openSUSE Linux Unleashed

by McCallister, Michael

• ISBN13: 9780672329456
• ISBN10: 067232945X
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-10-29
• Publisher: Sams Publishing

Summary

DVD Includes openSUSE 10.3 openSUSE Linux Unleashedpresents comprehensive coverage of the community version of SUSE Linux, one of the most popular and most complete Linux distributions in the world. This book provides detailed information on installing, using, and administering openSUSE. Yours"ll learn how to unleash the vast array of software products included in openSUSE so that you can use it as a desktop computer, as a professional workstation, or as a powerful server. openSUSE Linux Unleashedincludes a broad range of coverage: from using software you need everydaysuch as email clients, web browsers, and productivity software including the OpenOffice.org productivity suiteto configuring and administering a wide range of network and server products, such as the Apache web server, and MySQL database. Additionally, this book provides details on openSUSErs"s acclaimed YaST administration tools, web programming, networking, and choosing from a wide selection of graphical interfaces and desktop environments, including both KDE and GNOME. Plan your openSUSE installation based on your computing needs Configure and use the X Window Systemthe Linux graphical interfaceand the two primary desktop environments for LinuxKDE and GNOME Run OpenOffice.org and other productivity tools Create your own websites and weblogs Manage the kernel and its modules Set up networks Run the Apache web server Use the LAMP web programming suite: Linux, Apache, MySQL, and the scripting languages Perl, Python, and PHP Play music, video, and games Preserve an existing Windows installation for dual-boot launching DVD-ROM includes: The complete openSUSE 10.3 binary distributionthe equivalent of five CDspacked with thousands of applications and utilities The latest Apache web server Samba for Windows-based file and printer sharing The OpenOffice.org office productivity suite Games for the desktop Hundreds of additional programs, utilities, and development tools Register your book at www.samspublishing.com/register for convenient access to updates and other resources related to this book. Michael McCallister has been making computing easier for the full spectrum of users for more than a decade. Currently a technical writing consultant with Compuware, he is also a senior member of the Society for Technical Communication and the National Writers Union. He has run a SUSE Linux installation since version 5.3 and knows firsthand how far the distribution has come over the years. BesidesSUSE Linux Unleashed, he is the author ofComputer Certification Handbook(Arco Press), and has had articles published inLinux Journal, SearchEnterpriseLinux.com,Java Developerrs"s Journal,Internet Voyager, andIsthmus. Category: Operating Systems/Linux Covers: openSUSE Linux 10.3 User Level: Intermediate-Advanced $49.99 USA / $56.99 CAN / pound;35.99 Net UK (inc. of VAT)®

Author Biography

Michael McCallister has spent all of this century and a part of the last making computing easier for the full spectrum of user levels and experience. He is currently a technical writing consultant with Compuware.

 

Michael has run a SuSE Linux desktop at home since version 5.3 and knows firsthand how far the distribution has come over the years. Besides SUSE Linux 10 Unleashed, he is the author of Computer Certification Handbook, published by Arco Press (2000), and his technology stories have been published in places such as Linux Journal, SearchEnterpriseLinux.com, Java Developer’s Journal, Internet Voyager, and Isthmus. He is a senior member of the Society for Technical Communication and the National Writers Union. He blogs about working, writing and open source at Notes from the Metaverse (http://metaverse.wordpress.com).

 

