WileySD



Linux Bible 8th Edition Website

This document acts as a companion to the Linux Bible, 8th Edition. In this document, you will find links to Linux distributions and additional information that relates to content in the book. Revisit the website from which you downloaded this document from time-to-time. The authors expect to add content to answer questions that arise about the book and to make corrections to the book or the exercises it contains.

Finding Linux Distributions

Because Linux rarely comes preinstalled on a computer, you must typically download a Linux distribution from the Internet before you can start using Linux. This section contains links to Linux distributions you can use with the book, as well as to other Linux distributions that may interest you.

Once you have chosen and downloaded the Linux distribution image (usually a CD, DVD, or USB image), you can burn the image to the appropriate physical medium using the instructions included in Appendix A of Linux Bible, 8th Edition.

Getting Linux distributions for use with the Linux Bible, 8th Edition

The Linux Bible, 8th Edition uses Fedora 16 and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 for most of the demonstrations and exercises in the book. Using later versions of Fedora and Red Hat Enterprise Linux should work for most cases as well.

Using Ubuntu to follow along with the book will not work consistently. The most common differences relate to package names and packaging tools, as well as techniques for managing services. On occasion, configuration files will have different names.

Follow the links below to download the Linux distributions that work with the book:

▪ Fedora—With few exceptions, almost all of the descriptions and exercises in the book will work on the Fedora Linux distribution. You can get the latest version of Fedora here:



In particular, the Fedora 16 Live CD was used to test most of the book. Click the following link to get the 64-bit version of the Fedora 16 Live CD:



If you have a 32-bit computer, you can download the Fedora 16 Live CD from this link:



▪ Red Hat Enterprise Linux—If you are a customer of Red Hat Inc., you can use the Red Hat Customer portal to download any release of Red Hat Enterprise Linux you choose from this location:



If you are not a customer, you can get a trial version by clicking on the following link and filling out the information requested:



Those sections of the book that specifically refer to Red Hat Enterprise Linux were tested against Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 (usually 6.1 or 6.2).

▪ Ubuntu—If you want to use Ubuntu to work through examples in the book, you can download the latest version of Ubuntu from the following link. (Be sure to choose either the 32-bit or 64-bit version to match your computer hardware):



NOTE: If you choose to use Ubuntu, some of the examples and exercises described in the book may NOT work as illustrated.

The descriptions from the book will match better if you install the GNOME 3 desktop software packages and choose GNOME 3 as the default desktop environment on your Ubuntu system.

Getting other Linux distributions

In previous editions of the Linux Bible, we described many different Linux distributions. While this made the book’s coverage very wide, it did not make it very deep. For that reason, we decided to focus this edition primarily on Fedora and Red Hat Enterprise Linux (which are very similar) and touch on Ubuntu (which gives you a flavor of how such things as software packaging and service management can be done on different Linux distributions).

That said, you still may be interested in exploring different Linux distributions for different reasons. This section includes a list of some other popular Linux distributions, along with links for obtaining those distributions.

Debian GNU/Linux

Debian offers thoroughly tested Linux operating system releases that many Linux consultants and experts use because of Debian’s excellent software packaging and stability. Many other popular Linux distributions, such as Ubuntu, Linux Mint, KNOPPIX and Damn Small Linux, are all based on Debian. You can download Debian GNU/Linux from here:



KNOPPIX Linux

KNOPPIX was one of the first popular live CD Linux distributions and offers some unique features that set it apart from other bootable Linux distributions. It was one of the first live CD Linux systems to work immediately with a large number of video cards and network interfaces. Features in KNOPPIX also made it easy to save your data to alternate media (such as a USB drive), making your KNOPPIX sessions persistent across reboots. You can get KNOPPIX from the following website:



Slackware Linux

Slackware is the oldest surviving Linux system and continues to have a loyal following among Linux enthusiasts. One of Slackware’s goals was simplicity. Instead of having a lot of fancy packaging facilities and slick graphical interfaces, Slackware provides more opportunities for learning the basic commands for things such as configuring disks, managing users, and managing services. You can get Slackware here:



