Linux Configuration and Installation

Linux is the leading UNIX variant that has garnered loads of attention within the UNIX community. The amazing thing about Linux is that you don't need a workstation to run it — just a regular PC. Linux Configuration and Installation gives you the ability to run Linux today… all you need is a PC, a CD-ROM drive, and this book. Our CD-ROM provides you with one of the most popular Linux distributions today, Slackware, which author Patrick Volkerding created. Together with Rerichard and Johnson, Volkerding provides you with undocumented insider tips and techniques for setting up and optimnizing your Linux system.

You'll be guided through a simple Linux installation step-by-step, followed by a guide to installing and configuring XFree86 (the Linux variant of X Window). You'll also learn about the many tools that make Linux such a powerful operating system, including user tools like GNU Emacs and programming tools like C, C++, Perl, and Tcl/Tk. Finally, you'll learn how to explore the Internet with Linux using Mosaic or Netscape, and how to setup Linux to coexist with other operating systems including DOS, OS/2, and Windows. Get the most out of Linux with Linux Configuration and Installation (and Slackware on the accompanying CD-ROM) and let our Linux gurus get you up, running, and productive on Linux!

• Introduction
• Welcome to Linux
• What is Linux?
• Why Should You Use Linux?
• Linux, Slackware, and this Book
• What is Slackware Compared to Linux?
• The Free Software Foundation
• Resources on the CD-ROM
• Conventions Used in the Book
• How to Reach the Authors
1. Linux Installation and Configuration
1. Linux and PC Hardware
• Preparing for Linux
• Preparing Your PC for Linux
• Bus
• Processor
• RAM
• Graphics Card
• Hard-Drive Controller
• SCSI Controllers
• Floppy Drive
• Tape Drives
• CD-ROM
• Sound Boards
• Mouse
• Network Cards
• Multiport Controllers
• Modems
• Printers
• Miscellaneous Items
• Linux on Laptops
• Learning about Hardware
• Summary
2. Installing Linux
• Before You Install Linux
• Creating Boot and Root Floppies
• Choosing Bootdisk and Rootdisk Images
• Creating the Diskettes
• Preparing Your Hard Drive for Linux
• Using FIPS to Divide Your Hard Drive
• Using DOS Utilities to Divide Your Hard Drive
• Using the DOS FDISK Utility
• FDISK and OS/2
• Installing from Microsoft Windows
• Booting Linux with the Bootdisk
• Creating the Main Linux Linux Partition
• OS/2 Partitions and the Linux Fdisk Command
• Installing Linux From the Setup Program
• Setting up the Swap Space
• Selecting the Target for Linux
• Selecting the Source for Linux
• Choosing the Disk Sets to Install
• Configuring the Installed Software
• Other Installation Methods
• Installing from Hard Drive
• Installing from 3.5-Inch Floppy Disk
• Installing from 5.25-Inch Floppy Drive
• Installing from Tape
• Installing When RAM is Very Tight
• Recompiling a Kernel
• Upgrading from a Previous Version of Linux
• Booting the System
• Adding Users
• Looking for Help
• Shutting Linux Down
• What to Do If Things Go Wrong
• Summary
3. Installing XFree86
• The X Window System
• X on the Network
• The Window Manager
• X on Linux
• How XFree86 Works
• Installing XFree86
• Setting Up XFree86
• Setting Up the XF86 Config File
• Summary
4. Configuring XFree86
• The Most Daunting Task Under Linux
• Hardware, Hardware, Hardware
• Automating the Configuration File
• Setting Up Paths in the Configuration File
• Configuring the Server Flags Section
• Configuring the Keyboard Section
• Configuring the Mouse Section
• Configuring the Monitor Section
• Configuring the Grapics-Card Section
• Combining the Graphics Card with the Monitor to Make a Working X Setup
• Running the Xf86config Program
• Probing for Dot Clocks
• Testing Your Configuration
• Starting X
• Stopping X
• Tuning Your Modes
• SuperVGA to the Rescue
• Summary
2. Using Linux
5. Basic Linux Tools
• Linux Tools
• The Linux Filesystem
• File Types
• Ordinary Files
• Directories
• Links
• Special Device Files
• How Linux Organizes Files and Directories
• Moving between Directories with Cd
• File Permissions and Linux
• Changing Permissions
• Changing Ownership and Pernissions
• Dealing with Files and Directories
• Listing Files and Directories with ls and Dir
• Wildcards
• Creating Directories with Mkdir
• Using Cat
