Introduction xxxiii
Part I: Getting Started 1
Chapter 1: Starting with Linux 3
Understanding What Linux Is 4
Understanding How Linux Differs from Other Operating Systems 5
Exploring Linux History 6
Free–fl owing UNIX culture at Bell Labs 7
Commercialized UNIX 9
Berkeley Software Distribution arrives 9
UNIX Laboratory and commercialization 9
GNU transitions UNIX to freedom 11
BSD loses some steam 12
Linus builds the missing piece 13
OSI open source definition 14
Understanding How Linux Distributions Emerged 15
Choosing a Red Hat distribution 16
Using Red Hat Enterprise Linux 17
Using Fedora 18
Choosing Ubuntu or another Debian distribution 18
Finding Professional Opportunities with Linux Today 19
Understanding how companies make money with Linux 20
Becoming Red Hat Certified 21
RHCSA topics 22
RHCE topics 23
Summary 24
Chapter 2: Creating the Perfect Linux Desktop 27
Understanding Linux Desktop Technology 28
Starting with the Fedora GNOME Desktop Live CD 30
Using the GNOME 3 Desktop 31
After the computer boots up 31
Navigating with the mouse 32
Navigating with the keyboard 36
Setting up the GNOME 3 desktop 38
Extending the GNOME 3 desktop 39
Using GNOME shell extensions 39
Using the GNOME Tweak Tool 40
Starting with desktop applications 42
Managing fi les and folders with Nautilus 42
Installing and managing additional software 44
Playing music with Rhythmbox 45
Stopping the GNOME 3 desktop 46
Using the GNOME 2 Desktop 46
Using the Metacity window manager 48
Changing GNOME appearance 49
Using the GNOME panels 50
Using the Applications and System menus 51
Adding an applet 51
Adding another panel 52
Adding an application launcher 52
Adding a drawer 53
Changing panel properties 53
3D effects with AIGLX 54
Summary 57
Exercises 57
Part II: Becoming a Linux Power User 59
Chapter 3: Using the Shell 61
About Shells and Terminal Windows 62
Using the shell prompt 63
Using a terminal window 64
Using virtual consoles 65
Choosing Your Shell 65
Running Commands 66
Understanding command syntax 67
Locating commands 70
Recalling Commands Using Command History 72
Command–line editing 73
Command–line completion 75
Command–line recall 76
Connecting and Expanding Commands 78
Piping between commands 78
Sequential commands 79
Background commands 79
Expanding commands 80
Expanding arithmetic expressions 80
Expanding variables 81
Using Shell Variables 81
Creating and using aliases 83
Exiting the shell 84
Creating Your Shell Environment 84
Confi guring your shell 84
Setting your prompt 85
Adding environment variables 87
Getting Information About Commands 88
Summary 90
Exercises 90
Chapter 4: Moving Around the Filesystem 93
Using Basic Filesystem Commands 96
Using Metacharacters and Operators 98
Using file–matching metacharacters 98
Using file–redirection metacharacters 99
Using brace expansion characters 101
Listing Files and Directories 101
Understanding File Permissions and Ownership 105
Changing permissions with chmod (numbers)107
Changing permissions with chmod (letters) 107
Setting default file permission with umask 108
Changing file ownership 109
Moving, Copying, and Removing Files 110
Summary 111
Exercises 112
Chapter 5: Working with Text Files 113
Editing Files with vim and vi 113
Starting with vi 115
Adding text 115
Moving around in the text 116
Deleting, copying, and changing text 117
Pasting (putting) text 118
Repeating commands 118
Exiting vi 118
Skipping around in the file 119
Searching for text 120
Using ex mode 120
Learning more about vi and vim 120
Finding Files 121
Using locate to find files by name 121
Searching for files with find 122
Finding files by name 123
Finding files by size 124
Finding files by user 124
Finding files by permission 125
Finding files by date and time 126
Using not and or when finding files 126
Finding files and executing commands 127
Searching in files with grep 128
Summary 129
Exercises 130
Chapter 6: Managing Running Processes 131
Understanding Processes 131
Listing Processes 132
Listing processes with ps 132
Listing and changing processes with top 134
Listing processes with System Monitor 135
Managing Background and Foreground Processes 137
Starting background processes138
Using foreground and background commands 139
Killing and Renicing Processes 140
Killing processes with kill and killall 140
Using kill to signal processes by PID 141
Using killall to signal processes by name 141
Setting processor priority with nice and renice 142
Summary 143
Exercises 143
Chapter 7: Writing Simple Shell Scripts 145
Understanding Shell Scripts 145
Executing and debugging shell scripts 146
Understanding shell variables 147
Special shell positional parameters 148
Reading in parameters 149
Parameter expansion in bash 149
Performing arithmetic in shell scripts 150
Using programming constructs in shell scripts 151
The if then statements 151
The case command 154
The for do loop 155
The while do and until do loops 156
Trying some useful text manipulation programs 157
The general regular expression parser 157
Remove sections of lines of text (cut) 158
Translate or delete characters (tr) 158
The stream editor (sed) 158
Using simple shell scripts 159
Telephone list 159
Backup script 160
Summary 161
Exercises 161
Part III: Becoming a Linux System Administrator 163
Chapter 8: Learning System Administration 165
Understanding System Administration 165
Using Graphical Administration Tools 167
Using the root User Account 169
Becoming root from the shell (su command) 170
Allowing administrative access via the GUI 171
Gaining administrative access with sudo 172
Exploring Administrative Commands, Configuration Files, and Log Files 174
Administrative commands 174
Administrative configuration files 175
Administrative log files 179
Using Other Administrative Accounts 180
Checking and Configuring Hardware 181
Checking your hardware182
Managing removable hardware 184
Working with loadable modules 186
Listing loaded modules 187
Loading modules 187
Removing modules 188
Summary 188
Exercises 189
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