Web Design Programs, Jsp, Tomcat, J2Ee, Hibernate Programming Blog

Both CDs include GPG signatures,allowing the installer to check the contentsof the files against the stored security data to make sure that the files haven tbeen changed. (The assumption is that all changes would be for the worse, such as Trojan horses or viruses.) Thus, signatures provide a way to makesure that everything is safe and wholesome for your computer! If You ve Got Problems (Of the DVD-ROM Kind) I tried my best to locate programs that work on most computers with theminimum system requirements, as Red Hat did for its operating system. Alas, your computer may differ, and some programs may not work properly forsome reason. The two likeliest problems are that you don t have enough memory (RAM) for the programs you want to use or that you have other programs runningthat are affecting the installation or running of a program. If you see errormessages like Not enough memoryor Setup cannot continue, try one ormore of the following methods and then try using the software again: Close all running programs. The more programs you re running, theless memory is available to other programs. Installers also typicallyupdate files and programs; if you keep other programs running, theinstallation may not work properly. In Linux, close your GUI environment and run demos or installationsdirectly from a command line. The interface itself can tie up systemmemory or even conflict with certain kinds of interactive demos. Usethe command prompt to browse files on the DVD-ROM and launchinstallers or demos. Have your local computer store add more RAM to your computer. Thisstep is, admittedly, a drastic and potentially expensive one, dependingon the price of RAM at the time. If you have a modern PC with less than64MB of RAM, however, adding more memory can really help the speedof your computer and enable more programs to run at the same time. If you still have trouble with the DVD-ROM, please call the Wiley ProductTechnical Support phone number at 1-800-762-2974. Outside the UnitedStates, call 1-317-572-3994. You can also contact Wiley Product TechnicalSupport through the Internet atwww.wiley.com/techsupport. WileyPublishing provides technical support only for installation and other generalquality control items; for technical support on the applications themselves, consult the program s vendor or author. To place additional orders or to request information about other Wiley prod- ucts, please call 1-800-225-5945.410Part VI: Appendixes

1.Insert the DVD-ROM into your computer s DVD-ROM drive and inserta bootable Linux floppy disk into your computer s floppy drive. See the instructions in Chapter 2 for creating a bootable Linux floppy disk. 2.Reboot your PC. This step starts the Linux installation process for you automatically. Congratulations! The Linux installation process is now under way. For therest of the gory details on this fascinating task, please consult Chapter 3. And some people say that installing Linux is hard! What could be easier thanthis? On the other hand, if all you want to do is investigate the contents ofthe Linux installation DVD-ROM, simply insert it into your machine s CD-ROMdrive. After that, you can browse through the DVD-ROM s contents rightthere in Windows. The contents are described in the following section. What You Find on the DVD-ROMHere s a summary of the software on the DVD-ROM, arranged by directoryorganization. If you use Windows, the DVD-ROM interface helps you navigatethe DVD-ROM easily; you can use most of its contents only if you alreadyhave Linux installed. The contents of the DVD consist of all four installation CD-ROMs worth ofmaterial for Fedora Core 3, plus the ISO files discussed earlier in this chapter. Not all the software is installed automatically. You find out in Chapters 3 and12 how to customize what s added. Aside from that, the DVD has usefulinstall utilities and a handy-dandy README file that explains precisely whatyou find. The directory structure may look similar to the following (exceptfor lacking my handy annotations, of course): E: |—-> distros — ISO images for the includeddistributions|—-> Fedora| |—-> RPMS — binary packages, incl: | | OS, GUIs, Apache, etc. | |—-> base — info on release| | used by install process| | — source code for the packagesin RPMS|—-> images — boot & ramdisk images|—-> KNOPPIX — the files used to boot you intoKNOPPIX instead of Fedora s installer|—-> isolinux — boot files|—-> README — general read me file|—-> RELEASE-NOTES — current info about this release|—-> RPM-GPG-KEY — GPG sigs for Red Hat pkgs409Appendix B: About the DVD-ROM32_

