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Red Hat LINUX 7.2 Manual

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Red Hat Linux 7.2
The Official Red Hat Linux Getting Started
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  • Page 1 Red Hat Linux 7.2 The Official Red Hat Linux Getting Started Guide...
  • Page 2 ISBN: N/A Red Hat, Inc. 2600 Meridian Parkway Durham, NC 27713 USA +1 919 547 0012 (Voice) +1 919 547 0024 (FAX) 888 733 4281 (Voice) P.O. Box 13588 Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 USA © 2001 Red Hat, Inc. rhl-gsg(EN)-7.2-Print-RHI (2001-09-12T11:19-0400) Copyright ©...

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    Contents Red Hat Linux 7.2 Introduction .................. . ix About This Manual — Read This? Please?..........ix Introductory Terms .
  • Page 4 Chapter 3 The KDE Desktop Environment ......43 Using Your Mouse ..............43 The Desktop .
  • Page 5 Additional Resources ............100 Chapter 8 Audio, Video, and General Amusement ....101 Configuring a Sound Card ..
  • Page 6 12.4 Red Hat Network Software Manager .......... . 148 12.5 Synchronizing Your System Profile ..........154 12.6 Updating With Errata .
  • Page 7 Appendix C Identifying/Finding File Extensions ..... 195 Introduction............... . 195 Missing or Incorrect Extension?...
  • Page 8 viii...

  • Page 9: Introduction

    You can find this information in the Official Red Hat Linux Customization Guide and the Official Red Hat Linux Reference Guide. All of our manuals are available in HTML and PDF formats at http://www.redhat.com/support/manuals. About This Manual — Read This? Please? This book explains how to get started with Red Hat Linux using both the graphical user interface and the shell prompt.

  • Page 10: Introductory Terms

    Basics, and Chapter 12, Updating and Adding Packages to Red Hat Linux). The documentation CD and the Red Hat website ( http://www.redhat.com) have the Official Red Hat Linux Getting Started Guide in its entirety. This non-printed information is certainly important, but not vital to getting started with Red Hat Linux.

  • Page 11: A Note About Environments

    Section 0.3:A Note About Environments • X or X Window System: These terms refer to the graphical user interface environments. If you are "in X" or "running X" you are working in a GUI rather than a console environment. • Console: Console, shell prompt, terminal, "the screen that looks like DOS"...

  • Page 12: Documentation Resources

    Introduction Figure 2 Viewing Text in a Shell Prompt Documentation Resources If you have the Official Red Hat Linux boxed set, remember to take a look through the Red Hat Linux 7.2 Documentation CD. All of our manuals are on this CD, as well as other useful resources. Inserting the Documentation CD in the CD-ROM drive should automatically open the file manager (Obviously, you will need to be logged in to do this.
  • Page 13 Section 0.4:Documentation Resources xiii Figure 3 Documentation CD Files View in PDF format. You will see one file whose name starts with the letters "pdf". Click on this to view the manuals in PDF format. Install the manuals on your computer. Files beginning with the letters "rhl"...
  • Page 14 Introduction Figure 4 Installing Documentation Files Scroll through the right side of the file manager screen and look for files beginning with the letters "rhl" (as shown in Figure 4, Installing Documentation Files. There will be one file for each of our four manuals.

  • Page 15: We Need Feedback

    CD. The opening page has links to a variety of Linux documentation resources. Of course, you can also go to http://www.redhat.com/support/manuals and bookmark the site. All of the manuals are available there in PDF and HTML format.
  • Page 16 Under the Brim: The Official Red Hat E-Newsletter Red Hat Linux Every month, get the latest news and product information directly from Red Hat. To sign up, go to http://www.redhat.com/apps/activate. You will find your Product ID on the black, red and white registration card in your Official Red Hat Linux box.

  • Page 17: Part I The Basics

    Part I The Basics...

  • Page 19: Chapter 1 Getting Started

    Section 1.1:Logging In 1 Getting Started Time to get started. The first thing you have to do is log in. When you log in, you are basically introducing yourself to the system. Linux is Case Sensitive Like UNIX, Linux is case sensitive. That means that typing "root" refers to a different account than "Root".
  • Page 20 Chapter 1:Getting Started 1.1.1 Logging In As Root If you did not create a user account during installation, you must log in as root. Regardless of whether you have chosen a graphical or console login screen, you will have to supply a login account name and the password associated with that account.
  • Page 21 Section 1.1:Logging In Changing Your Login Screen To find out how you can change from a console to a graphical login screen see Section 13.14, Changing Login from Console to X at Startup. Once you start the X Window System, you will find a desktop similar to Figure 1–2, A GNOME Desktop in GNOME or Figure 1–3, A KDE Desktop in KDE.
  • Page 22 Chapter 1:Getting Started Figure 1–3 A KDE Desktop 1.1.2 Opening a Terminal Window Both GNOME and KDE offer quick launch buttons on their panels to open a terminal window, also referred to as a shell prompt. Figure 1–4 The GNOME Panel On the GNOME panel, the button that launches a shell prompt looks like: Similar to GNOME, the KDE panel prominently features a quick launch button for a shell prompt.

  • Page 23: Creating A User Account

    Section 1.2:Creating a user account 1.2 Creating a user account When you installed Red Hat Linux you were given the opportunity to create user accounts. If you did not create at least one (not including the root account) you should do so now. Working in root when you do not absolutely have to is a bad idea.
  • Page 24 Chapter 1:Getting Started Fill in the user name (this can be an abbreviation or some sort of nickname), the full name of the user for whom this account is being created, and a password (which you will enter a second time for verification).

  • Page 25: Logging Out Of Root

    Section 1.3:Logging Out of Root You can exit from a terminal window by clicking the button on the upper right corner of the window, or by typing exit at the prompt. Forgot Your Password? See (Section 13.13, Forgotten Password) for information on what to do if you forget your root or user account password.
  • Page 26 Chapter 1:Getting Started Figure 1–7 Logout Confirmation Similarly, in KDE, you can log out of root by going to => or by simply typing Main Menu Logout exit at the shell prompt. By default, the panel in KDE also contains a quick launch button to log out; it is located near the taskbar, at the center of the panel, and looks like: Now, you can log into your user account the same way you logged in as root.

  • Page 27: Chapter 2 The Gnome Desktop Environment

    Section 2.2:The Desktop 2 The GNOME Desktop Environment 2.1 GNOME Fundamentals GNOME is a flexible and user-friendly way to use a graphical user interface with Red Hat Linux. This chapter covers the fundamentals of GNOME and its file manager, Nautilus. In later chapters, you will find greater detail about tasks such as connecting a printer and setting up your Internet account.
  • Page 28 Chapter 2:The GNOME Desktop Environment Figure 2–1 A GNOME Desktop The GNOME environment is called a desktop. This is the area where you have application launchers, document windows, lists of files (folders), and so on. The long bar across the bottom of the desktop is known as the panel. The panel displays application launchers and status indicators, such as the current time, minimized applications you are running, and more.

