Using and Administering Linux: Volume 1: Zero to SysAdmin: Getting Started, 2nd Edition

Unlike so many books that focus on how to use Linux, Linux and the Unix Philosophy explores the "way of thinking that is Linux" and why Linux is a superior implementation of this highly capable operating system. This book is a revision and expansion of a computer science classic. Every chapter has been thoroughly updated with Linux coverage. Linux and the Unix Philosophy falls squarely between the "softer" texts on iterative software design and project management and the "how-to" technical texts. Thus far, no one has come out with a book that addresses this topic, either in the Unix space or the Linux space. Linux and the Unix Philosophy covers the same ground as the first edition, while it also presents bold new ideas about Linux and Open Source. · Concise list of philosophy tenets makes it a handy quick reference · Anecdotal examples personalize the book for the reader · Conversational style makes it easy and joyful to read Table of Contents About the Author About the Technical Reviewers Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1: Introduction Objectives About Linux The Birth of Windows Black Box Syndrome The Birth of Linux The Open Box The Linux Truth Knowledge Flexibility Stability Scalability Security Freedom Our Software Rights Longevity Data Resist Malware Should I Be a SysAdmin? About This Course About the Experiments What to Do If the Experiments Do Not Work Terminology How to Access the Command Line Chapter Summary Exercises Chapter 2: Introduction to Operating Systems Objectives Choice – Really! What Is an Operating System? Hardware Motherboard The Processor Hyperthreading P- and E-Cores Peripherals The Operating System The Definition Typical Operating System Functions Memory Management Multitasking Multiuser Process Management Interprocess Communication Device Management Error Handling Utilities A Bit of History Starting with UNICS UNIX The Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD) The Unix Philosophy A (Very) Brief History of Linux Core Utilities GNU Coreutils util-linux Copyleft Games Chapter Summary Exercises Chapter 3: The Linux Philosophy for SysAdmins Objectives Background The Structure of the Philosophy The Tenets Data Streams Are a Universal Interface Transforming Data Streams Everything Is a File Use the Linux FHS Embrace the CLI Be the Lazy SysAdmin Automate Everything Always Use Shell Scripts Test Early and Test Often Use Commonsense Naming Store Data in Open Formats Use Separate Filesystems for Data Make Programs Portable Use Open Source Software Strive for Elegance Find the Simplicity Use Your Favorite Editor Document Everything Backup Everything – Frequently Follow Your Curiosity There Is No “Should” Mentor the Young SysAdmins Support Your Favorite Open Source Project Reality Bytes Chapter Summary Exercises Chapter 4: Preparation Objectives Overview Got Root? Hardware Specifications Host Software Requirements Installing VirtualBox Install VirtualBox on a Linux Host Install VirtualBox on a Windows Host Creating the VM VirtualBox Manager Configuring the Virtual Network Preparing Disk Space Windows Linux Download the ISO Image File Creating the VM Chapter Summary Exercises Chapter 5: Installing Linux Objectives Overview Insert the Fedora Live Image Boot the Live Image Installing Fedora Start the Installation Set the Host Name User Accounts Hard Drive Partitioning About Swap Space Finish Partitioning Begin the Installation Finish the Installation Shut Down the Live System Reconfigure the VM Create a Snapshot First Boot What to Do If the Experiments Do Not Work Chapter Summary Exercises Chapter 6: Using the Xfce Desktop Objectives Why Xfce The Desktop The File Manager Stability Xfce4 Terminal Emulator Configurability Getting Started Login First Look Exploring the Xfce Desktop Screensaver Settings Manager Adding Launchers to Panel 2 Default Applications Desktop Appearance Appearance Multiple Desktops Installing Updates Chapter Summary Exercises Chapter 7: Using the Linux Command Line Objectives Introduction Preparation Defining the Command Line CLI Terminology Command Prompt Command Line Command-Line Interface Command Terminal Console Virtual Consoles Using Virtual Consoles Terminal Emulator Pseudo-terminal Device Special Files Session Shell Using Different Shells Secure Shell (SSH) Screen The GUI and the CLI Some Important Linux Commands The PWD Directory Path Notation Styles Moving Around the Directory Tree Tab Completion Facility Exploring Files More Commands Command Recall and Editing Chapter Summary Exercises Chapter 8: Core Utilities Objectives GNU Coreutils util-linux Chapter Summary Exercises Chapter 9: Data Streams Objectives Data Streams as Raw Materials Text Streams: A Universal Interface STDIO File Handles Preparing a Logical Volume for Testing Storage Device Logical Structure Creating the New Volume Generating Data Streams Test a Theory with Yes The Boot Record Digging Deeper Randomness Pipe Dreams Building Pipelines Redirection Just grepping Around Chapter Summary Exercises Chapter 10: Text Editors Objectives Why We Need Text Editors Vim Other Editors Nano Emacs gnome-text-editor gedit Leafpad Kate xfw xed Learning Nano Learning Vim Setting SELinux to Permissive Use Your Favorite Text Editor Chapter Summary Exercises Chapter 11: Working as Root Objectives Why Root? More About the su Command Getting to Know the Root Account Disadvantages of Root Escalating User Privilege The Bad Ways Using sudo Do Do That sudo That You Do So Well The sudoers File Host Aliases User Aliases Command Aliases Environment Defaults Command Section Bypassing Passwords wheel Real SysAdmins Don’t sudo sudo or Not sudo Valid Uses for sudo Using su as Root Chapter Summary Exercises Chapter 12: Installing and Updating Software Objectives Dependency Hell RPM YUM DNF Installing Packages Installing Updates Post-update Tasks Removing Packages Groups Adding Repositories Other Software Installing Zoom Updating Zoom