Wiley Fedora 8 And Red Hat Enterprise Linux Bible Dec 2007 ISBN 0470230207 pdf
Fedora® 8
and
Red Hat® Enterprise Linux®
Bible
Christopher Negus
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
Fedora® 8
and
Red Hat® Enterprise Linux®
Bible
Fedora® 8
and
Red Hat® Enterprise Linux®
Bible
Christopher Negus
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
Fedora® 8 and Red Hat® Enterprise Linux® Bible
Published by
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
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About the Author
Christopher Negus has been working with UNIX systems, the Internet, and (most recently)
Linux systems for more than two decades. During that time, Chris worked at AT&T Bell
Laboratories, UNIX System Laboratories, and Novell, helping to develop the UNIX operating
system. Features from many of the UNIX projects Chris worked on at AT&T have found their
way into Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Fedora, and other Linux systems.
Chris is the author of all editions of what started out as Red Hat Linux Bible, which because of
the name changes of Red Hat’s Linux projects has evolved into the book you are holding.
Most recently, Chris co-authored three books in the Linux Toolbox series: Fedora Linux
Toolbox, Ubuntu Linux Toolbox, and SUSE Linux Toolbox (Wiley Publishing, 2007).
Before that, Chris authored Linux Bible 2008 Edition and co-wrote Linux Troubleshooting
Bible and Linux Toys II for Wiley Publishing. During the past few years, Chris has written
several books on UNIX and the Internet, including Internet Explorer 4 Bible and Netscape
Plug-Ins For Dummies for Wiley Publishing. He also co-wrote several books for Que
Publishing, including The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Networking (second and third editions)
and Using UNIX (second edition).
At home, Chris enjoys spending time with his wife, Sheree, and his boys, Caleb and Seth. His
hobbies include soccer, singing, and exercising with Sheree.
As always, I dedicate this book to my wife, Sheree. This book would never have
happened without her love and support.
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Richard Pacifico
Preface
With the Fedora Linux operating system and the instructions in this book, you can transform
your PC into a safe, powerful, and free computer system. Starting with Fedora, you can simply
replace (or coexist with) Microsoft Windows on your everyday desktop computer. You can
also configure your computer to share your files, printers, Web pages, or directory services to
other computers. Then, if you choose, you can transition your skills to manage anything from a
small office to a large, corporate Red Hat Enterprise Linux computer installation.
This book tells you how and gives you the software to do it.
Who Are You?
You don’t need to be a programmer to use this book. You may be someone who just wants to
use Linux (to run programs, access the Internet, and so on). Or you may simply want to know
how to administer a Linux system in a workgroup or on a network.
I assume that you are somewhat computer literate but have little or no experience with Linux
(or UNIX). You may be migrating from Microsoft operating systems to Linux because of its
networking and multiuser features. You may be looking to start a career as a computer
technician or network administrator and find that spending a few dollars for an entire operating
system and book is more economical than taking those technical classes offered on late-night
television. Or you might just think a “free” operating system is cool.
In any case, after you peruse this book you should have a good idea of how to run applications,
set up a small network, connect to the Internet, and configure a variety of server types (Web
servers, print servers, file servers, and so on). This book represents a great first few steps
toward your becoming someone who can set up a home network or a small office network and
maintain a group of computers.
This Book’s Learn-Through-Tasks Approach
The best way to learn a computer system is to get your hands on it. To help you learn Linux,
this book takes a task-oriented approach. Where possible, I step you through the process of
working with a feature, such as setting up a network or configuring your desktop.
When you are done with a task, you should have a good, basic setup of the feature that it
covers. After that, I often provide pointers to further information on tweaking and tuning the
feature.
Instead of assuming that you already know about cryptic topics such as troff, NFS, and
TCP/IP, I ease you into those features with headings such as “Publishing with Fedora and
RHEL,” “Setting up a File Server,” and “Connecting to the Internet.” Heck, if you already
knew what all those things were and how to get them working, you wouldn’t need me, would
you?
viii
Preface
When many tools can be used to achieve the same results, I usually present one or two
examples. In other words, I don’t describe six different Web browsers, twelve different text
editors, and three different news servers. I tell you how to get one or two similar tools really
working and then note the others that are available.
What You Need
This book covers two different Linux systems: Fedora 8 and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.
Because Fedora is most recently released and is included on the media with this book,
examples primarily focus on Fedora. However, because Fedora technology feeds into
distributions besides RHEL, such as CentOS (www.centos.org), StartCom
(www.startcom.org), White Box Enterprise Linux (www.whiteboxlinux.org) and
Oracle’s Unbreakable Linux (www.oracle.com/technologies/linux), you can use this
book to learn about those distributions as well.
To follow along with this book, you can install the complete Fedora 8 software found on the
accompanying DVD. If you don’t have a DVD drive, you can use the CD that comes with this
book to try out Fedora and install a desktop Fedora system to your hard disk. Or you can
follow along with your CentOS system (which is free) or Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 system,
(which you can obtain with a subscription from Red Hat, Inc.).
To install Fedora 8 with the media that come with this book, you need a PC with the following
general configuration:
• An Intel Pentium or compatible CPU, 200MHz Pentium or better (for text mode);
400MHz Pentium II or better (for GUI mode). Fedora 8 has been optimized for Pentium
4 processors. (Intel 486 computers will not work with Fedora 8.)
• At least 64MB of RAM (text-based install) or 128MB of RAM (graphical install). To
run the GNOME or KDE desktop 192MB are needed, although the Fedora Project
recommends 512MB.
• At least 620MB of hard disk space (you have to select a minimal install). You need
2.3GB of hard disk space for a personal desktop install, 3.0GB for a typical workstation
installation, or at least 1.1GB of space for a server installation.
• A DVD or CD drive. This is recommended for installation (because we give you the
installation DVD), although you can install from CD (we provide a live CD that can also
be installed to hard disk), over a network, or from a local hard disk instead. For network
and hard disk installs, booting installation from a 3.5-inch floppy disk drive is no longer
supported. Chapter 2 describes methods of launching installation if you don’t have a
bootable DVD drive: Once the install is started, you need either an extra hard disk
partition or another computer (that can be reached over the network) that has packages or
images of the Fedora distribution on it. (I tell you how to do that later, in case you’re
interested.)
Preface
ix
Not every piece of PC hardware works with Fedora. While there is no official hardware
compatibility list as there is for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (available at http://
bugzilla.redhat.com/hwcert/), overall hardware support should be improved in
Fedora 8. In fact, wireless LAN cards, FireWire devices, and some other components have
seen improved support in Fedora 8.
There are versions of Fedora available for other computer architectures as well. If you have a
Power PC or X86 64-bit computer, you can download official install and live CDs and DVDs
from the Fedora project (http://fedoraproject.org/en/get-fedora.html).
Likewise, you can get X86 and X86 64-bit versions of CentOS from that project’s site
(http://mirror.centos.org/).
Fedora 8 and Red Hat Enterprise Linux Bible
Improvements
Fedora® 8 and Red Hat® Enterprise Linux® Bible represents the continuing development of
Red Hat Linux Bible, which I began in 1999. About every six months since Red Hat Linux 6.1,
I’ve followed new versions of Red Hat Linux with updates of this book.
Red Hat, Inc. split its Red Hat Linux development efforts into two tracks: the Fedora Project
and the Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) product. This book now covers the latest of those
two Linux distributions: Fedora 8 and RHEL 5. By learning the features in Fedora 8, you will
also be preparing yourself for future releases of RHEL.