  • Page 29: The Nautilus File Manager

    Section 2.3:The Nautilus File Manager Mounting a Device Ordinarily, you can use your drives (floppy, CD, etc) just by clicking on them. Most devices are now mounted automatically. But occasionally you may get an error message, telling you a device needs to be mounted. When you mount a floppy or CD-ROM, you are making that device’s contents available to you.
  • Page 30 Chapter 2:The GNOME Desktop Environment Figure 2–2 The Start Here Screen screen has a main menu, a toolbar, and, on the right side of the screen, a number of Start Here icons. On the left is the sidebar, which shows the file or webpage in which you are currently working, and beneath this there are five tabs.
  • Page 31 Section 2.3:The Nautilus File Manager Figure 2–3 Backgrounds and Emblems Selection • — contains options for hiding/showing the various navigational bars on the screen, zoom View options, the order in which items are arranged, view items as icons or a list, and more. •...
  • Page 32 Chapter 2:The GNOME Desktop Environment reloads the current screen (can be helpful if a page appears fuzzy). displays the home Refresh Home directory by default. You can have this button display any file or website you want by clicking on and then on the main menu and selecting on the screen...

  • Page 33: The Panel

    Section 2.4:The Panel • — displays links to the Internet, network, printer, date/time, and service config- System Settings uration tools. Also has links to the hardware browser and the user manager. Use the user manager to add, edit, or delete user accounts. Notification Options Once you select an application you want to launch, GNOME can display a screen that lets you know the application is loading and will be ready shortly.
  • Page 34 Chapter 2:The GNOME Desktop Environment Applications, folders, and applets can be docked on the panel, so that they can be launched with a single mouse click. Figure 2–4 The Panel at the Bottom of the Desktop To add an applet, do one of the following: •...

  • Page 35: Main Menu Button

    Section 2.7:Multiple Desktops Switch Tasks Quickly One way to bring currently running applications to the front is to press [Alt]- . To scroll through the tasks, hold down the key, while pressing the [Tab] [Alt] key in succession. When you have found the task you want to bring to [Tab] the front, stop pressing the key and release the...
  • Page 36 Chapter 2:The GNOME Desktop Environment Figure 2–6 Moving an Application to Another Desktop By default, four desktops are available to you. However, using the configuration utility for your win- dow manager, you can modify that number. To run sawfish’s configuration program, middle-click on your desktop (or click your right and left mouse buttons simultaneously), and select .

  • Page 37: Switching Environments

    Section 2.8:Switching Environments Desk Pager to move to another desktop. To manually move an open window from one desktop to another, right-click on the top border and select for window moving options. Send window to Figure 2–7 The GNOME Pager The Pager (see Figure 2–7, The GNOME Pager) is a GNOME utility which allows you to switch desktops (or workspaces) by clicking on the corresponding desktop, as well as see which applications are currently running.

  • Page 38: Quitting From Gnome

    Chapter 2:The GNOME Desktop Environment Figure 2–8 The Switchdesk Utility There are several ways to start Switchdesk: • Go to => => => Main Menu Button Programs System Desktop Switching Tool • Dock a switchdesk applet on your panel. Right-click on the panel and go to =>...
  • Page 39 Section 2.9:Quitting from GNOME Figure 2–9 The GNOME Log Out Confirmation To log out from the on the panel, click on the and select Main Menu Main Menu Button Log out In the confirmation dialog which opens (see Figure 2–9, The GNOME Log Out Confirmation), you can choose to: •...

  • Page 40: Adding A Log Out Button

    Chapter 2:The GNOME Desktop Environment Typing Your Password When you select either , you will be asked for your account’s Halt Reboot password before proceeding. In the space provided, just type in the password you used when you logged in for your current session. 2.10 Adding a Log Out Button You can add a quick launch Log out...

  • Page 41: Shutting Down From The Run Program Menu

    Section 2.12:Shutting Down at the Shell Prompt 2.11 Shutting Down from the Run Program Menu An additional way to shut down or restart your machine is to select the item from the Run program and, in the dialog which opens, type shutdown -r now or shutdown -h now. The Main Menu -r means reboot, and will restart your machine;...
  • Page 42 Chapter 2:The GNOME Desktop Environment More About Shutting Down You can specify the delay between when you issue the shutdown command and its execution. Replace the word now with a "+" and a number; for exam- ple shutdown -h +5 will shutdown and halt the system after five minutes have passed.

  • Page 43: Chapter 3 The Kde Desktop Environment

    Section 3.1:Using Your Mouse 3 The KDE Desktop Environment This chapter provides an overview of KDE fundamentals. Details, such as configuring your desktop, working with the file manager, and using specific KDE tools, will be covered in later chapters. For the latest documentation on KDE, visit the project’s website: http://www.kde.org. The KDE desktop shows application launchers, document windows, file folders, and so on.

  • Page 44: The Desktop

    Chapter 3:The KDE Desktop Environment 3.2 The Desktop When you first start KDE, your desktop will look something like Figure 3–1, A Typical KDE Desktop. Figure 3–1 A Typical KDE Desktop Customize Your Desktop You can customize the look of your desktop with preferred colors or pictures, or using themes.

  • Page 45: The Panel

    Section 3.3:The Panel You can drag items to the folder if you want them to launch automatically when you log in. Autostart Diskette Formatting If you place a floppy diskette in the drive, then select the floppy drive on your desktop, you may receive an error message such as wrong fs type, bad option, bad superblock on /dev/fd0 or other.
  • Page 46 Chapter 3:The KDE Desktop Environment Figure 3–2 The Panel The panel is very configurable. You can add and remove buttons that launch applications and applets, which will allow you to open them easily. Right-click on the panel and select => Panel menu Settings to open the...
  • Page 47 Section 3.3:The Panel Figure 3–3 The Desktops Tab in the Panel Configuration Now you can change the names of your desktops (from , etc.) by deleting these Desktop 1 Desktop 2 default names and typing in any name you want in each desktop’s corresponding text box (see Figure 3–3, The Desktops Tab in the Panel Configuration).

  • Page 48: The Main Menu K Icon

    Chapter 3:The KDE Desktop Environment 3.4 The Main Menu K Icon The main menu in KDE, (the icon), incorporates all of the available KDE applets and applications, as well as many other applications on your Red Hat Linux system. You can find the icon on the left of the panel. You open the main menu by clicking once on the icon. You will see the top level of menu headings first.

  • Page 49: Finding Help

    Section 3.6:Finding Help Switch Tasks Quickly Another way to bring minimized or background windows to the front is to use the keys. To pick an item from the taskbar, hold down [Alt] [Tab] [Alt]- . To scroll through the tasks, hold down the key, while pressing the [Tab] [Alt]...

  • Page 50: Switching Environments

    Chapter 3:The KDE Desktop Environment • From the — select Main Menu Help • By right-clicking on the desktop and selecting the entry in the brief menu. Help on desktop The opening screen of the KDE Help browser will appear like Figure 3–5, The Opening Screen of the Help Browser.

  • Page 51: Quitting From Kde

    Section 3.9:Shutting Down at the Shell Prompt => => => ). Or you can open Run from the main menu and Button System Desktop Switching Tool type switchdesk at the prompt. To open Switchdesk at a shell prompt: • Type switchdesk at a shell prompt. •...
  • Page 52 Chapter 3:The KDE Desktop Environment • At the shell prompt, type shutdown -r now or shutdown -h now and enter your user account password in the dialog box that appears. The -h means halt and will shut down the system; the -r means reboot and will restart the system.

