5. Take note of RH Up2Date icon on
taskbar (Check your Linux email account for a note on a possible problem
with this feature.)
6. Explore Linux help systems
- Open graphic-based help system from Start Menu. (This system is
mainly about using
the Gnome desktop.)
- Check out the Manual page section for applications. These files
can be accessed through Gnome or from a text-based terminal. Open the
documentation for Gimp.
- Now, right-click on the desktop and open a Terminal Session.
Enter man gimp at the command prompt. (Are the two sets of
documentation equivalent?)
- Open the Info section of the GUI-based help applet and open the
entry on Emacs. From the command prompt in your terminal window, enter
the command "info emacs." Compare the results.
Manual pages and the Info system are two help systems built into the
Linux operating system.
7. Working with Linux at the console.
- Use command line help systems: $ help string, $ locate string, $ apropos string
See Intro to Linux
notes handout, p. 11
- Issue the command CD / from your terminal window to go to the
root directory of the Linux partition. Use the "ls" command,
(equivalent to the DOS DIR command) to show all the directories on the
partition. (See Jang, ch. 7, page 236 for a brief description of the RH
Linux filesystem layout:
/ /bin /boot /dev /etc /home /initrd /lib
/lost+found /misc /mnt
/opt /proc /root /sbin /tftpboot /tmp /usr /var
Explanation of
files in /etc directory
Explanation
of default colors for ls
- See Intro to Linux
handout, p. 8, for details on working in the Linux shell:
default shell is Bash
Important commands: (see Jang, p. 215-228)
ls, pwd, cd, cp, rm, rename, mkdir, rmdir, mv, cat, su, find,
locate, grep
See also
http://www.groovyweb.uklinux.net/?page_name=unixcommands
Console Exercises
list contents of directory in default view and details view
determine current directory
log into a different directory
make a copy of a file in the same directory
copy a file from one directory to another
delete a file
rename a file
create a directory
remove a directory
move a file
create symbolic links
create a new file with touch
change read/write file permissions with chmod ("rule of 7")
search for files with find and locate (use locate -u to update system
database)
use pipes (< >) to save a search
use grep to search for word patterns in files (grep pattern file 1
file 2) (grep -l string * )
combine commands with $ ( ln -s $(locate '*.jpg') jpegfiles
use Ctrl+Z to suspend a program and fg to return to it.
[Break]
10. Practical Application Exercises
- Make Linux floppy bootdisk. (See http://www.reallylinux.com/docs/bootdsk.html)
a) ls /lib/modules to determine kernel version
b) enter command type: mkbootdisk
--device /dev/fd0 x.x.x-x
(replace the x.x.x-x
with the kernel info you got from step a)
- Download and install an application from an rpm package
Bluefish HTML editor is available at
http://bluefish.openoffice.nl/download.html
- Repair Linux Up2Date utility and update system packages
- Use Mount and Umount commands to mount and unmount floppies, CD,
and FAT partition (through directory)
- Edit the /etc/FSTAB file to change permissions in the mounted
VFAT partition.
- Update RH Linux system files with Up2Date.
Homework:
Read
Read/review Jang, Chapters 8,3, 19
Practice installing RH Linux 9 at home (if possible). Take notes and
report difficulties. (Feel free to email me, if you encounter
difficulties.)
Browse through Neal Stephenson's Essay:
"In the Beginning
Was the Command Line."
(a printable text version can be downloaded
here).