The foundation for Fedora, RHEL, and this book rests on the tradition begun with Red Hat
Linux. The enhancements included in this edition reflect that foundation, plus some bold new
cutting-edge Linux technology.
For the theme of this edition, I've focused on enhancements related to the new Fedora slogan,
“Freedom is a Feature.” While freedom does mean, in part, that you don't have to pay for the
software the Fedora project distributes, freedom is reflected in other ways as well. With the
new Online Desktop feature, you are free to fashion a desktop that combines the personal
online services you use most. With tools such as livecd-creator and Pungi, you are free to
create your own live CD or Fedora software repository.
The following list describes new features of this book over the previous edition:
• Fedora 8 (Nearly) Everything Install DVD — We provide Fedora 8 on DVD with this
edition. You get nearly the entire Fedora 8 distribution. Because the Fedora software
repository has grown beyond the 8GB size we can fit on a dual-layer DVD, a handful of
games packages from that repository did not make it on to the DVD. However, those
packages will still appear on your Package Manager window, allowing you to easily
install them from the Internet.
• Fedora 8 Desktop Live/Install CD — Before you install Fedora, you can try out a
Desktop-oriented live version of Fedora 8 by booting the CD that comes with this book.
x
Preface
While that CD is running, you can use it to prepare your computer to do a permanent
installation. The contents of that CD can also be installed directly to your hard disk.
• Live CD Creator and Pungi — Fedora project today offers some of the most solid tools
for creating Fedora live CDs (livecd-creator) and Fedora software repositories that
include your own software (Pungi). While details of these features are outside the
user/administrator focus of this book, I provide some tips and pointers in Chapter 2 to
help you get started creating your own live CDs for software repositories.
• Firstboot Changes — A feature called Smolt was recently added to the firstboot
procedure, which runs the first time you boot your computer after installation. The Smolt
screen that appears during firstboot lets you see all the hardware components on your
computer and, optionally, lets you send that information to the Fedora project.
• NTFS Support — The Fedora project recently added support for NTFS file systems to
the distribution. This means you can use tools from the live CD, such as GParted, to
resize your Windows NTFS partition and make your Windows PC into a dual-boot
computer with Fedora. You can also now mount and access those partitions from Fedora.
Chapter 2 contains a description of how to use the live CD that comes with this book to
resize your NTFS partitions to prepare for a dual-boot computer.
• Enhanced Fedora Theme — The new default theme for Fedora 8 is called Nodoka.
This theme offers a unified look to Fedora that is streamlined and also works well with
the Echo Icon theme used with Fedora.
• GNOME Online Desktop — The new Online Desktop feature of GNOME is one of the
most exciting new features for Fedora 8. Although still experimental, Online Desktop
promises to provide a mechanism for you to combine all your personal online services
(Mugshot, Flickr, Netflix, Facebook, YouTube, and others), applications, and files into a
single easy-to-use interface. Chapter 3 describes how to get started with Online Desktop.
• Fast User Switch — Using a User Switcher icon in the desktop panel, you can log in
multiple desktop users at the same time from the same screen. Then you can quickly
switch among those user desktops with just a couple of mouse clicks. Fast User Switch
is described in Chapter 3.
• Appearance Preferences — Tools for changing different aspects of your desktop lookand-feel (themes, backgrounds, fonts, and interfaces) were combined into a single
window for this release of GNOME. The Appearance Preferences window is described
in Chapter 3.
• 3D Desktop Effects (AIGLX) — With Fedora 8, you get improved support for 3D
desktop effects based on the AIGLX project. The improved 3D accelerated desktop
effects are described in Chapter 3.
• Third-party Repositories — Software repositories for Fedora that are outside of Fedora
Project control can provide some of the software you need that doesn't meet Fedora’s
licensing requirements. Learn about repositories such as Livna.org and ATRPMs.net and
others in Chapter 5.
Preface
xi
• GIMP 2.4 — The new release of GIMP (version 2.4) is, in itself, a good reason to move
up to Fedora 8. While this book only describes a few enhancements included in GIMP
2.4 (see Chapter 6), you will find that across the board GIMP 2.4 has improved in
critical areas such as color management and useability.
• Video Cards for Gaming — The description of video cards for gaming in Linux was
revised in Chapter 7 to cover availability of new open source video drivers and improved
3D acceleration support.
• Rhythmbox Music Player — Some nice improvements to Rhythmbox let you connect
to free online music services, easily rip CDs, and otherwise improve how you manage
your music collection. See Chapter 8.
• Firewall Configuration — A new Firewall Configuration window not only makes it
easier to manage a simple firewall (opening or closing a few ports) but also includes
features for creating trusted interfaces, IP masquerading, and custom rules. (Refer to
Chapter 14.)
In addition to new features just described, procedures throughout the book have been tested
and corrected to match changes that have occurred to Fedora 8 software in this version.
Conventions Used in This Book
Throughout the book, special typography indicates code and commands. Commands and code
are shown in a monospaced font:
This is how code looks.
In the event that an example includes both input and output, the monospaced font is still used,
but input is presented in bold type to distinguish the two. Here’s an example:
$ ftp ftp.handsonhistory.com
Name (home:jake): jake
Password: ******
The following boxes are used to call your attention to points that are particularly important.
NOTE: A Note box provides extra information to which you need to pay special attention.
TIP: A Tip box shows a special way of performing a particular task.
CAUTION: A Caution box alerts you to take special care when executing a procedure, or damage to
your computer hardware or software could result.
xii
Preface
CROSS-REFERENCE: A Cross-Reference box refers you to further information on a subject that you
can find outside the current chapter.
How This Book Is Organized
The book is organized into four parts.
Part I: Getting Started in Fedora and RHEL
Part I consists of Chapters 1 through 4. Chapters 1 and 2 contain brief descriptions of the
Linux technology and tell you what you need to get the operating system installed. Chapter 1
serves as an introduction to the Linux OS and to Fedora in particular. I also pay special
attention to the division Red Hat, Inc., makes between the Fedora Project and Red Hat
Enterprise Linux. Chapter 2 discusses what you need to install Fedora and how to make the
decisions you’ll be faced with during installation. It includes procedures for installing from
DVD, CD-ROM, hard disk, or network connection (NFS, FTP, or HTTP servers).
In Chapter 3, you learn about the GNOME desktop environment, the KDE desktop
environment, and the X Window system. These GUIs provide graphical means of using Fedora
and RHEL. Chapter 4 describes ways of exploring and understanding Fedora and RHEL,
primarily from the Linux shell command interpreter. You learn how to use the bash shell, the
vi text editor, and the commands for moving around the Linux file system.
Part II: Using Fedora and RHEL
Part II consists of Chapters 5 through 9, which include information for the average user who
wants to use Linux to run applications and access the Internet.
Chapter 5 contains information on obtaining, installing, and running Linux applications. It also
helps you run applications from other operating systems in Linux. Chapter 6 describes both
old-time publishing tools and new, graphical word processors that are available with Fedora
and RHEL. Old tools include the troff and TeX text processing tools, whereas newer
publishing software includes OpenOffice.org utilities (included on the DVD) and StarOffice
(commercially available).
GNOME and KDE games that run in Fedora and RHEL are described in Chapter 7. This
chapter also describes how to run commercial Windows games using Cedega, and commercial
Linux games, such as Civilization: Call to Power and Myth II, some of which have demo
versions available. Chapter 8 describes how to use audio and video players, as well as how to
configure sound cards and CD burners. Chapter 9 describes tools for browsing the Web (such
as the Firefox browser) and related tools (such as e-mail clients and newsreaders).
