PrefaceWelcome to Fedora Linux: A Complete Guide to Red Hat's Community Distribution. I've based this book on the premise that the best way to learn Linux is to use it; each lab deals with a specific task or problem and starts with solutions. It then expands the discussion to explain the principles underlying the solutions and shows you where you can learn more about the topic if you want to dig deeper. Although the labs do build on each other in some small ways, I expect that most readers will jump from lab to lab according to their needs and interests rather than read the book linearly from front to back. Where appropriate, I have have included both graphical user interface and command-line techniques; use whichever approach suits your needs and style. This book is written for experienced computer users, regardless of their previous experience with Linux. It covers both desktop and server configurations, and is ideally suited to an administrator or power user migrating to Fedora Linux from another environment, such as Windows, Mac OS X, or Unix. This book is targeted at Fedora Core 6 but will also be useful to users of Fedora Core 5 and Fedora Core 7. Fedora is more than an operating system; it includes a wide range of applications, programming languages, and tools, and many of these packages are the subject of their own books. This book does not cover each topic in exhaustive detail; instead, it is designed to give you the most critical information in an accessible format and show you how the packages work within the context of Fedora.
How This Book Is OrganizedEach chapter in this book contains a number of labs. Each lab covers a task or problem and contains four sections:
The labs are grouped into 10 chapters:
What You Need to Use This BookSince this is a hands-on book, you'll want to have a computer available on which to run Fedora. Although you can use these labs with a production system, it's a good idea to use a noncritical machine so that you can freely experiment. And although it's not required, a good Internet connection is very helpful because it makes it easy to obtain software updates. If you have Fedora installed, that's greatbut if you don't, Chapter 1 will take you through the process. Conventions Used in This BookThe following typographical conventions are used in this book:
Using Code ExamplesThis book is here to help you get your job done. In general, you may use the code in this book in your programs and documentation. You do not need to contact O'Reilly for permission unless you're reproducing a significant portion of the code. For example, writing a program that uses several chunks of code from this book does not require permission. Selling or distributing a CD-ROM of examples from O'Reilly books does require permission. Answering a question by citing this book and quoting example code does not require permission. Incorporating a significant amount of example code from this book into your product's documentation does require permission. We appreciate, but do not require, attribution. An attribution usually includes the title, author, publisher, and ISBN. For example: "Fedora Linux by Chris Tyler. Copyright 2007 O'Reilly Media, Inc., 978-0-596-52682-5." Safari® EnabledWhen you see a Safari® Enabled icon on the cover of your favorite technology book, that means the book is available online through the O'Reilly Network Safari Bookshelf. Safari offers a solution that's better than e-books. It's a virtual library that lets you easily search thousands of top tech books, cut and paste code samples, download chapters, and find quick answers when you need the most accurate, current information. Try it for free at http://safari.oreilly.com. How to Contact UsPlease address comments and questions concerning this book to the publisher:
There is a web page for this book, which lists errata, examples, and any additional information. You can access this page at: To comment on or ask technical questions about this book, send email to: For more information about books, conferences, software, Resource Centers, and the O'Reilly Network, see the O'Reilly web site at: AcknowledgmentsThank you to the open source community and to Red Hat and the Fedora community in particular for developing, integrating, and supporting such a powerful collection of software. I'd like to thank my editor, Brian Jepson, for his patient and skillful work and many suggestions; to David Brickner for getting me started on this project; and to Behdad Esfahbod for his thoughtful and detailed technical review. My deep gratitude to my loving wife Diane and my girls Saralyn and Laura, who have patiently kept the family going without me for the past eight months. And above all, my humble thanks to God for the skills and understanding he has given memay they be used to His glory. |