Red Hat LINUX 7.2 - OFFICIAL LINUX CUSTOMIZATION... User manual

Red Hat Linux 7.2

The Official Red Hat Linux Getting Started

Guide

ISBN: N/A

Red Hat, Inc.

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Contents

Red Hat Linux 7.2

Introduction................................................................................... ix

About This Manual — Read This? Please?............................................. ix

Introductory Terms......................................................................... x

A Note About Environments .............................................................. xi

Documentation Resources................................................................ xii

We Need Feedback! ....................................................................... xv

Part I The Basics ........................................................................ 17

Chapter 1 Getting Started ....................................................... 19

1.1 LoggingIn......................................................................... 19

1.2 Creating a user account ......................................................... 23

1.3 Logging Out of Root.............................................................. 25

Chapter 2 The GNOME Desktop Environment...................... 27

2.1 GNOME Fundamentals.......................................................... 27

2.2 The Desktop ...................................................................... 27

2.3 The Nautilus File Manager ...................................................... 29

2.4 ThePanel ......................................................................... 33

2.5 Main Menu Button................................................................ 35

2.6 Finding Help....................................................................... 35

2.7 Multiple Desktops................................................................. 35

2.8 Switching Environments ......................................................... 37

2.9 Quitting from GNOME............................................................ 38

2.10 Adding a Log Out Button ........................................................ 40

2.11 Shutting Down from the Run Program Menu .................................. 41

2.12 Shutting Down at the Shell Prompt............................................. 41

iii

Chapter 3 The KDE Desktop Environment............................ 43

3.1 Using Your Mouse ................................................................ 43

3.2 The Desktop ...................................................................... 44

3.3 ThePanel ......................................................................... 45

3.4 The Main Menu K Icon........................................................... 48

3.5 The Taskbar....................................................................... 48

3.6 Finding Help....................................................................... 49

3.7 Switching Environments ......................................................... 50

3.8 Quitting from KDE ................................................................ 51

3.9 Shutting Down at the Shell Prompt ............................................. 51

Chapter 4 Customizing Your Desktop ................................... 53

4.1 Customizing with the GNOME Control Center ................................ 53

4.2 Customizing with the KDE Control Center ................................... 57

Chapter 5 Getting Online......................................................... 61

5.1 Internet Druid ..................................................................... 61

5.2 Network Configuration ........................................................... 67

5.3 Connecting and Disconnecting.................................................. 68

5.4 Connecting With Cable .......................................................... 68

Chapter 6 The Mozilla Web Browser...................................... 71

6.1 Mozilla User Accounts ........................................................... 71

6.2 Mozilla Navigator ................................................................. 73

6.3 The Mozilla Navigator Sidebar .................................................. 80

6.4 Customizing Mozilla Preferences............................................... 81

6.5 Mozilla Mail........................................................................ 86

6.6 Mozilla and Newsgroups......................................................... 90

6.7 Mozilla Composer ................................................................ 92

Chapter 7 Printer Configuration............................................. 93

7.1 Adding a Local Printer ........................................................... 95

7.2 Modifying Existing Printers ...................................................... 98

7.3 Additional Resources ............................................................ 100

Chapter 8 Audio, Video, and General Amusement.............. 101

8.1 Configuring a Sound Card....................................................... 101

8.2 Speakers, Headphones, and Sound Etiquette ................................ 102

8.3 Playing CDs....................................................................... 102

8.4 Configuring a Video Card........................................................ 103

8.5 Games and Amusements........................................................ 104

Chapter 9 Manipulating Images With GIMP.......................... 107

9.1 Introduction to the GIMP......................................................... 107

Part II Intermediate Tasks........................................................... 109

Chapter 10 Shell Prompt Basics............................................... 111

10.1 Why Use a Shell Prompt? ....................................................... 111

Chapter 11 Managing Files and Directories............................ 113

11.1 The GNOME File Manager...................................................... 113

11.2 The KDE File Manager........................................................... 121

11.3 Creating Files and Directories................................................... 124

11.4 A Larger Picture of the Filesystem.............................................. 124

11.5 Identifying and Working with File Types........................................ 128

11.6 File Compression and Archiving with Gzip, Zip, and Tar ..................... 130

11.7 Viewing PDFs..................................................................... 132

11.8 Manipulating Files at a Shell Prompt ........................................... 132

Chapter 12 Updating and Adding Packages to Red Hat

Linux............................................................................ 137

12.1 Introduction to RHN .............................................................. 137

12.2 Red Hat Network ................................................................. 137

12.3 Red Hat Update Agent........................................................... 140

12.4 Red Hat Network Software Manager........................................... 148

12.5 Synchronizing Your System Profile ............................................. 154

12.6 Updating With Errata............................................................. 154

12.7 Installing RPMs From the Installation CDs..................................... 157

Part III Q & A.................................................................................. 159

