SUSE Linux

Preface

Welcome to SUSE Linux: A Complete Guide to Novell’s Community Distribution. I have tried to make this an intensely accessible book: its lab-based structure focuses on real, practical activities. Each lab is largely self-contained; there is no underlying plot or thematic development requiring you to start at page 1. No prior knowledge of Linux is needed, but I do assume some level of computer literacy. My ideal reader, I suppose, is the enthusiastic pilgrim journeying from the Land of Windows, or from a commercial version of Unix, or from some other flavor of Linux, or from Mac OS X (though the fierce brand loyalty of Mac users makes such pilgrimages unusual).

I have tried to strike a balance between using the desktop and using the command line. If a job can be done both using YaST (SUSE’s configuration tool) and at the command line, I have in many cases covered both methods. If you need a primer on using Linux at the command line, start with Lab 3.10, "Use Command-Line Tools.”

Brown’s law states that things always take longer than you expect. It didn’t state that yesterday, because I only just made it up. But it does today. Brown’s law is recursive. That is, it still applies even after you’ve applied it. A more complete statement might be, “Things always take longer than you would expect even after allowing for the fact that they will take longer than you expect.” (I have always wanted to have a law named after me. Trouble is, all the really good laws have been claimed already by eminent physicists such as Newton, Einstein, and, of course, Murphy. But I think that Brown’s law is every bit as fundamental as gravity and relativity.)

By all of which I am trying to get around to the confession that I started writing this book around February 2005. At the time, SUSE Linux 9.3 was the latest version. About halfway through writing, SUSE Linux 10.0 came out. And as I wrap up the final round of revisions and we put the book into production, SUSE 10.1 is with us. Fortunately, each release of SUSE Linux represents an evolution, rather than a revolution, of what has gone before. Much of what I discuss in this book is relevant to all versions of SUSE Linux. (Actually, much of it is relevant to other Linux distributions, too.) I trust that you won’t be too much dismayed by any cosmetic differences between the screenshots in the book and the ones you’ll see in whatever distribution of SUSE Linux you happen to be using, or if a menu selection has been reorganized or renamed, or if a URL listed in the book has gone away.

SUSE 10.1 introduces a few new features, including new package management tools intended to support multiple repository types, a new Network Manager, a version of the Beagle search tool that actually works, and the new and incredibly cool compositing window manager, compiz, along with the OpenGL X server, xgl. You’ll find coverage of all of these in the book. There’s also been a slimming-down of the desktop menus. Whilst this is undoubtedly less confusing for newcomers, it does mean—even more than before—that there are far more applications on the distribution media than a walk through the menus would suggest. In 10.1 Novell continues to promote Mono, the open-source implementation of the CLI (Common Language Infrastructure—the underpinning of Microsoft’s .NET Framework) with a growing number of Mono-based applications, including f-spot for photo management, the zen-updater and zen-installer package management tools, the music player Banshee, the afore-mentioned Beagle search tool, and Blam!, a tool for managing RSS news feeds. Mono is a very interesting development, but it still seems to have a solution-looking-for-a-problem feel to it.

How This Book Is Organized

Each chapter consists of a series of labs, each of which introduces a new feature or capability, shows how it’s used, and then walks you through an example, explaining the details you need to understand along the way. You’ll also find “What About...” sections that attempt to anticipate and answer follow-up questions, as well as “Where to Learn More” sections that tell you where you can learn more about each topic.

Chapter 1, Quick Start

Introduces SUSE Linux, and gets you up and running quickly, with labs that show you how to install SUSE and get all your essentials connected and configured.

Chapter 2, Basic System Administration

Covers basic system administration for desktop machines, but much of this will apply to notebook users as well. You’ll learn how to work with text files, find your way around the filesystem, and more.

Chapter 3, Using SUSE Linux on Your Desktop

Describes how to start putting SUSE Linux to work. You’ll find help for getting the X Window System working just right, and find your way around the KDE and GNOME desktop environments.

Chapter 4, Using Linux on Your Laptop

Shows laptop users how to get everything set up just right with SUSE Linux, including laptop power management and wireless networking.

Chapter 5, Package Management

Describes all about package management. You’ll learn how to install new software from local media and from the Internet, and to use package management tools to avoid conflicts and version discrepancies during upgrades, and you’ll discover how easy it is to build software from source.

Chapter 6, System Administration for Servers

Focuses on the server capabilities of SUSE. Even if you are primarily a desktop user, there might be something in here for you. You’ll learn how to specify which services start up when your computer starts up, how to work with disk partitions, and more.

Chapter 7, Network Services

Dives into network services such as email, file sharing, and more.

Chapter 8, Security

Gives you a comprehensive collection of labs that explain how to keep your system secure. You’ll learn how to set up a firewall, restrict access, and monitor attempts to break into your server.

Chapter 9, Alternative Installations

Explains other ways you can install SUSE, from dual-boot configurations to virtual machine installations with Xen.

What You Need to Use This Book

If you already have a computer running SUSE Linux 10.1, you’ve got everything you need. If you’re running an older version of SUSE, a lot of these labs will make sense to you, but you will come across some differences.

If you don’t yet have SUSE Linux running, be sure to check out the first lab in this book, Lab 1.1, "Installing SUSE Linux from Local Media,” before doing anything else!

Conventions Used in This Book

The following typographical conventions are used in this book:

Italic

Indicates new terms, URLs, email addresses, filenames, file extensions, pathnames, and directories.

Constant width

Indicates commands, options, switches, the contents of files, or the output from commands.

Constant width bold

Shows commands or other text that should be typed literally by the user.

Constant width italic

Shows text that should be replaced with user-supplied values.

~

This is a shortcut for the current user’s home directory. If you use it at a Linux command prompt, it will be interpreted as such.

$

This is the shell prompt that you’ll see at the Linux command prompt. This is used to indicate that a command should be typed in by a normal user.

#

This is the shell prompt for root, also known as the super-user. You can get this prompt by running the command su or sudo -s at the normal Linux command prompt. You’ll be prompted to provide the root user password that you chose when you installed SUSE.

Tip

This icon signifies a tip, suggestion, or general note.

Warning

This icon indicates a warning or caution.

Using Code Examples

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We appreciate, but do not require, attribution. An attribution usually includes the title, author, publisher, and ISBN. For example: "SUSE Linux, by Chris Brown. Copyright 2006 O’Reilly Media, Inc., 0-596-10183-X.”

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Acknowledgments

I’d like to thank my editor, Brian Jepson, for succeeding at the delicate task of refining my prose without damaging my ego, and for his technical insight and suggestions in a significant number of the labs. Special thanks, also, to Simon Crute, my mole within Novell, who has patiently provided answers to many dumb questions, and who contributed the material for several of the labs in Chapter 4 and Chapter 9. My gratitude also goes, as always, to my dear wife Lynne, who endured many husbandless days as I worked on this book, in the full knowledge that she wouldn’t understand a word of it. Finally, my thanks to the open source developer community, without whom I would have nothing to write about.