  • Page 53: Chapter 4 Customizing Your Desktop

    Section 4.1:Customizing with the GNOME Control Center 4 Customizing Your Desktop Both GNOME and KDE offer you plenty of ways to add your own personality to your workspace. Each environment provides powerful control centers, that let you change the way your workspace looks, sounds, and behaves.
  • Page 54 Chapter 4:Customizing Your Desktop Preview Your Changes Not sure if you will be happy with your selections? Click on the button to see what your desktop will look like with your changes. If you do not like it, just click on the button to return to your original settings.
  • Page 55 Section 4.1:Customizing with the GNOME Control Center Figure 4–3 The Background Settings Color Palette If you choose from the dropdown menu, you need to choose a Horizontal Vertical Gradient Pri- mary Secondary Color If you want something a little more expressive, try adding wallpaper to your desktop. By default, there are no wallpaper choices available when you click on the dropdown menu under .
  • Page 56 Chapter 4:Customizing Your Desktop To change your current theme, click on the icon. Theme Selector Figure 4–4 The Theme Selector Category The Theme Selector panel has sections where you can select a new theme, preview its effect, and modify the default font that theme will use (see Figure 4–4, The Theme Selector Category). If you select the option, you can see how the theme will look like in the section.

  • Page 57: Customizing With The Kde Control Center

    Section 4.2: Customizing with the KDE Control Center More Themes Are Available If you do not see a theme you like, you can find more themes at http://gtk.themes.org, a repository for themes. To install a theme, download a theme from the website, then select the button.
  • Page 58 Chapter 4:Customizing Your Desktop Figure 4–5 The Background Category in the KDE Control Center The KDE Control Center is divided into two main panels. On the left, you will find categories, and on the right, (the main panel), you will see the corresponding elements you can modify for a category. The categories may be collapsed when you first open the control center.
  • Page 59 Section 4.2: Customizing with the KDE Control Center Automatic Preview Whenever you make a selection for your background, you will automatically see a preview of the effect in the dialog. The KDE Control Center’s category allows you to set different backgrounds for each Background desktop.
  • Page 60 Chapter 4:Customizing Your Desktop Figure 4–6 The KDE Theme Manager Category If you want to install a theme you have downloaded, click on the button. In the dialog which opens, locate the name of the theme file you have downloaded. Double-click on it or highlight the file and click on .

  • Page 61: Chapter 5 Getting Online

    Section 5.1:Internet Druid 5 Getting Online PPP accounts are used to dial in to an Internet Service Provider (ISP) using a modem, ISDN, or DSL connection. Using PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol), you connect to a large network (the Internet) through your ISP; your machine becomes a part of that network and you use the resources of the network. Red Hat Linux offers a useful tool for establishing and modifying PPP accounts used to connect to ISPs and networks.
  • Page 62 Chapter 5:Getting Online Figure 5–1 System Settings Click on . If you are not logged in as root, you will be prompted for Internet Configuration Wizard the root password. Enter the password and the screen opens (see Figure 5–2, Add New Device Type Add New Device Type).
  • Page 63 Section 5.1:Internet Druid Figure 5–2 Add New Device Type • ISDN connection - Integrated Services Digital Network. A connection using high-speed, high- quality digital telecommunication lines as opposed to an analog modem connection. • Modem connection - A connection using a peripheral device, a modem, to connect computers to each other.
  • Page 64 Chapter 5:Getting Online Figure 5–3 Select ISDN Adapter screen On the next screen, Select Provider (see Figure 5–4, Select ISDN Provider), you can expand the list of Internet providers on the left and select yours if it is there. If it is not, type the name and phone number of your provider in the field.
  • Page 65 Section 5.1:Internet Druid Figure 5–4 Select ISDN Provider Once the account is created, neat closes. Launch Mozilla (an icon for Mozilla appears by default on the panel) or other Internet software application to launch an interface for the ISDN connection. 5.1.2 Configuring a Modem Connection To configure your Internet connection with a standard peripheral modem, select Modem connection...
  • Page 66 Chapter 5:Getting Online Figure 5–5 Select Modem screen On the screen, indicate if your telephone uses touch-tone dialing and adjust the modem Select Modem volume if you choose. Continue to the next screen (see Figure 5–4, Select ISDN Provider). Select your provider from the list on the left or enter it manually in the field.

  • Page 67: Network Configuration

    Section 5.2:Network Configuration Figure 5–6 Configure DSL Connection screen 5.2 Network Configuration Configuring a network with Red Hat Linux is simple. In GNOME, click on the button Start Here on the desktop or panel. In KDE, access the from the main menu button and click GNOME menus .

  • Page 68: Connecting And Disconnecting

    Chapter 5:Getting Online Figure 5–7 Network Configuration If you are configuring a network, you will probably have all of the necessary information readily avail- able. If not, contact your system administrator or refer to the Official Red Hat Linux Customization Guide for more information on neat.
  • Page 69 Section 5.4:Connecting With Cable hook up the equipment, launch Mozilla (see Chapter 6, The Mozilla Web Browser for more informa- tion on Mozilla), and your system should connect. For more information on configuring your cable interface, see the Official Red Hat Linux Customization Guide or contact your cable provider.
  • Page 70 Chapter 5:Getting Online...

  • Page 71: Chapter 6 The Mozilla Web Browser

    Section 6.1:Mozilla User Accounts 6 The Mozilla Web Browser Once you have configured your Internet connection (see Chapter 5, Getting Online), you are ready to get online. Red Hat Linux comes with the open source browser Mozilla. This chapter explains how to customize Mozilla so you can surf the Web, send and receive email, subscribe to newsgroups, and create webpages.
  • Page 72 Chapter 6:The Mozilla Web Browser Figure 6–1 Mozilla Profile Manager After you open the profile manager, click on (Figure 6–1, Mozilla Profile Manager) to Create Profile begin. The first screen is an introduction; click on to continue. On the following screen (Figure Next 6–2, Create a User Profile), enter a name in the Enter New Profile Name...

  • Page 73: Mozilla Navigator

    Section 6.2:Mozilla Navigator Figure 6–2 Create a User Profile When you click on , you will see the user profile you just created listed under Finish Available Profiles on the main Profile Manager screen (Figure 6–1, Mozilla Profile Manager). You can also edit and delete profiles from this screen by clicking on Rename Profile Delete Profile...
  • Page 74 Chapter 6:The Mozilla Web Browser The Mozilla Navigator screen (Figure 6–3, Mozilla’s Main Screen) has all of the standard Web browser functions that other browsers have. There is a main menu at the top of the screen and a navigation bar below it. There is a sidebar on the left that contains additional options. And in the bottom left corner, there are four small icons : , and Navigator...
  • Page 75 Section 6.2:Mozilla Navigator Figure 6–3 Mozilla’s Main Screen 6.2.1 Mozilla Navigator Main Menu The following options are available from the main menu at the top of the Mozilla Navigator screen. Note that many menu items have keyboard shortcuts listed next to them. For example, is the [Ctrl] keyboard shortcut for printing.
  • Page 76 Chapter 6:The Mozilla Web Browser • — Opens a dialog box for file selection or entry. Open File • — Closes Mozilla. Close • — Opens a dialog box where you can name a file and have it automatically saved as such. Save As •...
  • Page 77 Section 6.2:Mozilla Navigator • — If you have stylesheet files saved on you system, click on this option so see Use Stylesheet them listed. Selecting one will apply it to the webpage you are viewing. • — Refreshes the screen, just as the button in the navigation toolbar does.
  • Page 78 Chapter 6:The Mozilla Web Browser menu item also shows a list of recently viewed pages. You can determine the maximum number of pages this list will show by going to => on the main menu and then Edit Preferences selecting and then from the menu on the left of the screen.
  • Page 79 Section 6.2:Mozilla Navigator Opens Mozilla Mail Import Wizard which you can use to import messages, address book information, and/or preferences from other mail programs. *Java Console & JavaScript Console Advanced functions for managing Java and JavaScript functions. Disabling one or both of these can help speed up your system’s performance, but pages that require Java or JavaScript may not display properly.