Chapter 13 Frequently Asked Questions................................ 161

13.1 Using a Diskette .................................................................. 161

13.2 Putting Linux Files on a Windows Disk......................................... 162

13.3 Localhost Login and Password.................................................. 163

13.4 Displaying ls in color ............................................................. 164

13.5 Switching Environments ......................................................... 165

13.6 Shutting Down .................................................................... 166

13.7 Error Messages During Installation of RPMs.................................. 167

13.8 Starting Applications ............................................................. 168

13.9 Accessing a Windows Partition ................................................. 169

13.10 Finding Commands Quickly ..................................................... 170

13.11 Keep ls Output from Scrolling ................................................... 171

13.12 Tips on Using Command History ............................................... 171

13.13 Forgotten Password.............................................................. 172

13.14 Changing Login from Console to X at Startup................................. 173

13.15 Configuring X ..................................................................... 174

Part IV Appendixes....................................................................... 179

Appendix A Computer Basics.................................................... 181

A.1 Introduction........................................................................ 181

Appendix B A Comparison of Common DOS and Linux

Commands.............................................................. 193

Appendix C Identifying/Finding File Extensions..................... 195

C.1 Introduction........................................................................ 195

C.2 Missing or Incorrect Extension?................................................. 196

Appendix D System Directories................................................. 197

Appendix E Keyboard Shortcuts ............................................. 199

vii

viii

Section 0.1:About This Manual — Read This? Please? ix

Introduction

Welcome to the Official Red Hat Linux Getting Started Guide!

By now, you should have read the Official Red Hat Linux Installation Guide and successfully in-

stalled Red Hat Linux. This manual is designed to help new and intermediate Linux users navigate

and perform common tasks. Keep in mind that Linux looks, feels, and performs differentlyfrom other

operating systems you may have used. Forget about the conventions of other operating systems and

with an open mind, approach Red Hat Linux as a new, interesting, and versatile alternative.

This manual is task-oriented. You will find useful tips, hints, warnings, and screen shots interspersed

throughout. First, you will learn the basics of using Red Hat Linux, such as customizing a desktop,

configuring a printer, and getting online. Once the basics are covered, the tasks covered in this manual

become progressively more advanced.

Most users choose to work within either the GNOME or KDE graphical desktop environments (other

desktop environments are available). The Official Red Hat Linux Getting Started Guide focuses pri-

marily on how to perform tasks in these two environments.

Topics discussed include:

• Using the GNOME and KDE graphical desktop environments

• Managing files and directories

• Navigating the filesystem

• Connecting to the Internet

• Upgrading applications

• And links to online resources covering common questions and answers, computer basics, an ex-

planation of Red Hat Linux system directories, and more.

After conquering the basics of your Red Hat Linux system, you may need information on more ad-

vanced topics. You can find this information in the Official Red Hat Linux Customization Guide and

the Official Red Hat Linux Reference Guide. All of our manuals are available in HTML and PDF

formats at http://www.redhat.com/support/manuals.

About This Manual — Read This? Please?

This book explains how to get started with Red Hat Linux using both the graphical user interface

and the shell prompt. New users tend to be more comfortable using the graphical interface, so each

chapter explains graphical procedures first and shell prompt procedures second (see A Note About

Environments and Chapter 10, Shell Prompt Basics for more on working from the shell prompt).

x Introduction

Also, there are chapters in the printed version of this manual that contain only general explanations of

the topic at hand (specifically Chapter 9, Manipulating Images With GIMP, Chapter 10, Shell Prompt

Basics, and Chapter 12, Updating and Adding Packages to Red Hat Linux). The documentation CD

and the Red Hat website ( http://www.redhat.com) have the Official Red Hat Linux Getting Started

Guide in its entirety. This non-printed information is certainly important, but not vital to getting started

with Red Hat Linux. Placing this information online helps keep the printed manual smaller, easier to

handle, and more focused.

Introductory Terms

When you learn about a new operating system, you also need to learn new terminology. Here are a

few basic terms you should learn. You will see these terms often:

•Shell prompt: A software interface (similar to a DOS screen) between the user and the operating

system. The shell interprets commands entered by the user and passes them on to the operating

system. The shell prompt displays the command line.

•Command line: The place in the shell prompt where commands are typed.

•Command: An instruction given to the computer, most often with the keyboard or mouse.

•Graphical User Interface (GUI): A screen with icons, menus, and panels for the user to click

on to initiate functions.

•GNOME and KDE: Two popular GUIs included with Red Hat Linux.

•Panel: A GUI environment toolbar, usually located across the bottom of the screen. The panel

contains the main menu button, among other things, and can be customized by the user.

•Root: The root user account is created during installation and has complete access to your system.

You must be logged in as root to accomplish certain system administration tasks. User accounts

are created so typical user tasks can be done without using the root account, to reduce the chance

of damaging your OS.

•su and su -: The command su gives you access to the root account or other accounts on your

system. When you su to root, or switch to your root account while still inside your user account

shell, you have access to important system files that you can change, or damage, permanently.

Logging in with the su - command makes you root within the root account shell. If you log in as

root with su -, you have access to certain commands that the su command does not grant. Use

caution when you are logged in as root.

•Man page and info page: Man (short for manual) and info pages give detailed information about

a command or file (man pages tend to be brief and provide less explanation than info pages). To

read the man page for the su command, for example, type man su at a shell prompt (or type

info su for the info page). To close one of these pages, press [q].

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