About the Kernel Chapter Summary Exercises Chapter 13: Tools for Problem Solving Objectives The Art of Problem Solving The Five Steps of Problem Solving Knowledge Observation Reasoning Action Test System Performance and Problem Solving top Summary Section Load Averages CPU Usage Process Section Things to Look for with CPU Usage Memory Statistics The Task List Signals Consistency Other top-Like Tools htop atop More Tools Memory Tools Tools That Display Disk I/O Statistics The /proc Filesystem Exploring Hardware Monitoring Hardware Temperatures Monitoring Storage Drives System Statistics with SAR Installation and Configuration Examining Collected Data Cleanup Chapter Summary Exercises Chapter 14: Terminal Emulator Mania Objectives About Terminals My Requirements The Terminal Emulators rxvt xfce4-terminal LXTerminal Tilix Konsole Terminator Chapter Summary Exercises Chapter 15: Advanced Shell Topics Objectives The Bash Shell Shell Options Shell Variables Commands The PATH Internal Commands External Commands Forcing the Use of External Commands Command-Line Programs Time-Saving Tools Brace Expansion Special Pattern Characters Sets Meta-characters Using grep Finding Files Chapter Summary Exercises Chapter 16: Linux Boot and Startup Objectives Overview Hardware Boot The Boot Sector The MBR The GPT Impact Linux Boot GRUB GRUB Stage 1 GRUB Stage 1.5 GRUB Stage 2 Configuring GRUB Finishing GRUB Boot The Linux Kernel Linux Startup Text-Mode Startup systemd Graphical Login Screen Display Manager Window Manager How Do I Deal with All These Choices? Recovery Mode When Booting to Rescue Mode Fails Working in Rescue Mode About the Login CLI Login Screen GUI Login Screen Chapter Summary Exercises Chapter 17: Shell Configuration Objectives Starting the Shell Non-login Shell Startup Login Shell Startup Exploring the Global Configuration Scripts Exploring the Local Configuration Scripts Testing It Exploring the Environment User Shell Variables Aliases Chapter Summary Exercises Chapter 18: Files, Directories, and Links Objectives Introduction Preparation User Accounts and Security File Attributes File Ownership File Permissions Directory Permissions Implications of Group Ownership umask Changing File Permissions Applying Permissions Timestamps File Meta-structures The Directory Entry The inode File Information Links Hard Links Locating Files with Several Hard Links Symbolic (Soft) Links Chapter Summary Exercises Chapter 19: Filesystems Objectives Overview Definitions Filesystem Storage Filesystem Functions The Linux Filesystem Hierarchical Standard The Standard Problem Solving Using the Filesystem Incorrectly Adhering to the Standard Linux Unified Directory Structure Filesystem Types Mounting The Linux EXT4 Filesystem Cylinder Groups The inode Journal Data Allocation Strategies Data Fragmentation Repairing Problems The /etc/fstab File Repairing Damaged Filesystems Using a Fedora Live USB Device for System Recovery Recovery Mode Using a Live USB Image Finding Lost Files Creating a New Filesystem Finding Space Add a New Virtual Hard Drive Other Filesystems Chapter Summary Exercises Index Learn to be a Linux sysadmin and an expert user of the Linux operating system, even with no previous Linux experience. This second edition of the popular and highly rated Linux self-study training course has been fully updated to Fedora Linux 37 with expanded and revised content and figures as well new chapters on the BTRFS file system, using Zram for swap, NetworkManager, automation with Ansible, and systemd. Like the previous version, this edition has been reviewed for technical accuracy by a highly respected Linux expert and will prepare you to manage complex systems with ease and equip you for a new career. It has also been reviewed by a student who took this course to ensure its readability and flow for those with little or no previous experience with Linux. In this first volume of the training course series, you will learn about operating systems in general and Linux in particular, and explore the Linux philosophy for SysAdmins in preparation for the rest of the course. This book provides you with the tools necessary for mastering user management; installing, updating, and deleting software; and using command line tools to do performance tuning and basic problem determination. You'll begin by creating a virtual network and installing an instance of Fedora – a popular and powerful Linux distribution – on a VirtualBox VM that can be used for all of the experiments on an existing Windows or Linux computer. You’ll then move on to the basics of using the Xfce GUI desktop and the many tools Linux provides for working on the command line including virtual consoles, various terminal emulators, Bash, and other shells. Explore data streams and the Linux tools used to manipulate them, and learn about the Vim text editor, which is indispensable to advanced Linux users and system administrators and be introduced to some other text editors. You’ll also see how to install software updates and new software, learn additional terminal emulators, and some advanced shell skills. Examine the sequence of events that take place as the computer boots and Linux starts up, configure your shell to personalize it in ways that can seriously enhance your command line efficiency, and delve into files and filesystems. What You Will Learn: • Install Fedora Linux and basic configuration of the Xfce desktop • Access the root user ID, and the care that must be taken when working as root • Use Bash and other shells in the Linux virtual consoles and terminal emulators • Create and modify system configuration files with Use the Vim text editor • Explore administrative tools available to root that enable you to manage users, filesystems, processes, and basic network communications • Configure the boot and startup sequences Who This Book Is For: Anyone who wants to learn Linux as an advanced user and system administrator at the command line while using the GUI desktop to leverage productivity.

