Welcome to Red Hat Fedora 5 Unleashed! This book covers the free Linux distribution named Fedora Core and includes a fully functional and complete operating system produced by the Fedora Project, sponsored by Red Hat. Fedora Core, or more simply Fedora, is descended from one of the most popular Linux distributions ever: Red Hat Linux. Those of you who no nothing about Linux might have heard of Red Hat; it is enough to know that it is the largest Linux vendor in North America. Fedora benefits directly from many Red Hat engineers as well as the wider contributions from free software developers across the world. If you are new to Linux, you have made a great decision by choosing this book. Sams Publishing's Unleashed books offer an in-depth look at their subject, taking in both beginner and advanced users and moving them to a new level in knowledge and expertise. Fedora is a fast-changing distribution that can be updated at least twice a year. Thankfully we have tracked the development of Fedora from very early on to make sure that the information contained in this book mirrors closely the development of the distribution. A full copy of Fedora Core is included on the DVD, making it possible for you to install Linux in less than an hour! No longer an upstart, Linux now has an enviable position in today's modern computing world. It can be found on machines as diverse as mobile phones and wristwatches, all the way up to supercomputersin fact, Linux currently runs on the world's fastest computer, IBM's Blue Gene/L. Do not let the reputation of Linux put you off, though. Most people who have heard of Linux think that it is only found on servers, looking after websites and emails. Nothing could be further from the truth because Linux is making huge inroads in to the desktop market, too. Corporations are realizing the benefits of running a stable and powerful operating system that is easy to maintain and easy to secure. Add to that the hundreds of improvements in useability, and it becomes an attractive proposition that tempts many CIOs. The best bit is that as large Linux vendors improve Linux, the majority of those improvements make it into freely available distributions, allowing you to benefit from the additions and refinements made. You can put Fedora to work today and be assured of a great user experience. This book provides all the information that you need to get up and running with Fedora. It even tells you how to keep Fedora running in top shape, as well as adapt Fedora to changes in your needs and requirements. Fedora can be used at home, in the workplace, or, with permission, at your school and college. In fact, you might want to poke around your school's computer rooms: You will probably find that someone has already beaten you to the punchLinux is commonly found in academic institutions. Feel free to make as many copies of the software as you want. No copyright lawyers are going to pound on your door because Fedora is freely distributable all over the world. After an introduction to Linux and Fedora, you will find out how to get started with Fedora, including installation and initial configuration. We will also take you through installing software, managing users, and other common administrative tasks. For the more technically minded, we cover some starting steps in programming across several languageswhy not pick one and give it a go! Through the book you will also find information on multimedia applications, digital graphics, and even gaming for after-hours when you are finished tinkering. After you make it through the book, you will be well equipped with the knowledge needed to use Linux successfully. We do assume that you are at least familiar with an operating system already (even if it is not with Linux), and have some basic computer knowledge. What Is Linux?Linux is the core, or kernel, of a free operating system first developed and released to the world by Linus Benedict Torvalds in 1991. Torvalds, then a graduate student at the University of Helsinki, Finland, is now a Fellow at the Open Source Development Lab (http://www.osdl.org/). He is an engineer and previously worked for the CPU design and fabrication company Transmeta, Inc. Fortunately for all Linux users, Torvalds chose to distribute Linux under a free software license named the GNU General Public License (GPL). Note The free online resource Wikipedia has a great biography of Linus Torvalds that examines his life and notable achievements. It can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_Torvalds. Or you can head on over to http://groups.google.com/group/comp.os.minix/msg/b813d52cbc5a044b?hl=en to read a copy of Linus's first post about Linux to the world. The GNU GPL is the brainchild of Richard M. Stallman, the founder of the Free Software Foundation. Stallman, the famous author of the Emacs editing environment and GCC compiler system, crafted the GPL to ensure that software that used the GPL for licensing would always be free and available in source code form. The GPL is the guiding document for Linux and its ownership, distribution, and copyright. Torvalds holds the rights to the Linux trademark, but thanks to a combination of his generosity, the Internet, thousands of programmers around the world, GNU software, and the GNU GPL, Linux will remain forever free and unencumbered by licensing or royalty issues. See the "Licensing" section later in this Introduction to learn more about the GNU GPL and other software licenses. Linux, pronounced "lih-nucks," is free software. Combining the Linux kernel with GNU software toolsdrivers, utilities, user interfaces, and other software such as The X.Org Foundation's X Window Systemcreates a Linux distribution. There are many different Linux distributions from different vendors, but many are derived from or closely mimic Red Hat's distribution of Linux: Red Hat Linux. Note To see just how many distributions are based on Red Hat Linux, go to http://www.linux.org/, click Distributions, and search for "Red Hat-based." At the time of writing, 36 distributions owe their existence to Red Hat Linux and 11 are based on Fedora. What Is Fedora?Fedora is an operating system based on the Linux kernel, created, improved, refined, and distributed by the Fedora Project at http://fedora.redhat.com/. The