summary ................................................................................................................178

Chapter 5: Getting on the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179Connecting to the Network ....................................................................................180

Connecting via Dial-Up Service ..............................................................................180Connecting a Single Computer to Broadband ..........................................................181Connecting Multiple Computers to Broadband........................................................182Connecting Servers..................................................................................................184Connecting Other Equipment..................................................................................185

Using Ethernet Connections to the Internet ............................................................186Configuring Ethernet During Installation ................................................................186Configuring Ethernet from the Desktop ..................................................................187Using Network Configuration GUI in Fedora ..........................................................188Identifying Other Computers (Hosts and DNS) ......................................................190Using the Network Settings GUI in Ubuntu ............................................................191Understanding Your Internet Connection ................................................................193

Using Dial-Up Connections to the Internet ............................................................195Getting Information ................................................................................................195Setting Up Dial-Up PPP ..........................................................................................196

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Creating a Dial-Up Connection with the Internet Configuration Wizard..................197Launching Your PPP Connection ............................................................................199Launching Your PPP Connection on Demand..........................................................199Checking Your PPP Connection ..............................................................................200Checking That Your Modem Was Detected..............................................................200

Connecting to the Internet with Wireless................................................................201Summary ................................................................................................................202

Chapter 6: Securing Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203Linux Security Checklist ..........................................................................................204

Finding Distribution-Specific Security Resources ....................................................207Finding General Security Resources ........................................................................208

Using Linux Securely ..............................................................................................209Using Password Protection ......................................................................................209Choosing Good Passwords ......................................................................................210Using a Shadow Password File ................................................................................211

Breaking Encrypted Passwords ......................................................................212Checking for the Shadow Password File ........................................................212

Using Log Files ........................................................................................................213The Role of syslogd..................................................................................................216Redirecting Logs to a Loghost with syslogd..............................................................216Understanding the messages Log File ......................................................................217

Using Secure Shell Tools..........................................................................................218Starting the ssh Service ............................................................................................218Using the ssh, sftp, and scp Commands ..................................................................219Using ssh, scp, and sftp Without Passwords ............................................................220

Securing Linux Servers ............................................................................................222Controlling Access to Services with TCP Wrappers..................................................222Understanding Attack Techniques ..........................................................................225Protecting Against Denial of Service Attacks ............................................................226

Mailbombing ................................................................................................226Spam Relaying ..............................................................................................228Smurf Amplification Attack............................................................................228

Protecting Against Distributed DOS Attacks ............................................................229Protecting Against Intrusion Attacks ........................................................................233

Evaluating Access to Network Services ..........................................................233Disabling Network Services ..........................................................................235

Securing Servers with SELinux ................................................................................236Protecting Web Servers with Certificates and Encryption ........................................237

Symmetric Cryptography ..............................................................................237Asymmetric Cryptography ............................................................................238Secure Sockets Layer ....................................................................................238

Using Linux Live CD Security Tools ........................................................................247Advantages of Security Live CDs..............................................................................247Using INSERT to Check for rootkits ........................................................................247

Summary ................................................................................................................248

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Part III: Choosing and Installing a Linux Distribution

Chapter 7: Installing Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253Choosing a Linux Distribution ................................................................................254

Linux at Work ........................................................................................................254Other Distributions ................................................................................................255

Getting Your Own Linux Distribution ....................................................................255Finding Another Linux Distribution ........................................................................256Understanding What You Need ..............................................................................256Downloading the Distribution ................................................................................257Burning the Distribution to CD ..............................................................................258

Exploring Common Installation Topics ....................................................................259Knowing Your Computer Hardware ........................................................................259Upgrading or Installing from Scratch ......................................................................261Dual Booting with Windows or Just Linux? ............................................................261Using Installation Boot Options ..............................................................................263Partitioning Hard Drives ..........................................................................................263

Partitioning with Disk Druid During Installation ..........................................264Partitioning with fdisk ..................................................................................267Tips for Creating Partitions ............................................................................269

Using LILO or GRUB Boot Loaders..........................................................................271Booting Your Computer with GRUB ..............................................................271Booting with GRUB ......................................................................................272Temporarily Changing Boot Options..............................................................272Permanently Changing Boot Options ............................................................273Adding a New GRUB Boot Image ..................................................................275Booting Your Computer with LILO ................................................................275Changing Your Boot Loader ..........................................................................279

Configuring Networking..........................................................................................280Configuring Other Administrative Features ............................................................281

Installing from the Linux Bible CD or DVD ............................................................281Summary ................................................................................................................282