floppy disk, with the DVD that came with this book already inserted intoyour DVD-ROM drive. (To create a Linux boot floppy disk to enable thisapproach, please check out the instructions in Chapter 2.) The floppydisk handles the beginning of the process and then turns the rest of theinstallation over to the DVD-ROM. Booting from the DVD-ROMTo install items from the DVD-ROM to your hard drive, follow these steps: 1.Insert the DVD-ROM into your computer s DVD-ROM drive. 2.Reboot your PC. As long as your PC is configured to boot from the DVD-ROM, this stepstarts the Linux installation process for you automatically. 3.If you want to install Fedora, type linuxat the boot prompt. If youwant to boot into Knoppix without having to install anything, justpress Enter. Congratulations! The Linux installation process is now under way, or you rejust about to use Linux without having to install a thing. For the rest of thegory details on the fascinating task of installing Fedora, please consultChapter 3. If you had to order the CD-ROMs, then boot with the first CD forthe same effect as booting with the DVD. Booting from a Linux floppy diskTo install the items from the DVD-ROM to your hard drive with a boot disk (I show you how to make one in Chapter 2), follow these steps: 408Part VI: Appendixes In case you have a problem installing from the DVD On some PCs, after booting from the compan- ion DVD, Knoppix and Fedora Core installa- tion may not work. If you have such problemswith the DVD, you can download Knoppix fromwww.knoppix.netand burn your own CD- ROM from there. For Fedora Core, please visitwww.dummies.com/go/linux3sourcecouponto obtain the CD set. Note that thisproblem doesn t affect the other distributions ISO images that are in the DVD s distrosdirectory.

A PC with an Intel-compatible Pentium-class processor:I recommend a 400MHz Pentium II or better for using Graphical mode, though for aheavy use desktop system, more is better. At least 256MB of RAM:You need at least 192MB of RAM for Graphicalmode. (Linux can handle as much RAM as you can fit into a typical PC, and more is almost always better than less.) At least 650MB (the barest minimum) of hard drive space:I recom- mend 2.5GB and as much as 5GB if you want to install all the softwarefrom the DVD-ROM. You need less space if you don t install every pro- gram, but you should go ahead and make 5GB of space available, to give yourself more options. A DVD-ROM drive double-speed (2x) or faster:The faster the DVD- ROM drive, the faster your installation experience. A coupon is offeredin this book if you need to order CDs to replace the DVD. Just about any VGA monitor:Just about any monitor does the trick, butyou want one that s capable of displaying at least 256 colors or grayscale. A keyboard and a mouse:You need both items so that you have a wayto communicate with your Linux system and tell it what to do! A 31/2-inch floppy drive is handy, although not absolutely necessary: You might need to start the installer with a floppy, though most peoplewon t have to. Some kind of network connection:Again, the faster your Internet con- nection, the less time it takes to update your installation to the mostrecent versions. I use a cable modem for my Internet connection, and Ilike the increased speed when it comes to dealing with the many andvaried sources of Linux software and updates online. See Chapter 8 onthe various ways to connect to the Internet. If you need more information on PC basics, check out PCs For DummiesbyDan Gookin (published by Wiley Publishing, Inc.). Using the DVD-ROMYou can take either of two basic approaches to using the Fedora Core installa- tion DVD-ROM. I cover each one in separate step-by-step lists. I tell you inthis section how to pick which set of instructions to follow. The two ways touse this DVD-ROM are shown in this list: If you can boot from your DVD-ROM drive (which probably means thatyou have a newer PC), follow the instructions in the following section. If you can t boot from your DVD-ROM drive, for whatever reason, followthe instructions in the upcoming section Booting from a Linux floppydisk. Choosing this option means that you boot from a Linux boot407Appendix B: About the DVD-ROM32_

But that s not all. This DVD also contains the ISO images (the files you canuse to make your own CDs) for: The full version of Linspire 4.5, which you would normally have to buy! A LiveCD (see Chapter 4 for an explanation of a LiveCD) version of thepopular SuSE Linux 9.2 distribution, with its default KDE desktop. The open circulation (free) version of Xandros 2.5! The full version of Mandrake 10.1, another popular distribution. (See Chapters 1 and 4 for more information on these distributions.) You can use both Fedora and Knoppix directly off the DVD-ROM. The othersyou can use your own CDburning software and (legally) use it to write theISO images to CDs. The files are contained with the DVD-ROM s distrosdirectory. If, for some reason, you can t use the DVD, you can get the distribu- tions discussed in this book by going to: Fedora: http://fedora.redhat.com Knoppix: www.knoppix.net Linspire: www.linspire.com Mandrake: www.mandrake-linux.com SuSE: www.suse.com Xandros: www.xandros.comGetting all of these (except Fedora) is covered in more detail in Chapter 4. When it comes time to burn your CD-ROMs or DVD-ROM, make sure that youtell your CD burner that you re working with ISO images(usually the optionhas something to do with the word image ). If you burn the CD and find thatit contains just one big file (the ISO file), it will not work. The ISO image actu- ally contains all the files that would be on the CD, so if you put the CD in andfind that it contains many files, the CD was created properly. In addition, if you want the source code for those distributions that are justISO images (Xandros, Linspire, SuSE, and Mandrake) sent to you, please com- plete the online coupon at www.dummies.com/go/linux3sourcecoupon. System RequirementsMake sure that your computer meets the following minimum system require- ments. If your computer doesn t match up to most of these requirements, youmay have problems using the contents of the DVD-ROMs: 406Part VI: Appendixes

