| Before downloading Webmin, you should make sure that your system has the Perl programming language installed. This is Webmin's only requirement; you don't need to install a Web server, for example, because Webmin provides one. Fedora Core, FreeBSD, and Mac OS X all include Perl by default. Cygwin is the odd man out, and needs Perl installed before you can continue. Please note that Fedora Core users might want to avoid using Webmin, at least until it supports Fedora better. Red Hat isn't willing to support installations of Red Hat Enterprise that have been administered through Webmin. Our apologies for sounding vague on this, but check the Fedora and Webmin forums for more information. To install Perl on Cygwin As with any supported Cygwin package, installing Perl is quite easy. 1. | Launch the Cygwin installer (setup.exe); if you didn't keep this handy, refer to Appendix D for download instructions.
| 2. | In the installer, click the Next button in the screens that appear until you reach the package list.
| 3. | Expand the Interpreters category by clicking the + sign next to the category name.
| 4. | Drag the Cygwin Setup window's lower-right corner to expand the window, and scroll down the alphabetical list of programming-language interpreters to the perl entry.
| 5. | Click the circle-arrow icon in the perl row so that Skip changes to a version number (Figure F.1).
Figure F.1. Finding the Perl packages in the Cygwin installer. 
This is the version that will be installed.
| 6. | Click the installer's Next button.
Cygwin Setup downloads and installs perl, its prerequisites, and any updated versions of packages you've already installed.
| 7. | Click Finish to exit the installer.
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 Tip
Please note that Cygwin's Perl seems to have some performance and memory-leaking problems; you don't want to leave a Perl-based service running for very long using the Cygwin version of Perl. An alternative Perl port is ActiveState's ActivePerl (www.activestate.com/Products/ActivePerl), a native port to the Windows environment.
To check for Perl on your system If you want to make sure that Perl has installed properly on your system, you can easily check. Code listing F.1. Using the which command to find the Perl program. bender:~ chrish$ which perl /usr/bin/perl
To download Webmin 1. | Visit the Webmin Web site with your favorite browser:
www.webmin.com
| 2. | Click the "Downloading and Installing" link.
Code listing F.2. Using the hostname command to find your system's hostname. bender:~ chrish$ hostname bender.local
| 3. | Click the link to the current Webmin archive (webmin-1.170.tar.gz at the time of this writing) to see a list of mirror sites.
| 4. | Click in the Download column for a local mirror (don't worry if you're not sure which one to usethey will all work) and save it to your home directory.
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Tips Lots of Webmin documentation can be found online. The Webmin Web site (www.webmin.com) features a well-stocked Documentation section that includes links to mailing lists, FAQ, and an entire online book about Webmin. Usermin is a Webmin add-on that provides a graphical interface for tasks that your users might be interested in, such as reading their email, setting up SSH, or forwarding mail. You can find out more about Usermin by visiting www.webmin.com/uintro.html.
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