Synopses & Reviews
New users are flocking to Linux literally by the millions. Yet most of these new users draw from Microsoft Windows as their primary computing experience; for them an operating system from the UNIX family is an unfamiliar experience. In Learning Red Hat Linux, Bill McCarty has written a book aimed specifically at this new audience.Learning Red Hat Linux will guide any new user of Linux through the installing and use of the Red Hat® version of the free operating system that is shaking up the commercial world of software. It demystifies Linux in terms familiar to Windows users and gives readers only what they need to start being successful users of Linux.Built around the popular Red Hat distribution of Linux, Learning Red Hat Linux takes the reader step by step through the process of installing and setting up a Red Hat Linux system, and provides a thorough but gentle introduction to the basics of using Red Hat Linux.Because the book is written specifically for the enclosed CD, the reader needs nothing else to get started with this exciting new operating system.
Synopsis
"Learning Red Hat Linux" will guide any new user of Linux through the installations and use of Red Hat Linux. Linux is the free operating system that is shaking up the commercial world of software. This book demystifies Linux in terms familiar to Windows users and gives readers only what they need to start being successful users of Linux.
About the Author
Bill McCarty is a Professor of Information Technology at Azusa Pacific University, Azusa, California. Bill is also the author of over fifteen technical books and numerous papers and presentations. He serves as editor of the Honeynet Files department of the journal IEEE Security and Privacy, and directs the Azusa Pacific University Honeynet Research Project, which is affiliated with the Honeynet Project's Honeynet Research Alliance. Bill has briefed members of US organizations such as the CIA, DISA, FBI, NASA, and NSA, and non-US organizations such as the UK's CESG and GHQ, on his honeynet research. He has worked with the FBI to prevent and detect computer crimes.
Table of Contents
Preface; Organization of This Book; Conventions Used in This Book; We'd Like to Hear from You; Acknowledgments; Chapter 1: Why Run Linux?; 1.1 Linux at Home and at Work; 1.2 What is Linux?; 1.3 Reasons to Choose or Not Choose Linux; 1.4 Linux Resources on the Internet; Chapter 2: Preparing to Install Linux; 2.1 Minimum Hardware Requirements; 2.2 Collecting Information About Your System; 2.3 Installation Types; 2.4 Preparing Your Hard Disk; Chapter 3: Installing Linux; 3.1 Installing the Operating System and Applications; 3.2 Configuring Devices and Services; 3.3 Completing the Installation; 3.4 Getting Help; Chapter 4: Issuing Linux Commands; 4.1 The System Use Cycle; 4.2 Working with the Linux Command Prompt; 4.3 How Linux Organizes Data; 4.4 Working with Devices; 4.5 Useful Linux Programs; Chapter 5: Installing and Configuring the X Window System; 5.1 What is X?; 5.2 Installing X; 5.3 Configuration Using Xconfigurator; 5.4 Configuration Using xf86config; 5.5 Starting and Stopping X; Chapter 6: Using the X Window System; 6.1 Keyboard Operations; 6.2 Mouse Operations; 6.3 Window Managers; 6.4 Desktops; 6.5 Using GNOME and Enlightenment; 6.6 Using GNOME Applets and Applications; 6.7 Configuring GNOME; Chapter 7: Configuring and Administering Linux; 7.1 Using linuxconf; Chapter 8: Using Linux Applications and Clients; 8.1 Linux Desktop Applications; 8.2 Other Approaches to Desktop Computing; Chapter 9: Playing Linux Games; 9.1 Configuring Your Sound Card; 9.2 A Survey of Linux Games; 9.3 Closeups of Some Popular Games; Chapter 10: Setting Up a Linux-Based LAN; 10.1 Introduction; 10.2 Network Administration Using linuxconf; 10.3 Samba; 10.4 Samba Client Configuration and Use; Chapter 11: Getting Connected to the Internet; 11.1 Connecting to the Internet; 11.2 Configuring Your Modem; 11.3 Using wvdial; 11.4 PPP Client; 11.5 Web Browser; 11.6 gFTP FTP Client; 11.7 Using minicom and seyon; 11.8 Making a PPP Connection Manually; Chapter 12: Setting Up a Linux-Based WAN; 12.1 Installing and Configuring an FTP Server; 12.2 Installing and Configuring a Web Server; 12.3 Configuring a Mail Server; 12.4 Configuring a Secure Shell Server; 12.5 Configuring a Dial-In Shell Server; Chapter 13: Conquering the BASH Shell; 13.1 The Linux Shell; 13.2 Using the Shell; 13.3 Understanding Shell Scripts; Linux Directory Tree; Principal Linux Files; The Red Hat Package Manager; Packages; Installing a Package; Uninstalling a Package; Updating a Package; Querying Your System's RPM Database; Advanced RPM Techniques; Finding Interesting Packages; GnoRPM; Package Contents and Installation Commands; Managing the Boot Process; Booting Linux; Boot Disks; The lilo Loader; The loadlin Loader; Boot Parameters; Using Loadable Ethernet Drivers; Linux Command Quick Reference; Glossary; Colophon;