Linux for Dummies 8Th Ed.Pdf
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01_116494 ffirs.qxp 6/21/07 7:44 PM Page i Linux ® FOR DUMmIES‰ 8TH EDITION by Dee-Ann LeBlanc and Richard Blum 01_116494 ffirs.qxp 6/21/07 7:44 PM Page iv 01_116494 ffirs.qxp 6/21/07 7:44 PM Page i Linux ® FOR DUMmIES‰ 8TH EDITION by Dee-Ann LeBlanc and Richard Blum 01_116494 ffirs.qxp 6/21/07 7:44 PM Page ii Linux® For Dummies®, 8th Edition Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc. 111 River Street Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774 www.wiley.com Copyright © 2007 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published simultaneously in Canada 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 permit- ted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600. 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Library of Congress Control Number: 2007926389 ISBN: 978-0-470-11649-4 Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 01_116494 ffirs.qxp 6/21/07 7:44 PM Page iii About the Authors Dee-Ann LeBlanc, RHCE (Red Hat Certified Engineer), is a writer, course developer, journalist, and trainer who specializes in Linux. Although these various professions may sound scattered, they in fact reinforce one another by allowing her to see what people are doing with Linux in the real world and where they need help. In the past, she has been the Linux Games editor for the Linux Journal, the Desktop editor for LinuxToday.com, and has written and held positions with a number of other Linux and technology publications such as Computer Power User magazine. She has also written numerous books about Linux. Today, she is the SplunkBase Knowledge Manager for Splunk (www.splunk.com), an IT search company. It is her job to build a community around SplunkBase (www.splunkbase.com) that fills this IT troubleshooting resource with world-class content. When Dee-Ann isn’t managing, teaching, developing course materials, writing technical nonfiction, writing fantasy and science fiction, interviewing interest- ing people, chatting about Linux online or at conferences, or trying in one way or another to save the world, she hikes with her dogs and tries out new recipes on her husband Rob. See what Dee-Ann is up to and join her readers’ mailing list at www.Dee-AnnLeBlanc.com and http://dee-ann.blog-city. com/. (Contact Dee-Ann at [email protected].) Richard Blum has worked in the IT industry for more than 20 years as a net- work and systems administrator. During that time, he’s had the opportunity to work with lots of different computer products, including Windows, Netware, Cisco, Avaya, different flavors of UNIX, and of course, Linux. Over the years, he’s also volunteered for several non-profit organizations to help support small networks that had little financial support. Rich is the author of several Linux-based books for total Linux geeks, and a couple of Windows-based books for programmers. When he’s not being a computer nerd, Rich plays the electric bass in a church worship band, and enjoys spending time with his wife, Barbara, and their two daughters, Katie Jane and Jessica. 01_116494 ffirs.qxp 6/21/07 7:44 PM Page iv 01_116494 ffirs.qxp 6/21/07 7:44 PM Page v Dedication Dee-Ann wishes to dedicate this book to all of the people she occasionally (okay, often) frustrates or drives crazy during the writing process. Richard would like to dedicate this book to his daughters. Remember: It’s always a good time to learn new things (even when you’re not in school). Authors’ Acknowledgments Dee-Ann, as usual, has lots of people to thank. First off, she thanks the folks without whom the earlier editions of this book would have never existed. For one, there’s John “maddog” Hall for giving her the opportunity to take over this book’s evolution. He was too busy leading Compaq’s UNIX Software Group, acting as Executive Director for Linux International, and sitting on the board of advisors for Sair Linux/GNU certification to continue handling this project. There’s also the editors and staff at Wiley Publishing, Inc. Without them and their guidance, this book would not exist or continue to improve over time. Thanks as well go to Richard Blum for stepping up to the plate when Dee-Ann realized that she had completely overdone it this time. Most of all, she’d like to thank the readers who contacted her with their questions, suggestions, and concerns. She apologizes to anyone who got lost in the great deluges of e-mail and didn’t get an answer, but please trust that, at the very least, when she dug out your e-mail from the pile three months later, she filed it away as one more thing to consider in the next edition. It’s reader participation that keeps books like this improving over the years, and it’s her goal to continue refining Linux For Dummies to keep it the best desktop Linux book available. Rich would like to thank Dee-Ann for giving him the opportunity to tag along on this edition. Also, many thanks to the great people at Wiley Publishing for their help and guidance in writing this. He especially thanks Kyle Looper, the acquisitions editor, and Linda Morris, the project editor, for helping keep him on track. Thanks also goes to Carole McClendon at Waterside Productions for arranging this gig. Finally, Rich would like to thank his parents, Mike and Joyce Blum, for constantly stressing education over goofing off, and his wife Barbara and daughters Katie Jane and Jessica for their love and support, especially while he was working on this project. 01_116494 ffirs.qxp 6/21/07 7:44 PM Page vi Publisher’s Acknowledgments We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our online registration form located at www.dummies.com/register/. Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following: Acquisitions, Editorial, and Composition Services Media Development Project Coordinator: Heather Kolter Project Editor: Linda Morris Layout and Graphics: Claudia Bell, Acquisitions Editor: Kyle Looper Stacie Brooks, Carl Byers, Denny Hager, Copy Editor: Linda Morris Joyce Haughey, Heather Ryan Technical Editor: John Kennedy Proofreaders: Aptara, John Greenough, Todd Lothery Editorial Manager: Jodi Jensen Indexer: Aptara Media Development Manager: Laura VanWinkle Anniversary Logo Design: Richard J. Pacifico Editorial Assistant: Amanda Foxworth Special Help Sr. Editorial Assistant: Cherie Case Christine Williams Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com) Publishing and Editorial for Technology Dummies Richard Swadley, Vice President and Executive Group Publisher Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher Mary Bednarek, Executive Acquisitions Director Mary C. Corder, Editorial Director Publishing for Consumer Dummies Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher Joyce Pepple, Acquisitions Director Composition