28 February 2004 ~ Jumping in head first
Topics: History ~ installation ~ logging in & out ~ Reboot & shutdown
Readings
- History & background
- An Overview of the UNIX Operating System ~ http://www.bell-labs.com/history/unix/tutorial.html ~ From the folks at Lucent, formerly Bell Labs, where UNIX was invented.
- The Creation of the UNIX Operating System ~ http://www.bell-labs.com/history/unix/ ~ Bell Labs, the inventors of UNIX, tell the story (stupidly broken up over page after page after page, instead of on one big page ... *sigh*).
- The new kernel: 2.6.0
- Linux v2.6 scales the enterprise ~ http://www.infoworld.com/article/04/01/30/05FElinux_1.html?s=feature ~ "Bigger, stronger kernel sizzles in our performance tests".
- How the Linux kernel gets built ~ http://www.infoworld.com/article/04/01/30/05FElinuxdev_1.html?s=feature ~ A nice overview of the kernel development process.
- Migrating to Linux kernel 2.6 -- Part 1: Customizing a 2.6-based kernel ~ http://www.linuxdevices.com/articles/AT3855888078.html
- Debian Kernel 2.6 How To ~ http://www.desktop-linux.net/debkernel.htm ~ An excellent walk-through for updating your kernel on Libranet or any Debian-based system.
- Linux distributions
- LinuxISO ~ http://www.linuxiso.org/
- Comparison of Linux Distributions ~ http://www.distrowatch.com/ ~ THE site for information about all the various Linux distros out there.
- CD-based Linux Distributions ~ http://www.distrowatch.com/cd.php ~ Linux distros that fit on one CD & allow you to boot off them without affecting your computer.
- Knoppix gives bootable, one-disk Linux ~ http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/library/l-knopp.html?ca=dgr-lnxw02Knoppix
- Looking at Libranet GNU/Linux 2.8 ~ http://www.linuxiran.org/modules/news/article.php?storyid=232
- Installation
- Partitioning
- Linux Partition HOWTO ~ http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/mini/Partition/ ~ The complete explanation about all facets of partitioning disks in Linux.
- An Introduction to Disk Partitions, from The Official Red Hat Linux x86 Installation Guide ~ http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/linux/RHL-8.0-Manual/install-guide/ch-partitions.html ~ It's from Red Hat, but it's distribution-agnostic, and it's excellent.
- Proper Filesystem Layout ~ http://linux.oreillynet.com/pub/a/linux/2001/10/11/filesystem.html ~ Ins and outs of setting your filesystem up for the best performance and easiest backups.
- Root
- Root 101: If you don't 'get it,' you probably haven't got it ~ http://www.iodynamics.com/education/root101.html ~ "This article is intended to help explain what root access is, whether you need it, what you can do with it, and how you can get it."
6 March 2004 ~ Installation & GUIs
Topics: Installation ~ X Windows ~ KDE & GNOME overview ~ updating Linux
Commands
- halt, shutdown, logout, exit
- startx
Programs
- Desktop environments: KDE & GNOME
- Updating Linux: apt-get
Readings
13 March 2004 ~ No class!
20 March 2004 ~ Your data
Topics: Files & directories ~ Konqueror file manager ~ permissions ~ help
Commands
- cd, ls, pwd
- file
- cp, mv, mkdir
- rm, rmdir
- ln
- more, cat
- find, locate, whereis
- chmod, chown, chgrp
- man, info
Programs
- File managers: Konqueror, Nautilus
Readings
- File system structure
- Top Level Directories in Linux ~ A brief list, from yours truly.
- Filesystem Hierarchy Standard ~ http://www.pathname.com/fhs/ ~ Want to know what /etc is for? Or /bin? This reference will tell you.
- Unix-like filesystem ~ http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/reference/ch-tutorial.en.html#s-unixfile ~ A short & concise explanation of basic concepts, from Debian.
- File System Structure, from The Official Red Hat Linux Reference Guide ~ http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/linux/RHL-8.0-Manual/ref-guide/ch-filesystem.html ~ A nice, clean overview, but be sure to notice the Red Hat-only sections.
- Managing Files and Directories, from The Official Red Hat Linux Getting Started Guide ~ http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/linux/RHL-8.0-Manual/getting-started-guide/ch-managers.html ~ All of chapter 12 is good, & applies to all Linux distributions, not just Red Hat.
- The /proc virtual filesystem
- The proc File System, from The Official Red Hat Linux Reference Guide ~ http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/linux/RHL-8.0-Manual/ref-guide/ch-proc.html ~ /proc is kinda weird, and all of chapter 2 is worth reading on the subject, no matter what Linux distro you're running.