  • Page 80: The Mozilla Navigator Sidebar

    Chapter 6:The Mozilla Web Browser can create separate lists within a address books by selecting a book and then clicking on New List To add new names to your books, click on and fill in the appropriate information when New Card prompted.

  • Page 81: Customizing Mozilla Preferences

    Section 6.4:Customizing Mozilla Preferences • — The tab shows a list of the sites you have visited. You can set determine how History History many days the history tab will store sites before clearing them by going to => Edit Preferences and going to under the...
  • Page 82 Chapter 6:The Mozilla Web Browser Figure 6–5 Navigator Preferences • — Under you can customize some of your homepage functionality, such as Navigator Navigator which buttons appear in the toolbar and what, if any, page appears when you launch the application. •...
  • Page 83 Section 6.4:Customizing Mozilla Preferences buttons store a history as well; you can determine how many pages back- Back Forward ward or forward these buttons will go in the field. You start a new session each Session History time you login. •...
  • Page 84 Chapter 6:The Mozilla Web Browser lets you adjust the default color, background images, and author for new New Page Settings HTML pages. These settings will be the default each time you create a new page. 6.4.4 Mail and Newsgroup Preferences settings (Figure 6–6, Mail and Newsgroup Preferences) determine how mes- Mail and Newsgroup sages appear on your screen, how they are sent, and address book functions.
  • Page 85 Section 6.4:Customizing Mozilla Preferences • — Determine whether messages that you forward to people will be sent as Message Composition attachments or in the body of the message. You can also determine whether or not the original text of messages that you reply to appear in the body of your message and, if so, how. The spell check option, the length of text lines, and the language in which you type can be also be configured here.

  • Page 86: Mozilla Mail

    Chapter 6:The Mozilla Web Browser 6.4.6 Advanced Preferences preferences cover topics such as proxies, cookies, and cache files. Unless you know Advanced something about these topics, it is recommended that you leave the default settings as they are. • — Enable or disable Java and JavaScript, which help interpret how webpages are in- Advanced terpreted.
  • Page 87 Section 6.5:Mozilla Mail Figure 6–7 Mozilla Mail — Local Folders Click once on Local Folders . A list of options appears on the right side of the screen. Click on Create a new account...
  • Page 88 Chapter 6:The Mozilla Web Browser Figure 6–8 New Account Setup The first screen you see (Figure 6–8, New Account Setup) asks what type of account you want to create. Select and click on . The following screens ask for your name, ISP or email provider Next email address, server names, and the name you would like to use to refer to the account (work, research,...
  • Page 89 Section 6.5:Mozilla Mail You can send the webpage you are viewing, by going to on the main menu and then selecting either File and then filling in the address and subject fields and clicking on Send Page Send Link Send Send shows the contents of the page in the body of the email.

  • Page 90: Mozilla And Newsgroups

    Chapter 6:The Mozilla Web Browser 6.5.4 Creating a Signature A signature is a brief note at the end of an email or newsgroup posting. Often a quote or joke, signa- tures say something about the author of the message. To create a signature, do the following, using the text editor Pico: •...
  • Page 91 Section 6.6:Mozilla and Newsgroups Figure 6–10 Newsgroup Account Setup Enter your name and email address on the next screen and click . On the following screen, enter Next the name of your news server (if you do not know the name of your news server, contact your Internet service provider for this information).

  • Page 92: Mozilla Composer

    Chapter 6:The Mozilla Web Browser 6.7 Mozilla Composer You can use Mozilla Composer to create webpages. You do not need to know HTML to use this tool. To open Composer, go to on the Mozilla main menu, or click on the Tasks =>...

  • Page 93: Chapter 7 Printer Configuration

    Printer Configuration 7 Printer Configuration This chapter provides information on configuring, testing, and modifying a local printer with print- conf. For information on configuring other types of printers, creating printer aliases, and more, see button once you open the printconf Official Red Hat Linux Customization Guide or click on the Help application.
  • Page 94 Chapter 7:Printer Configuration Figure 7–1 printconf This chapter explains local printer configuration only, but five types of print queues can be configured with printconf: • — a printer attached directly to your computer through a parallel or USB port. In Local Printer the main printer list as shown in Figure 7–1, printconf , the for a local printer is set...

  • Page 95: Adding A Local Printer

    Section 7.1:Adding a Local Printer Important If you add a new print queue or modify an existing one, you need to restart the printer daemon (lpd) for the changes to take effect. Clicking the button saves any changes that you have made and restarts the printer daemon. The Apply changes are not written to the /etc/printcap configuration file until the printer daemon (lpd) is restarted.
  • Page 96 Chapter 7:Printer Configuration You will then see the screen shown in Figure 7–3, Adding a Local Printer. Enter a unique name for the printer in the text field. This can be any descriptive name for your printer. The Queue Name printer name cannot contain spaces and must begin with a letter a through z or A through Z.
  • Page 97 Section 7.1:Adding a Local Printer Figure 7–4 Choosing a Printer Device Next, printconf will try to detect which printer is attached to the printer device you selected as shown in Figure 7–5, Choosing a Printer Driver. If it detects the wrong printer or does not detect any printer, you can manually select one.

  • Page 98: Modifying Existing Printers

    Chapter 7:Printer Configuration Figure 7–5 Choosing a Printer Driver The last step is to confirm your printer. Click Finish if this is the printer that you want to add. Click to modify your printer configuration. Back The new printer will appear in the printer list in the main window. Click the button in the Apply main window to save your changes to the /etc/printcap configuration file and restart the printer...
  • Page 99 Section 7.2:Modifying Existing Printers To set the default printer, select the printer from the printer list and click the button on the Default toolbar. The default printer icon appears in the first column of the printer list beside the default printer.

  • Page 100: Additional Resources

    Chapter 7:Printer Configuration 7.2.1 Names and Aliases If you want to rename a printer, change the value of Queue Name in the Names and Aliases tab. Click to return to the main window. The name of the printer should change in the printer list. Click Apply to save the change and restart the printer daemon.

  • Page 101: Chapter 8 Audio, Video, And General Amusement

    If you are hav- ing trouble configuring your sound card, check the Hardware Compatibility List at http://hardware.redhat.com/ to see if your card is supported. The sndconfig utility probes your system for sound cards. If the utility detects a plug and play sound card, it will automatically try to configure the correct settings by playing sound samples.

  • Page 102: Speakers, Headphones, And Sound Etiquette

    Chapter 8:Audio, Video, and General Amusement modules.conf file as discussed below (this strategy is not recommended for novices), or refer to the documentation that came with your soundcard for more information. If your soundcard is not a plug and play card, you can manually edit your /etc/modules.conf file to include the sound card module that it should use, for example: alias sound sb alias midi opl3...