"Reading this book has filled a gap in my education. I feel a sense of completion, understand that UNIX is really a style of community. Now I get it, at least I get it one level deeper than I ever did before. This book came at a perfect moment for me, a moment when I shifted from visualizing programs as things to programs as the shadows cast by communities. From this perspective, Eric makes UNIX make perfect sense."
—Kent Beck, author of Extreme Programming Explained, Test Driven Development, and Contributing to Eclipse

"A delightful, fascinating read, and the lessons in problem-solvng are essential to every programmer, on any OS."
—Bruce Eckel, author of Thinking in Java and Thinking in C++

Writing better software: 30 years of UNIX development wisdom

In this book, five years in the making, the author encapsulates three decades of unwritten, hard-won software engineering wisdom. Raymond brings together for the first time the philosophy, design patterns, tools, culture, and traditions that make UNIX home to the world's best and most innovative software, and shows how these are carried forward in Linux and today's open-source movement. Using examples from leading open-source projects, he shows UNIX and Linux programmers how to apply this wisdom in building software that's more elegant, more portable, more reusable, and longer-lived.

Raymond incorporates commentary from thirteen UNIX pioneers:

• Ken Thompson, the inventor of UNIX.
• Ken Arnold, part of the group that created the 4BSD UNIX releases and co-author of The Java Programming Language.
• Steven M. Bellovin, co-creator of Usenet and co-author of Firewalls and InternetSecurity.
• Stuart Feldman, a member of the Bell Labs UNIX development group and the author of make and f77.
• Jim Gettys and Keith Packard, principal architects of the X windowing system.
• Steve Johnson, author of yacc and of the Portable C Compiler.
  
• Brian Kernighan, co-author of The C Programming Language, The UNIX Programming Environment, The Practice of Programming, and of the awk programming language.
• David Korn, creator of the korn shell and author of The New Korn Shell Command and Programming Language.
• Mike Lesk, a member of the Bell Labs development group and author of the ms macro package, the tbl and refer tools,lex and UUCP.
• Doug McIlroy, Director of the Bell Labs research group where UNIX was born and inventor of the UNIX pipe.
• Marshall Kirk McKusick, developer of the 4.2BSD fast filesystem and a leader of the 4.3BSD and 4.4BSD teams.
• Henry Spencer, a leader among early UNIX developers, who created getopt, the first open-source string library, and a regular-expression engine used in 4.4BSD.

Unlike so many books that focus on how to use Linux, Linux and the Unix Philosophy explores the "way of thinking that is Linux" and why Linux is a superior implementation of this highly capable operating system. This book is a revision and expansion of a computer science classic. Every chapter has been thoroughly updated with Linux coverage. Linux and the Unix Philosophy falls squarely between the "softer" texts on iterative software design and project management and the "how-to" technical texts. Thus far, no one has come out with a book that addresses this topic, either in the Unix space or the Linux space. Linux and the Unix Philosophy covers the same ground as the first edition, while it also presents bold new ideas about Linux and Open Source. The Art of UNIX Programming poses the belief that understanding the unwritten UNIX engineering tradition and mastering its design patterns will help programmers of all stripes to become better programmers. This book attempts to capture the engineering wisdom and design philosophy of the UNIX, Linux, and Open Source software development community as it has evolved over the past three decades, and as it is applied today by the most experienced programmers. Eric Raymond offers the next generation of "hackers" the unique opportunity to learn the connection between UNIX philosophy and practice through careful case studies of the very best UNIX/Linux programs. The Art of Unix Programming attempts to capture the engineering wisdom and philosophy of the Unix community as it's applied today — not merely as it has been written down in the past, but as a living "special transmission, outside the scriptures" passed from guru to guru. Accordingly, the book doesn't focus so much on "what" as on "why", showing the connection between Unix philosophy and practice through case studies in widely available open-source software. [Authors Site][1] [1]: http://catb.org/~esr/writings/taoup/