Chapter 8: Running Fedora and Red Hat Enterprise Linux . . . . . . . . . 283Digging into Features ..............................................................................................285

Red Hat Installer (Anaconda) ..................................................................................285RPM Package Management ......................................................................................286Kudzu Hardware Detection ....................................................................................286Red Hat Desktop Look-and-Feel..............................................................................287System Configuration Tools ....................................................................................288

Going Forward with Fedora ....................................................................................288Growing Community Support for Fedora ................................................................288Forums and Mailing Lists ........................................................................................289

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Fedora Comes of Age ..............................................................................................289Installing Fedora......................................................................................................291

Choosing Computer Hardware ................................................................................291Choosing an Installation Method ............................................................................292

Installing on Multiple Computers ..................................................................293Installation Guides ........................................................................................293

Choosing to Install or Upgrade................................................................................293Beginning the Installation ........................................................................................294Running the Fedora Setup Agent ............................................................................301

Summary ................................................................................................................302

Chapter 9: Running Debian GNU/Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303Inside Debian GNU/Linux ......................................................................................304

Debian Packages ......................................................................................................304Debian Package Management Tools ........................................................................305Debian Releases ......................................................................................................307

Getting Help with Debian ......................................................................................307Installing Debian GNU/Linux ................................................................................308

Hardware Requirements and Installation Planning ..................................................308Workstations..................................................................................................309Servers ..........................................................................................................309

Running the Installer ..............................................................................................309Managing Your Debian System................................................................................314

Configuring Network Connections ..........................................................................314IP Networks: Ethernet and Wireless ..............................................................315Dial-Up PPP Connections ..............................................................................316PPPoE Connections ......................................................................................317

Package Management Using APT ............................................................................317Managing the List of Package Repositories ....................................................318Updating the APT Package Database..............................................................318Finding and Installing Packages ....................................................................319Removing Packages........................................................................................320Upgrading Your System ................................................................................320

Package Management Using dpkg............................................................................321Installing and Removing Packages ................................................................321Querying the Package Database ....................................................................321Examining a Package File ..............................................................................322

Installing Package Sets (Tasks) with Tasksel ............................................................323Alternatives, Diversions, and Stat Overrides ............................................................323Managing Package Configuration with debconf ......................................................325

Summary ................................................................................................................325

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Chapter 10: Running SUSE and openSUSE Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327Understanding SUSE and openSUSE ......................................................................328What’s in SUSE........................................................................................................329

Installation and Configuration with YaST ................................................................330RPM Package Management ......................................................................................332Automated Software Updates ..................................................................................334Managing Software with zypper ..............................................................................334

Getting Support for SUSE and openSUSE................................................................334Installing openSUSE ................................................................................................335

Before You Begin......................................................................................................335Starting Installation ................................................................................................336

Installation Settings........................................................................................337Configuration Settings ..................................................................................339

Starting with openSUSE ..........................................................................................341Summary ................................................................................................................341

Chapter 11: Running KNOPPIX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343KNOPPIX Features ..................................................................................................343Understanding KNOPPIX ........................................................................................344

KNOPPIX News ......................................................................................................344Looking Inside KNOPPIX........................................................................................344What’s Cool About KNOPPIX..................................................................................346Examining Challenges with KNOPPIX ....................................................................347Seeing Where KNOPPIX Comes From ....................................................................348Exploring Uses for KNOPPIX ..................................................................................349

Starting KNOPPIX ..................................................................................................350Getting a Computer ................................................................................................350Booting KNOPPIX ..................................................................................................351Correcting Boot Problems........................................................................................351

Customizing KNOPPIX..................................................................................354Special Features and Workarounds ................................................................355

Using KNOPPIX ......................................................................................................356Getting on the Network ..........................................................................................357Installing Software in KNOPPIX ..............................................................................358Saving Files in KNOPPIX ........................................................................................359

Writing to Hard Disk ....................................................................................359Creating a Persistent Home Directory ............................................................360

Keeping Your KNOPPIX Configuration....................................................................361Restarting KNOPPIX................................................................................................362

Summary ................................................................................................................363

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Chapter 12: Running Yellow Dog Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365Understanding Yellow Dog Linux ..........................................................................365Going Forward with Yellow Dog ............................................................................367Digging into Yellow Dog..........................................................................................368Installing Yellow Dog Linux ....................................................................................369

Hardware Support ..................................................................................................370Planning Your Installation........................................................................................371