  • Page 103: Configuring A Video Card

    Section 8.4:Configuring a Video Card Figure 8–1 GNOME CD Player Interface The CD player interface acts like a standard CD player, with play, pause, and stop functions. A volume control slider is located at the bottom of the interface. You can also edit the track listings for your CDs and change the way the utility functions by clicking on the Open Track Editor Preferences...

  • Page 104: Games And Amusements

    Chapter 8:Audio, Video, and General Amusement and much more. Visit their site at http://www.linuxdoc.org and search the HOWTOS for the infor- mation you want. 8.5 Games and Amusements To open games in GNOME, go to => => . In KDE, go to Main Menu Programs Games...
  • Page 105 Section 8.5:Games and Amusements The text editor Emacs has several hidden surprises, too. Open the application with => Main Menu => => . Press ; then type the word doctor to open the ap- Programs Applications Emacs [Alt]-[x] plication’s "psychiatrist." Also in Emacs, press and then type "yow"...
  • Page 106 Chapter 8:Audio, Video, and General Amusement...

  • Page 107: Chapter 9 Manipulating Images With Gimp

    Section 9.1:Introduction to the GIMP 9 Manipulating Images With GIMP 9.1 Introduction to the GIMP You can use the GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP) to create, alter, manipulate, and enhance digital image files -- photographs, scanned images, computer-generated images, and more. Use this tool to design images for documents, presentations, websites, and so on.
  • Page 108 Chapter 9:Manipulating Images With GIMP The GIMP User Manual (by Karin Kylander and Olof S. Kylander) website, which includes the chapter "Mike Terry’s Black Belt School of Script-Fu," an excellent resource for anyone who wants to learn how to write a Script-Fu http://empyrean.lib.ndsu.nodak.edu/~nem/gimp/tuts/ The GIMP Tutorials Pointer Page http://gimp-savvy.com/...

  • Page 109: Part Ii Intermediate Tasks

    Part II Intermediate Tasks...

  • Page 111: Chapter 10 Shell Prompt Basics

    Hat Linux use are explained in the other chapters of this manual as needed. If you would like to learn more about using the shell prompt, refer to Chapter 10, Shell Prompt Basics on the Documentation CD, included in your box set and online at http://www.redhat.com/support/manual . Figure 10–1 A Shell Prompt...
  • Page 112 Chapter 10:Shell Prompt Basics...

  • Page 113: Chapter 11 Managing Files And Directories

    Section 11.1:The GNOME File Manager 11 Managing Files and Directories The GNOME and KDE file managers are powerful and important tools. You can use these applications to help you create, edit, and delete files and directories, as well as accomplish other tasks throughout your system.
  • Page 114 Chapter 11:Managing Files and Directories Figure 11–1 A Sample Nautilus Window On the left, you see a folder representing the directory in which you are currently working. On the right, you see the contents of that folder (as a new user, it is unlikely that there will be many new files or directories when you first open the file manager).
  • Page 115 Section 11.1:The GNOME File Manager Resize Individual Icons Each icon can be resized individually. Left-click once on an icon to select it and then right-click once on it. From the pop-up menu that appears, select . A box appears around the icon and you can click and drag any Stretch Icon of the corners of this box to resize the icon.
  • Page 116 Chapter 11:Managing Files and Directories Deciding Whether to Copy or Move an Item Not sure whether you want to move or copy something? Use the [Alt] when you drag an item. A pop-up menu will appear once you release it, letting you choose whether to copy or move.
  • Page 117 Section 11.1:The GNOME File Manager Emblems can be added to a file icon, indicating that the file is personal, new, a draft, very important, a personal favorite, and so on. Click on the tab to select informational emblems for a file. Emblems Use the check boxes next to the emblems to add or remove them.
  • Page 118 Chapter 11:Managing Files and Directories The following is a list of all the preferences you can configure. If you do not see a particular choice when you open the window, it is because that choice is not available to the user level Edit Preferences you have chosen.
  • Page 119 Section 11.1:The GNOME File Manager • Select a Font — Select a font from the dropdown menu if you want one other than the default. • Default Zoom Level — Change the default size in which items appear. • Use Tighter Layout — Set the icons closer together. •...
  • Page 120 Chapter 11:Managing Files and Directories Figure 11–5 Nautilus Speed Tradeoffs Speed Tradeoffs There are many interesting and convenient functions in Nautilus, but some of them can slow down your system. All of the preferences on the tab (see Figure 11–5, Nau- Speed Tradeoffs tilus Speed Tradeoffs) have , and...

  • Page 121: The Kde File Manager

    Section 11.2:The KDE File Manager News Panel preferences control the information shown when you click on the News Panel News on the left of the Nautilus screen. Change the preferences to determine how many news items are shown on the tab and how often they are automatically updated. 11.2 The KDE File Manager Like GNOME’s file manager, Konquerer is a graphical tool you can use to view and work with di- rectories and files.
  • Page 122 Chapter 11:Managing Files and Directories Figure 11–6 A Sample Konquerer Window In fact, you have quite a few choices for viewing files and directories in the content area; when you select (or deselect) a choice, the content area will refresh with your new view. Some of the options are: under View...
  • Page 123 Section 11.2:The KDE File Manager To open a directory, click once on the corresponding file folder. Express Yourself With Backgrounds Want to give the content area a colorful image background? Just right-click inside the content area of a Konquerer window, go to the tab, and you can change your background.

  • Page 124: Creating Files And Directories

    Chapter 11:Managing Files and Directories To open a new Konquerer window, just click on the KDE icon (which looks like a gear) on the far right of the navigation bar. Drag and Drop to Open, Move, and Copy Keeping important documents and applications within easy reach is simple with Konquerer. To open a text file, for example, you can drag it from the content area of Konquerer by left-clicking on it and holding your mouse button down while you drag it.
  • Page 125 Section 11.4:A Larger Picture of the Filesystem There would not be a tree without a root, and the same is true for the Linux filesystem. No matter how far away the branches, everything is connected to the root, which is represented as a single forward slash (/).
  • Page 126 Chapter 11:Managing Files and Directories Figure 11–7 A View of the Directories from Root Here are just a few of the directories you are likely to find: sbin There are more, but for now, take a look at the /etc directory. [newuser@localhost /]$ cd etc [newuser@localhost /etc]$ ls Here, among other things, you will find configuration files, which are files that help make programs...
  • Page 127 Section 11.4:A Larger Picture of the Filesystem Look around a little in the /usr directory. From your current location in /etc/skel, type: [newuser@localhost /skel]$ cd /usr [newuser@localhost /usr]$ ls If you forgot, cd /usr moves you to the /usr directory and ls lists the files in that directory. In /usr, you will see a number of directories that hold some of your system’s most important pro- grams and files (see Figure 11–8, Typing ls in /usr ).

  • Page 128: Identifying And Working With File Types

    Chapter 11:Managing Files and Directories Once you become more comfortable with your system, you may want to install software not available in RPM format. To minimize collisions with RPM-managed files, the best place to put such software is in /usr/local. 11.5 Identifying and Working with File Types If you are new to Linux, you may see files with extensions you do not recognize.
  • Page 129 Section 11.5:Identifying and Working with File Types 11.5.3 System Files • .rpm — a Red Hat Package Manager file • .conf — a configuration file • .a — an archive file • .lock — a "lock" file; determines whether a program is in use 11.5.4 Programming and Scripting Files •...

