Slackware Linux Essentials
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Preface

+ +

Intended +Audience

+ +

The Slackware Linux operating system is a powerful platform for Intel-based computers. +It is designed to be stable, secure, and functional as both a high-end server and +powerful workstation.

+ +

This book is designed to get you started with the Slackware Linux operating system. +It's not meant to cover every single aspect of the distribution, but rather to show what +it is capable of and give you a basic working knowledge of the system.

+ +

As you gain experience with Slackware Linux, we hope you find this book to be a handy +reference. We also hope you'll lend it to all of your friends when they come asking about +that cool Slackware Linux operating system you're running.

+ +

While this book may not an edge-of-your-seat novel, we certainly tried to make it as +entertaining as possible. With any luck, we'll get a movie deal. Of course, we also hope +you are able to learn from it and find it useful.

+ +

And now, on with the show.

+ +

Changes from +the First Edition

+ +

This second edition is the culmination of years of hard work by the dedicated members +of the Slackware Documentation Project. The following are the major changes in this new +edition:

+ +

+
Chapter 3, Installation, has been modified with new +screenshots of the installer, and reflects changes in disk-sets, and CD installation.
+
+
Chapter 4, System Configuration, has been +updated with new information about Linux 2.6.x kernels.
+
+
Chapter 5, Network Configuration, has been +expanded with further explanation of Samba, NFS, and DHCP. A section on wireless +networking has also been added. This chapter now reflects major changes in how Slackware +handles network setup.
+
+
Chapter 6, X Window System, has been substantially +rewritten for Xorg based systems. This chapter now also covers the xdm graphical login +manager.
+
+
Chapter 13, Basic Network Commands, has been +enhanced with information about additional network utilities.
+
+
Chapter 14, Security, is a new chapter with this edition. +It explains how to keep a Slackware Linux system secure.
+
+
Chapter 17, Emacs, is a new chapter with this edition. It +describes how to use Emacs, a powerful editor for Unix.
+
+
Chapter 18, Package Management, has been updated +with information about SlackBuild scripts.
+
+
There are many other changes, both minor and major, to reflect changes in Slackware as +it has matured.
+

+ +

Organization of this Book

+ +

Chapter 1, Introduction: +
Provides introductory material on Linux, Slackware, and the Open Source and Free +Software Movements.
+
Chapter 2, Help: +
Describes the help resources available on a Slackware Linux system and online.
+
Chapter 3, Installation: +
Describes the installation process step-by-step with screenshots to provide an +illustrative walk-through.
+
Chapter 4, System Configuration: +
Describes the important configuration files and covers kernel recompilation.
+
Chapter 5, Network Configuration: +
Describes how to connect a Slackware Linux machine to a network. Covers TCP/IP, +PPP/dial-up, wireless networking, and more.
+
Chapter 6, The X Window System: +
Describes how to setup and use the graphical X Window System in Slackware.
+
Chapter 7, Booting: +
Describes the process by which a computer boots into Slackware Linux. Also covers +dual-booting with Microsoft Windows operating systems.
+
Chapter 8, The Shell: +
Describes the powerful command line interface for Linux.
+
Chapter 9, Filesystem Structure: +
Describes the filesystem structure, including file ownership, permission, and +linking.
+
Chapter 10, Handling Files and Directories: +
Describes the commands used to manipulate files and directories from the command line +interface.
+
Chapter 11, Process Control: +
Describes the powerful Linux process management commands used to manage multiple +running applications.
+
Chapter 12, Essential System +Administration: +
Describes basic system administration tasks such as adding and removing users, +shutting down the system properly, and more.
+
Chapter 13, Basic Network Commands: +
Describes the collection of network clients included with Slackware.
+
Chapter 14, Security: +
Describes many different tools available to help keep your Slackware system secure, +including iptables and tcpwrappers.
+
Chapter 15, Archive Files: +
Describes the different compression and archive utilities available for Linux.
+
Chapter 16, vi: +
Describes the powerful vi text editor.
+
Chapter 17, Emacs: +
Describes the powerful Emacs text editor.
+
Chapter 18, Slackware Package Management: +
Describes the Slackware package utilities and the process used to create custom +packages and tagfiles.
+
Chapter 19, ZipSlack: +
Describes the ZipSlack version of Linux that can be used from Windows without +requiring an installation.
+
Appendix A, The GNU General Public License: +
Describes the license terms under which Slackware Linux and this book can be copied +and distributed.
+

+ +

Conventions used in +this book

+ +

To provide a consistent and easy to read text, several conventions are followed +throughout the book.

+ +

Typographic Conventions

+ +

Italic: +
An italic font is used for +commands, emphasized text, and the first usage of technical terms.
+
Monospace: +
A monospaced font is used for error messages, commands, +environment variables, names of ports, hostnames, user names, group names, device names, +variables, and code fragments.
+
Bold: +
A bold font is used for user input in examples.
+

+ +

User Input

+ +

Keys are shown in bold to stand out from other text. Key +combinations that are meant to be typed simultaneously are shown with `+' between the keys, such as:

+ +

Ctrl+Alt+Del

+ +

Meaning the user should type the Ctrl, Alt, and Del keys at the same time.

+ +

Keys that are meant to be typed in sequence will be separated with commas, for +example:

+ +

Ctrl+X, Ctrl+S

+ +

Would mean that the user is expected to type the Ctrl and X keys simultaneously and then to type the Ctrl +and S keys simultaneously.

+ +

Examples

+ +

Examples starting with E:\> indicate a MS-DOS® command. Unless otherwise noted, these commands may +be executed from a “Command Prompt” window in a modern Microsoft® Windows® +environment.

+ + + + + +

+D:\> rawrite a: bare.i
+

+ +

Examples starting with # indicate a command that must be +invoked as the superuser in Slackware. You can login as root to +type the command, or login as your normal account and use su(1) to gain superuser +privileges.

+ + + + + +

+# dd if=bare.i of=/dev/fd0
+

+ +

Examples starting with % indicate a command that should be +invoked from a normal user account. Unless otherwise noted, C-shell syntax is used for +setting environment variables and other shell commands.

+ + + + + +

+% top
+

+ +

Acknowledgments

+ +

This project is the accumulation of months of work by many dedicated individuals. It +would not have been possible for me to produce this work in a vacuum. Many people deserve +our thanks for their selfless acts: Keith Keller for his work on wireless networking, +Joost Kremers for his great work in single-handedly writing the emacs section, Simon +Williams for the security chapter, Jurgen Phillippaerts for basic networking commands, +Cibao Cu Ali G Colibri for the inspiration and a good kick in the pants. Countless others +have sent in suggestions and fixes. An incomplete list includes: Jacob Anhoej, John Yast, +Sally Welch, Morgan Landry, and Charlie Law. I'd also like to thank Keith Keller for +hosting the mailing list for this project, as well as Carl Inglis for the initial web +hosting. Last but not least, I'd like to thank Patrick J. Volkerding for Slackware Linux, +and David Cantrell, Logan Johnson, and Chris Lumens for Slackware Linux Essentials 1st +Edition. Without their initial framework, none of this would have ever happened. Many +others have contributed in small and large ways to this project and have not been listed. +I hope they will forgive me for a poor memory.

+ +

Alan Hicks, May 2005

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