Summary

In this chapter, we examined the graphical utilities created by Red Hat that can help you administer your Linux computer. You can start most of these utilities from a command-line interface within a graphical desktop. Most of the needed commands start with redhat-config- .

Remember, graphical utilities are front ends; in other words, they can help you make the changes that you need to various configuration files. They do not allow you to make all the changes that you could make in a text editor. They are fairly new, so you should check the results in the associated configuration files.

However, graphical utilities can be an aid and a learning tool for newer Linux administrators. Administrators can make changes in the graphical utility and study the results in the applicable configuration file.

We ve arbitrarily classified these utilities in four categories. With the basic configuration utilities, you can configure basic settings related to the system clock, keyboard, language, mouse, and sound card. Using the network configuration utilities, you re able to set up new network cards, as well as the Apache, DNS, NFS, and Samba network servers.

The various graphical system administrative utilities enable you to install and remove RPM packages, manage the root password, set up users and groups, configure the GUI, examine log files, and install fonts. They also help you configure a Kickstart file for automated installations, set up a customized firewall, and tune the kernel. Finally, service configuration utilities support managing services at different runlevels, changing default printer and mail services, and switching default graphical desktop environments.

In the next chapter , we ll start to examine Linux and networking in detail. Chapter 20 starts with a somewhat theoretical look at the TCP/IP protocol stack and IP addressing. It also gives you the tools that you need to configure private IP addresses on your LAN. This prepares you for future chapters, where you ll learn to manage Linux on your LAN, secure your Linux network, and more.

 


Mastering Red Hat Linux 9
Building Tablet PC Applications (Pro-Developer)
ISBN: 078214179X
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2005
Pages: 220

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