Linux Newbie Administrator Guide
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LINUX NEWBIE ADMINISTRATOR GUIDE (LNAG) Version 0.201, 2004-07-22 by Stan, Peter and Marie Klimas The latest version of this guide is available at http://linux-newbie.sunsite.dk. Copyright (c) <1999-2004> by Peter and Stan Klimas. Your feedback, comments, corrections, and improvements are appreciated. Send them to [email protected] This material may be distributed only subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Open Publication License, v1.0, 8 or later http://opencontent.org/openpub/ with the modification noted inlnag_licence.html . Introduction We are relative Linux newbies (with Linux since Summer 1998). We run mostly RedHat and Mandrake -> the solutions might not be directly applicable to other Linux distributions (although most of them probably will be). Hope this helps; we try to be as practical as possible. Of course, we provide no warranty whatsoever. If you spotted a bad error or would like to contribute a part on a topic of your choice, we would like to hear from you. General description of this Guide A complete reference for new Linux users who wish to set up and administer their own Linux home computer, workstation and/or their home or small office network. The answers are meant to be simple, with just sufficient detail, and always supported with a readily usable example. The work is still in progress, but we hope the Guide can be helpful already. We welcome your corrections, advice, criticism, links, translations, and CONTRIBUTIONS. Pls note that there are no ad banners on our pages. Conventions: <> = single special or function key on the keyboard. For example <Ctrl> indicates the "control" key. italic = name of a file or variable you probably want to substitute with your own. fixed width = commands and filenames. LINUX NEWBIE ADMINISTRATOR GUIDE, VERSION 0.201 Table of Contents 1 For the Undecided (Linux Benefits)....................................................................1 1.1 Fundamentally, why Linux?............................................................................... ...............1 1.2 Is Linux for me?....................................................................................... ........................1 1.3 Linux is difficult for newbies.................................................................. ..........................2 1.4 What are the benefits of Linux?...................................................................... ..................2 1.5 What are the differences between Linux and UNIX?.................................... .....................5 1.6 What are the differences between Linux and MS Windows?.................................... ..........5 1.7 I don't believe in free software, etc.......................................................................... .........6 1.8 "There ain't no such thing as a free lunch"........................................ ...............................6 1.9 I need warranty and security. With commercial software, I can sue if things go wrong......7 1.10 I need standards. Big software corporations (Microsoft) provide standards.....................7 1.11 I Need MS Windows for Reading Writing MS Word Documents......................................9 1.12 MS Windows popularity insures that it is "here to stay"............................... ...................9 1.13 But LINUX may fork into many different systems .................................................... .......9 1.14 Linux lacks a central development blueprint (or roadmap)............................ ................10 1.15 Linux is a cult.............................................................................. ................................10 1.16 The total cost of ownership (TCO) of Linux is high............................................... .........11 1.17 Linux is idealistic "dreaming"; it is business that rules the world nowadays..................11 1.18 Linux may be found to violate somebody else's "intellectual property" (IP)....................12 1.19 Linux sux etc............................................................................ ...................................13 2 Before Linux Installation...................................................................................13 2.1 Which Linux distribution should I use?....................................................... ....................13 2.2 Which Linux Distribution should I select for my old computer(s)?............ ......................16 2.3 What are the Linux hardware requirements?........................................... .......................16 2.4 Will my hardware work under Linux?....................................................................... .......18 2.5 How do I download Linux?.............................................................. ...............................19 2.6 How do I get a Linux CD?................................................................................ ...............19 2.7 I have Linux Installation CDs but no install floppy. What do I do?............................ ........20 2.8 What do I need to read before installation?........................................................ .............21 2.9 Can I have MS Windows and Linux installed on the same computer?..............................22 2.10 How do I partition my hard drive?.................................................... ............................22 2.11 1.10 The MS Windows partition occupies my whole harddrive. Can I shrink/split it without a re-install?............................................................................... ..............................25 2.12 How do I start the installation?....................................................................... ..............26 2.13 Is the Linux installation difficult?......................................................................... .........26 2.14 Which packages should I install?........................................................ ..........................26 2.15 Which GUI desktop should I install, KDE or GNOME?.......................................... .........27 2.16 I finished the installation. How do I log-in for the very first time?............................ ......27 2.17 How do I crash Linux?.................................................................................... ..............28 2.18 Can I use Graphical User Interface (GUI) all the time?....................................... ...........29 2.19 How do I upgrade a Linux distribution?................................................... .....................29 3 Linux Resources, Help and Some Links............................................................30 i LINUX NEWBIE ADMINISTRATOR GUIDE, VERSION 0.201 3.1 Any Linux reading materials?............................................................... ..........................30 3.2 Is there a help command?....................................................................................... ........31 3.3 Any dictionary of terms?........................................................................................ .........32 3.4 Web Search................................................................................ ...................................32 3.5 Newsgroups..................................................................................................... ..............32 3.6 Any Linux Internet links?....................................................................................... .........33 3.7 Source code--the ultimate resource....................................................... .........................34 4 Basic Operations FAQ.......................................................................................34 4.1 Basics................................................................................................... .........................34 4.2 Users, passwords, file permissions, and security...................................................... .......44 4.3 Job scheduling with "&", "at", "batch", and cron................................. ............................52 4.4 Shell.............................................................................................. ................................54 4.5 Package installation and rpm package manager.................................................... ..........61 5 Linux Newbie Administrator FAQ.....................................................................63 5.1 Startup Issues (LILO and GRUB)................................................................... .................63 5.2 Accessing my drives....................................................................................... ................66 5.3 Working with X-windows........................................................................... .....................77 5.4 Basic Configurations............................................................................ ..........................85 5.5 Networking.................................................................................................. ..................91 6 Linux Shortcuts and Commands.....................................................................105 6.1 Notes for the UNIX Clueless.............................................................................. ...........105 6.2 Linux essential keyboard shortcuts and sanity commands............................... ..............106 6.3 Help commands......................................................................... ..................................109 6.4