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Practical Guide to Ubuntu Linux, A
- By Mark G. Sobell
- Published Dec 18, 2007 by Prentice Hall.
- Copyright 2008
- Dimensions: 7-3/8x9-1/4
- Pages: 1200
- Edition: 1st
- Book
- ISBN-10: 0-13-236039-X
- ISBN-13: 978-0-13-236039-5
- eBook (Adobe DRM)
- ISBN-10: 0-13-236026-8
- ISBN-13: 978-0-13-236026-5
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Product Author Bios
Mark G. Sobell is President of Sobell Associates Inc., a consulting firm that specializes in UNIX/Linux training, support, and custom software development. He has more than twenty-five years of experience working with UNIX and Linux systems and is the author of many best-selling books, including A Practical Guide to Red Hat® Linux®, Third Edition; A Practical Guide to Linux® Commands, Editors, and Shell Programming; and A Practical Guide to UNIX® for Mac OS® X Users (coauthored with Peter Seebach), all from Prentice Hall, and A Practical Guide to the UNIX System from Addison-Wesley.
A new edition of this title is available, ISBN-10: 0137003889 ISBN-13: 9780137003884
Praise for A Practical Guide to Ubuntu Linux®
“I am so impressed by how Mark Sobell can approach a complex topic in such an understandable manner. His command examples are especially useful in providing a novice (or even advanced) administrator with a cookbook on how to accomplish real-world tasks on Linux. He is truly an inspired technical writer!”
–George Vish II, Senior Education Consultant, Hewlett-Packard Company
“Overall, I think it’s a great, comprehensive Ubuntu book that’ll be a valuable resource for people of all technical levels.”
–John Dong, Ubuntu Forum Council Member, Backports Team Leader
“The JumpStart sections really offer a quick way to get things up and running, allowing you to dig into the details of his books later.”
–Scott Mann, Aztek Networks
“Ubuntu is gaining popularity at the rate alcohol did during prohibition, and it’s great to see a well-known author write a book on the latest and greatest version. Not only does it contain Ubuntu-specific information, but it also touches on general computer-related topics, which will help the average computer user to better understand what’s going on in the background. Great work, Mark!”
–Daniel R. Arfsten, Pro/ENGINEER Drafter/Designer
“I read a lot of Linux technical information every day, but I’m rarely impressed by tech books. I usually prefer online information sources instead. Mark Sobell’s books are a notable exception. They’re clearly written, technically accurate, comprehensive-and actually enjoyable to read.”
–Matthew Miller, Senior Systems Analyst/Administrator, BU Linux Project, Boston University Office, of Information Technology
“I would so love to be able to use this book to teach a class about not just Ubuntu or Linux but about computers in general. It is thorough and well written with good illustrations that explain important concepts for computer usage.”
–Nathan Eckenrode, New York Local Community Team
Praise for Other Books by Mark Sobell
“I currently own one of your books, A Practical Guide to Linux®. I believe this book is one of the most comprehensive and, as the title says, practical guides to Linux I have ever read. I consider myself a novice and I come back to this book over and over again.”
–Albert J. Nguyen
“Thank you for writing a book to help me get away from Windows XP and to never touch Windows Vista. The book is great; I am learning a lot of new concepts and commands. Linux is definitely getting easier to use.”
–James Moritz
“I have been wanting to make the jump to Linux but did not have the guts to do so-until I saw your familiarly titled A Practical Guide to Red Hat® Linux® at the bookstore. I picked up a copy and am eagerly looking forward to regaining my freedom.”
–Carmine Stoffo, Machine and Process Designer to pharmaceutical industry
“I am currently reading A Practical Guide to Red Hat® Linux® and am finally understanding the true power of the command line. I am new to Linux and your book is a treasure.”
–Juan Gonzalez
The Most Complete, Easy-to-Understand, and Useful Guide to Ubuntu Linux Desktops and Servers
Ubuntu Linux is a state-of-the-art operating system, and you need a book that’s just as advanced. Along with being the most comprehensive reference to installing, configuring, and working with Ubuntu, A Practical Guide to Ubuntu Linux® also provides extensive server coverage you won’t find in any other Ubuntu book.
