If you're new to Linux, it can be a real challenge to find the right Linux book: they either cover the wrong distribution, or are too technical, or conversely, too superficial. The Linux Book offers the perfect balance: all the information you need to install, configure, maintain, and network a Linux system without having your intelligence insulted or wading through thousands of pages of unnecessary technical gibberish. Leading Linux expert David Elboth starts with a practical introduction to Linux concepts and installation, then helps you master every key concept and task associated with running Linux. You'll find coverage of Linux files, directories, and file systems; passwords and user access; running the X Window system; Linux processes; printing; tools; integrating DOS, Windows, and Macintosh systems; shell scripting; system commands, backup and restore, kernels, network communications, and more. The book also offers a chapter-length cost-benefit analysis for organizations considering Linux. For every beginning-to-intermediate-level Linux user or system administrator seeking a complete guide to Linux setup, installation, configuration, and administration.

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Foreword.

1. The Linux Book.

Using Linux. Try and fail. Explanations in this book. Linux and GNU.

2. The Operating System.

The Linux operating system. A multi-user operating system. Concepts and technology. Linux and architecture support. The Linux kernel. The Linux shell. Utilities. How to use Linux commands. Pipes, filters, and redirections. Editing text. The system administrator, or root.

3. Installation.

Introduction. Preparing to install Linux. Installation overview. Linux and the keyboard. Different installation methods. Installation disk or CD. CD auto-boot from DOS. Selecting the language and character set. Configuring the mouse. Installation classes. Defining filesystems. Format and partitions. Installing LILO. Network configuration. Setting up TCP/IP. Configuring the time zone. Defining the root password. Defining authentication. Selecting Linux components. Configuring the X window system. Installing packages. Linux boot floppy disk. Finishing the installation. After the installation. Removing Linux.

4. Linux Work Session.

After the installation. Username and password. Logging in. Linux help functions. A work session in Linux. Logging out from Linux. Taking the Linux system down. Exercises for Chapter 4.

5. Information from the Linux System.

Commands that gather information. Calendar - cal. Echo to the screen - echo. List files - ls. Date and time - date. Who is logged in?-who. Who am I?-whoami. User information - finger. Determine current file type - file. Terminal name - tty. Disk space usage - du. Linux version/name - uname. Exercises for Chapter 5.

6. File Management.

File manager. Linux filenames. Linux file types. Access to files and directories. Print files to the screen - cat. Copy files - cp. Move/change filenames - mv. Delete files and directories - rm. Assign multiple filenames - ln. Exercises for Chapter 6.

7. Directories and Filesystems.

Introduction. Directories and filesystems. Inodes. The physical filesystem. Different filesystems. Directory structure in the filesystem. Linux file types. Working directory - pwd. Change directory Ð cd. Make directory Ð mkdir. Remove directory Ð rmdir. Free space per filesystem Ð df. Exercises for Chapter 7.

8. Passwords and Access Permissions.

Introduction. Changing the Linux password. Change the active user-id Ð su. Linux access codes. Change access codes Ð chmod. Change owner Ð chown. Change group ID Ð chgrp. Change active group Ð newgrp. Default permission Ð umask. Exercises for Chapter 8.

9. Redirection and Pipes under Linux.

The Linux shell. Standard input, output, and error. Output redirection Ð >. Input Redirection - <. Adding to a file - >>. Redirection and error messages. Redirection in tcsh shell. Combining several commands - pipes. Exercises for Chapter 9.

10. X Window.

X Window. Configuring X. Starting X. GNOME or KDE user interface. GNOME with Red Hat Linux. From GNOME to KDE. Changing the window manager in GNOME. GNOME/KDE Control center. Using a mouse with GNOME/KDE. The XFCE3 alternative. Standard X applications. X games. X commands. Starting gdm. D acceleration and Linux. X Window references. Exercises for Chapter 10.

11. Linux Processes.

Parent and child processes. Foreground and background processes. Display process table Ð ps. Continue processes after logout Ð nohup. Stop a process Ð kill. Change priority of processes Ð nice. Determine time used on process Ð time. Schedule work Ð crontab. Exercises for Chapter 11.

12. Linux and Editors.

Text editor or word processor? The vi editor. Write a text file. Start vi. Move the cursor in a text file. Commands for positioning within a file. Commands for adjusting the screen. Commands for yank and put. Commands for deleting text. Command for undelete text. Write more text. Move text. Copy text. Search for text. Search and replace. Read and write a file. Print. Macro definitions. Set parameters. Exercises for Chapter 12.

13. Linux Tools 13.1 The Linux shell.

Display file contents Ð more. Display file contents Ð less. Sort data Ð sort. Find character data Ð grep. Find files Ð find. Cut data in a file Ð cut. Paste data in a file Ð paste. Remove duplicate lines of text Ð uniq. Convert text Ð tr. Format page Ð pr. Packing data and programs. Exercises for Chapter 13.

14. Printing from Linux.

Linux and printing. The Linux spooling system. Defining a printer queue. Key files. Print access and disk use. Remote print to a Unix queue. Control printer Ð lpc. Start/stop the spooling system Ð lpd. Remove a spool lock. Print Ð lpr. Check a printer queue Ð lpq. Cancel a print job Ð lprm. Exercises for Chapter 14.

15. Integration with DOS, Windows, and Mac.

Tools for accessing MS-DOS filesystems. Mounting MS-DOS filesystems. Accessing MS-DOS volumes (partitions). Change directory Ð mcd. Copy files Ð mcopy. Delete files Ð mdel. Show Directory information Ð mdir. Display information about boot sector Ð minfo. Make MS-DOS directories Ð mmd. File to screen Ð mtype. Different Mtools. Accessing Mac volumes. Mount Mac volumes Ð hmount. Unmount Mac volumes Ð hunmount. Different ÒhÓ commands Ð HFS. MS-DOS and Windows emulators. Exercises for Chapter 15.