Installing Mac OS X and Yellow Dog Linux on One Hard Drive ....................372Installing Mac OS 9 or Earlier and Yellow Dog Linux on One Hard Drive......372Installing Mac OS 9 or Earlier, Mac OS X, and Yellow Dog Linux

on Multiple Hard Drives ..........................................................................373Yellow Dog Linux 3.0.1 Special Considerations ............................................373

Beginning the Installation ........................................................................................373Rebooting Your Linux Mac ......................................................................................379

Updating Yellow Dog Linux ....................................................................................379Running Mac Applications with Mac-on-Linux........................................................381Support Options......................................................................................................381Summary ................................................................................................................382

Chapter 13: Running Gentoo Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 383Understanding Gentoo............................................................................................383

Gentoo’s Open Source Spirit ....................................................................................384The Gentoo Community..........................................................................................385Building, Tuning, and Tweaking Linux ....................................................................385Where Gentoo Is Used ............................................................................................386

What’s in Gentoo ....................................................................................................387Managing Software with Portage..............................................................................388Finding Software Packages ......................................................................................388New Gentoo Features ............................................................................................389

Installing Gentoo ....................................................................................................389Getting Gentoo........................................................................................................389

Live CD Install ..............................................................................................390Minimal/Universal Install CD ........................................................................390

Starting Gentoo Installation from a Live CD ............................................................391Starting Gentoo Installation from a Minimal CD......................................................393Getting Software with emerge ..................................................................................401

Summary ................................................................................................................402

Chapter 14: Running Slackware Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403Getting into Slackware............................................................................................403Characterizing the Slackware Community ..............................................................405

The Slackware Creator ............................................................................................405

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Slackware Users ......................................................................................................406Slackware Internet Sites ..........................................................................................407

Challenges of Using Slackware................................................................................407Using Slackware as a Development Platform ..........................................................408Installing Slackware ................................................................................................409

Getting Slackware....................................................................................................409New Features in Slackware 12.0 ..............................................................................409Hardware Requirements ..........................................................................................410Starting Installation ................................................................................................410

Starting with Slackware ..........................................................................................415Summary ................................................................................................................417

Chapter 15: Running Linspire and Freespire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 419Overview of Linspire ..............................................................................................419Which Version Is Right for You? ..............................................................................421

Installing Software with Click-N-Run ......................................................................423Other Installation Options ......................................................................................424

Linspire and Freespire Support ..............................................................................425Forums and Information ........................................................................................425Audio Assistant........................................................................................................425

Installing Linspire or Freespire ................................................................................426Hardware Requirements ..........................................................................................426Installing Linspire or Freespire ................................................................................427

Securing Linspire and Freespire ..............................................................................431Summary ................................................................................................................432

Chapter 16: Running Mandriva. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 435Mandriva Features ..................................................................................................435Exploring Mandriva ................................................................................................437

Mandriva Installer (DrakX)......................................................................................438RPM Package Management with RPMDrake ............................................................439Mandriva Linux Control Center ..............................................................................440

The Mandriva Community ......................................................................................441RPM Repository on Mandriva Club ........................................................................442Mandriva Forums ....................................................................................................442

Installing Mandriva Limited Edition ........................................................................442The Right Hardware for Mandriva ..........................................................................443Installing Mandriva with the DrakX Installer ..........................................................444

Summary ................................................................................................................447

Chapter 17: Running Ubuntu Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449Overview of Ubuntu ..............................................................................................450

Ubuntu Releases ......................................................................................................450Ubuntu Installer ......................................................................................................451Ubuntu as a Desktop ..............................................................................................451

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Ubuntu as a Server ..................................................................................................452Ubuntu Spin-Offs ....................................................................................................454Challenges Facing Ubuntu ......................................................................................454

Installing Ubuntu ....................................................................................................455Starting with Ubuntu ..............................................................................................460

Trying Out the Desktop ..........................................................................................461Adding More Software ............................................................................................462

Getting More Information About Ubuntu ..............................................................465Summary ................................................................................................................466

Chapter 18: Running a Linux Firewall/Router . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 467Understanding Firewalls..........................................................................................468Protecting Desktops with Firewalls ........................................................................469

Starting Your Firewall in Fedora ..............................................................................469Configuring a Firewall in Mandriva ........................................................................470

Using Firewalls with iptables ..................................................................................472Starting with iptables ..............................................................................................472

Setting Some Rules ........................................................................................472Saving Firewall Settings ................................................................................476Checking Your Firewall..................................................................................476

Using iptables to Do SNAT or IP Masquerading ......................................................477Adding Modules with iptables ................................................................................478Using iptables as a Transparent Proxy ......................................................................479Using iptables for Port Forwarding ..........................................................................479

