Caldera OpenLinux for Dummies

Although OpenLinux is an extremely popular operating system, wading through its complicated installation procedures and accessing its myriad applications has been an exercise in frustration for even the most adept system administrators -- until now! Caldera OpenLinux For Dummies has come to the rescue with loads of information to help you get the most out of your Linux operating system. This book makes it easier for you to:

• Understand the birth of Linux and the different types of Linux out there
• Install OpenLinux with step-by-step instructions
• Explore OpenLinux basics, from files and commands to editors, shells, and windows
• Maintain OpenLinux and keep it running smoothly
• Use OpenLinux with an ISP and explore the Web
• Find help in order to troubleshoot and take full advantage of OpenLinux

The book's bonus CD-ROM includes OpenLinux 2.3 with multimedia software and the KDE interface (as well as Samba, Apache, and much more)!

Introduction

About This Book

Foolish Assumptions

Conventions Used in This Book

Typing code

Keystrokes and such

How This Book Is Organized

Part I: Introducing OpenLinux

Part II: Installing OpenLinux

Part III: Using OpenLinux

Part IV: Maintaining Your System

Part V: Going Online

Part VI: The Part of Tens

Part VII: Appendixes

What You're Not to Read

Icons in This Book

Where to Go from Here

Chapter 1: OpenLinux and You

Why Is This Stuff Free?

Adding the Other Pieces

Using OpenLinux in Different Ways

Personal workstation

File and print server

Internet/intranet service provider

Three-tier client/server

Turnkey system

Chapter 2: Accessorizing OpenLinux

Be Your Own Software Lawyer

Interfaces: Pretty or Quick?

Text Editors

Character-cell text editors

Graphical text editors

Commercial text editors

E-Mail Tools

Character-cell interfaces

Graphical mail interfaces

Commercial mail interfaces

A Multimedia Toolbox

What Else Can I Have?

Chapter 3: Discovering What's in Your System

Hardware Supported by OpenLinux

Hard disk controllers

Disk drives

Finding Out What You Have

Getting Information from Windows 95/98

Getting Information from MS-DOS or Windows 3.1

Leave a Trail of Bread Crumbs

Chapter 4: Making Room for OpenLinux

Move Over and Make Room for OpenLinux

Use some magic on your hard disk

Manual repartitioning

Launching the Installation

Boot the installation from Windows

Boot the installation from a floppy disk

Chapter 5: Installation: Down to the Final Stretch

Getting Ready to Install

Beginning the Installation

Setting Up Your Graphics Hardware

Preparing Your Hard Disk

Finishing the Configuration

Chapter 6: Solving Problems with the Graphical System

Discovering Your Hardware's True Identity

Probing the System

Configuration Conflagration

A running Lizard

Try the setup tool

The really hard way

Start Your Engines

It Worked!

Shutting Down OpenLinux

Chapter 7: Using OpenLinux for the First Time

Giving OpenLinux the Boot

The Root of All Power

Starting Your KDE Desktop

Face-to-Face with OpenLinux

Creating a New User Account

Creating new user accounts graphically

Creating new user accounts via command line

What's the password?

Ending Your First Session

Chapter 8: Working with Files and Commands

OpenLinux File Facts

Files 101

The File Manager

File types

Files and directories

Getting Around with pwd and cd

Where are we?

Every directory has a parent and lots of relatives

In pathnames, there are absolutes

Changing your working directory

Going home

Using cat to Create and Add to Files

Manipulation at Its Best

Creating directories

Moving and copying files and directories

Removing files

Removing directories

May I Please . . .

Making Your Own Rules

Have Things Your Way

Plumbing the Depths

Chapter 9: Working with Editors

Text Editor Basics

Two for one

Saving yourself

Going Graphical with Kedit

Starting Kedit

Editing files in Kedit

Here's vi

Moving around in a file

Deleting and moving text

Using common vi commands

Controlling the environment

Chapter 10: Avoiding Shell Shock

See Shells

OpenLinux at your command

We did that already

Bang-bang

Back to the future

Do what we want, not what we say

Your Wish Is Our Command

From the Simple to the Sublime

Passing information to your shell

First, the conditions

Putting your ideas together

We Can Only Do 50 Things at Once

Chapter 11: Windows on the World

The Amazing KDE

Exploring Your Desktop

Getting an Application Started

Window Tricks

Keeping your focus on the active window

Moving day

Resizing a window

Making a window a big deal or getting the window out of sight

Mastering other window tricks

Come in, Mission Control

Where do you want it?