Best-selling author Mark Sobell begins by walking you through every feature and technique you need to know, from installing Ubuntu–using the DVD included with the book–to working with GNOME, Samba, exim4, Apache, DNS, NIS, firestarter, and iptables. Sobell’s exceptionally clear explanations demystify everything from system security to Windows file/printer sharing.
Sobell presents full chapters on using Ubuntu from the command line and GUI; thorough system administration and security guidance; and up-to-the-minute, step-by-step instructions for setting up networks and every major type of Internet server. Along the way, you’ll learn both the “hows” and the “whys” of Ubuntu. Sobell knows every Linux nook and cranny: He’s taught hundreds of thousands of readers and never forgets what it’s like to be new to Linux. Whether you’re a user, administrator, or programmer, this book gives you all you need–and more.
Don’t settle for yesterday’s Ubuntu Linux book...get the ONLY book that meets today’s challenges and tomorrow’s!
This book delivers…
- Deeper coverage of the command line and the GNOME GUI, including GUI customization
- Coverage of important Ubuntu topics, such as sudo and the new Upstart init daemon
- More practical coverage of file sharing with Samba, NFS, and FTP
- More detailed, usable coverage of Internet server configuration, including Apache, exim4, and DNS/BIND
- More state-of-the-art security techniques, including firewall setup using firestarter and iptables, as well as a full chapter on OpenSSH and an appendix on security
- Deeper coverage of “meat-and-potatoes” system and network administration tasks–from managing users to CUPS printing, configuring LANs to building a kernel
- A more practical introduction to writing bash shell scripts
- Complete instructions on how to keep your Linux system up-to-date using aptitude, Synaptic, and the Software Sources window
- And much more...including a 500+ term glossary, five detailed appendixes, and a comprehensive index to help you find what you need fast
Print book includes DVD! Get the full version of the Ubuntu 7.10 (Gutsy Gibbon) release.
Author's Site
Please visit the author's website at www.sobell.com.
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35 of 36 people found the following review helpful
A complete guide to Ubuntu Linux for beginning to intermediate users, By
This review is from: A Practical Guide to Ubuntu Linux (Paperback)
Finding a single book that encompasses what you want to learn can be difficult. Most cover a few portions of a subject in depth and skim over (or omit) others. Other books will cover each topic at about the same level: high enough to give an impression of what can be done, but not with enough depth to do it without a lot of effort. Mark G. Sobell's "A Practical Guide to Ubuntu Linux" is a single volume that gives the reader enough information to effectively install, configure and run workstations and servers using Ubuntu Linux. He has come the closest I have seen to containing all of the necessary information without being too shallow. A DVD with the Gutsy Gibbon release of Ubuntu in a directly bootable form is included with the book.With over two decades of experience related to Unix and Linux, Mark G. Sobell has authored almost two dozen books on the subject. I had previously read and reviewed his book "A Practical Guide to Red Hat Linux: Fedora Core and Red Hat... Read more
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Worth It., By
This review is from: A Practical Guide to Ubuntu Linux (Paperback)
