Red Hat Linux 7 for Dummies

Contents

Introduction

About This Book

Foolish Assumptions

Conventions Used in This Book

Typing code

Keystrokes and such

How This Book Is Organized

Part I: Installing Red Hat Linux 7

Part II: Got Net?

Part III: Linux, Huh! What Is It Good For? Absolutely Everything!

Part IV: Revenge of the Nerds

Part V: The Part of Tens

Part VI: Appendixes

What You're Not to Read

Icons in This Book

Where to Go from Here

Part I: Installing Red Hat Linux

Chapter 1: And in the Opposite Corner . . . a Penguin?

History of the World (Err, Linux) Part 2

Knowing What You Can Do with Red Hat Linux

Boosting your personal workstation

Accessing Internet/intranet services

Chapter 2: Preparing Your Hard Drive for Red Hat Linux

Knowing What You Need to Do to Prepare Your Hard Drive for Red Hat Linux

Finding Out If Your Computer Can Boot from CD-ROM

Creating a Red Hat Linux Boot Disk with Windows or MS-DOS

Making a Boot Disk with Linux

Move Over Windows, Here Comes Something Meatier

Nondestructive Repartitioning with fips: Can't We All Just Get Along?

Defragmenting your hard drive

Resizing with fips

Chapter 3: Ready, Set, Install!

Installation Stage 1: Starting the Install

Installation Stage 2: Selecting and Slicing the Pie

Installation Stage 3: Configuring Your Network

Installation Stage 4: Configuring Your System

Installation Stage 5: X Marks the Spot

Installation Stage 6: The Point of No Return!

Chapter 4: Getting to Know Red Hat Linux

Introducing the Linux File System Tree

Giving Linux the Boot

Logging in

The Command-Line Interface (CLI) versus the Graphical User Interface (GUI)

Creating an Account with LinuxConf

Creating an Account without X

Ending Your First Session

Part II: Got Net?

Chapter 5: Connecting to the Internet with a Dialup Modem

Desperately Seeking an ISP

Deciding on a Modem

Configuring Your Internet Connection

Locating your modem with Linux

Getting desperate with dip

Locating your modem with Windows

Setting up DNS

Firing Up Your Internet Connection

Fire! Fire! Heh, Heh. Fire!: Securing Your System with a Firewall

Building a simple but effective firewall

Creating your firewall filtering rules

Firing up your firewall

Displaying your firewall rules

Testing your firewall

Chapter 6: Connecting Red Hat Linux to a Local Area Network (LAN)

Going Local

Connecting to a LAN with LinuxConf

Configuring your basic host information

Name that name server: Configuring DNS

Getting away with your Internet gateway

Manually starting your Network

Protecting Your Red Hat Linux Workstation with a Firewall

Creating your firewall filtering rules

Firing up your firewall

Configuring ipchains to start automatically

Chapter 7: Surfing the Web and Managing E-Mail with Netscape Communicator

Checking Out Communicator

Setting Up Netscape Communicator

Navigating the Net with Navigator

Working with E-Mail

Getting your e-mail

Sending e-mail

Part III: Linux, Huh! What Is It Good For?

Absolutely Everything!

Chapter 8: Gnowing GNOME

Introducing the Amazing X Window System

Comprehending window managers

Going old-school with the terminal emulators

Waxing vague with general applications

Getting Earthy with GNOME

Mucking about with basic window manipulation

Playing with the Panel

Working on your virtual desktop

Getting out of GNOME or X

Tinkering with GNOME

Chapter 9: Gnowing More Graphical Stuff

Becoming a GNOME File Manager

Waking up the little guy

Putting him through his paces

Checking Out Some Handy Linux Programs

Getting graphic with the Gimp

Coordinating with ical

Processing with your Linux calculator

Reading, writing, and gedit

Reading PDF files

Chapter 10: Configuring Your Red Hat Linux Sound System

Setting Up Your Sound System

Playing CDs and MP3s

Playing MP3 files

Xmixer: Sounds for the rest of us

Ripping CDs

Burning CDs

Modifying Red Hat Linux to use cdrecord

Burn, baby, burn

Chapter 11: Screaming About Streaming Media and RealPlayer 7

Setting Up and Configuring Your Red Hat Vox Box

Downloading and installing RealPlayer 7

Launching RealPlayer from the Panel

Finding radio stations

Using RealPlayer

MP3 on the Net

Going Hollywood with RealPlayer

Finding video at Real.com

Finding streaming video from other sources

Punching through firewalls

Getting RealPlayer through your firewall

Audio by proxy (using RealPlayer with your firewall)

Chapter 12: Using Red Hat Linux Desktop Productivity Tools

A StarOffice is Born

Getting StarOffice

Installing StarOffice

Getting to Know StarOffice

Introducing Your PalmPilot to Red Hat Linux

Backing up and restoring your PalmPilot

Synchronizing your calendar

Applications Galore!