Preface
xiii
Part III: Administering Fedora and RHEL
Part III consists of Chapters 10 through 14, which cover general setup and system maintenance
tasks, including how to set up user accounts, automate system tasks, and back up your data.
Chapter 10, in which you learn what you need to know about basic system administration,
describes the root login, administrative commands, configuration files, SELinux, and log files.
Chapter 11 describes how to set up and provide support for multiple users on your Fedora or
RHEL system.
In Chapter 12 you learn to create shell scripts and to use the cron facility to automate a variety
of tasks on your Fedora and RHEL system. Techniques for backing up your system and
restoring files from backup are described in Chapter 13. Chapter 14 describes issues related to
securing your computing assets in Fedora and RHEL.
Part IV: Fedora and RHEL Network and Server Setup
Part IV consists of Chapters 15 through 26, which describe step-by-step procedures for setting
up a variety of server types. Simple configurations for what might otherwise be complex tasks
are contained in each chapter. Learn to arrange, address, and connect your Linux computers to
a local area network (LAN) in Chapter 15. Chapter 16 describes techniques for connecting
your Linux computer and LAN to the Internet, using features such as Point-to-Point Protocol
(PPP), IP forwarding, IP masquerading, routing, and proxy servers.
Chapter 17 describes how to set up different types of print server interfaces, including Samba
(to share with Windows systems) and native Linux CUPS printing. Chapter 18 describes file
servers, such as Network File System (NFS) servers and Samba file servers. Chapter 19
describes how to configure sendmail or postfix e-mail servers.
Chapter 20 describes how to configure and secure an FTP server, as well as how to access the
server using FTP client programs. Chapter 21 teaches you how to set up Fedora or RHEL as a
Web server, focusing on the popular Apache server software. Chapter 22 explains how to use
LDAP to create a shared address book. Chapter 23 describes how to set up a DHCP server to
distribute information to client workstations on the network.
Chapter 24 describes how to set up and use a MySQL database server in Linux. Chapter 25
takes you through the process of making the servers you configured in the other chapters
available on the Internet. Setting up a Domain Name System (DNS) server is also described in
Chapter 25. Chapter 26 describes how to set up Fedora or RHEL to be a Macintosh file and
printer server. It also describes how to install Fedora on a new Intel-based Mac, so you can
dual boot between Mac OS X and Fedora.
Appendixes
This book contains three appendixes. Appendix A describes the contents of the companion
media. Appendix B provides an overview of setting up and running network services.
Appendix C covers features in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.
xiv
Preface
About the Companion Media
The Fedora 8 DVD that accompanies this book provides the software you need for a complete
working Fedora system. With this software, you can install sets of software packages that
result in an installation from a few hundred megabytes to up to well over 10 gigabytes of
software.
We also include a Fedora 8 GNOME Desktop Live/Install CD. That CD can be booted to run a
live Fedora GNOME desktop system, without touching the contents of your hard disk. You
can install the contents of the live CD to your hard disk, to use that desktop system
permanently from your hard disk.
This book describes how to configure and use the software for those different media.
About the Companion Web Site
A new feature of the Fedora and RHEL Bible Companion Web site for this release is an
advanced links page, specially geared toward helping you overcome common problems with
Fedora. If you are not finding the answers you need in this book, go to the book’s Web site at
www.wiley.com/go/fedora8bible and see if some new information on the subject is
available.
Even in a book that pushes the 1,000-page boundary, a few topics don’t seem to make the cut.
The companion Web site contains some bonus material on topics such as using the X Window
system, finding neat add-on software, exploring alternative administrative interfaces,
Logsentry, and Portsentry.
With the LILO bootloader now gone from the Fedora distribution for several releases, I
decided to move descriptions of LILO out of this book and to the Web site. Other topics
moved to the Web site from previous editions of this book includes information on using
legacy UNIX remote commands (rlogin, rcp, and the like), running Tripwire to manage
system security, running a NetWare server in Linux (mars_nwe) and using crack and other
password protection tools. Features moved from the immediately preceding edition include
descriptions of the wu-FTPd FTP server, INN news server, and the sendmail.cf file.
Reach Out
If you have any questions or comments about this book, feel free to contact me by e-mail at
chris@linuxtoys.net. I get busy sometimes, but I'll do my best to help.
Acknowledgments
A special acknowledgment goes to the people at Red Hat, Inc. and members of the Fedora
Project. In particular, Max Spevack (Fedora Project leader) and Greg DeKoenigsberg (Fedora
Community leader) deserve praise for their leadership in producing a consistently high-quality
Linux distribution. Special thanks to Jesse Keating (Red Hat release engineer for Fedora) for
helping me use his excellent Pungi tools to produce the 8GB Fedora DVD that comes with this
book. Also special thanks to the members of the Fedora-marketing-list and Fedora-advisoryboard mailing lists who have provided me with insights into the goals and direction of the
Fedora project.
At Wiley, I’d like to thank Jenny Watson, Colleen Hauser, and Laura Atkinson for helping
work out issues related to the publicity, media, and covers for this book. Thanks to Sara Shlaer
for her continued great editing and production work on this book, and for keeping me on
schedule so we could bring this book to you on schedule. Tim Boronczyk provided a thorough
technical editing pass. Thanks also to Margot Maley Hutchison and the others at Waterside
Productions for bringing me this project.
Thanks, as always, to my dear family for helping me through this project. It’s time to party!
Finally, a special thanks goes to those of you who bought this and earlier editions of Red Hat
Linux Bible. Go out and become a force for Linux in your work, home, and community. If you
feel like expanding your Linux horizons, try some of these other books I’ve written:
• Linux Bible 2008 Edition — Contains 16 different bootable and installable Linux
distributions on DVD and CD, along with descriptions characterizing those and other
popular and interesting Linux distributions.
• Fedora Linux Toolbox with François Caen — Includes 1000+ command lines to help
Fedora, RHEL, and CentOS power users get the most out of Linux. To try other Linux
distributions, check out Ubuntu Linux Toolbox and SUSE Linux Toolbox by the same
authors.
• Linux Troubleshooting Bible with Thomas Weeks — Goes beyond this book to help
you safely deploy and troubleshoot Linux systems.
• Linux Toys II — If you’re looking for something fun to do with Linux, this book
contains nine fun projects you can build with a PC and open source software.
