Linux Newbie Administrator Guide
Size: 4 KB, Last Update:13 Dec 2005
Linux Newbie Administrator
Guide
(LNAG)
Version 0.201 ,
2004-07-22
by
1.1 Fundamentally, why Linux?
Size: 3 KB, Last Update:13 Dec 2005 1.1 Fundamentally, why Linux?
If you truly enjoy working with computers, Linux
is the operatin
1.15 Linux is a cult
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The Linux community has repeatedly been labeled
"religious zealots" by jo
1.19 Linux sux etc.
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If you don't like Linux, then do not use it. You
are not doing anybody a f
1.2 Is Linux for me?
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Only you can answer this question. Linux is a
mature, powerful, secure an
1.3 Linux is difficult for newbies.
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This may be true. But the real question is: do you
really
1.4 What are the benefits of Linux?
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Linux can give you:
A modern, very stable, multi-us
2.10 How do I partition my hard drive?
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Before Linux installation, you might really want
to kno
2.12 How do I start the installation?
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Insert the installation boot diskette into your
floppy d
2.13 Is the Linux installation difficult?
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It was not for me. It seems that for most newbies,
i
2.14 Which packages should I install?
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Linux software comes in "packages". For
example, my Linu
2.17 How do I crash Linux?
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As root, you can do whatever you want, including
an accelarated sys
2.4 Will my hardware work under Linux?
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Not every piece of PC hardware is supported under
Linux
2.5 How do I download Linux?
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Do yourself a favor and do not download Linux. Buy
an installatio
2.6 How do I get a Linux CD?
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Many possible ways. (1) Buy the "RedHat"
or Mandrake CDs from Li
3.1 Any Linux reading materials?
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This guide is not sufficient? :)
The RedHat Linux distribu
3.2 Is there a help command?
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Most Linux commands can be run with the "--help"
option. For exam
3.3 Any dictionary of terms?
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This one is a rather maximalist one : "The
New Hackers Dictionary
3.4 Web Search
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Currently, the best websearch engine is Google,
amazing what you can find with
3.5 Newsgroups
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Despite their drawbacks, newsgroups can be a very
efficient way of finding the
3.6 Any Linux Internet links?
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There are surely thousands of Internet sites devoted to Linux.
3.7 Source code--the ultimate resource
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The ultimate reference under Linux is the source
code.
4.1 Basics
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4.1.1 Filenames
Linux is case-sensitive. For example: myfile,
Myfile, and myFILE
5.1 Startup Issues (LILO and GRUB)
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5.1.1 LILO and GRUB
Both the newer GRUB and the older LIL
5.2 Accessing my drives
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5.2.1 Where are my drives?
Linux shows all the directories in one di
5.3 Working with X-windows
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5.3.1 How to switch between text and graphical
consoles?
Pressin
5.4 Basic Configurations
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5.4.1 How do I setup my printer?
Start an X-terminal (perhaps by pr
5.5 Networking
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5.5.1 Would it be worth it to set up my home
network?
This is an excellent i
6.1 Notes for the UNIX Clueless
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LINUX IS CASE-SENSITIVE. For example:
Mozilla, MOZ
6.10 Network apps
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mozilla
&
(in X terminal) Run the mozilla
web browser. Th
6.11 File (de)compression
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tar
-zxvf filename.tar.gz
(=tape archiver) Untar a tarred a
6.12 Process control
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ps
(="print status" or "process
status") Display the list of cur
6.13 Some administration commands
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su
(=substitute user id) Assume the superuser (=root
6.14 Hard Drive/Floppy Disk Utilities
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fdisk
/dev/hda
(= "fixed disk". As root.) Linu
6.16 Program installation
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rpm
-ivh package_name-version.platform.rpm
(as root) Instal
6.17 Accessing drives/partitions
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mount
See here(FAQ.htm#Where_drives) for details on
6.18 Network administration tools
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netconf
(as root) A very good menu-driven setup for
6.19 Music-related commands
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cdplay
play 1
Play the first track from a audio CD. Use
6.20 Graphics-related commands
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kghostview
my_file.ps
(in X terminal) Display a postsc
6.21 Small games
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Many small games are probably installed on your
system. Here is just a sample
6.3 Help commands
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any_command
--help |more
Display a brief help on a command (works w
6.4 System info
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pwd
Print working directory, i.e., display the name of
my current dir
6.5 Basic operations
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ls
dir
List the contents of the current directory. The
6.7 Viewing and editing files
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cat
filename | more
View the content of a text file ca
6.8 Finding files
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find
/ -name "filename"
Find the file called "filename" on your
fi
6.9 Basics of X-windows
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xinit
&
Start a barebone X-windows server (without a
windows
7.1 Best Linux Applications
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Here is my own (totally unbiased) ranking of Linux
applications.
7.2 Word processing
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7.2.1 OpenOffice.org / StarOffice Suite
OpenOffice is a complete office
7.3 Spreadsheet
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7.3.1 Oocalc
I currently use the good spreadsheet called calc ,
whi
7.4 Databases
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If you are a database person, you will be pleased
to see that Linux is very well
7.5 CAD
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I am not a professional drafter, but for 15 years
have been using a CAD program once a
8.1 Linux Advanced Text Processing Tools
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/usr/games/banner -w79 "Happy Birthday,
Marie" > mari
8.2 Simple Programming under Linux
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8.2.1 Perl
perl
Powerful and widely used scripti
8.3 Math Tools
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dc
A command-line, arbitrary-precision "reverse
Polish notation" (RPN)
8.4 Miscellaneous
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How do I run an MS Windows Application (using
"wine")?
You do not install
8.5 Running MySQL
Size: 14 KB, Last Update:13 Dec 2005 8.5 Running MySQL
Here are some basics for configuring and running
MySQL. For details try the