16. Bash Shell Programming.

Command files. Making simple command files. Variables. Handling screen output. Conditional commands. More commands. Functions and procedures. The shell environment. Bash script. Exercises for Chapter 16.

17. Booting the Linux System.

Booting Linux from a PC. Booting Windows 98. Booting Unix and Linux. System file /etc/inittab. Terminal file /etc/termcap. Communication file /etc/gettydefs. Exercises for Chapter 17.

18. Logging into the Linux System.

Logging procedures. The /etc/passwd file. Bash shell. User system files. Ending a terminal session. Exercises for Chapter 18.

19. Linux System Commands.

Introduction. Linux key files. Setup devices and system definitions. Defining users. User administration Ð useradd. Group administration Ð groupadd. Check filesystems Ð fsck. Make filesystems Ð mke2fs. Mount filesystems Ð (u)mount. Taking the Linux system down. Fast reboot Ð reboot. Normal shutdown Ð shutdown. Process control initialization Ð init. Configure services Ð ntsysv. Installation packages Ð rpm. Compiling source code. Installation example. Terminal parameters Ð stty. Linux and national character sets. Exercises for Chapter 19.

20. Backup/Restore and Media under Linux.

Introduction. Format and device drivers. Formatting floppies Ð fdformat. Archive and restore files Ð tar. Backing up data with cpio Ð cpio. Converting and copying data Ð dd. Menu program for backup Ð taper. Other backup programs. X Window and backup Ð BRU. Exercises for Chapter 20.

21. Linux Ð Logs and Kernel.

Introduction. System messages. Active system parameters. Process accounting - accton. Summarize accounting information Ð sa. User terminal data Ð ac. Display Status of CPU processes Ð top. Make your own Linux kernel. Tuning the hard disk drive. Exercises for Chapter 21.

22. Network Communication.

Introduction. TCP/IP Ð the networking glue. The phrase ÒInternetÓ. Protocols. TCP/IP configuration files. Connecting via modem. Connecting via ISDN. Start/stop scripts. Security. Using a browser. Contact Ð ping. Terminal emulation Ð telnet. Transfer files Ð ftp. Run remote programs Ð rsh. Remote copy Ð rcp. Remote login Ð rlogin. Trace package Ð traceroute. TCP/IP traffic Ð tcpdump. Anonymous FTP server. Other TCP/IP programs. Exercises for Chapter 22.

23. Messages.

Introduction. Internal communication Ð write. Message to all Ð wall. Permission to receive message Ð mesg. External communication Ð talk. Electronic mail. E-mail Ð mail. Sendmail and references. News from the news server Ð tin. Using a fax. Exercises for Chapter 23.

24. File Services with NFS and Samba.

Introduction. What is Samba? Installing Samba. Configuring Samba. Setting global parameters. The [homes] section. Sharing a Linux disk. Printing Windows - Linux. Linux clients Ð SMB servers. Mounting Windows folders. Printing Linux - Windows. Testing a configuration. Samba references. What is NFS? Installing NFS. Defining an NFS server. Defining NFS clients. NFS mounting options. NFS and asynchronous connections. Optimizing NFS. NFS and poor bandwidth. Exporting NFS (Unix). Security and NFS. NFS references. Exercises for Chapter 24.

25. Cost/BenefitAnalysis.

Introduction. Protect your investments. Differences between Open Source Linux and Windows. MicrosoftÕs license policy. Cost differences.

26. Open Source/Linux Information.

Information through the Internet. Web (http) resources. DistributorsÕ web resources. Linux on a laptop. FTP resources. Linux tools and applications. Linux Internet publications. Linux newsgroups. Electronic documentation.

Index.

Preface

Foreword

This book will serve both as an introduction for newcomers to Linux and as a reference for professionals. The book starts with the basics and goes through the most important Linux commands. If you are an IT manager wondering if Linux would make a good client or server operating system for your company, you will find it very valuable to read Chapter 25, "Cost/Benefit Analysis."

I started with Unix 15 years ago and have written three books on UNIX3: UNIX: From User to System Administrator, UNIX: An Introduction, and UNIX Commands by Example: A Desktop Reference for Solaris, UnixWare, and SCO UNIX. In the past four years, I have also written two books on Linux: Linux Installation and Configuration, and Introduction to Red Hat Linux 7.0.

I was first introduced to UNIX in 1985, when the operating system was called Microsoft XENIX (a UNIX clone). At that time the machine hardware was based on a PC with a 4.77 MHz Intel CPU, 640 KB RAM, and a 10-MB hard disk. Later I worked with both BSD and System V-based solutions like SCO XENIX, SCO UNIX, ISC UNIX, Novell UnixWare, Solaris 1.x, Solaris 2.x, IBM AIX, SCO UnixWare, NCR Unix V.4, and of course, Linux.

Early in 1997 I started working on an Intranet/WEB-development project for a Norwegian company called Telenor Marlink. In this project, the development platform was based on Sunsoft Solaris 2.5. A colleague named Knut Ranheim was also working on this project and wanted us to use Linux and PC hardware as the workstation platform. Since then I have been hooked on the Open Source model and Linux.

Today, I work as a project leader for different Linux software projects. In my part time, I am Contributing Editor for the Norwegian Linux magazine, Open Source Linux Magazine. I also write books and am a well-known lecturer. If you would like to know what I use Linux for, check my homepage: http://home.c2i.net/delboth

— David Elboth

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