Fedora Project, sponsored by Red Hat, is an open source project supported by a worldwide community of software developers. Although Fedora is not supported by Red Hat, it incorporates improvements made to the Linux kernel and helps contribute to Red Hat's commercial Linux distributions and software. At the same time, Fedora also benefits from improvements made by Red Hat software engineers to Red Hat's products. Despite this symbiotic relationship, Fedora is a free operating system, built entirely from free software, and is guided by a process open to all free software developers. Roots of Red Hat and FedoraIn 1994, Marc Ewing and Bob Young combined forces to create Red Hat (named after a Cornell University lacrosse team hat) to develop, release, and market an easily installed, easily managed, and easy-to-use Linux distribution. Five years later, Durham, North Carolina-based Red Hat would have one of the most successful initial public offerings (IPOs) on the stock market. In 2001, Red Hat introduced a line of products aimed at the corporate and enterprise markets and created versions of its Red Hat Linux distributions and associated software in a product line known as Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Additional software, services, and distributions were added to the product over the next several years, such as the Advanced Server (with support for seven CPU architectures), ES (for small- to mid-range enterprise use), and WorkStation (WS) releases. Following the release of Red Hat Linux 9 in mid-2003, Red Hat announced that it was discontinuing the sale of consumer-based Linux distributions. Previously, the distributions had been available in boxed sets with manuals on store shelves or in CD-ROM image format for free download over the Internet. Red Hat then created the Fedora Project and formally opened its doors on October 22, 2003. Today, the company has grown from a handful of employees to more than 600 in 22 locations around the world. Red Hat was one of the first companies to adopt, promote, and use open source as a business model for supporting development, technical service, support, and sales of free software to the computer industry. Its business practices have spawned a shift in paradigm of proprietary attitudes prevalent in the monopolistic software industry, and the company is a role model and business leader in the open source movement. You learn more about Red Hat and Fedora in Chapter 1, "Introducing Fedora." Caution The Fedora DVD included with this book is not supported by Red Hat. If you want technical support when using a Red Hat release, purchase a copy of Red Hat Enterprise Linux from Red Hat at http://www.redhat.com/. You can also call to order. In the United States, call 1-866-273-3428, extension 4555. Elsewhere in the world, check http://www.redhat.com/about/corporate/wwoffices/ for a list of local offices. Red Hat is a trademark of Red Hat. Linux is a trademark owned by Linus Torvalds. Do NOT contact Red Hat for any type of support when using or attempting to install the software included with this book. Although every effort has been made to ensure that information in this book matches the included software, you should instead contact Sams Publishing for any problems related to the DVD contained in this book: userservices@samspublishing.com Only users who purchase the "official" Red Hat Enterprise Linux products from Red Hat are entitled to support from Red Hat. If you purchase an official Red Hat Enterprise Linux distribution from Red Hat, you might find commercial software included on the distribution's CD-ROMs. These software packages are often included as an enticement to purchase more feature-laden or corporate versions, but you should carefully read any accompanying licensing agreements and be careful to not make unauthorized copies. LicensingSoftware licensing is an important issue for all computer users and can entail moral, legal, and financial considerations. Many consumers think that purchasing a copy of a commercial or proprietary operating system, productivity application, utility, or game conveys ownership, but this is not true. In the majority of cases, the end user license agreement (EULA) included with a commercial software package states that you have paid only for the right to use the software according to specific terms. This generally means you may not examine, make copies, share, resell, or transfer ownership of the software package. More onerous software licenses enforce terms that preclude you from distributing or publishing comparative performance reviews of the software. Even more insidious licensing schemes (and supporting legislation, especially in the United States), contain provisions allowing onsite auditing of the software's use! This is not the case with the software included with this book. You are entirely free to make copies, share them with friends, and install the software on as many computers as you wantwe encourage you to purchase additional copies of this book to give them as gifts, however. Be sure to read the README file on the DVD included with this book for important information regarding the included software and disk contents. Look under the /usr/share/apps/LICENSES directory after you install Fedora to find a copy of the GNU GPL (along with copies of other software licenses). You will see that the GPL provides unrestricted freedom to use, duplicate, share, study, modify, improve, and even sell the software. You can put your copy of Fedora to work right away in your home or at your place of business without worrying about software licensing, per-seat workstation or client licenses, software auditing, royalty payments, or any other types of payments to third parties. However, you should be aware that although much of the software included with Fedora is licensed under the GPL, some packages on this book's DVD are licensed under other terms. There is a variety of related software licenses, and many software packages fall under a broad definition known as open source. Some of these include the Artistic License, the BSD License, the Mozilla Public License, and the Q Public License. For additional information about the various GNU software licenses, browse to http://www.gnu.org/. For a definition of open source and licensing guidelines, along with links to the terms of nearly three dozen open source licenses, browse to http://www.opensource.org/. Why Use Linux?Millions of savvy computer users have been putting Linux to work for more than 14 years. Over the last year, many individuals; small office/home office (SOHO) users; businesses; corporations; colleges; nonprofits; and local, state, and federal agencies in a number of countries have incorporated Linux with great success. And today, Linux is being incorporated into many IS/IT environments as part of improvements in efficiency, security, and cost savings. Using Linux is a good idea for a number of reasons. These reasons include