  • Page 130: File Compression And Archiving With Gzip, Zip, And Tar

    Chapter 11:Managing Files and Directories 11.6 File Compression and Archiving with Gzip, Zip, and Tar 11.6.1 Compressing with Gzip and Zip Compressed files use less disk space and download faster than large, uncompressed files. You can compress Linux files with the open-source compression tool Gzip or with Zip, which is recognized by most operating systems.
  • Page 131 Section 11.6:File Compression and Archiving with Gzip, Zip, and Tar 11.6.2 Archiving with Tar Tar files place several files or the contents of a directory or directories in one file. This is a good way to create backups and archives. Usually, tar files end with the .tar extension. To create a tar file, type: tar -cvf filename.tar files/directories In this example, filename.tar represents the file you are creating and files/directories...

  • Page 132: Viewing Pdfs

    Chapter 11:Managing Files and Directories 11.7 Viewing PDFs A PDF (Portable Document Format) file is an electronic image of a document. Red Hat Linux gives you several options for viewing PDFs. An open source application called xpdf is included with Red Hat Linux. The xpdf tool is well-devel- oped and easy to use.
  • Page 133 Section 11.8:Manipulating Files at a Shell Prompt 11.8.1 Copying Files Like so many Linux features, you have a variety of options from which to choose when you want to manipulate files and directories. You can also use wildcards when you are copying, moving, or deleting files and directories.
  • Page 134 Chapter 11:Managing Files and Directories 11.8.2 Moving Files To move files, use the mv command. It is similar to the cp command, except that with mv the file is physically moved from one place to another, instead of being duplicated, as with cp. For more about mv, see the mv man page (type man mv).
  • Page 135 Section 11.8:Manipulating Files at a Shell Prompt 11.8.4 Deleting Files and Directories You learned about creating files with the touch command and by using redirection in Chapter 10, Shell Prompt Basics . And you created the directory tigger using mkdir. Now you need to learn how to delete files and directories.
  • Page 136 Chapter 11:Managing Files and Directories • -f — force. Overrides interactive mode and removes the file(s) without prompting. This might not be a good idea, unless you know exactly what you are doing. • -v — verbose. Shows a list of files as they are being removed. •...

  • Page 137: Chapter 12 Updating And Adding Packages To Red Hat Linux

    Red Hat Linux systems. All security patches, bug fixes, and software package enhancements can be downloaded directly from Red Hat Linux using the Red Hat Update Agent, a standalone application, or through a Web browser, at http://rhn.redhat.com. The features available to you are determined by your subscription status.
  • Page 138 Chapter 12:Updating and Adding Packages to Red Hat Linux The Red Hat Network Software Manager runs inside an SSL-enabled Web browser, such as Mozilla, and does not have software dependencies. It has more features than Red Hat Update Agent, including the ability to view all of your systems simultaneously, install packages, and monitor the status of pending updates.
  • Page 139 Section 12.2:Red Hat Network Figure 12–1 Red Hat Network Registration Client The registration client is very self-explanatory. Follow the instructions on the screens to register your system with the Red Hat Network. CAUTION You must use Python 1.5.2-24 or later with Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) support.

  • Page 140: Red Hat Update Agent

    Chapter 12:Updating and Adding Packages to Red Hat Linux 12.3 Red Hat Update Agent If you choose to use the Red Hat Update Agent (a standalone tool for managing one system), you should configure the settings first. This can be done using the Red Hat Update Agent Configuration Tool.
  • Page 141 Section 12.3:Red Hat Update Agent Configure your network settings on the tab (see Figure 12–2, Red Hat Network Configuration General Tool). Contact your IT department to find out the proxy information you need, if any, to enter in the field on this tab. On the tab (see Figure 12–3, Red Hat Network Configuration Tool Retrieval/In- Retrieval/Installation...
  • Page 142 Chapter 12:Updating and Adding Packages to Red Hat Linux Figure 12–4 Red Hat Network Configuration Tool Package Exceptions Tab For more detailed information, see the Red Hat Network User Reference Guide at http:///www.red- hat.com/support/manuals/RHNetwork/ref-guide/. After configuring the settings, you can use the Red Hat Update Agent to retrieve the latest software packages from Red Hat Linux.
  • Page 143 Section 12.3:Red Hat Update Agent Figure 12–5 Install GPG Key After installing the Red Hat GPG key, the screen in Figure 12–6, Welcome Screen will appear. It appears every time you start the Red Hat Update Agent. Click to continue. Next Figure 12–6 Welcome Screen...
  • Page 144 Chapter 12:Updating and Adding Packages to Red Hat Linux 12.3.3 Choosing a Channel The first step is to select the channel(s) from which you want the updated packages to be retrieved. Select one or more channels and click . Refer to the Red Hat Network User Reference Guide for Next more information on channels and how channels are used to determine which packages to install.
  • Page 145 Section 12.3:Red Hat Update Agent Figure 12–8 Retrieve Update Information While you see this dialog box, Red Hat Update Agent uses your unique Digital Certificate (/etc/sysconfig/rhn/systemid) to determine if there are any updated packages available for your system. If there are no updated packages available for your system, the dialog box in Figure 12–9, No new packages needed appears.
  • Page 146 Chapter 12:Updating and Adding Packages to Red Hat Linux Figure 12–10 List of Available Updates By default, no packages are selected for download. If you highlight each package, a brief package description is displayed in the Package Information section at the bottom of the screen. To select the package for download (and installation if you chose that option), click the checkbox.
  • Page 147 Section 12.3:Red Hat Update Agent Figure 12–11 View Advisory After choosing which packages to update, the Red Hat Update Agent tests for RPM dependencies and prompt you if you have chosen to omit packages that are required for software updates that you did choose.

  • Page 148: Red Hat Network Software Manager

    You can upgrade some or all outdated pack- ages, manage your hardware profile, and more. 12.4.1 Logging into the Red Hat Network Software Manager In a Web browser, go to http://rhn.redhat.com.
  • Page 149 Section 12.4:Red Hat Network Software Manager Figure 12–14 Red Hat Network Login 12.4.2 Your RHN After logging into the Web interface of Red Hat Network, the first page you see is the main page, or the page. This page displays important information about your systems Your Red Hat Network including Recent Errata Alerts for your systems under the title Recent Errata...
  • Page 150 Update button on the page. If you want to change your Red Hat Network password (the one used to log into Software Manager and redhat.com) click the tab on the page and replace the asterisks in the Details...
  • Page 151 Section 12.4:Red Hat Network Software Manager The email address on the tab is the one Red Hat Network sends email notification to if you Details have selected to receive Errata Alert email for your systems under the tab. To change Preferences your preferred email address, replace in on the page and click...
  • Page 152 Chapter 12:Updating and Adding Packages to Red Hat Linux 3. Update your system profile (see Section 12.5, Synchronizing Your System Profile). That’s it. Downloaded packages are sent to the /var/spool/up2date directory. The cd /var/spool/up2date command puts you in that directory. The rpm -Fvh *.rpm command tells your system everything it needs to know to update all downloaded packages residing in that directory.
  • Page 153 Section 12.4:Red Hat Network Software Manager In the dialog box, click on Install In the dialog box, click on the pulldown menu at the top of the page and select Add Packages (this indicates your home directory). Under , scroll down and double-click on .