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 1
Why Use Linux?	p. 2
Who This Book Is For	p. 3
What This Book Contains	p. 3
Conventions Used in This Book	p. 5
Installation and Configuration	p. 71
Welcome to Opensuse	p. 9
What Is Opensuse?	p. 9
Opensuse Linux	p. 10
The Opensuse.org Wiki	p. 12
The Opensuse Install Program	p. 13
File Systems in Opensuse	p. 13
64-Bit Opensuse	p. 14
Getting Help: Documentation and Other Sources	p. 14
Printed Documentation and the Opensuse Help Center	p. 14
Searching the Help Center	p. 15
Man and Info Pages	p. 16
Opensuse Online Support	p. 17
The Linux Documentation Project	p. 17
The Opensuse Mailing Lists	p. 18
Filing a Bug in openSUSE's Bug Tracker	p. 19
Linux User Groups	p. 20
References	p. 212
Preparing to Install openSUSE	p. 23
Planning Your openSUSE Installation	p. 24
System Requirements	p. 25
Linux on Laptops	p. 27
Opensuse and Legacy Hardware	p. 27
Avoiding Potential Hardware Problems	p. 28
Dual Booting, Partitioning, and Other Worries	p. 29
Dual Booting with Windows	p. 30
How to Partition Your Drive(s)	p. 31
References	p. 323
Installing Opensuse	p. 35
Methods of Installing Opensuse	p. 35
Preparing to Install from a CD-ROM or DVD	p. 35
Installing Opensuse with Yast	p. 37
Setting Your Time Zone	p. 38
Selecting a Desktop Environment	p. 38
Initial Installation Settings	p. 38
Partitioning	p. 38
Installing Software Packages	p. 39
Creating the Root User	p. 40
Setting a Hostname and Domain Name	p. 41
Configuring Network and Internet Connections	p. 41
Creating a User	p. 44
Configuring Hardware for the X Window System	p. 45
Logging In and Shutting Down the First Time	p. 46
References	p. 474
Further Configuration with YaST and SaX2	p. 49
Troubleshooting Installation Problems	p. 49
Configuring Hardware with Yast	p. 50
Gathering Information About Your Hardware	p. 50
Modifying Disk Controller Settings	p. 50
Configuring Your Sound and Video Cards	p. 51
Configuring a Joystick	p. 54
Adjusting Your Keyboard Layout	p. 54
Configuring Your Mouse	p. 55
Configuring Your Scanner	p. 56
Configuring Your TV or Radio Card	p. 56
Setting Date and Time	p. 57
Using the Network Time Protocol (NTP) to Keep Accurate Time	p. 58
Power Management	p. 61
Yast Power Management	p. 62
Portable PC Issues	p. 64
Power Management for Laptops	p. 64
Working with PCMCIA Cards	p. 64
Configuring Bluetooth Wireless Suppor
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

= 0) {slash = '\\';} else {slash = '/';}openLoc = figLoc.substring(0, figLoc.lastIndexOf(slash) + 1);while (pPage.substring(0,3) == '../') {openLoc = openLoc.substring(0, openLoc.lastIndexOf(slash, openLoc.length - 2)+ 1);pPage = pPage.substring(3, pPage.length + 1);}popUpWin =window.open('','popWin','resizable=1,scrollbars=1,location=0,toolbar=0,width=525,height=394');figDoc = popUpWin.document;zhtm= ' ' + pPage + ' ';zhtm += ' ';zhtm += ' ';zhtm += ' ';zhtm += '' + pPage.substring(pPage.lastIndexOf('/') + 1, pPage.length) + '';zhtm += ' ';figDoc.write(zhtm);figDoc.close();}// modified 3.1.99 RWE v4.1 --> Introduction IntroductionWelcome toopenSUSE Linux Unleashed! This book is going to help you get the most out of your SUSE Linux system, and it includes a fully functional copy of the operating system distribution.Since SUSE Linux A.G. was acquired by networking pioneer Novell in 2003, more North Americans are becoming familiar with the SUSE Linux distribution that has long been popular in Europe. SUSE Linux offers an incredibly easy installation and a large number of applications that have been tested for stability.openSUSE marks a new way of doing things for both Novell and SUSE, and this book can help you join the excitement. openSUSE 10.3 is now the fourth SUSE release built and tested through the openSUSE project. Many thousands of people around the world have downloaded and run beta releases and have contributed bug reports, feature wish lists, and postings on the openSUSE mailing list. Novell has committed to opening up the process even further in the future. You'll read more about the openSUSE project in Chapter 1.Whether you're completely new to Linux or coming to openSUSE Linux from another distribution, you're going to find solid information in a slightly more relaxed style than you're used to in a computer book.SUSE Linux has always been known as a distribution packed with applications, and openSUSE 10.3 is no exception. This book, as always, includes a complete copy of the distribution on a DVD. The Linux kernel forms the core of a truly modern operating system that can power anything from wrist watches to supercomputers. openSUSE Linux can run on computers running processors ranging from the Intel 486 through 64-bit processors from AMD and Intel.This book will be especially helpful to the millions using Linux as their everyday desktop system. After first sweeping over the server landscape in the late 1990s, Linux is gaining ground in the desktop arena. More Linux developers have become interested in writing software for the masses of ordinary users. You'll learn how to use several open-source office productivity applications, access the Internet, wor