Contents
Part I: Getting Started in Fedora and RHEL
Chapter 1: An Overview of Fedora and Red Hat Enterprise Linux ............................3
Introducing Fedora 8 and Red Hat Enterprise Linux ........................................................................4
What Is Linux?..................................................................................................................................5
Linux’s Roots in UNIX.....................................................................................................................6
Common Linux Features...................................................................................................................8
Primary Advantages of Linux .........................................................................................................10
What Are Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Fedora?...........................................................................11
Red Hat forms the Fedora Project .............................................................................................11
Red Hat shifts to Red Hat Enterprise Linux ..............................................................................14
Choosing between Fedora and Enterprise .................................................................................14
Why Choose Fedora or Red Hat Enterprise Linux? ........................................................................15
New Features in Fedora 8................................................................................................................17
Getting custom Fedora spins .....................................................................................................18
Creating your own spins............................................................................................................19
The GNOME Online Desktop ...................................................................................................19
Infinity look-and-feel and Nodoka theme..................................................................................19
PulseAudio sound system..........................................................................................................20
Codeina utility for getting codecs..............................................................................................20
Package Manager ......................................................................................................................20
IcedTea Java environment .........................................................................................................20
Firewall Configuration ..............................................................................................................20
The Culture of Free Software..........................................................................................................20
Chapter 2: Installing Fedora..........................................................................................23
Understanding Fedora Installation Media .......................................................................................24
Using the Fedora 8 Live CD ...........................................................................................................24
Quick Installation ............................................................................................................................26
Detailed Installation Instructions ....................................................................................................28
Installing Fedora 8.....................................................................................................................29
Choosing an installation method ...............................................................................................29
Choosing computer hardware....................................................................................................31
Installing Fedora on a Laptop....................................................................................................33
Preparing for installation using the live CD ..............................................................................33
Beginning the installation..........................................................................................................36
Running Fedora Setup Agent ....................................................................................................45
Going forward after installation ................................................................................................48
Special Installation Procedures .......................................................................................................49
xviii Contents
Alternatives for starting installation ..........................................................................................49
Installing from other media .......................................................................................................52
Starting a VNC install................................................................................................................55
Performing a kickstart installation.............................................................................................56
Special Installation Topics ..............................................................................................................61
Setting up to dual-boot Linux and Windows .............................................................................62
Partitioning your disks...............................................................................................................67
Using the GRUB boot loader.....................................................................................................75
Troubleshooting Installation............................................................................................................81
Spinning Your Own Fedora Install or Live Media..........................................................................83
Chapter 3: Getting Started with the Desktop .............................................................. 85
Logging in to Fedora or RHEL .......................................................................................................86
Getting Familiar with the Desktop ..................................................................................................88
Using the GNOME Desktop............................................................................................................97
Using the Metacity window manager ........................................................................................99
Using the GNOME panels .......................................................................................................101
Using the Nautilus file manager ..............................................................................................106
Changing GNOME preferences...............................................................................................109
Managing removable media (CDs, DVD, and cameras) .........................................................110
Trying other GNOME applications .........................................................................................112
Switching to another user ........................................................................................................114
Exiting GNOME......................................................................................................................114
Setting Up an Online Desktop.......................................................................................................115
Switching Desktop Environments .................................................................................................118
Using the KDE Desktop ................................................................................................................119
Starting with KDE ...................................................................................................................120
KDE desktop described ...........................................................................................................120
Managing files with the Konqueror File Manager...................................................................123
Configuring Konqueror options...............................................................................................128
Managing windows..................................................................................................................132
Configuring the desktop ..........................................................................................................133
Adding application launchers and MIME types ......................................................................136
Running 3D Accelerated Desktop Effects.....................................................................................137
Troubleshooting Your Desktop .....................................................................................................140
GUI doesn’t work at start-up ...................................................................................................141
Tuning your video card and monitor .......................................................................................142
Configuring video cards for gaming........................................................................................144
Getting more information ........................................................................................................144
Chapter 4: Using Linux Commands ........................................................................... 147
The Shell Interface ........................................................................................................................147
Checking your login session....................................................................................................148
Contents
xix
Checking directories and permissions .....................................................................................149
Checking system activity.........................................................................................................151
Exiting the shell.......................................................................................................................152
Understanding the Shell ................................................................................................................152
Using the Shell in Linux................................................................................................................153
Locating commands.................................................................................................................154
Rerunning commands..............................................................................................................157
Connecting and expanding commands ....................................................................................163
Using shell environment variables ..........................................................................................166
Managing background and foreground processes ...................................................................169
Configuring your shell.............................................................................................................172
Working with the Linux File System ............................................................................................175
Creating files and directories...................................................................................................177
Moving, copying, and deleting files ........................................................................................184
Using the vi Text Editor ................................................................................................................184
Starting with vi ........................................................................................................................185
Moving around the file ............................................................................................................188
Searching for text ....................................................................................................................188
Using numbers with commands ..............................................................................................189
Part II: Using Fedora and RHEL
Chapter 5: Accessing and Running Applications.......................................................191
Getting and Installing Software Packages.....................................................................................192
Downloading and installing applications with yum ................................................................194
Getting Fedora and RHEL software updates ...........................................................................201
Getting updates with Package Updater....................................................................................202
Managing RPM Packages .............................................................................................................203
Using the Package Manager window ......................................................................................203
Using the rpm command .........................................................................................................204
Using Software in Different Formats ............................................................................................215
Understanding software package names and formats..............................................................215
Using different archive and document formats .......................................................................217
Building and installing from source code................................................................................219
Using Fedora or RHEL to Run Applications ................................................................................222
Finding common desktop applications in Linux......................................................................224
Investigating your desktop ......................................................................................................225
Starting applications from a menu...........................................................................................226
Starting applications from a Run Application window ...........................................................226
Starting applications from a Terminal window .......................................................................227
Running remote X applications ...............................................................................................229
Running Microsoft Windows, DOS, and Macintosh Applications ...............................................232
Running DOS applications ......................................................................................................234
Running Microsoft Windows applications in Linux................................................................236
xx
Contents
Running Macintosh applications with ARDI Executor ...........................................................242
Running Applications in Virtual Environments ............................................................................242
Running applications virtually with Xen .................................................................................243
Running applications virtually with KVM and QEMU ...........................................................247
Chapter 6: Publishing with Fedora and RHEL ......................................................... 251
Using OpenOffice.org ...................................................................................................................252
Other Word Processors..................................................................................................................254
Using StarOffice ......................................................................................................................255
AbiWord ..................................................................................................................................256
Using KOffice .........................................................................................................................257
Using Traditional Linux Publishing Tools ....................................................................................258
Creating Documents in Groff or LaTeX........................................................................................259
Text processing with Groff......................................................................................................259
Text processing with TeX/LaTeX ...........................................................................................269
Converting documents .............................................................................................................272
Creating DocBook documents.................................................................................................273
Understanding SGML and XML .............................................................................................274
Printing Documents with Fedora and RHEL.................................................................................277
Printing to the default printer...................................................................................................278
Printing from the shell .............................................................................................................278
Checking the print queues .......................................................................................................279
Removing print jobs ................................................................................................................279
Checking printer status ............................................................................................................280
Displaying PDF Files with Adobe Acrobat Reader.......................................................................280
Working with Graphics .................................................................................................................281
Manipulating images with GIMP ............................................................................................282
Taking screen captures ............................................................................................................283
Using Scanners Driven by SANE..................................................................................................284
Chapter 7: Gaming in Fedora and RHEL.................................................................. 287
Basic Linux Gaming Information..................................................................................................288
Where to get information on Linux gaming ............................................................................288
Choosing a video card for gaming...........................................................................................289
Running Open Source Linux Games .............................................................................................291
GNOME games .......................................................................................................................292
KDE games..............................................................................................................................293
Adding more games from Fedora repository ...........................................................................294
Commercial Linux Games.............................................................................................................304
Getting Started with commercial games in Linux ...................................................................305
Playing commercial Linux games ...........................................................................................305
id Software Games...................................................................................................................306
Gaming with Cedega ...............................................................................................................308
Contents
xxi
Loki Software game demos .....................................................................................................309
Neverwinter Nights .................................................................................................................312
Chapter 8: Music, Vide
and
Red Hat® Enterprise Linux®
Bible
Christopher Negus
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
Fedora® 8
and
Red Hat® Enterprise Linux®
Bible
Fedora® 8
and
Red Hat® Enterprise Linux®
Bible
Christopher Negus
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
Fedora® 8 and Red Hat® Enterprise Linux® Bible
Published by
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
10475 Crosspoint Boulevard
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Copyright © 2008 by Wiley Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.