Usually, when I read through a book of this size, I find that it's full of "fluff". What really struck me on this book is there is just page after page after chapter after chapter of genuinely useful information. I have seen other readers reviews about how comprehensive this book is but you really don't know the magnitude until you actually have read through it.As a systems administrator, I naturally gravitated toward the chapters that deal with that kind of thing (chpts 13+). I found the information to be clear and correct and not at all too technical sounding as books dealing with such subjects can quickly become. So impressed was I by the read that I went back through all the early chapters as well. There is a plethora of really useful information there, something for everyone no matter what level of Linux user you may be. While this book is written primarily for Ubuntu users, and even includes the installation media, the vast majority of the information... Read more
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Outstanding Technical Resource,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: A Practical Guide to Ubuntu Linux (Paperback)
If you've decided on Debian/Ubuntu Linux as your distribution and you're not already a Linux expert then do yourself justice and purchase a copy of this book. It's thorough and comprehensive; all the while it's insightful and intriguing. The author does a competent job fleshing out concepts while not drowning the reader in distribution specific jargon (which is a real weakness in some Linux texts). The chapters are logically structured working up to more advanced topics and the author never insults the readers intelligence.I have used Unix/Linux off and on since 1999 and this book brought me back over to Linux. I've never been a particularly advanced user and I always hated searching online for hours trying to figure out how to do things in Linux. Now I just reference this book, which remains on my desk at all times. This is THE book to own for ordinary users and systems administrators alike. |
Table of Contents
Preface xxxvi
Chapter 1: Welcome to Linux 1
The GNU—Linux Connection 2
The Linux 2.6 Kernel 5
The Heritage of Linux: UNIX 5
What Is So Good About Linux? 6
Overview of Linux 10
Additional Features of Linux 15
Conventions Used in This Book 17
Chapter Summary 20
Exercises 20
PART I: Installing Ubuntu Linux 21
Chapter 2: Installation Overview 23
The Live/Install Desktop CD/DVD 24
More Information 24
Planning the Installation 25
The Installation Process 36
Downloading and Burning a CD/DVD 37
Gathering Information About the System 41
Chapter Summary 42
Exercises 43
Advanced Exercises 43
Chapter 3: Step-by-Step Installation 45
Basic Installation from the Live/Install Desktop CD/DVD 46
Graphical Partitioners 53
Upgrading to a New Release 59
Installing KDE 60
Setting Up a Dual-Boot System 61
Advanced Installation 62
The X Window System 74
Chapter Summary 83
Exercises 83
Advanced Exercises 84
PART II: Getting Started with Ubuntu Linux 85
Chapter 4: Introduction to Ubuntu Linux 87
Curbing Your Power: root Privileges/sudo 88
A Tour of the Ubuntu Linux Desktop 89
Getting the Most out of the Desktop 105
Updating, Installing, and Removing Software Packages 119
Where to Find Documentation 124
More About Logging In 132
Working from the Command Line 136
Controlling Windows: Advanced Operations 139
Chapter Summary 142
Exercises 143
Advanced Exercises 144
Chapter 5: The Linux Utilities 145
Special Characters 146
Basic Utilities 147
Working with Files 149
| (Pipe): Communicates Between Processes 156
Four More Utilities 157
Compressing and Archiving Files 159
Locating Commands 164
Obtaining User and System Information 166
Communicating with Other Users 170
Email 171
Tutorial: Creating and Editing a File with vim 172
Chapter Summary 179
Exercises 181
Advanced Exercises 182
Chapter 6: The Linux Filesystem 183
The Hierarchical Filesystem 184
Directory Files and Ordinary Files 184
Pathnames 189
Directory Commands 191
Working with Directories 196
Access Permissions 199
ACLs: Access Control Lists 203
Links 209
Chapter Summary 214
Exercises 216
Advanced Exercises 218
Chapter 7: The Shell 219
The Command Line 220
Standard Input and Standard Output 226