AntiX Linux

AntiX is a lightweight, desktop-oriented Live CD that is suitable for older, less powerful computers. It can run on machines with as little as 64MB of RAM (although 128MB is recommended). AntiX is based on MEPIS (). You can get AntiX here:



BackTrack Linux Security Suite

BackTrack is a Live CD that contains a set of tools for testing, repairing, and otherwise securing Linux systems, Windows systems, and networks. You can download Backtrack from this location:



Gentoo Linux

Gentoo is a highly tunable Linux distribution. You can start Gentoo with pre-built live media or installation media, just as you can with other Linux distributions. However, Gentoo also gives you the option of building the entire operating system from scratch, compiling the source code into binaries that exactly suit the processors and other hardware features of your computer. You can get Gentoo in various forms from this site:



PCLinuxOS

PCLinuxOS is a popular desktop Linux distribution. PCLinuxOS makes it easy to get support for common multimedia content that isn’t always so easy to find with other Linux distributions. There is a KDE-based PCLinuxOS system. However, PCLinuxOS also provides excellent light-weight desktops you can download that feature Xfce and LXDE graphical desktop environments. You can get PCLinuxOS from the following site:



Inside Security Rescue Toolkit

Inside Security Rescue Toolkit (INSERT) is a small, bootable Linux distribution that contains a variety of useful tools for checking, repairing, and recovering computers and networks. INSERT is small enough to fit on a bootable business card CD or mini-CD. Although many of its tools are text-based, INSERT includes a simple graphical interface (the desktop interface consists of the X window system and the FluxBox window manager) and a few graphical tools. You can download INSERT from here:



Puppy Linux

This live mini-CD contains a desktop Linux system that you can use for creating documents, playing multimedia content, accessing the Internet, and many other functions. Puppy Linux also contains many features for configuring your desktop and saving your features across reboots. To download Puppy Linux, go to the following site:



Damn Small Linux

Damn Small Linux (DSL) illustrates how a useful desktop Linux distribution, which includes full network connectivity and some useful productivity applications, can fit in a very small space. The basic DSL desktop live image is only 50MB in size. From there, you can add an array of prebuilt packages to tailor the exact Linux system you want. You can download Damn Small Linux from here:



SystemRescueCd

Like INSERT, SystemRescueCd is a bootable Linux that includes a variety of tools for checking and fixing your installed computer systems. It includes tools for managing and fixing file systems, checking for viruses, monitoring the network, and checking whether a machine has been cracked. You can get SystemRescueCd from here:



Finding more Linux distributions

There are literally dozens, if not hundreds, of Linux distributions available today. Some are general-purpose Linux systems, while others are specialized for running live or managing specialty devices. A good place to find different Linux distributions today is the Distrowatch site:



From the Distrowatch homepage, you can get a sense of which Linux distributions are popular by viewing the page hit rankings in the right column.

Preparing for Linux Certification

As noted in the Linux Bible, 8th Edition, almost all of the content needed to pass Red Hat Certification programs (RHCE and RHCSA) is covered in the book. However, simply because of the constraints of space, not every topic you would need to pass the RHCE exam, in particular, is fully covered. If you are preparing to take the RHCSA and/or the RHCE certification exams, the next section describes which topics you need to study so you can be fully prepared for all content you may see in those exams.

Preparing for a Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA) exam

The RHCSA exam (EX200) tests the basic skills needed to become a Linux system administrator. Refer to the following the RHCSA exam objectives page for a complete list of topics you need to know to be able to pass an RHCSA exam:



Keep in mind that the test is a “hands-on, practical exam,” which means that you need to expect to carry out tasks on a Linux system directly, rather than just answer questions about it. Read through the bullet items on the exam objectives page and make sure you can understand the topics and do the exercises associated with each bulleted item. You should be able to find nearly every topic in the Linux Bible, 8th Edition.

Coverage of RHCSA exam objectives is fairly complete in the book, with the exception of the area of virtualization. Fedora, RHEL, and other Linux systems are capable of working as virtual hosts. What that means is that guest operating systems can run as virtual machines on a virtual Linux host.