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About the Author
Christopher Negus has been working with UNIX systems, the Internet, and (most recently)
Linux systems for more than two decades. During that time, Chris worked at AT&T Bell
Laboratories, UNIX System Laboratories, and Novell, helping to develop the UNIX operating
system. Features from many of the UNIX projects Chris worked on at AT&T have found their
way into Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Fedora, and other Linux systems.
Chris is the author of all editions of what started out as Red Hat Linux Bible, which because of
the name changes of Red Hat’s Linux projects has evolved into the book you are holding.
Most recently, Chris co-authored three books in the Linux Toolbox series: Fedora Linux
Toolbox, Ubuntu Linux Toolbox, and SUSE Linux Toolbox (Wiley Publishing, 2007).
Before that, Chris authored Linux Bible 2008 Edition and co-wrote Linux Troubleshooting
Bible and Linux Toys II for Wiley Publishing. During the past few years, Chris has written
several books on UNIX and the Internet, including Internet Explorer 4 Bible and Netscape
Plug-Ins For Dummies for Wiley Publishing. He also co-wrote several books for Que
Publishing, including The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Networking (second and third editions)
and Using UNIX (second edition).
At home, Chris enjoys spending time with his wife, Sheree, and his boys, Caleb and Seth. His
hobbies include soccer, singing, and exercising with Sheree.
As always, I dedicate this book to my wife, Sheree. This book would never have
happened without her love and support.
Credits
Acquisitions Editor
Jenny Watson
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Technical Editor
Tim Boronczyk
Copy Editor
Nancy Rapoport
Production Manager
Tim Tate
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Mary Beth Wakefield
Vice President and
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Richard Swadley
Vice President and Executive Publisher
Joseph B. Wikert
Project Coordinator
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Indexer
Johnna VanHoose Dinse
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Laura Atkinson
Media Assistant Producer
Josh Frank
Media Quality Control
Kit Malone
Anniversary Logo Design
Richard Pacifico
Preface
With the Fedora Linux operating system and the instructions in this book, you can transform
your PC into a safe, powerful, and free computer system. Starting with Fedora, you can simply
replace (or coexist with) Microsoft Windows on your everyday desktop computer. You can
also configure your computer to share your files, printers, Web pages, or directory services to
other computers. Then, if you choose, you can transition your skills to manage anything from a
small office to a large, corporate Red Hat Enterprise Linux computer installation.
This book tells you how and gives you the software to do it.
Who Are You?
You don’t need to be a programmer to use this book. You may be someone who just wants to
use Linux (to run programs, access the Internet, and so on). Or you may simply want to know
how to administer a Linux system in a workgroup or on a network.
I assume that you are somewhat computer literate but have little or no experience with Linux
(or UNIX). You may be migrating from Microsoft operating systems to Linux because of its
networking and multiuser features. You may be looking to start a career as a computer
technician or network administrator and find that spending a few dollars for an entire operating
system and book is more economical than taking those technical classes offered on late-night
television. Or you might just think a “free” operating system is cool.
In any case, after you peruse this book you should have a good idea of how to run applications,
set up a small network, connect to the Internet, and configure a variety of server types (Web
servers, print servers, file servers, and so on). This book represents a great first few steps
toward your becoming someone who can set up a home network or a small office network and
maintain a group of computers.
This Book’s Learn-Through-Tasks Approach
The best way to learn a computer system is to get your hands on it. To help you learn Linux,
this book takes a task-oriented approach. Where possible, I step you through the process of
working with a feature, such as setting up a network or configuring your desktop.
When you are done with a task, you should have a good, basic setup of the feature that it
covers. After that, I often provide pointers to further information on tweaking and tuning the
feature.
Instead of assuming that you already know about cryptic topics such as troff, NFS, and
TCP/IP, I ease you into those features with headings such as “Publishing with Fedora and
RHEL,” “Setting up a File Server,” and “Connecting to the Internet.” Heck, if you already
knew what all those things were and how to get them working, you wouldn’t need me, would
you?
viii
Preface
When many tools can be used to achieve the same results, I usually present one or two
examples. In other words, I don’t describe six different Web browsers, twelve different text
editors, and three different news servers. I tell you how to get one or two similar tools really
working and then note the others that are available.
What You Need
This book covers two different Linux systems: Fedora 8 and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.
Because Fedora is most recently released and is included on the media with this book,
examples primarily focus on Fedora. However, because Fedora technology feeds into
distributions besides RHEL, such as CentOS (www.centos.org), StartCom
(www.startcom.org), White Box Enterprise Linux (www.whiteboxlinux.org) and
Oracle’s Unbreakable Linux (www.oracle.com/technologies/linux), you can use this
book to learn about those distributions as well.
To follow along with this book, you can install the complete Fedora 8 software found on the
accompanying DVD. If you don’t have a DVD drive, you can use the CD that comes with this
book to try out Fedora and install a desktop Fedora system to your hard disk. Or you can
follow along with your CentOS system (which is free) or Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 system,
(which you can obtain with a subscription from Red Hat, Inc.).
To install Fedora 8 with the media that come with this book, you need a PC with the following
general configuration:
• An Intel Pentium or compatible CPU, 200MHz Pentium or better (for text mode);
400MHz Pentium II or better (for GUI mode). Fedora 8 has been optimized for Pentium
4 processors. (Intel 486 computers will not work with Fedora 8.)
• At least 64MB of RAM (text-based install) or 128MB of RAM (graphical install). To
run the GNOME or KDE desktop 192MB are needed, although the Fedora Project
recommends 512MB.
• At least 620MB of hard disk space (you have to select a minimal install). You need
2.3GB of hard disk space for a personal desktop install, 3.0GB for a typical workstation
installation, or at least 1.1GB of space for a server installation.
• A DVD or CD drive. This is recommended for installation (because we give you the
installation DVD), although you can install from CD (we provide a live CD that can also
be installed to hard disk), over a network, or from a local hard disk instead. For network
and hard disk installs, booting installation from a 3.5-inch floppy disk drive is no longer
supported. Chapter 2 describes methods of launching installation if you don’t have a
bootable DVD drive: Once the install is started, you need either an extra hard disk
partition or another computer (that can be reached over the network) that has packages or
images of the Fedora distribution on it. (I tell you how to do that later, in case you’re
interested.)
Preface
ix
Not every piece of PC hardware works with Fedora. While there is no official hardware
compatibility list as there is for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (available at http://
bugzilla.redhat.com/hwcert/), overall hardware support should be improved in
Fedora 8. In fact, wireless LAN cards, FireWire devices, and some other components have
seen improved support in Fedora 8.
There are versions of Fedora available for other computer architectures as well. If you have a
Power PC or X86 64-bit computer, you can download official install and live CDs and DVDs
from the Fedora project (http://fedoraproject.org/en/get-fedora.html).
Likewise, you can get X86 and X86 64-bit versions of CentOS from that project’s site
(http://mirror.centos.org/).
Fedora 8 and Red Hat Enterprise Linux Bible
Improvements
Fedora® 8 and Red Hat® Enterprise Linux® Bible represents the continuing development of
Red Hat Linux Bible, which I began in 1999. About every six months since Red Hat Linux 6.1,
I’ve followed new versions of Red Hat Linux with updates of this book.