• Other Ways to View a File
• Finding the Magic Number with File
• Copying Files with Cp
• Moving and Renaming Files with Mv
• Removing Files with Rm
• Viewing Online-Manual Pages with Man
• Finding Files
• Linking Files
• Viewing a File with Cal
• Virtual Terminals
• Linux and Passwords
• Changing Your Password with Passwd
• Linux Shells
• Your Environment
• Background Commands and Multitasking
• Processes
• Standard Input and Output
• Command History
• Minimal Completion
• The Elvis/Vi Text Editor
• Using the Elvis Text Editor
• Creating a Text File
• More on Elvis
• Printing Files
• Summary
6. Working with X on Linux
• Working With X In All the Wrong Places
• Setting Up Your X Account
• Startup Applications
• The X Font Server
• Setting a Screen Background Image
• Configuring The Xterm Program
• X Resource Files
• Controlling Fonts and Colors
• Other Shell Window Programs
• The Fvwm Window Manager
• Configuring Fvwm
• Configuring Fonts and Colors
• Testing Your Fvwm Configuration
• Placing Icons
• Configuring the Good Stuff
• Toward a Motif-Like Look and Feel
• Putting It All Together
• Setting Up an X Login
• UNIX Run Levels
• User Accounts Under Xdm
• Troubleshooting X Programs
• Finding Information on X
• Killing X the Hard Way
• Xmodmap and the Delete Key
• Shared Libraries for X11 R5 and R6
• What About Motif?
• Improving X Performance
• Summary
7. Additional Linux Tools
• A Wealth of Features
• Using Emacs
• The many Modes of Emacs
• Creating and Editing Files
• A Basic Emacs Tutorial
• Editing Text
• Printing in Emacs
• Text-Processing Tools
• Groff: The Traditional Standard
• Using TeX
• Using Texinfo
• Using Sed
• Printing with Ghostview under Linux
• Using Ghostview
• Compressing and Archivingh Your Files
• Using Gzip
• Using Gunzip
• Using Tar
• Making System Backups
• Commands Specific to the PC Architecture: MTools
• Using Mdir to View the Contents of a DOS Directory
• Using Mcd to Change Directories
• Using Mcopy to Copy Files
• Using Mren to Rename DOS Files
• Using Mdel to Delete DOS File
• Using Mtype to View a DOS File
• Using Mmd to Create a DOS Directory
• Using Mrd to Remove a DOS Directory
• Using Mread to Copy a DOS File to Linux
• Using Mwrite to Write a UNIX File to DOS
• Using Mformat to Format a Diskette
• Using Mlabel to Designate a Volume Label
• Using Mattrib to Change the DOS File Attributes
• System-Administration Tools
• Using the Passwd File
• Deleting Accounts
• Managing Groups
• Logging in as Su
• More on the Messages File
• Scheduling Events
• The Bc Command
• More on Multitasking
• More on the Foreground and Background
• Swap Space and Performance
• I'm Free!
• Deciding Whether to Use Swap Space
• Games
• DOOM
• Additional Linux Tools Not Included on the CD-ROM
• Emulating DOs under Linux
• Emulating Microsoft Windows under Linux
• Summary
3. Linux Communication and Networking
8. Serial Communications Under Linux
• Expanding Your Reach via Modem
• Seyon: Telecommunications from Linux
• Using Minicom
• Using Term
• Using Rzsz
• Other Linux Telecommunications Tools
• Summary
9. The Internet and Networking
• Getting on the Worldwide Network
• TCP/IP and Linux
• TCP/IP Basics
• Linux's SLIP/PPP Tools
• Internet Tools
• Using Electronic Mail
• Receiving Mail
• Creating Mail
• What Do I Do with My Messages?
• Other Mail Packages
• Using a Web Browser
• Popular Web Browsers
• Page Limits
• Communications with the UUCP Commands
• A UUCP Primer
• Using Uucp
• Potential Problems with the Uucp Command
• Free Software and Ftp
• What Do I Do With the File?
• Other Networking Commands
• Using the Rlogin Command
• Using the Telnet Command
• The Usenet and Newsgroups
• Summary
4. Linux Programming
10. Programming in Linux
• Programming under Linux
• The Linux C Compiler: GNU CC
• C Programming
• The Cc Command
• Compiling the Long Way
• Working with CC
• Using the CC Command
• Linking with Libraries
• Linux Shared Libraries
• Programming with X
• Programmer's Tools
• Building Programs with make
• A Make Example
• Imake
• Debuggers
• X Window Tools
• Parsers and Lexers
• Other Programming Languages
• Tcl
• Programming with Tcl
• Working with Tcl
• Making Script Files for Tcl
• Perl
• A First Perl Script
• Gawk
• Using LessTif
• Installing Lesstif
• Finding out More about LessTif
• Summary

• Appendix A
• Appendix B

This book was OK in 1995. Today, it is best forgotten.