A Window on Linux

Days of Wine and roses

Part IV: Revenge of the Nerds

Chapter 13: Filing Your Life Away

Getting Linux File Facts Straight

Storing files

Sorting through file types

Understanding files and directories

Moving Around the File System with pwd and cd

Figuring out where you are

Specifying the directory path

Changing your working directory

Going home

Creating and Adding to Files with cat

Manipulating Files and Directories

Creating directories

Moving and copying files and directories

Removing files

Removing directories

Granting Permissions

Making Your Own Rules

Chapter 14: Bashing Your Shell

Bashing Ahead!

Commanding Linux with bash

I command you!

Piping: Oh Danny Boy, the pipes. . . .

Regular expressions: Wildcards and one-eyed jacks

Tweaking Linux commands with options

Letting bash's memory make your life easier

Chapter 15: Becoming a Suit: Managing the Red Hat Linux File System

Mounting and Dismounting

Mounting an MS-DOS file system

Configuring file systems

Unmounting file systems

Sending Corrupted File Systems to Reform School

Adding More Drive Storage

Adding a Disk Drive

Configuring a hard drive

Installing a drive

Partitioning a drive

Making the file system

Chapter 16: Revving Up the RPM

Introducing RPM

Taking a Look at What RPM Does

Using GNOME RPM

Starting GNOME RPM

Installing an RPM package from a CD-ROM

Installing an RPM package from the Internet

Removing an RPM package

Getting information about an RPM package

Verifying RPM packages

Modifying GNOME RPM defaults

Chapter 17: Scripting Your Act

Starting Out with a Simple Shell Script

Moving On to More Flexible Shell Scripts

Passing information to your shell with arguments

Going with the flow

Putting your ideas together

Multitasking

Chapter 18: Bringing in the Red Hat Repair Man: Troubleshooting Your Network

It's the Tree's Fault, not Mine!

The Fix Is In: Troubleshooting Your Network

Checking Linux Networking

Is the power turned on?

Is your network cable broken?

Is your Ethernet hub or switch working?

Is your Ethernet adapter inserted correctly?

Is your network adapter configured correctly?

Is there another computer or network device with which to communicate?

Chapter 19: Configuring X

Discovering Your Hardware's True Identity

Running SuperProbe

Running Xconfiguration

Starting Your Xengine

Xterminating X

Part V: The Part of Tens

Chapter 20: 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 Kongress

Linux Expo

USENIX/FREENIX

CeBIT

Comdex

IDG's Linux World

Try to Help Others

Chapter 21: Ten Problem Areas and Solutions

I Can't Boot Red Hat Linux Anymore

My Hard Drive Numbers Have Changed Since Installation

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

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

When I Start X Window System, I See a Gray Screen

I Don't Know How to Make the X Window System Start at Boot Time

I Never Seem to Have the Correct Time

Part VI: The Appendixes

Appendix A: Discovering Your Hardware

Knowing if Your Hardware Can Handle Red Hat Linux

Finding Out What You Have

Talking to Your Computer (And Knowing What You Should Ask)

Hard drive controllers

Introducing hard drives

Getting Information from Windows 95/98

Getting Information from MS-DOS

Leaving a Trail of Bread Crumbs
Appendix B: Installing Red Hat Linux in Text Mode (The Ugly Way)

Stage 1: Starting the Installation

Stage 2: Configuring Your Network

Stage 3: The Point of No Return

Configuring X

Restarting Your System
Appendix C: vi Me

Comprehending Text Editors

Getting Friendly with vi

Moving around in a file

Deleting and moving text in vi

Controlling your editing environment

Checking out common vi commands

Appendix D: Diggin' Them Linux man Pages

A MAN!!! Getting Going with the man Command

Checking Out How the man Pages are Organized

Checking Out 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 E: About the CD-ROMs

System Requirements

Using the CD

What You'll Find

If You Have Problems (Of the CD Kind)

Appendix