Appendix BAbout the DVD-ROMThe DVD-ROM included with this book contains everything you need toinstall and run Fedora Core 3, Knoppix 3.6, Linspire 4.5, Mandrake 10.1, SuSE 9.2, and Xandros 2.5. Collectively, this content is the equivalent of 11CD-ROMs that you would have to download for yourself. Because it can betoo confusing to try to focus on everything, the primary focus within thisbook is on Fedora Core 3. This distribution includes the following: Fedora Core 3:A complete copy of the software for the latest and great- est version of the consumer-level Red Hat Linux, for your computingpleasure. If you are interested in the source code, you can download itdirectly from Red Hat s Fedora Project site at http://fedora.redhat. com. We thought that you might not mind us using the space that wouldhave gone to multiple CD s worth of source code to include lots and lotsof other software instead! RPM (Red Hat Package Manager):The Red Hat software distributionand installation management environment, wherein Linux updates andnew facilities are packaged for easy installation on your Linux machine. KDE(the K Desktop Environment) and GNOME (GNU Network ObjectModel Environment):The two leading graphical user interfaces forLinux. You can pick the one you like best! Mozilla Firefox:The best-of-breed Web browser for your Linux machine, just waiting for your surfing pleasure. Samba:The best way to integrate Linux servers with Windows users. Samba lets your Linux machine masquerade as a Windows server sothat Windows users can grab files and print documents hassle-free. Apache Web Server:The world s most popular (or at least, most fre- quently used) Web server software. Games!:Tons of games; enough to help you procrastinate for weeks! OpenOffice.org:A full-featured and popular office suite. Or, you can download Fedora yourself by going to http://fedora. redhat.com.

404Part VI: Appendixes

Table A-12Process CommandsCommandPurposeatHas a command run at a particular time. atqWorks with the at queue. crontabSets up commands to run at regular intervals. killStops a process by its number. Often used as kill -9for aharsh stop for something that won t die. killallStops a process by name rather than number. niceAssigns a CPU use priority to a process. pidofGets a program s ID number. psGets a lot of programs ID numbers, usually used as ps aux. pstreeShows the relationships between programs. reniceChanges a program s CPU use priority. topShows resource use over time. 403Appendix A: Common Linux Commands31_

Table A-10Administration CommandsCommandPurposepasswdChange a particular user s password. Any user can run this com- mand to change their own password. Only root can use it tochange someone else s. suSwitch to another user account without logging out of this one. Kernel module handlingYou may sometimes need to add kernel support for an additional device (soft- ware or hardware). If this need arises, you have a limited number of choices: You can either rebuild the kernel or install a loadable kernel module. Althoughrebuilding a kernel doesn t exactly require a Ph.D. in nuclear science, considerit a time-consuming nuisance that s best to avoid. The commands in Table A-11 enable you to include the kernel support you need while the system isrunning, without having to rebuild the entire thing from scratch: Table A-11Kernel Support CommandsCommandPurposedepmodRegenerates your module dependencies. insmodLoads a module by hand. lsmodLists the modules your kernel has loaded. modprobeLoads a module by hand along with its dependencies and settings. rmmodUnloads a module by hand. ProcessesMost of your system activity requires processes. Even when your systemappears idle, a dozen or so processes are running in the background. Thesecommands, shown in Table A-12, enable you to check under the hood tomake sure that everything that needs to be running is running and thatyou re not overheating or overtaxing resources: 402Part VI: Appendixes

to Linux (ext2and ext3) file systems. To keep everyone happy, you can buypreformatted MS-DOS disks and use them with the mtools commands (seeTable A-9) so that you can swap them back and forth with your friends whoare using Windows: Table A-9mTools CommandsCommandPurposemcdChanges directory in DOS format on a DOS disk. mcopyCopies DOS files to and from Linux. mdelDeletes a DOS file. mdeltreeDeletes a DOS directory and its contents. mdirLists a DOS directory s contents. mduShows how much space is taken and available for a DOS partition. mformatFormats a partition for DOS. mlabelApplies a DOS volume label. mmdCreates a DOS directory. mmountMounts a DOS disk or partition. mmoveMoves or renames a DOS file or directory. System controlThese commands provide system-wide information and control. Normalusers can run many commands to obtain system information; however, com- mands that actively change the configuration of the system need to run whileyou re logged in as root or have utilized the sucommand to temporarilybecome the superuser. AdministrationSome administration commands, shown in Table A-10, don t fall neatly into acategory. 401Appendix A: Common Linux Commands31_