Running a Program in the Background 237
Filename Generation/Pathname Expansion 239
Builtins 243
Chapter Summary 244
Exercises 245
Advanced Exercises 247
PART III: Digging into Ubuntu Linux 249
Chapter 8: Linux GUIs: X and GNOME 251
X Window System 252
The Nautilus File Browser Window 260
GNOME Utilities 266
Chapter Summary 271
Exercises 272
Advanced Exercises 272
Chapter 9: The Bourne Again Shell 275
Background 276
Shell Basics 277
Parameters and Variables 295
Special Characters 309
Processes 310
History 312
Aliases 328
Functions 331
Controlling bash Features and Options 334
Processing the Command Line 338
Chapter Summary 347
Exercises 349
Advanced Exercises 351
Chapter 10: Networking and the Internet 353
Types of Networks and How They Work 355
Communicate Over a Network 370
Network Utilities 372
Distributed Computing 379
Usenet 388
WWW: World Wide Web 390
Chapter Summary 392
Exercises 393
Advanced Exercises 394
Chapter 11: Programming the Bourne Again Shell 395
Control Structures 396
File Descriptors 429
Parameters and Variables 432
Builtin Commands 444
Expressions 458
Shell Programs 466
Chapter Summary 476
Exercises 478
Advanced Exercises 480
PART IV: System Administration 483
Chapter 12: System Administration: Core Concepts 485
Running Commands with root Privileges 487
The Upstart Event-Based init Daemon 500
System Operation 510
Avoiding a Trojan Horse 520
Getting Help 522
Textual System Administration Utilities 522
Setting Up a Server 527
nsswitch.conf: Which Service to Look at First 542
PAM 545
Chapter Summary 550
Exercises 551
Advanced Exercises 551
Chapter 13: Files, Directories, and Filesystems 553
Important Files and Directories 554
File Types 566
Filesystems 570
Chapter Summary 580
Exercises 580
Advanced Exercises 581
Chapter 14: Downloading and Installing Software 583
JumpStart: Installing and Removing Packages Using aptitude 585
Finding the Package That Holds a File You Need 587
APT: Keeps the System Up-to-Date 588
dpkg: The Debian Package Management System 598
BitTorrent 604
Installing Non-dpkg Software 607
wget: Downloads Files Noninteractively 609
Chapter Summary 610
Exercises 610
Advanced Exercises 610
Chapter 15: Printing with CUPS 611
Introduction 612
JumpStart I: Configuring a Local Printer 614
system-config-printer: Configuring a Printer 614
JumpStart II: Configuring a Remote Printer Using the CUPS Web Interface 618
Traditional UNIX Printing 622
Configuring Printers 624
Printing from Windows 630
Printing to Windows 632
Chapter Summary 633
Exercises 633
Advanced Exercises 633
Chapter 16: Building a Linux Kernel 635
Prerequisites 636
Downloading the Kernel Source Code 637
Read the Documentation 638
Configuring and Compiling the Linux Kernel 639
Installing the Kernel, Modules, and Associated Files 646
Rebooting 647
grub: The Linux Boot Loader 647
dmesg: Displays Kernel Messages 654
Chapter Summary 655
Exercises 656
Advanced Exercises 656
Chapter 17: Administration Tasks 657
Configuring User and Group Accounts 658
Backing Up Files 662
Scheduling Tasks 668
System Reports 671
parted: Reports on and Partitions a Hard Disk 673
Keeping Users Informed 677
Creating Problems 678
Solving Problems 679
Chapter Summary 690
Exercises 690
Advanced Exercises 691
Chapter 18: Configuring a LAN 693
Setting Up the Hardware 694
Configuring the Systems 697
Setting Up Servers 702
More Information 703
Chapter Summary 703
Exercises 704
Advanced Exercises 704
PART V: Using Clients and Setting Up Servers 705
Chapter 19: OpenSSH: Secure Network Communication 707
Introduction 708
About OpenSSH 708
OpenSSH Clients 711
sshd: OpenSSH Server 720
Troubleshooting 724
Tunneling/Port Forwarding 725
Chapter Summary 727
Exercises 728
Advanced Exercises 728
Chapter 20: FTP: Transferring Files Across a Network 729
Introduction 730
More Information 731
FTP Client 731
FTP Server (vsftpd) 740
Chapter Summary 753
Exercises 753
Advanced Exercises 754