Red Hat, Inc. split its Red Hat Linux development efforts into two tracks: the Fedora Project
and the Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) product. This book now covers the latest of those
two Linux distributions: Fedora 8 and RHEL 5. By learning the features in Fedora 8, you will
also be preparing yourself for future releases of RHEL.
The foundation for Fedora, RHEL, and this book rests on the tradition begun with Red Hat
Linux. The enhancements included in this edition reflect that foundation, plus some bold new
cutting-edge Linux technology.
For the theme of this edition, I've focused on enhancements related to the new Fedora slogan,
“Freedom is a Feature.” While freedom does mean, in part, that you don't have to pay for the
software the Fedora project distributes, freedom is reflected in other ways as well. With the
new Online Desktop feature, you are free to fashion a desktop that combines the personal
online services you use most. With tools such as livecd-creator and Pungi, you are free to
create your own live CD or Fedora software repository.
The following list describes new features of this book over the previous edition:
• Fedora 8 (Nearly) Everything Install DVD — We provide Fedora 8 on DVD with this
edition. You get nearly the entire Fedora 8 distribution. Because the Fedora software
repository has grown beyond the 8GB size we can fit on a dual-layer DVD, a handful of
games packages from that repository did not make it on to the DVD. However, those
packages will still appear on your Package Manager window, allowing you to easily
install them from the Internet.
• Fedora 8 Desktop Live/Install CD — Before you install Fedora, you can try out a
Desktop-oriented live version of Fedora 8 by booting the CD that comes with this book.
x
Preface
While that CD is running, you can use it to prepare your computer to do a permanent
installation. The contents of that CD can also be installed directly to your hard disk.
• Live CD Creator and Pungi — Fedora project today offers some of the most solid tools
for creating Fedora live CDs (livecd-creator) and Fedora software repositories that
include your own software (Pungi). While details of these features are outside the
user/administrator focus of this book, I provide some tips and pointers in Chapter 2 to
help you get started creating your own live CDs for software repositories.
• Firstboot Changes — A feature called Smolt was recently added to the firstboot
procedure, which runs the first time you boot your computer after installation. The Smolt
screen that appears during firstboot lets you see all the hardware components on your
computer and, optionally, lets you send that information to the Fedora project.
• NTFS Support — The Fedora project recently added support for NTFS file systems to
the distribution. This means you can use tools from the live CD, such as GParted, to
resize your Windows NTFS partition and make your Windows PC into a dual-boot
computer with Fedora. You can also now mount and access those partitions from Fedora.
Chapter 2 contains a description of how to use the live CD that comes with this book to
resize your NTFS partitions to prepare for a dual-boot computer.
• Enhanced Fedora Theme — The new default theme for Fedora 8 is called Nodoka.
This theme offers a unified look to Fedora that is streamlined and also works well with
the Echo Icon theme used with Fedora.
• GNOME Online Desktop — The new Online Desktop feature of GNOME is one of the
most exciting new features for Fedora 8. Although still experimental, Online Desktop
promises to provide a mechanism for you to combine all your personal online services
(Mugshot, Flickr, Netflix, Facebook, YouTube, and others), applications, and files into a
single easy-to-use interface. Chapter 3 describes how to get started with Online Desktop.
• Fast User Switch — Using a User Switcher icon in the desktop panel, you can log in
multiple desktop users at the same time from the same screen. Then you can quickly
switch among those user desktops with just a couple of mouse clicks. Fast User Switch
is described in Chapter 3.
• Appearance Preferences — Tools for changing different aspects of your desktop lookand-feel (themes, backgrounds, fonts, and interfaces) were combined into a single
window for this release of GNOME. The Appearance Preferences window is described
in Chapter 3.
• 3D Desktop Effects (AIGLX) — With Fedora 8, you get improved support for 3D
desktop effects based on the AIGLX project. The improved 3D accelerated desktop
effects are described in Chapter 3.
• Third-party Repositories — Software repositories for Fedora that are outside of Fedora
Project control can provide some of the software you need that doesn't meet Fedora’s
licensing requirements. Learn about repositories such as Livna.org and ATRPMs.net and
others in Chapter 5.
Preface
xi
• GIMP 2.4 — The new release of GIMP (version 2.4) is, in itself, a good reason to move
up to Fedora 8. While this book only describes a few enhancements included in GIMP
2.4 (see Chapter 6), you will find that across the board GIMP 2.4 has improved in
critical areas such as color management and useability.
• Video Cards for Gaming — The description of video cards for gaming in Linux was
revised in Chapter 7 to cover availability of new open source video drivers and improved
3D acceleration support.
• Rhythmbox Music Player — Some nice improvements to Rhythmbox let you connect
to free online music services, easily rip CDs, and otherwise improve how you manage
your music collection. See Chapter 8.
• Firewall Configuration — A new Firewall Configuration window not only makes it
easier to manage a simple firewall (opening or closing a few ports) but also includes
features for creating trusted interfaces, IP masquerading, and custom rules. (Refer to
Chapter 14.)
In addition to new features just described, procedures throughout the book have been tested
and corrected to match changes that have occurred to Fedora 8 software in this version.
Conventions Used in This Book
Throughout the book, special typography indicates code and commands. Commands and code
are shown in a monospaced font:
This is how code looks.
In the event that an example includes both input and output, the monospaced font is still used,
but input is presented in bold type to distinguish the two. Here’s an example:
$ ftp ftp.handsonhistory.com
Name (home:jake): jake
Password: ******
The following boxes are used to call your attention to points that are particularly important.
NOTE: A Note box provides extra information to which you need to pay special attention.
TIP: A Tip box shows a special way of performing a particular task.
CAUTION: A Caution box alerts you to take special care when executing a procedure, or damage to
your computer hardware or software could result.
xii
Preface
CROSS-REFERENCE: A Cross-Reference box refers you to further information on a subject that you
can find outside the current chapter.
How This Book Is Organized
The book is organized into four parts.
Part I: Getting Started in Fedora and RHEL
Part I consists of Chapters 1 through 4. Chapters 1 and 2 contain brief descriptions of the
Linux technology and tell you what you need to get the operating system installed. Chapter 1
serves as an introduction to the Linux OS and to Fedora in particular. I also pay special
attention to the division Red Hat, Inc., makes between the Fedora Project and Red Hat
Enterprise Linux. Chapter 2 discusses what you need to install Fedora and how to make the
decisions you’ll be faced with during installation. It includes procedures for installing from
DVD, CD-ROM, hard disk, or network connection (NFS, FTP, or HTTP servers).
In Chapter 3, you learn about the GNOME desktop environment, the KDE desktop
environment, and the X Window system. These GUIs provide graphical means of using Fedora
and RHEL. Chapter 4 describes ways of exploring and understanding Fedora and RHEL,
primarily from the Linux shell command interpreter. You learn how to use the bash shell, the
vi text editor, and the commands for moving around the Linux file system.
Part II: Using Fedora and RHEL
Part II consists of Chapters 5 through 9, which include information for the average user who
wants to use Linux to run applications and access the Internet.
Chapter 5 contains information on obtaining, installing, and running Linux applications. It also
helps you run applications from other operating systems in Linux. Chapter 6 describes both
old-time publishing tools and new, graphical word processors that are available with Fedora
and RHEL. Old tools include the troff and TeX text processing tools, whereas newer
publishing software includes OpenOffice.org utilities (included on the DVD) and StarOffice
(commercially available).
