PC Magazine Linux Solutions: Your Guide To Installing, Running & Administering Linux

DESCRIPTION

Throughout the past ten years, Linux has grown from a hacker's toy to a fully mature operating system. Linux ranks as a professional strength platform for email, web, and file servers. It's low cost (often free) and ability to run efficiently on low-end hardware make it especially attractive to the budget minded user. This book is targeted at new Linux users who have Windows experience. Unlike Windows and Macintosh systems, one rarely buys a computer with Linux pre-installed. This being the case, it's difficult (if it's even possible) to simply call up the tech support line and walk through a problem. That is where PC Magazine Linux Solutions comes in handy. It covers common problems encountered while installing, running, and administering Linux machines, and it offers solutions to those problems. This book covers solutions-oriented topics on an as-needed basis so that the reader has the background to understand what he or she is doing when confronted with an unfamiliar task. Topics covered include: Determining Which Distribution is Right for You? Choosing Installation Packages Partitioning Your Hard Drive The 'root' User Explained Dual Boot Installations Logging In for the First Time Linux as a Web Server Integrating Linux and Windows with SAMBA Linux as a File Server GNOME KDE Customizing Your Environment Basic Admin Users, Groups and Permissions Backing Up Data Installing and Removing Software Doing the Windows SAMBA Using the World Wide Web Using Email Appendix A. What's on the CD TABLE OF CONTENTS PART I: BEFORE INSTALLATION. 1. Why Use Linux? 2. Which Distribution is Right for You? 3. Preparing for Installation. PART II: DURING INSTALLATION. 4. Getting LInux and Starting to Install. 5. Partitioning Your Hard Drive. 6. Using Accounts. 7. Setting Network Information. 8. Dual Boot Installation. PART III: RUNNING LINUX. 9. Desktop Solutions. 10. Customizing GNOME and KDE. 11. Using the Terminal. 12. Internet Solutions in Linux. PART IV: BASIC ADMINISTRATION. 13. User and File Management Solutions. 14. Backing Up Data. 15. Software Management Solutions. 16. Installing and Removing Hardware. 17. Automation and Timed Execution. 18. File Sharing Solutions. 19. Adjusting Your Internet Settings. 20. Linux Security Solutions. PART V: SERVER SOLUTIONS. 21. Web Server Solution. 22. Mail Server Solution. 23.Proxy Server Solution.