Novell SUSE Linux Reference

In Chapter 1 we covered the basics of where you can find SUSE Linux-specific help. You can get help by using the documentation sources that come with the SUSE Linux operating system, including the Help Center, which is used to find information for you by searching the documentation that comes with the version of Linux you just installed, such as 9.3.

Because documentation and other sources with more than 1,000 programs are included in the distribution, even a book this size cannot cover the basics of everything in your copy of SUSE Linux. There are plenty of places to go to learn more about Linux and help you troubleshoot problems with applications. Printed documentation and, as previously mentioned, the SUSE Help Center will help you find many of the answers to general questions you may have that cannot be answered within this book. You can also try to use SUSE Online Support using the SUSE website at http://www.novell.com/products/linuxprofessional/support/. This support system is a great resource for getting help. The first set of menus is for paid support. The second set is for Do-It-Yourself online support.

When you're trying to find a solution for a problem, click Support Database from the main Support menu, or just go directly to the Support Database at http://portal.suse.com/sdb/en/index.html.

This database is searchable, either via keyword or full text. Besides German and English, the database exists in French, Spanish, Czech, and Hungarian (Magyar). The Online Support menu on the main support page links to some interesting HOWTO documents, showing you step by step how to handle issues great and small, from partitioning your hard drive to comparing HTML editors to encrypting email.

At http://www.opensuse.org you'll find a great deal of information related to SUSE and the Open Source movement. Not only will you find documentation and other links here, but this is also where betas and development releases are usually posted. You can report bugs, participate as a developer, and do much more.

Man pages are also a great way to get help when you need it. If you are running SUSE Linux and find you need help, try the man pages. Man pages are compressed text files, located in /usr/share/doc. They are usually tersely written (usually by their programmers), with information listed under particular categories specified by convention. These include a command reference, a summary of what each option/switch does, and the author of the page or the program. Occasionally, there are known bug statements.