Getting iptables Scripts ..................................................................................480Finding Out More About iptables ..................................................................480

Making a Coyote Linux Bootable Floppy Firewall....................................................480Creating a Coyote Linux Firewall ............................................................................481Building the Coyote Linux Floppy ..........................................................................482Running the Coyote Linux Floppy Firewall ............................................................488Managing the Coyote Linux Floppy Firewall ..........................................................488

Using a Web Interface ....................................................................................488Using a Remote Login....................................................................................488

Using Other Firewall Distributions ........................................................................490Summary ................................................................................................................491

Chapter 19: Running Bootable Linux Distributions. . . . . . . . . . . . . 493Overview of Bootable Linux Distributions ..............................................................493Choosing a Bootable Linux......................................................................................494

Security and Rescue Bootables ................................................................................495BackTrack Network Security Suite ................................................................496SystemRescueCd............................................................................................497KNOPPIX Security Tools Distribution............................................................498The Inside Security Rescue Toolkit ................................................................498

Demonstration Bootables ........................................................................................500

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Multimedia Bootables ..............................................................................................500MoviX............................................................................................................501GeeXboX ......................................................................................................502KnoppMyth ..................................................................................................502Dyne:bolic ....................................................................................................503

Tiny Desktops ........................................................................................................503Damn Small Linux ........................................................................................503Puppy Linux..................................................................................................505

Special-Purpose Bootables ......................................................................................506Customizing a Bootable Linux ................................................................................508Summary ................................................................................................................510

Part IV: Running Applications

Chapter 20: Playing Music and Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 513Playing Digital Media and Obeying the Law ..........................................................514

Copyright Protection Issues ....................................................................................514Exploring Codecs ....................................................................................................516

Playing Music ..........................................................................................................518Setting Up Audio Cards ..........................................................................................518Choosing an Audio CD Player ................................................................................520

Playing CDs with gnome-cd ..........................................................................520Playing Music with the Rhythmbox Audio Player ..........................................522Playing Music with the XMMS Multimedia Player..........................................524

Using MIDI Audio Players ......................................................................................528Performing Audio File Conversion and Compression ..............................................528

Converting Audio Files with SoX ..................................................................528Compressing Music Files with oggenc ..........................................................531

Recording and Ripping Music ................................................................................531Creating an Audio CD with cdrecord ......................................................................532Ripping CDs with Grip............................................................................................533Creating CD Labels with cdlabelgen ........................................................................535

Working with TV, Video, and Digital Imaging ..........................................................536Watching TV with tvtime ........................................................................................536

Getting a Supported TV Card ........................................................................536Running tvtime..............................................................................................537

Video Conferencing with Ekiga ..............................................................................538Getting a Supported Webcam ........................................................................538Opening Your Firewall for Ekiga ....................................................................539Running Ekiga ..............................................................................................539

Watching Movies and Video ....................................................................................540Watching Video with xine........................................................................................540

Using xine ....................................................................................................542Creating Playlists with xine............................................................................542xine Tips........................................................................................................543

Using Helix Player and RealPlayer 10 ......................................................................544

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Using a Digital Camera with gtkam and gPhoto2....................................................545Downloading Digital Photos with gtkam ................................................................545Using Your Camera as a Storage Device ..................................................................546

Summary ................................................................................................................547

Chapter 21: Working with Words and Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 549Using OpenOffice.org ............................................................................................550Other Word Processors ..........................................................................................552

Using StarOffice ......................................................................................................553Using AbiWord........................................................................................................554Using KOffice ..........................................................................................................554Getting Away from Windows ..................................................................................555

Using Traditional Linux Publishing Tools..................................................................557Creating Documents in Groff or LaTeX ..................................................................558

Text Processing with Groff ......................................................................................560Formatting and Printing Documents with Groff ............................................561Creating a Man Page with Groff ....................................................................561Creating a Letter, Memo, or White Paper with Groff ......................................564Adding Equations, Tables, and Pictures ........................................................566

Text Processing with TeX/LaTeX ..............................................................................570Creating and Formatting a LaTeX Document ................................................570Using the LyX LaTeX Editor ..........................................................................571Printing LaTeX Files ......................................................................................572

Converting Documents............................................................................................573Building Structured Documents ..............................................................................574

Understanding SGML and XML ....................................................................574Understanding DocBook................................................................................575

Printing Documents in Linux ..................................................................................578Printing to the Default Printer..................................................................................579Printing from the Shell ............................................................................................579Checking the Print Queues......................................................................................580Removing Print Jobs ................................................................................................580Checking Printer Status ..........................................................................................581

