Beginning Fedora 2

What is this book about?

Beginning Fedora 2 teaches you everything you need to know in order to install, configure, use, and maintain Fedora. This book targeted primarily at readers who are using (or planning to use) the Fedora Linux operating system for the first time. It offers the simple, plain-speaking guidance you need as you begin to explore the vast potential of open source software.

The key features of the book include the following:

• Installing Linux, especially how to prepare so that you don''t get any nasty surprises halfway through
• The basics of Linux, including a tour of the desktop interface and how to use user accounts, the Linux file system, hardware configuration, and managing your machine''s resources
• Configuring your Linux machine to connect to the Internet, or to a local area network, so that you can start to send and receive e-mails and use the Internet
• Installing new packages, upgrading packages, and removing packages
• Exploring the many applications to perform everyday tasks, such as web browsers, office applications, and MP3 players
• Explaining how to use the shell, including combining commands into a script, defining the input to (and output from) a script, and how to build logical structures into scripts, get them to run in specific circumstances, and manage multiple tasks at the same time
• A detailed explanation of the Linux file system, how to manage your files and directories, and how to use the shell to generate and manipulate the output from predefined or custom scripts
• Configuring your Linux machine to provide services to other machines on a network, such as how to set your machine up as a FTP server, a Web server, a file server, a printer servers, a mail server, or a DHCP server
• Administration topics, such as how to analyze system log files and use them to track down problems with the system, backups and archives, tarballs, and explore how to customize and recompile the Linux kernel
• Using scripting, specifically Perl, to automate the common task of managing the log files
• Securing your machine using a firewall

New features include how to participate in the Fedora community, strategies for working in an unsupported environment, how to keep up with Core releases, and more!

Fedora 2 is the current version of the most popular Linux operating system, released by the Red Hat-sponsored open source Fedora project. This book provides everything you need to use it effectively, including the Fedora Core 2 Linux distribution on DVD.

After reviewing Linux basics, you’ll move step by step through installing Fedora 2, setting up applications, connecting to the Internet, building networks, establishing a firewall, and more. You will discover how to use the shell, manage the filesystem, and set up user accounts. Finally, you will explore advanced system administration and development, learning about the Linux kernel, how to manage your system with Perl, and how you can contribute to the Fedora Project.

What you will learn from this book

• A basic understanding of the Fedora operating system, including essential and optional components
• Procedures for installing, configuring, and securing Fedora
• How to set up a simple network using Fedora and such components as Web servers and mail servers
• Some advanced system administration concepts, including best practices guidelines
• How to create a simple Web site using Fedora and Perl
• Techniques for analyzing system log files and using them to track down problems
• Ways to keep up with Core releases and add and remove packages

Who this book is for

This book is for Linux newcomers who want to learn to use Fedora 2. Some knowledge of the Microsoft® Windows environment is helpful.

Wrox Beginning guides are crafted to make learning programming languages and technologies easier than you think, providing a structured tutorial format that will guide you through all the techniques involved.

Shishir Gundavaram is the Chief Technology Officer for MechanicNet Group, a company that specializes in providing CRM services for the automotive repair and maintenance industry. When he is not dealing with auto mechanics and broken-down cars, Shishir consults for a number of companies, designing architecture and providing technical expertise. He has more than a decade of experience in various aspects of software development and is considered an expert in wireless applications, distributed systems, electronic commerce, and Web backend architecture. He is also the author of various articles and books, including Professional Perl Development, CGI Programming on the World Wide Web, and Scripting Languages: Automating the Web, and he is regularly invited to speak at technical conferences around the world.

Pancrazio "Ezio" de Mauro has been using Red Hat Linux since 1996. He is a Linux consultant specializing in system integration, mobile technologies, and training. He actively supports and advocates the use of free software. Ezio spends most of his free time traveling and backpacking. He welcomes comments and questions at his e-mail address, pdm@demauro.net.

Mark Mamone, a Solutions Specialist working for Syntegra Ltd in the UK, has 16 years of experience in the IT industry ranging from Assembler to MS-DOS and now specializing in the development of enterprise and mobile systems using a variety of technologies, including Microsoft .NET, Java, and Linux.

Kapil Sharma developed a keen interest in Linux and open source technology in the mid-1990s and has been working on various UNIX systems and Internet security technologies for more than 10 years. He is a postgraduate in Business Computing and has deployed many UNIX, High availability, Clustering, and Internet security projects. He is a Sun Certified System Administrator (SCSA) and Sun Certified Network Administrator (SCNA). Kapil is also actively involved in the open source community and has contributed many technical articles on system and network security. He enjoys working on new challenges in Internet security, Internet architecture design, and various UNIX flavors. He also fancies technical writing and thereby sharing his knowledge with the community. He maintains a consultancy company for providing UNIX and Internet security solutions, and a Web site with loads of security resources at www.linux4biz.net.
Apart from his hectic technical life, Kapil also enjoys clubbing, music, and touring the world. He currently lives with his wife, Usha Sharma, in London, U.K., and can be contacted via e-mail at kapil@linux4biz.net.

Deepak Thomas lives and works in the San Francisco Bay area. His interests include PHP, Linux, and J2EE technologies. He has coauthored and reviewed several books for Wrox in these areas. In their spare time Deepak and Ansu go bike riding along the many beautiful trails in their part of the country.

Simon Whiting, a graduate of Clare College, University of Cambridge, is a Principal Consultant for AnIX Group Ltd and has been a Unix system administrator. He is an expert in Linux, storage area networks, and C, Perl, and Korn Shell programming.

Sandip Bhattacharya is an independent technology consultant specializing in Open Source technologies. He is a Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE), holds degrees in engineering and management, and is the author of a number of books and articles on Open Source software. He currently runs Puroga Technologies, a small startup with a focus on helping businesses use the Open Source revolution to their advantage. He can be contacted at sandip@puroga.com. Sandip is an active participant in various Open Source communities in India, especially his local LUG, the Indian Linux Users Group, Delhi (ILUGD).