When one application window is never enough

Colors and all

Paper your walls

Choose a screen saver

Other Control Center options

Descending to Text Mode

Bye, Bye KDE

Linking Everything to KDE

Chapter 12: Do Something Useful

Organize Yourself

Setting up simple appointments

Scheduling recurring visits

Making a To-Do list entry

Changing your view

Track Your Money

Mr. Music in OpenLinux

How About a Nice Game of Cards?

Draw Me a Picture

The Old-Fashioned Way: DOS

Chapter 13: File System Management

Mounting and Dismounting

The command syntax

Sleuthing for other file users

Configuring file systems

Reforming Corrupted File Systems

Adding Elbow Room to Your System

Setting Up That New Hard Disk

Configuring a drive

Installing a drive

Partitioning a drive

Making the file system

Living with Floppy Disks

Configuring a CD-ROM Drive

Chapter 14: Customizing OpenLinux

Tuning Your OpenLinux System

You can never have enough memory

Real versus virtual memory

Do I have enough RAM?

Enhancing Disk Performance

Multiple swap partitions

Create Your Very Own Kernel

Tailoring a kernel for your processor

Instructions and data not needed

Finishing the kernel rebuild

Chapter 15: Setting Up Your Internet Connection

The Search for an ISP

Connecting Your Modem

Types of modems

Finding the serial line

Setting Up kppp

Setting up an ISP account

Finishing kppp configuration

Fire it up!

Chapter 16: Surfing the Web

Customizing Netscape Communicator

Ready, Set, Go!

Getting E-Mail

Sending E-Mail

Chapter 17: Ten Sources of Help

Books and More Books

Linux HOWTOs

School Days

In the News

User Groups

Bring in the Cavalry

Commercial Applications

Visit Web Sites

Attend Conferences

Linux World Conference and Expo

Linux Business Expo

Linux Kongress

Linux Expo

USENIX/FREENIX

CeBIT

Try to Help Others

Chapter 18: Ten Problem Areas and Solutions

I Can't Boot OpenLinux Anymore

My Disk Numbers Changed after Installation

The Sound Doesn't Work

My CD-ROM Isn't Detected

I Don't Know How to Remove LILO and Restore My MBR

I Can't Use LILO to Boot

The ls Command Doesn't Show Files in Color

OpenLinux Can't Find a Shell Script (Or a Program)

When I Start KDE, I See a Gray Screen

I Never Seem to Have the Correct Time

Appendix A: Hardware Compatibility

Hardware Architectures

Laptops

SMP Systems

Memory

Video

Hard Drive Controllers

Serial, Parallel, and Joystick Interfaces

Other Controllers (Multiport)

Nonintelligent cards

Intelligent cards

Network adapters

Sound cards

Tape Drives

CD-ROM Drives

CD-Writers

Modems

Mice

Printers and Plotters

Scanners

Touch Screens

Video Capture Boards, Frame Grabbers, and TV Tuners

UPS and Miscellaneous Devices

PCMCIA Cards
Appendix B: The OpenLinux man Pages

Viewing an OpenLinux Manual Page

Sections in the man Pages

Topics in the man Pages

Name

Synopsis

Description

Options

Environmental variables

Diagnostics

Bugs/deficiencies

Compatibility issues

Caveats

Disclaimers

Authors

Acknowledgments

Debugging options

Configuration files

Copyrights

Copying permissions/distribution policy

POSIX compatibility/standards conformance

Files

Future work

See also/related software

Finding the Right man Page
Appendix C: About the CD

System Requirements

Using the CD

What You Find

If You Have Problems (Of the CD Kind)

Appendix