GNOME and KDE games that run in Fedora and RHEL are described in Chapter 7. This
chapter also describes how to run commercial Windows games using Cedega, and commercial
Linux games, such as Civilization: Call to Power and Myth II, some of which have demo
versions available. Chapter 8 describes how to use audio and video players, as well as how to
configure sound cards and CD burners. Chapter 9 describes tools for browsing the Web (such
as the Firefox browser) and related tools (such as e-mail clients and newsreaders).
Preface
xiii
Part III: Administering Fedora and RHEL
Part III consists of Chapters 10 through 14, which cover general setup and system maintenance
tasks, including how to set up user accounts, automate system tasks, and back up your data.
Chapter 10, in which you learn what you need to know about basic system administration,
describes the root login, administrative commands, configuration files, SELinux, and log files.
Chapter 11 describes how to set up and provide support for multiple users on your Fedora or
RHEL system.
In Chapter 12 you learn to create shell scripts and to use the cron facility to automate a variety
of tasks on your Fedora and RHEL system. Techniques for backing up your system and
restoring files from backup are described in Chapter 13. Chapter 14 describes issues related to
securing your computing assets in Fedora and RHEL.
Part IV: Fedora and RHEL Network and Server Setup
Part IV consists of Chapters 15 through 26, which describe step-by-step procedures for setting
up a variety of server types. Simple configurations for what might otherwise be complex tasks
are contained in each chapter. Learn to arrange, address, and connect your Linux computers to
a local area network (LAN) in Chapter 15. Chapter 16 describes techniques for connecting
your Linux computer and LAN to the Internet, using features such as Point-to-Point Protocol
(PPP), IP forwarding, IP masquerading, routing, and proxy servers.
Chapter 17 describes how to set up different types of print server interfaces, including Samba
(to share with Windows systems) and native Linux CUPS printing. Chapter 18 describes file
servers, such as Network File System (NFS) servers and Samba file servers. Chapter 19
describes how to configure sendmail or postfix e-mail servers.
Chapter 20 describes how to configure and secure an FTP server, as well as how to access the
server using FTP client programs. Chapter 21 teaches you how to set up Fedora or RHEL as a
Web server, focusing on the popular Apache server software. Chapter 22 explains how to use
LDAP to create a shared address book. Chapter 23 describes how to set up a DHCP server to
distribute information to client workstations on the network.
Chapter 24 describes how to set up and use a MySQL database server in Linux. Chapter 25
takes you through the process of making the servers you configured in the other chapters
available on the Internet. Setting up a Domain Name System (DNS) server is also described in
Chapter 25. Chapter 26 describes how to set up Fedora or RHEL to be a Macintosh file and
printer server. It also describes how to install Fedora on a new Intel-based Mac, so you can
dual boot between Mac OS X and Fedora.
Appendixes
This book contains three appendixes. Appendix A describes the contents of the companion
media. Appendix B provides an overview of setting up and running network services.
Appendix C covers features in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.
xiv
Preface
About the Companion Media
The Fedora 8 DVD that accompanies this book provides the software you need for a complete
working Fedora system. With this software, you can install sets of software packages that
result in an installation from a few hundred megabytes to up to well over 10 gigabytes of
software.
We also include a Fedora 8 GNOME Desktop Live/Install CD. That CD can be booted to run a
live Fedora GNOME desktop system, without touching the contents of your hard disk. You
can install the contents of the live CD to your hard disk, to use that desktop system
permanently from your hard disk.
This book describes how to configure and use the software for those different media.
About the Companion Web Site
A new feature of the Fedora and RHEL Bible Companion Web site for this release is an
advanced links page, specially geared toward helping you overcome common problems with
Fedora. If you are not finding the answers you need in this book, go to the book’s Web site at
www.wiley.com/go/fedora8bible and see if some new information on the subject is
available.
Even in a book that pushes the 1,000-page boundary, a few topics don’t seem to make the cut.
The companion Web site contains some bonus material on topics such as using the X Window
system, finding neat add-on software, exploring alternative administrative interfaces,
Logsentry, and Portsentry.
With the LILO bootloader now gone from the Fedora distribution for several releases, I
decided to move descriptions of LILO out of this book and to the Web site. Other topics
moved to the Web site from previous editions of this book includes information on using
legacy UNIX remote commands (rlogin, rcp, and the like), running Tripwire to manage
system security, running a NetWare server in Linux (mars_nwe) and using crack and other
password protection tools. Features moved from the immediately preceding edition include
descriptions of the wu-FTPd FTP server, INN news server, and the sendmail.cf file.
Reach Out
If you have any questions or comments about this book, feel free to contact me by e-mail at
chris@linuxtoys.net. I get busy sometimes, but I'll do my best to help.
Acknowledgments
A special acknowledgment goes to the people at Red Hat, Inc. and members of the Fedora
Project. In particular, Max Spevack (Fedora Project leader) and Greg DeKoenigsberg (Fedora
Community leader) deserve praise for their leadership in producing a consistently high-quality
Linux distribution. Special thanks to Jesse Keating (Red Hat release engineer for Fedora) for
helping me use his excellent Pungi tools to produce the 8GB Fedora DVD that comes with this
book. Also special thanks to the members of the Fedora-marketing-list and Fedora-advisoryboard mailing lists who have provided me with insights into the goals and direction of the
Fedora project.
At Wiley, I’d like to thank Jenny Watson, Colleen Hauser, and Laura Atkinson for helping
work out issues related to the publicity, media, and covers for this book. Thanks to Sara Shlaer
for her continued great editing and production work on this book, and for keeping me on
schedule so we could bring this book to you on schedule. Tim Boronczyk provided a thorough
technical editing pass. Thanks also to Margot Maley Hutchison and the others at Waterside
Productions for bringing me this project.
Thanks, as always, to my dear family for helping me through this project. It’s time to party!
Finally, a special thanks goes to those of you who bought this and earlier editions of Red Hat
Linux Bible. Go out and become a force for Linux in your work, home, and community. If you
feel like expanding your Linux horizons, try some of these other books I’ve written:
• Linux Bible 2008 Edition — Contains 16 different bootable and installable Linux
distributions on DVD and CD, along with descriptions characterizing those and other
popular and interesting Linux distributions.
• Fedora Linux Toolbox with François Caen — Includes 1000+ command lines to help
Fedora, RHEL, and CentOS power users get the most out of Linux. To try other Linux
distributions, check out Ubuntu Linux Toolbox and SUSE Linux Toolbox by the same
authors.
• Linux Troubleshooting Bible with Thomas Weeks — Goes beyond this book to help
you safely deploy and troubleshoot Linux systems.
• Linux Toys II — If you’re looking for something fun to do with Linux, this book
contains nine fun projects you can build with a PC and open source software.
