Linux Frequently Asked Questions with Answers David Merrill [email protected] Robert Kiesling Revision History Revision 1.20 2001−12−04 Revised by: rk This is the list of Frequently Asked Questions for Linux, the free operating system kernel that runs on many modern computer systems. The kernel source code documentation says that Linux ``aims for POSIX compliance.'' Linux uses mostly free, GNU system utilities and application software, although commercial programs are available also. Originally written for 386/486/586 Intel/ISA bus machines, Linux versions exist for nearly every hardware platform in existence that is capable of running it. (Please refer to the question, ``What Is Linux?'' below.) This FAQ is meant to be read in conjunction with the Linux Documentation Project's HOWTO series. (``Where Are the Linux FTP Archives?'' and, ``Where Is the Documentation?'') The INFO−SHEET and META−FAQ also list sources of Linux information. Please read them, and, ``If this Document Still Hasn't Answered Your Question....'' before posting to a Usenet news group. You can also get Postscript, PDF, HTML, and SGML versions of this document. (``Formats in Which This FAQ Is Available.'') Linux Frequently Asked Questions with Answers is distributed under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. Refer to ``Disclaimer and Copyright..'' Linux Frequently Asked Questions with Answers Table of Contents 1. Introduction and General Information.........................................................................................................1 1.1. What Is Linux?..................................................................................................................................1 1.2. How to Get Started............................................................................................................................1 1.3. What Software does Linux Support?................................................................................................2 1.4. How to Find a Particular Application...............................................................................................2 1.5. What Hardware Is Supported?..........................................................................................................3 1.6. Ports to Other Processors..................................................................................................................3 1.7. Disk Space Requirements: Minimal, Server, and Workstation........................................................5 1.8. Minimum and Maximum Memory Requirements............................................................................5 1.9. Does Linux Support Universal System Bus Devices?......................................................................6 1.10. What Is Linux's Open−Source License?.........................................................................................6 1.11. Is Linux *nix?.................................................................................................................................7 2. Network Sources and Resources....................................................................................................................8 2.1. Where Is the Latest Kernel Version on the Internet?........................................................................8 2.2. Where Is the Documentation?...........................................................................................................8 2.3. Where Is the Linux Stuff on the World Wide Web?......................................................................10 2.4. What News Groups Are There for Linux?......................................................................................11 2.5. What Other FAQ's and Documentation Are There for Linux?.......................................................13 2.6. Where Are the Linux FTP Archives?.............................................................................................14 2.7. How To Get Linux without FTP Access.........................................................................................15 2.8. How To Get Information without Usenet Access...........................................................................16 2.9. What Mailing Lists Are There?......................................................................................................16 2.10. Where Are Linux Legal Issues Discussed?..................................................................................16 2.11. Sources of Information for Unmaintained Free Software Projects...............................................17 2.12. Are the News Groups Archived Anywhere?................................................................................17 2.13. Where To Find Information About Security Related Issues.........................................................17 2.14. Where To Find Linux System Specifications...............................................................................17 3. Compatibility with Other Operating Systems............................................................................................18 3.1. Can Linux Use the Same Hard Drive as MS−DOS? OS/2? 386BSD? Win95?.............................18 3.2. How To Access Files on a MS−DOS Partition or Floppy..............................................................18 3.3. Does Linux Support Compressed Ext2 File Systems?...................................................................19 3.4. Can Linux Use Stacked/DBLSPC/Etc. DOS Drives?.....................................................................19 3.5. Can Linux Access OS/2 HPFS Partitions?.....................................................................................20 3.6. Can Linux Access Amiga File Systems?........................................................................................20 3.7. Can Linux Access BSD, SysV, Etc. UFS?.....................................................................................20 3.8. Can Linux Access SMB File Systems?..........................................................................................20 3.9. Can Linux Access Macintosh File Systems?..................................................................................21 3.10. Can Linux Run Microsoft Windows Programs?...........................................................................21 3.11. Where Is Information about NFS Compatibility?.........................................................................21 3.12. Can Linux Use True Type Fonts?.................................................................................................22 3.13. Can Linux Boot from MS−DOS?.................................................................................................22 3.14. How Can Linux Boot from OS/2's Boot Manager?......................................................................23 4. File Systems, Disks, and Drives...................................................................................................................24 4.1. How To Get Linux to Work with a Disk........................................................................................24 4.2. How To Undelete Files...................................................................................................................24 i Linux Frequently Asked Questions with Answers Table of Contents 4.3. How To Make Backups..................................................................................................................25 4.4. How To Resize a Partition (Non−Destructively)............................................................................25 4.5. Is There a Defragmenter for Ext2fs?..............................................................................................25 4.6. How To Create a File System on a Floppy.....................................................................................25 4.7. Does Linux Support Virtualized File Systems Like RAID?...........................................................26 4.8. Does Linux Support File System Encryption?...............................................................................26 4.9. Linux Prints Nasty Messages about Inodes, Blocks, and the Like.................................................26 4.10. The Swap Area Isn't Working.......................................................................................................27 4.11. How To Add Temporary Swap Space..........................................................................................27 4.12. How To Remove LILO So the System Boots DOS Again?.........................................................28 4.13. Why Does fdformat Require Superuser Privileges?.....................................................................29 4.14. The System Checks the Ext2fs Partitions Each Reboot................................................................29 4.15. Root File System Is Read−Only...................................................................................................29 4.16. What Is /proc/kcore?.....................................................................................................................29 4.17. The AHA1542C Doesn't Work with Linux..................................................................................29 4.18. Where Is the Journalling File System on the Net?........................................................................30 5. Porting, Compiling and Obtaining Programs............................................................................................31