Chapter 5. First Steps with Fedora

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Working with the Linux File System

• Logging In to and Working with Linux

• Changing Your User Information

• Reading Documentation

• Using the Shell

• Using the Text Editors

• Working with Permissions

• Working As root

• Reference

Fedora Core Linux offers a wonderful graphical interface for the desktop (see Chapter 6, "The X Window System"), along with many capable graphical administration tools. However, there are times when you can't manage or use Linux effectively if you don't know how to use text-based programs at the command line. In some situations and with some software packages, the command line offers the only means of interacting with a running system or reconfiguring server software.

In this chapter, you learn the basics of how to use Linux and how to accomplish many routine tasks at the command line. These basic operations include how to read text files or other Linux documentation, list directories, or move, copy, and rename files. New Linux system administrators will get an introduction to using the command line to create new users, manage file permissions, and to properly reboot or shut down a Linux system.

Some of the basic command-line skills covered in this chapter include

• Performing routine tasks Logging in and out, using the text console, changing passwords, listing and navigating directories.

• Basic file management Creating, renaming, or deleting files and directories.

• Basic user management Creating or deleting users from the command line.

• Basic system management Shutting down or rebooting, reading manual pages or other documentation, and using text-based tools to edit system configuration files.

Read this chapter if you are migrating to Linux from another platform; the information here is valuable for individual users or system administrators who are new to Linux and learning to use the command line for the first time.

TIP

When you have learned how to use the command line with Linux, you will be comfortable using a Unix command line. This chapter, then, can help provide the foundation information you need to work with other Unix-like operating systems, such as FreeBSD.

NOTE

There are two types of users on a Linux system: normal users (see the section "Basic Linux User Skills") and the root operator, also known as the superuser. At big computing installations, one or more system administrators might have root access or superuser power on the system (perhaps for one-time only tasks). Normal users may rarely, if ever, interact with the root operator.

However, if you use Linux on your PC or notebook as a standalone workstation, you will be both a user and the root operator. Under Linux, root access is required to perform nearly all system and hardware configuration. This might be one of the primary reasons that some new users hold the view that using Linux requires a steep learning curve. Red Hat and other Linux developers have put a lot of effort into making system administration easier for new users by developing improved graphical administration utilities. Because of the way Linux is designed, however, you must become comfortable working with the command line and doing some root-level work, especially if using Linux on a standalone PC. The benefits of learning how to use the command line and work as the superuser far outweigh the disadvantages of allowing your operating system to make important system, file, and user decisions for you. You are in charge of your operating system, not the other way around!