The RHCSA exam objectives don’t ask you to be able to configure a virtual host. However, you should be able to open virtual consoles from a virtual host and start and stop virtual machines. For information on how to use the Virtual Machine Manager in Red Hat Enterprise Linux, refer to the Red Hat Virtualization Administration Guide:



Preparing for a Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) exam

To pass an RHCE exam (EX300), you are expected to have basic RHCSA skills (the ability to work from the command-line shell, work with users and file systems, install packages, and do basic system administration). Most of the additional skills you need to pass the RHCE are related to configuring and managing servers, as well as securing those services. Refer to the following site to see the RHCE exam objectives:



Although the security features in Linux, such as iptables, SELinux, and TCP wrappers, are well covered in the Linux Bible, 8th Edition, not all of the servers you would need to configure for an RHCE exam are described there. Here is the bullet list of servers from the RHCE exam objectives along with suggestions on how to you should extend your study for the RHCE exam beyond what is included in the Linux Bible, 8th Edition:

▪ HTTP/HTTPS—Chapter 17 covers all the topics listed in the RHCE exam objectives for configuring a web server (HTTP and HTTPS). Topics include configuring a virtual host and private directories, deploying CGI applications, and configuring group-managed content.

▪ DNS—A Domain Name System server translates hostnames into IP addresses (and vice versa). In most Linux systems, including Red Hat Enterprise Linux, the Berkeley Internet Name Domain (BIND) software project is available to configure as a DNS service.

In RHEL, the bind package provides the components you need to configure a BIND DNS server. As the RHCE objective states, you don’t have to configure a full master or slave DNS server. You only have to be able to configure a caching-only name server and enable forwarders.

In the bind package is the /usr/share/doc/bind-*/named.conf.default file. You can copy that file to /etc/named.conf or /var/named/chroot/etc/named.conf (if you are running it in a chroot environment) and edit that file as needed (type man named.conf for details). Then enable and start the named service.

▪ FTP—Chapter 18 describes everything you need to know to meet the RHCE exam objectives for configuring an FTP server. In particular, you need to be able to configure an anonymous-only download.

▪ NFS—Chapter 20 describes what you need to know to configure an NFS server. In particular, you need to configure network shares to specific clients and configure shares for group collaboration.

▪ SMB—Chapter 19 covers how to configure a Samba (SMB) server. As with NFS, you need to be able to configure network shares to specific clients and configure shares for group collaboration.

▪ SMTP—There is no information on configuring an SMTP (e-mail) server in the book. Red Hat Enterprise Linux provides the sendmail and postfix packages for configuring an SMTP server. When you start the sendmail or postfix services, they only listen on localhost. To make either service accept inbound e-mail, you need to edit the configuration files for the one you choose (/etc/mail/sendmail.mc or /etc/postfix/main.cf).

The other objective listed for an SMTP service is to be able to configure sendmail or postfix to forward (relay) e-mail through a smart host. Editing the configuration file, enabling the service, and starting the service are the basic steps you need to complete any of those objectives.

▪ SSH—Commands related to the Secure Shell (SSH) service (ssh, scp, rsync, and so on) are installed by default in Red Hat Enterprise Linux. The SSH server is installed by default as well (openssh-server package). On the client side, the RHCE requirement is to be able to do key-based authentication (described in the “Using key-based (passwordless) authentication” section of Chapter 13).

On the SSH server side, you need to be able to configure different features of the sshd service. For that, read the sshd_config man page. Type man sshd_config.

▪ NTP—The Network Time Protocol (NTP) server is included in Red Hat Enterprise Linux by way of the ntp package. Although the book doesn’t describe how to configure this service, there is a simple graphical tool for configuring NTP.

To install the Date/Time Properties window, install the system-config-date package (if it is not already installed) and run the command of the same name. Select the Synchronize date and time over the network box, and then add the NTP servers you want to synchronize with.

For each of the services just listed, practice configuring the service. Then configure security services to make sure you can restrict or allow access to the service in various ways.

Linux Bible Corrections

As we find problems that need to be corrected, we will add those corrections to the website. If you have found a problem with the Linux Bible, 8th Edition, please send an e-mail to me at linuxcricket@ and I’ll do my best to respond and post the correction on the website.

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download

To fulfill the demand for quickly locating and searching documents.

It is intelligent file search solution for home and business.

Literature Lottery

Related download
Related searches