Documentation For Linux Gurus; Document Conventions - Red Hat ENTERPRISE LINUX 3 Reference Manual

Introduction
If you are concerned about security issues, the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Security Guide is a great
resource — explaining in concise terms best strategies and practices for securing Red Hat Enterprise
Linux.

2.3. Documentation for Linux Gurus

If you are a long-time Red Hat Enterprise Linux user, you probably already know that one of the best
ways to understand a particular program is to read its source code and/or configuration files. A major
advantage of Red Hat Enterprise Linux is the availability of the source code for anyone to read.
Obviously, not everyone is a programmer, so the source code may not be helpful for you. However, if
you have the knowledge and skills necessary to read it, the source code holds all of the answers.

3. Document Conventions

When you read this manual, certain words are represented in different fonts, typefaces, sizes, and
weights. This highlighting is systematic; different words are represented in the same style to indicate
their inclusion in a specific category. The types of words that are represented this way include the
following:
command
Linux commands (and other operating system commands, when used) are represented this way.
This style should indicate to you that you can type the word or phrase on the command line
and press [Enter] to invoke a command. Sometimes a command contains words that would be
displayed in a different style on their own (such as file names). In these cases, they are considered
to be part of the command, so the entire phrase is displayed as a command. For example:
Use the
cat testfile
working directory.
file name
File names, directory names, paths, and RPM package names are represented this way. This style
should indicate that a particular file or directory exists by that name on your system. Examples:
The file in your home directory contains bash shell definitions and aliases for your own
.bashrc
use.
The
/etc/fstab
Install the
webalizer
application
This style indicates that the program is an end-user application (as opposed to system software).
For example:
Use Mozilla to browse the Web.
[key]
A key on the keyboard is shown in this style. For example:
To use [Tab] completion, type in a character and then press the [Tab] key. Your terminal displays
the list of files in the directory that start with that letter.
command to view the contents of a file, named
file contains information about different system devices and file systems.
RPM if you want to use a Web server log file analysis program.
, in the current
testfile
v