  • Page 154: Synchronizing Your System Profile

    Red Hat Linux errata are package updates, bug fixes, and security patches for Red Hat Linux. They have been tested and approved by Red Hat, Inc. and can be found at http://www.redhat.com/errata/. Red Hat Network updates come from this list, but you can go straight to the errata list and get them yourself.
  • Page 155 Section 12.6:Updating With Errata Figure 12–18 Red Hat Errata List 12.6.2 Downloading and Installing Errata On the errata website, look in the Errata: Fixes & Advisories column and select the product for which you want to view available errata. A corresponding list of available errata appears (Figure 12–19, Available RPMs).
  • Page 156 We recommend creating a subdirectory for downloads. You might have to download the packages from a Red Hat Linux FTP mirror site, if the Red Hat FTP site you select from the errata page is busy. Visit http://www.redhat.com/mirrors.html to select a Red Hat Linux mirror site.

  • Page 157: Installing Rpms From The Installation Cds

    CD-ROM icon on your desktop and select Mount Device. In the file manager screen, click on /cdrom/RedHat/RPMS. Scroll through the files on the right and look for the packages you want. Package descriptions are available online at http://docs.redhat.com...
  • Page 158 Chapter 12:Updating and Adding Packages to Red Hat Linux...

  • Page 159: Part Iiiq & A

    Part III Q & A...

  • Page 161: Chapter 13 Frequently Asked Questions

    Section 13.1:Using a Diskette 13 Frequently Asked Questions 13.1 Using a Diskette 13.1.1 Q: Working with Diskettes How do I use a diskette with Red Hat Linux? 13.1.2 A. Using Mtools If you have an MS-DOS formatted diskette, you can access the files on it using the mtools utility. Mtools offers a wide range of options for working with diskettes, including copying, moving, deleting, and formatting.

  • Page 162: Putting Linux Files On A Windows Disk

    Chapter 13:Frequently Asked Questions 13.1.4 Creating an ext2 Filesystem on a Diskette The mke2fs command is used to create a Linux ext2 filesystem on a device, which may be a disk partition or a diskette. Put your diskette into the drive and issue the following command at a shell prompt: $ /sbin/mke2fs /dev/fd0 On Linux systems, /dev/fd0 refers to the first diskette drive, usually your A: drive.

  • Page 163: Localhost Login And Password

    Section 13.3:Localhost Login and Password To unmount the floppy so you can eject it, right-click on the floppy icon and select , or Eject Device open a terminal and type: umount /mnt/floppy 13.3 Localhost Login and Password 13.3.1 Q: Localhost Login and Password I have installed Red Hat Linux.

  • Page 164: Displaying Ls In Color

    Chapter 13:Frequently Asked Questions 13.4 Displaying ls in color 13.4.1 Q: How do I get ls to display in color? How do I get ls to display in color? 13.4.2 A: Login as root and add the --color option to the command.

  • Page 165: Switching Environments

    Section 13.5:Switching Environments Make sure to write your changes to the file and save them. The changes will not take effect until you close your xterm window and open a new xterm. 13.5 Switching Environments 13.5.1 Q: Options for Switching Environments I know I have both KDE and GNOME on my Red Hat Linux system, but how do I change from one environment to the other? 13.5.2 A: Using Switchdesk...

  • Page 166: Shutting Down

    Chapter 13:Frequently Asked Questions A window will appear (see Figure 13–1, The Switchdesk Utility from the Shell Prompt) showing you the choices of environments you can select, under . Once you select your new Available Desktops environment, click on To see your changes take effect, you’ll have to log out, then log back in. At the login screen, you can select environments by clicking on and selecting an environment Session...

  • Page 167: Error Messages During Installation Of Rpms

    Figure 13–2 An RPM Install Error For more information about RPM and Gnome-RPM, refer to the chapters in this guide or, for greater depth, refer to the Official Red Hat Linux Customization Guide on the Documentation CD (or online, at http://www.redhat.com/support/manuals).

  • Page 168: Starting Applications

    Chapter 13:Frequently Asked Questions 13.8 Starting Applications 13.8.1 Q: How Can I Start an Application I Downloaded? I installed an application I downloaded, and everything seemed to go fine, but I still get "command not found" when I type its name. I think I have the right name, so why won’t it start? 13.8.2 A: Starting Applications If you’re trying to start an application from the shell prompt and it isn’t working, try adding ./ before the name of the application’s executable.

  • Page 169: Accessing A Windows Partition

    Section 13.9:Accessing a Windows Partition CAUTION These instructions are intended only for user accounts. Avoid modifying files such as root’s .bash_profile, because of the potential security risks. Start a text editor, such as pico, at a shell prompt. You can open the file called .bash_profile by typing the following: pico .bash_profile You’ll see a...

  • Page 170: Finding Commands Quickly

    Chapter 13:Frequently Asked Questions Before you can access the partition, you will need to mount it at the directory you just created. As root, type the following command at a shell prompt: mount -t vfat /dev/hda1 /mnt/vfat Another method of mounting a Windows partition is by editing the file /etc/fstab. At a shell prompt, su to root, following the above example.

  • Page 171: Keep Ls Output From Scrolling

    Section 13.12:Tips on Using Command History Paging through .bash_history to find a command can be tedious. Alternatively, you can search through the file for keywords using grep, a powerful search utility. Let’s say you’d been reading the man page the day before, but can’t recall its name. To search for the command, type: history | grep man You’ll see a list of all the commands you typed which have the word man in them.

  • Page 172: Forgotten Password

    Chapter 13:Frequently Asked Questions 13.12.2 A: Using More Command History If you type history, you’ll see a numbered list flash by, showing you the previous 500 commands you’ve used. You probably don’t need to see all of the last 500 commands, so the command history 20 might be useful.

  • Page 173: Changing Login From Console To X At Startup

    Section 13.14:Changing Login from Console to X at Startup You’ll be asked to re-type the password for verification. Once you’re finished, the password will be changed and you can reboot by typing shutdown -r now at the prompt; then you can log in to root as before.

  • Page 174: Configuring X

    Chapter 13:Frequently Asked Questions 6 - reboot (Do NOT set initdefault to this) id:3:initdefault: To change from a console to a graphical login, you should change the number in the line id:3:init- default: from a 3 to a 5. WARNING Change only the number of the default runlevel from 3 to 5.
  • Page 175 Section 13.15:Configuring X Other Ways To Start the Xconfigurator You can start Xconfigurator in two other ways, both of which give you access to additional configuration tools. From the menu in GNOME or KDE, go to => System Text mode tool menu or, from a shell prompt, type setup.
  • Page 176 Chapter 13:Frequently Asked Questions Figure 13–4 Results of Video Card Probe Next, pick your exact monitor make and model number, as in Figure 13–5, The Monitor Setup Dialog. You can often find the make and model number on the front or back of your monitor. Figure 13–5 The Monitor Setup Dialog You’ll have quite a few monitor choices —...
  • Page 177 Section 13.15:Configuring X Monitor Not On the List? If you don’t find your monitor among the listed makes and models, you can specify your monitor’s horizontal and vertical sync frequencies by choosing Custom in the list. Refer to your monitor’s documentation for information about its correct frequency rates.
  • Page 178 Chapter 13:Frequently Asked Questions Choosing More Than One Resolution? You can select more than one screen resolution — for example, if you prefer , you can adjust your resolution at any time without 800x600 1024x768 opening Xconfigurator. To do this, use the [Ctrl]-[Alt]-[+ (plus)] [Ctrl]-[Alt]-[- keys to switch between resolutions.