Contents
Part I: Getting Started in Fedora and RHEL
Chapter 1: An Overview of Fedora and Red Hat Enterprise Linux ............................3
Introducing Fedora 8 and Red Hat Enterprise Linux ........................................................................4
What Is Linux?..................................................................................................................................5
Linux’s Roots in UNIX.....................................................................................................................6
Common Linux Features...................................................................................................................8
Primary Advantages of Linux .........................................................................................................10
What Are Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Fedora?...........................................................................11
Red Hat forms the Fedora Project .............................................................................................11
Red Hat shifts to Red Hat Enterprise Linux ..............................................................................14
Choosing between Fedora and Enterprise .................................................................................14
Why Choose Fedora or Red Hat Enterprise Linux? ........................................................................15
New Features in Fedora 8................................................................................................................17
Getting custom Fedora spins .....................................................................................................18
Creating your own spins............................................................................................................19
The GNOME Online Desktop ...................................................................................................19
Infinity look-and-feel and Nodoka theme..................................................................................19
PulseAudio sound system..........................................................................................................20
Codeina utility for getting codecs..............................................................................................20
Package Manager ......................................................................................................................20
IcedTea Java environment .........................................................................................................20
Firewall Configuration ..............................................................................................................20
The Culture of Free Software..........................................................................................................20
Chapter 2: Installing Fedora..........................................................................................23
Understanding Fedora Installation Media .......................................................................................24
Using the Fedora 8 Live CD ...........................................................................................................24
Quick Installation ............................................................................................................................26
Detailed Installation Instructions ....................................................................................................28
Installing Fedora 8.....................................................................................................................29
Choosing an installation method ...............................................................................................29
Choosing computer hardware....................................................................................................31
Installing Fedora on a Laptop....................................................................................................33
Preparing for installation using the live CD ..............................................................................33
Beginning the installation..........................................................................................................36
Running Fedora Setup Agent ....................................................................................................45
Going forward after installation ................................................................................................48
Special Installation Procedures .......................................................................................................49
xviii Contents
Alternatives for starting installation ..........................................................................................49
Installing from other media .......................................................................................................52
Starting a VNC install................................................................................................................55
Performing a kickstart installation.............................................................................................56
Special Installation Topics ..............................................................................................................61
Setting up to dual-boot Linux and Windows .............................................................................62
Partitioning your disks...............................................................................................................67
Using the GRUB boot loader.....................................................................................................75
Troubleshooting Installation............................................................................................................81
Spinning Your Own Fedora Install or Live Media..........................................................................83
Chapter 3: Getting Started with the Desktop .............................................................. 85
Logging in to Fedora or RHEL .......................................................................................................86
Getting Familiar with the Desktop ..................................................................................................88
Using the GNOME Desktop............................................................................................................97
Using the Metacity window manager ........................................................................................99
Using the GNOME panels .......................................................................................................101
Using the Nautilus file manager ..............................................................................................106
Changing GNOME preferences...............................................................................................109
Managing removable media (CDs, DVD, and cameras) .........................................................110
Trying other GNOME applications .........................................................................................112
Switching to another user ........................................................................................................114
Exiting GNOME......................................................................................................................114
Setting Up an Online Desktop.......................................................................................................115
Switching Desktop Environments .................................................................................................118
Using the KDE Desktop ................................................................................................................119
Starting with KDE ...................................................................................................................120
KDE desktop described ...........................................................................................................120
Managing files with the Konqueror File Manager...................................................................123
Configuring Konqueror options...............................................................................................128
Managing windows..................................................................................................................132
Configuring the desktop ..........................................................................................................133
Adding application launchers and MIME types ......................................................................136
Running 3D Accelerated Desktop Effects.....................................................................................137
Troubleshooting Your Desktop .....................................................................................................140
GUI doesn’t work at start-up ...................................................................................................141
Tuning your video card and monitor .......................................................................................142
Configuring video cards for gaming........................................................................................144
Getting more information ........................................................................................................144
Chapter 4: Using Linux Commands ........................................................................... 147
The Shell Interface ........................................................................................................................147
Checking your login session....................................................................................................148
Contents
xix
Checking directories and permissions .....................................................................................149
Checking system activity.........................................................................................................151
Exiting the shell.......................................................................................................................152
Understanding the Shell ................................................................................................................152
Using the Shell in Linux................................................................................................................153
Locating commands.................................................................................................................154
Rerunning commands..............................................................................................................157
Connecting and expanding commands ....................................................................................163
Using shell environment variables ..........................................................................................166
Managing background and foreground processes ...................................................................169
Configuring your shell.............................................................................................................172
Working with the Linux File System ............................................................................................175
Creating files and directories...................................................................................................177
Moving, copying, and deleting files ........................................................................................184
Using the vi Text Editor ................................................................................................................184
Starting with vi ........................................................................................................................185
Moving around the file ............................................................................................................188
Searching for text ....................................................................................................................188
Using numbers with commands ..............................................................................................189
Part II: Using Fedora and RHEL
Chapter 5: Accessing and Running Applications.......................................................191
Getting and Installing Software Packages.....................................................................................192
Downloading and installing applications with yum ................................................................194
Getting Fedora and RHEL software updates ...........................................................................201
Getting updates with Package Updater....................................................................................202
Managing RPM Packages .............................................................................................................203
Using the Package Manager window ......................................................................................203
Using the rpm command .........................................................................................................204
Using Software in Different Formats ............................................................................................215
Understanding software package names and formats..............................................................215
Using different archive and document formats .......................................................................217
Building and installing from source code................................................................................219
Using Fedora or RHEL to Run Applications ................................................................................222
Finding common desktop applications in Linux......................................................................224
Investigating your desktop ......................................................................................................225
Starting applications from a menu...........................................................................................226
Starting applications from a Run Application window ...........................................................226
Starting applications from a Terminal window .......................................................................227
Running remote X applications ...............................................................................................229
Running Microsoft Windows, DOS, and Macintosh Applications ...............................................232
Running DOS applications ......................................................................................................234
Running Microsoft Windows applications in Linux................................................................236
xx
Contents
Running Macintosh applications with ARDI Executor ...........................................................242
Running Applications in Virtual Environments ............................................................................242
Running applications virtually with Xen .................................................................................243
Running applications virtually with KVM and QEMU ...........................................................247
Chapter 6: Publishing with Fedora and RHEL ......................................................... 251
Using OpenOffice.org ...................................................................................................................252
Other Word Processors..................................................................................................................254
Using StarOffice ......................................................................................................................255
AbiWord ..................................................................................................................................256
Using KOffice .........................................................................................................................257
Using Traditional Linux Publishing Tools ....................................................................................258
Creating Documents in Groff or LaTeX........................................................................................259
Text processing with Groff......................................................................................................259
Text processing with TeX/LaTeX ...........................................................................................269
Converting documents .............................................................................................................272
Creating DocBook documents.................................................................................................273
Understanding SGML and XML .............................................................................................274
Printing Documents with Fedora and RHEL.................................................................................277
Printing to the default printer...................................................................................................278
Printing from the shell .............................................................................................................278
Checking the print queues .......................................................................................................279
Removing print jobs ................................................................................................................279
Checking printer status ............................................................................................................280
Displaying PDF Files with Adobe Acrobat Reader.......................................................................280
Working with Graphics .................................................................................................................281
Manipulating images with GIMP ............................................................................................282
Taking screen captures ............................................................................................................283
Using Scanners Driven by SANE..................................................................................................284
Chapter 7: Gaming in Fedora and RHEL.................................................................. 287
Basic Linux Gaming Information..................................................................................................288
Where to get information on Linux gaming ............................................................................288
Choosing a video card for gaming...........................................................................................289
Running Open Source Linux Games .............................................................................................291
GNOME games .......................................................................................................................292
KDE games..............................................................................................................................293
Adding more games from Fedora repository ...........................................................................294
Commercial Linux Games.............................................................................................................304
Getting Started with commercial games in Linux ...................................................................305
Playing commercial Linux games ...........................................................................................305
id Software Games...................................................................................................................306
Gaming with Cedega ...............................................................................................................308
Contents
xxi
Loki Software game demos .....................................................................................................309
Neverwinter Nights .................................................................................................................312
Chapter 8: Music, Vide