Displaying Documents with ghostscript and Acrobat..............................................581Using the ghostscript and gv Commands ................................................................581Using Adobe Acrobat Reader ..................................................................................582

Working with Graphics ..........................................................................................583Manipulating Images with GIMP ............................................................................583Acquiring Screen Captures ......................................................................................585Modifying Images with KPaint ................................................................................585

Using Scanners Driven by SANE ............................................................................586Summary ................................................................................................................587

Chapter 22: E-Mailing and Web Browsing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 589Using E-Mail............................................................................................................589

Choosing an E-Mail Client ......................................................................................589

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Getting Here from Windows....................................................................................591Getting Started with E-Mail ....................................................................................592Tuning Up E-Mail ....................................................................................................593Reading E-Mail with Thunderbird ..........................................................................594

Connecting to the Mail Server........................................................................599Managing Incoming Mail ..............................................................................599Composing and Sending E-Mail ....................................................................600Filtering E-Mail and Catching Spam ..............................................................601

Managing E-Mail in Evolution ................................................................................602Receiving, Composing, and Sending E-Mail ..................................................604Managing E-Mail with Search Folders ............................................................604Filtering E-Mail Messages ..............................................................................605

Reading E-Mail with Mozilla Mail ............................................................................606Working with Text-Based E-Mail Readers ................................................................606

Mutt Mail Reader ..........................................................................................606Pine Mail Reader............................................................................................607Mail Reader....................................................................................................607

Choosing a Web Browser ........................................................................................607Exploring the Mozilla Suite ....................................................................................608Using Firefox ..........................................................................................................609

Setting Up Firefox ..................................................................................................610Setting Firefox Preferences ............................................................................610Adding Plug-ins ............................................................................................612Changing Firefox Themes ..............................................................................613

Securing Firefox ......................................................................................................614Tips for Using Firefox..............................................................................................616Using Firefox Controls ............................................................................................616Improving Firefox Browsing ....................................................................................617

Adding a Preferences Toolbar ........................................................................617Adding Java Support......................................................................................618

Doing Cool Things with Firefox ..............................................................................618Blocking Pop-ups ..........................................................................................618Using Tabbed Browsing ................................................................................619Using the DOM Inspector ..............................................................................619Resizing the Web Page ..................................................................................619

Using Text-Based Web Browsers..............................................................................620Summary ................................................................................................................621

Chapter 23: Gaming with Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 623Overview of Linux Gaming ....................................................................................623Basic Linux Gaming Information ............................................................................624

Where to Get Information about Linux Gaming ......................................................624Choosing a Video Card for Gaming ........................................................................626

Binary-Only Video Card Drivers ....................................................................626Open Source Video Drivers............................................................................627

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Running Open Source Linux Games........................................................................628GNOME Games ......................................................................................................628KDE Games ............................................................................................................629Games in Fedora ....................................................................................................631

Freeciv ..........................................................................................................632PlanetPenguin Racer (TuxRacer) ....................................................................637

Commercial Linux Games ......................................................................................638Getting Started with Commercial Games in Linux ..................................................638Playing Commercial Linux Games ..........................................................................639id Software Games ..................................................................................................640

Quake III Arena ............................................................................................640Return to Castle Wolfenstein..........................................................................641

Playing TransGaming and Cedega Games ................................................................641Loki Software Game Demos ....................................................................................643

Civilization: Call to Power ............................................................................644Myth II: Soulblighter ....................................................................................645Heretic II ......................................................................................................645Neverwinter Nights........................................................................................646

Summary ................................................................................................................646

Part V: Running Servers

Chapter 24: Running a Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP (LAMP) Server. . 649Components of a LAMP Server................................................................................649

Apache ....................................................................................................................650MySQL ....................................................................................................................650PHP ........................................................................................................................651

Setting Up Your LAMP Server..................................................................................651Installing Apache ....................................................................................................652Installing PHP..........................................................................................................652Installing MySQL ....................................................................................................654

Operating Your LAMP Server ..................................................................................655Editing Your Apache Configuration Files ................................................................655Adding a Virtual Host to Apache ............................................................................658User Content and the userdir Setting ......................................................................659Installing a Web Application: Coppermine Photo Gallery ........................................659

Troubleshooting ......................................................................................................662Configuration Errors................................................................................................662Access Forbidden and Server Internal Errors ..........................................................664

Securing Your Web Traffic with SSL/TLS ..................................................................665Generating Your Keys ..............................................................................................667Configuring Apache to Support SSL/TLS ................................................................668

Summary ................................................................................................................670

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