Brian P. Bilbrey
Email Brian
Brian's Website
BTLB Logo Tom Syroid
Email Tom
Tom's Website


Go to the Table Of Contents

Did you read the Preface? Thanks!

Appendix C - Collected References

In this appendix we've compiled many of the key online and print references sprinkled throughout this book. This makes it easier for you to find each reference later without having to comb the whole book. It's a feature that we've always wanted in the resources we use - we hope you find it so.

A note from Brian and Tom, October 2001 - This was the lost appendix. As this portion of the book is appearing online SO much later than all the rest of the chapters, we've painstakingly gone through and actually visited every reference in this document, assuring ourselves (and you) that the resource is still in place. For the printed works, the link points to the publisher's page (when available), we'll let you choose your own bookseller, online or brick-and-mortar. With this, our work here is done. We hope you've found the job we did to be useful and pleasant to read. Thanks!

Open Source, Linux, Distributions and OpenLinux

References for Open Source and Linux distributions number in the millions. If you don't believe us, open your favorite Web browser and try doing a search on "Linux" or "Open Source"; you'll be amazed at the diversity of "hits" such a search generates. Needless to say, most of the references found in Chapter 1 are Caldera-specific. Most of the others are distribution-agnostic in that they apply equally well to any version of Linux.

Online

In Print

Before You Install

In some ways, installing OpenLinux is the easy part; deciding what you want Linux to do for you and gathering together compatible hardware can be a lot tougher. Always check Caldera's Hardware Compatibility List (mention in the preceding section, but in case you missed it: http://www.calderasystems.com/support/hardware) before purchasing any hardware destined for a Linux system.

Online

Updating OpenLinux

Upgrades are fact of life with any software product, and operating systems are no different in this regard. Knowing what Caldera's current release is, and what features and fixes it incorporates, will help you decide whether an upgrade is "required" or not.

Online

Installation Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting a new OpenLinux installation for the first time can be a daunting task. These references are provided to ease the way.

Online

In Print

Changing System Configurations

These resources provide additional information to assist in making decisions about which software packages to include in different system configurations, from server to business use to a developer's workstation, and how to install them.

Online

Kernel Management

In a very real sense, the Linux kernel is "Linux". In Chapter 7 we worked through building a custom kernel for your environment (well, our system, but we encourage you to generalize). The following resources provide more guidance, and in some cases, much greater depth of information about the Linux kernel. Current (Fall 2000) printed references are solid on the 2.2 kernel series, and probably about 95% on the money for the soon-to-be-released 2.4 kernel.

Online

In Print

Welcome to KDE

KDE is the desktop shipped with all current Caldera distributions. KDE is a popular, functional working environment; KDE is also well supported with a vast range of applications and utilities written specifically to its underlying architecture. Like Linux, KDE is a vast and ubiquitous topic area. Here's a few resources to get you pointed in the right direction.

Online

KDE Menus

Chapter 9 discusses KDE's menu system. While the menus themselves are relatively basic, and configuring them is the topic of the chapter itself, there are literally thousands of Linux programs vying for space in your menu structure. Here's a few of our favorites and their respective URL's.

Online

KDE Applications

The KDE desktop has spawned a whole generation of applications written specifically to its environment. The following links provide only a sample of what's available in the world of KDE-specific programs. Be sure to check out the first entry below for a current and comprehensive list.

Online

Office Suites for Linux

Most OpenLinux users will find KDE's applications Good Enough for everyday needs. But if you need "industrial strength" word processing or spreadsheet functions, or your job dictates working with another vendor's document formats (for example, Microsoft Word or WordPerfect), then it's time to have a look at commercial office suite offerings.

Online

The Future of OpenLinux

Chapter 12 focuses primarily on what Caldera dubbed the "Linux Technology Preview" (or LTP) which encompassed the new 2.4 kernel and a beta of KDE 2.0. By the time you read this, the LTP will likely be available in the form of OpenLinux 3.0. Chances are most people will not be looking for a URL that points to a defunct product, but for completeness we'll list the references from Chapter 12 here as several will continue to have validity. Keep in mind that some of the following URL's will no doubt change; check Caldera's home page (http://www.calderasystems.com) for details regarding new or planned releases.