Look forward to even more support as usage spreads worldwide throughout all levels of business in search of lower costs, better performance, and stable and secure implementations. Who This Book Is ForThis book is for anyone searching for guidance on using Fedora, and primarily focuses on Intel-based PC platforms. Although the contents are aimed at intermediate to advanced users, even new users with a bit of computer savvy will benefit from the advice, tips, tricks, traps, and techniques presented in each chapter. Pointers to more detailed or related information are also provided at the end of each chapter. Fedora's installer program, named Anaconda, makes the job of installing Linux as easy as possible. However, if you are new to Linux, you might need to learn some new computer skills, such as how to research your computer's hardware, how to partition a hard drive, and occasionally how to use a command line. This book will help you learn these skills and show you how to learn more about your computer, Linux, and the software included with Fedora. System administrators with experience using other operating systems will be able to use the information presented in this book to install, set up, and run common Linux software services, such as the Network File System (NFS), a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) server, and a web server (using Apache, among others). What This Book ContainsRed Hat Fedora 5 Unleashed is organized into seven parts, covering installation and configuration, Fedora on the desktop, system administration, Fedora as a server, programming and housekeeping, and a reference section. A DVD containing the entire distribution is included so that you will have everything you need to get started. This book starts by covering the initial and essential tasks required to get Fedora installed and running on a target system. If you're new to Linux, and more specifically, Fedora, first read the chapters in Part I, "Installation and Configuration." You will get valuable information on
Part II, "Desktop Fedora," is aimed at users that want to get productive with Fedora and covers the following:
Moving beyond the productivity and desktop areas of Fedora, Part III, "System Administration," covers
Part IV, "Fedora As a Server," looks at the opportunities provided by every Fedora system by covering
Part V, "Programming Linux," provides a great introduction into ways in which you can extend Fedora's capabilities even further using the development tools supplied with it. This part covers
Part VI, "Fedora Housekeeping," looks at some of the more advanced skills you need to keep your system running in perfect condition, including
There is also an extensive reference in Part VII, "Appendix," which gives you scope to explore in even more depth some of the topics covered in this book. Conventions Used in This BookA lot of documentation is included with every Linux distribution, and Fedora is certainly no exception. Although the intent of Red Hat Fedora 5 Unleashed is to be as complete as possible, it is impossible to cover every option of every command included in the distribution. However, this book offers numerous tables of various options, commands, or keystrokes to help condense, organize, and present information about a variety of subjects. This edition is also packed full of screenshots to illustrate nearly all Fedora-specific graphical utilitiesespecially those related to system administration or the configuration and administration of various system and network services. To help you better understand code listing examples and sample command lines, several formatting techniques are used to show input and ownership. For example, if the command or code listing example shows typed input, the input is formatted in boldface like this: $ ls If typed input is required, as in response to a prompt, the sample typed input also is in boldface, like so: Delete files? [Y/n] y All statements, variables, and text that should appear on your display use the same boldface formatting. Additionally, command lines that require root or super-user access are prefaced with a pound sign like this: # printtool & Command-line examples that can be run by any user are prefaced with a dollar sign ($), like so: $ ls The following elements provide you with useful tidbits of information that relate to the discussion of the text: Note A note provides additional information you might want to make note of as you are working; augment a discussion with ancillary details; or point you to an article, a whitepaper, or another online reference for more information about a specific topic. Tip A tip can contain special insight or a timesaving technique, as well as information about items of particular interest to you that you might not find elsewhere. Caution A caution warns you about pitfalls or problems before you run a command, edit a configuration file, or choose a setting when administering your system.
Other formatting techniques used to increase readability include the use of italics for placeholders in computer command syntax. Computer terms or concepts also are italicized upon first introduction in text. Finally, you should know that all text, sample code, and screenshots in Red Hat Fedora 5 Unleashed were developed using Fedora and open source tools. Read on to start learning about and using the latest version of Fedora. Experienced users will want to consider the new information presented in this edition when planning or considering upgrades. New users, or users new to Fedora, will benefit from the details presented in this book. |