Chapter 21: exim4: Setting Up Mail Servers, Clients, and More 755
Introduction to exim4 756
JumpStart I: Configuring exim4 to Use a Smarthost 758
JumpStart II: Configuring exim4 to Send and Receive Email 760
How exim4 Works 761
Configuring exim4 765
SpamAssassin 768
Additional Email Tools 772
Authenticated Relaying 777
Alternatives to exim4 779
Chapter Summary 779
Exercises 780
Advanced Exercises 780
Chapter 22: NIS: Network Information Service 781
Introduction to NIS 782
How NIS Works 782
Setting Up an NIS Client 784
Setting Up an NIS Server 790
Chapter Summary 798
Exercises 798
Advanced Exercises 798
Chapter 23: NFS: Sharing Filesystems 799
Introduction 800
More Information 802
Setting Up an NFS Client 802
Setting Up an NFS Server 808
automount: Mounts Directory Hierarchies on Demand 818
Chapter Summary 821
Exercises 822
Advanced Exercises 822
Chapter 24: Samba: Linux and Windows File and Printer Sharing 823
Introduction 824
About Samba 825
JumpStart: Configuring a Samba Server Using shares-admin 826
swat: Configures a Samba Server 828
smb.conf: Manually Configuring a Samba Server 832
Accessing Linux Shares from Windows 838
Accessing Windows Shares from Linux 839
Troubleshooting 841
Chapter Summary 844
Exercises 844
Advanced Exercises 844
Chapter 25: DNS/BIND: Tracking Domain Names and Addresses 845
Introduction to DNS 846
About DNS 857
JumpStart: Setting Up a DNS Cache 858
Setting Up BIND 860
Troubleshooting 872
A Full-Functioned Nameserver 873
A Slave Server 877
A Split Horizon Server 878
Chapter Summary 883
Exercises 883
Advanced Exercises 884
Chapter 26: firestarter and iptables: Setting Up a Firewall 885
About firestarter 886
JumpStart: Building a Firewall Using the firestarter Firewall Wizard 888
firestarter: Maintains a Firewall 890
How iptables Works 896
About iptables 899
Anatomy of an iptables Command 900
Building a Set of Rules 901
Copying Rules to and from the Kernel 907
Sharing an Internet Connection Using NAT 908
Chapter Summary 912
Exercises 913
Advanced Exercises 913
Chapter 27: Apache: Setting Up a Web Server 915
Introduction 916
About Apache 917
JumpStart: Getting Apache Up and Running 919
Configuring Apache 921
Configuration Directives 925
The Ubuntu apache2.conf File 948
The Ubuntu default Configuration File 950
Redirects 951
Content Negotiation 951
Server-Generated Directory Listings (Indexing) 953
Virtual Hosts 953
Troubleshooting 956
Modules 957
webalizer: Analyzes Web Traffic 964
MRTG: Monitors Traffic Loads 964
Error Codes 964
Chapter Summary 965
Exercises 966
Advanced Exercises 966
PART VI: Appendixes 969
Appendix A: Regular Expressions 971
Characters 972
Delimiters 972
Simple Strings 972
Special Characters 972
Rules 975
Bracketing Expressions 976
The Replacement String 976
Extended Regular Expressions 977
Appendix Summary 979
Appendix B: Help 981
Solving a Problem 982
Finding Linux-Related Information 983
Specifying a Terminal 988
Appendix C: Security 991
Encryption 992
File Security 997
Email Security 997
Network Security 998
Host Security 1001
Security Resources 1006
Appendix Summary 1009
Appendix D: The Free Software Definition 1011
Appendix E: The Linux 2.6 Kernel 1015
Native Posix Thread Library (NPTL) 1016
IPSecurity (IPSec) 1016
Asynchronous I/O (AIO) 1016
O(1) Scheduler 1017
OProfile 1017
kksymoops 1017
Reverse Map Virtual Memory (rmap VM) 1017
HugeTLBFS: Translation Look-Aside Buffer Filesystem 1018
remap_file_pages 1018
2.6 Network Stack Features (IGMPv3, IPv6, and Others) 1018
Internet Protocol Virtual Server (IPVS) 1019
Access Control Lists (ACLs) 1019
4GB-4GB Memory Split: Physical Address Extension (PAE) 1019
Scheduler Support for HyperThreaded CPUs 1019
Block I/O (BIO) Block Layer 1019
Support for Filesystems Larger Than 2 Terabytes 1020
New I/O Elevators 1020
Interactive Scheduler Response Tuning 1020
Glossary 1021
Index 1071
Sample Pages
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