Online

GUI System Management

While many administrators prefer the command line when tweaking or configuring their systems, several GUI tools are available that make it easy to ?get in, get the job done, and get out? ? from the comfort of your graphical desktop. Two of the most popular contenders are COAS and Webmin.

Online

GUI Tips, Tricks, and Insights

Everyone has their own favorite tricks, tweaks, and utilities for the Linux desktop ? Chapter 14 is our contribution to the fray and their requisite online resources.

Online

Secrets of Consoles and Terminals

The command line never goes away under Linux; it just dresses up differently on occasion. Access to the command line from the Linux GUI desktop is achieved via a ?terminal emulator? program, like Kconsole. The operating system shell, or command processor, interprets commands and returns the information requested. Terminals and consoles are pretty straight-forward - start them up; enter the desired commands. Shells are another thing altogether. One can never know too much about shells.

Online

In Print

Text Editors

Anyone using a Unix-based system needs to have a passing acquaintance with at least one text editor. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your perspective), there's lots of offerings to choose from. The following resource list provides a glimpse into just how vast and diverse is the world of text editors.

Online

In Print

User Commands

Chapter 17 looks at some of the more popular commands available to the regular user (as opposed to the ?superuser?) from the command-line. For most commands, help is close at hand via the system manpages (type man command), but we managed to dig up a good resource or two on regular expressions (or regex's for short) and several links to help you when it comes time to configure mutt.

Online

In Print

Scripting

Shell scripts are integral to Linux. They're used to start the system, initialize services, install programs, and automate common tasks. Scripts can be written to use the Bash shell's built-in command set, or in a number of languages including Perl, C, Tcl/Tk. Like so other topic pertaining to Linux, the subject of writing and using scripts is vast. Fortunately, there is also a vast amount of information available about scripting both online and in print.

Online

In Print

System Administration on the CLI

Like the User Commands section, the system administrator working at the command line will be, for the most part, using built-in Linux commands which can be easily referenced by typing man command. There's a lot more to keeping a system running smoothly than the command line alone can provide, however. The administrator must keep abreast of current technologies, discern how a new piece of hardware will interact with Linux, and, well, and a partridge in a pear tree. In short, system administrators have to be a Jack of all trades, and the fastest route to broadening one's personal knowledge base is often online.

Online

Understanding System Security

Security is the responsibility of each user and administrator of an OpenLinux system. We walked you through the steps to securing your computer, but you need to keep up with the state of the art, a moving target.

Online

In Print

Security and Privacy Software

There are a variety of software packages that can assist an administrator in making an OpenLinux system more secure, and in detecting break-ins when they occur. If your OpenLinux computer is directly connected to the Internet, then you need to work with these tools.

Online

Serving Inside the Firewall

Some network server software is only used on internal networks. DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol), printing services, NFS, and NIS are some of the most common private services.

Online

In Print

Serving to the Internet

We covered a lot of ground in Chapter 24, and these references reflect that. DNS (Domain Name System), FTP (File Transfer Protocol), news servers are all grist for your mill. Here are some handy references for Internet services software.

Online

In Print

Using Sendmail: An Introduction

Sendmail has been around since the mid-1980's, and though venerable, remains the number one piece of mail server software world-wide, handling perhaps 80% of the email that's transported. Written and maintained by Eric Allman (now along with the other engineers at Sendmail, Inc.), Sendmail is a big, complex program, with a challenging configuration.

Online

In Print

Apache - Serving Web Pages

The Apache Project maintains the single most popular web server software on the planet. httpd, the actual server daemon, is capable of serving multiple virtual sites from a single host, and has a wide variety of add-in modules to provide enhanced functionality from CGI to Microsoft Front Page Extensions.

Online

In Print

Running Samba - Windows Spoken Here

Samba is the suite of programs that allows Linux to provide Windows File and Print sharing services, as well as permitting Linux clients to connect to Windows-based resources.

Online

In Print



Licenced under the Open Content License ver. 1

Copyright © 2001 - Brian P. Bilbrey & Tom Syroid All Rights Reserved.