  • Page 179: Part Iv

    Part IV Appendixes...

  • Page 181: Appendix A Computer Basics

    Section A.1:Introduction A Computer Basics A.1 Introduction Linux is no longer a "hackers’" operating system. People with all levels of computer knowledge can easily use it now. With this in mind, we thought it might be useful to provide some rudimentary computer usage information, covering the very basics of daily computer usage, for the brand-new computer user.
  • Page 182 Appendix A:Computer Basics a programming error that keeps a program from working properly. CD-ROM an acronym for Compact Disc Read-Only Memory. An optical disc that resembles an audio CD, but holds computer data. crash a system malfunction that causes a computer to stop working, requiring a reboot. cursor the on-screen pointer, usually controlled by the mouse, sometimes by the directional arrows on the keyboard.
  • Page 183 Section A.1:Introduction hard drive A large capacity storage device made of a number of disks, housed in a rigid case. highlight To select by clicking once on an icon or by dragging the cursor over text in a document. icon A graphic symbol for an application, file, folder, or action.
  • Page 184 Appendix A:Computer Basics print spooler A program that stores documents to be printed on the hard drive, freeing some memory so other functions can be performed while printing goes on in the background. Also provides a common place to queue documents to be printed. Software files are referred to as RPMs.
  • Page 185 Section A.1:Introduction If you are instructed to click with the mouse on something, that means click the left mouse button. If you need to use the middle or right mouse button, that will be explicitly stated. (Of course, this will be reversed if you have configured your mouse to be used by a left handed person.) The phrase "drag and drop"...
  • Page 186 Appendix A:Computer Basics Figure A–1 Mozilla Web Browser Most browsers also have a button near the top of the screen where you can add bookmarks. Bookmarks are websites you want to be able to return to quickly and/or often. Once you find a site that you want to bookmark, click on the button and select (or similar option).
  • Page 187 Section A.1:Introduction When using the buttons, think about what you are saying and to whom you are Reply Reply All saying it. When you receive an email and it is addressed to a number of people, if you hit Reply All and send a response, they all get it.
  • Page 188 Appendix A:Computer Basics opens where you can name the file or directory. If you want to create a file within a specific directory, highlight that directory in the Konquerer window before you select => Edit Create New After you create an empty file or directory, it appears in the Konquerer window. You can open a file and begin entering content by highlighting it and then selecting Location =>...
  • Page 189 Section A.1:Introduction A.1.10 File System Structure Every operating system has a method of storing its files and directories so that it can keep track of additions, modifications, and other changes. In Linux, every file is stored on the system with a unique name within directories which can also hold other files and subdirectories.
  • Page 190 Appendix A:Computer Basics This is a little like viewing the tip of an iceberg. The directories you see are the parent directories of other directories, in which there may be other directories, and so on. Figure A–3 A View of the Directories from Root Here are just a few of the directories you are likely to find: sbin There are more, but for now, take a look at the /etc directory.
  • Page 191 Section A.1:Introduction What is a skeleton file? Well, when you were logged in as root, one of the first things you did was create a user account. When that user account was created, files were taken from /etc/skel and placed into the new account. The /etc/skel files are the standard files needed by every new ac- count.
  • Page 192 Appendix A:Computer Basics Red Hat Linux uses the RPM technology of software installation and upgrades. Using RPM, either from the shell prompt or through Gnome-RPM, is a safe and convenient way to upgrade or install soft- ware. For more information about using Gnome-RPM, see the Official Red Hat Linux Customization Guide.

  • Page 193: Appendix B A Comparison Of Common Dos And Linux Commands

    A Comparison of Common DOS and Linux Commands B A Comparison of Common DOS and Linux Commands Many Linux commands typed at a shell prompt are similar to the commands you would type in MS-DOS. In fact, some commands are identical. This appendix provides common commands used at the MS-DOS prompt in Windows 9x and their counterparts in Linux.
  • Page 194 Appendix B:A Comparison of Common DOS and Linux Commands Command’s Purpose MS-DOS Linux Basic Linux Example grep Finds a string of text find grep this word or phrase thisfile.txt in a file Formats a diskette format mke2fs /sbin/mke2fs /dev/fd0 (/dev/fd0 a: (if is the Linux equivalent of A:) diskette is...

  • Page 195: Appendix C Identifying/Finding File Extensions

    Section C.1:Introduction C Identifying/Finding File Extensions C.1 Introduction This appendix lists and describes common Linux file extensions. Also included is a section explaining how to get your system to properly identify a file with no extension, an incorrect one, or one that you are uncertain about.

  • Page 196: Missing Or Incorrect Extension

    Appendix C:Identifying/Finding File Extensions C.1.4 Programming and Scripting Files • .h - a C or C++ program language header file • .c - a C program language source code file • .cpp - a C++ program language source code file •...

  • Page 197: Appendix D System Directories

    System Directories D System Directories This is a list of the primary Red Hat Linux system directories. Each directory is described briefly. For additional directory information, refer to the Official Red Hat Linux Customization Guide and Official Red Hat Linux Reference Guide indexes. •...
  • Page 198 Appendix D:System Directories...

  • Page 199: Appendix E Keyboard Shortcuts

    Keyboard Shortcuts Keyboard Shortcuts Here are a few keyboard shortcuts you can use to perform common tasks quickly. There are many more than are listed here. Visit http://sunsite.dk/linux-newbie/Linux_commands.htm#shortcuts for more command line and keyboard shortcuts. • clear = clear the terminal. Type this at a command line to clear all displayed data from the terminal window.
  • Page 200 Appendix E: Keyboard Shortcuts • = pastes highlighted material. Use the left mouse button to highlight mate- [middle mouse button] rial. Point the cursor to the spot where you want it pasted. Click the middle mouse button to paste • = switches screens.
  • Page 201 Index Index GNOME ........37 desktop KDE ........44 desktops applets multiple adding to GNOME’s panel....34 in GNOME ......35 applications KDE ........46 starting directories on KDE desktop......43 copying ....
  • Page 202 Index /etc/printcap ......93 renaming at a shell prompt ....132 /etc/printcap.local ....93 types of........128 ext2 filesystem ......161 filesystem understanding ......124 Filesystem Hierarchy Standard .... 125 floppy diskettes FAQ ...
  • Page 203 Index halting Taskbar........48 from GNOME ......39 using GNOME applications....27 help website location ......43 in KDE ........49 KFloppy ........162 Konquerer ........121 with GNOME finding.
  • Page 204 Index mkdir creating directories with ....124 package list mke2fs ........162 Updating on server....... 154 mounting a drive ......28, 45 pager mouse GNOME ........37 using in KDE ......43 in GNOME ..
  • Page 205 Index edit driver ......... 100 in GNOME ........ 41 edit existing printer ....... 99 options ........ . 41, 52 local printer........ 95 single-user mode ......172 modifying existing printers....99 sndconfig ....
  • Page 206 Index Web browser ......... 71 Web browsers additional>......... 74 Galeon ........74 Netscape ........74 Windows accessing on a separate partition add line to /etc/fstab .... 169 Xconfigurator....... 103...

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