- Administer Linux on the fly: Use the /proc filesystem to get a handle on your system ~ http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/library/l-adfly.html?ca=dgr-lnxw02LinuxOnTheFly
- Journaling file system
- Journaling File Systems: Advanced Linux file systems are bigger, faster, and more reliable ~ http://www.linux-mag.com/2002-10/jfs_01.html
- Files & directories using the command line
- Permissions
- Permissions ~ A brief overview.
- UNIX Tutorial: Lesson 6: File Permissions ~ http://www.ctssn.com/linux/lesson6.html
27 March 2004 ~ Administration using GUI tools
Topics: Webmin & built-in admin tools
Commands:
Programs
Readings
- System administration overviews
- Networking
- Users and Groups
- System Administration
3 April 2004 ~ Software installation
Topics: Installing software ~ building from source ~ recompiling the kernel
Commands
- rpm, apt-get
- ftp
- tar
- configure, make, make install
- make xconfig, make menuconfig, make config
- make dep, make clean, make bzImage
- make modules, make modules_install
Programs
- RPM: Gnome RPM, Package Manager, Red Carpet
- Kernel configuration: xconfig
Readings
10 April 2004 ~ No class
17 April 2004 ~ Commands galore
Topics: BASH shell ~ commands ~ basic sysadmin
Commands
- grep, cat, more, head, tail
- | (pipe), >, <
- *, ?, []
- alias, unalias
- &, ps, kill
- mount, umount
- df, du
- gzip, gunzip
Programs
- Add users (& much, much more): Linuxconf
Readings
- Collections
- Alphabetical Directory of Linux Commands ~ http://www.onlamp.com/linux/cmd/
- 'Dogs' of the Linux Shell ~ http://www.linuxjournal.com/article.php?sid=6158 ~ head, tail, tac, nl, fmt, fold, tr, pr, basename, dirname
- Free Online Unix Training Materials: Unix Commandline Skills ~ http://www.kegel.com/linux/training.html ~ Manuals and course notes, listed in order of increasing skill level
- Command Line Essentials ~ http://www.linuxgazette.com/node/view/8856 ~ "... some handy/common things you can do on the command line in Linux"
- Archiving
- CLI for noobies: making and melting tarballs ~ http://www.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=03/11/19/2314243
- UNIX Tutorial: Lesson 8: Archiving Utilities ~ http://www.ctssn.com/linux/lesson8.html
- Find
- A Very Valuable Find ~ http://www.linux-mag.com/2002-09/power_01.html
- Finding Things in Unix ~ http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/bsd/2002/02/21/FreeBSD_Basics.html ~ "One of the most useful utilities to be found on any Unix system is the find command. In the next two articles, I'd like to work you through the syntax of this command and provide you with some practical examples of its usage."
- Various commands
24 April 2004 ~ Day to day work
Topics: Text editors ~ office software ~ printing ~ Web browsers ~ Email
Commands
Programs
- Text editors: pico, vi, emacs, Kate, gEdit, KWrite
- Calendar: ical, calendar, KOrganizer
- Word processing: AbiWord
- Spreadsheet: Gnumeric
- Office Suite: OpenOffice, StarOffice, KOffice
- Web browsers: Mozilla, Netscape, Konqueror, Galeon, Opera
- Email: Evolution, Mozilla Mail, KMail, Sylpheed, balsa, pine
- Calculator: Calculator
- Personal Finance: GnuCash
Readings
1 May 2004 ~ Networking via NFS & Samba
Topics: Networking ~ Internetworking ~ NFS ~ Samba
Commands:
Programs:
- LinNeighborhood
- KSambaPlugin
Readings
8 May 2004 ~ Working with Windows
Topics: Windows partitions & floppies ~ Win4Lin ~ Wine
Commands:
Readings
15 May 2004 ~ Security / Goodbyes
Topics: Monitoring your system ~ securing security
Commands: top
Readings
- Starting to think about security
- The Official Red Hat Linux Security Guide ~ http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/linux/RHL-8.0-Manual/security-guide/
- Starting points of a secure Linux system ~ http://www.net-security.org/text/articles/starting.shtml ~ "... here are some good pointers to enhancing your system's security."
- Secure distributions
- Security resources
- Security Focus ~ http://www.securityfocus.com
- Qaddisin ~ http://www.qaddisin.com
- Qaddisin Security Blog ~ http://blog.qaddisin.com/ ~ News & commentary about the world of security
- System hardening
- UNIX System Hardening Checklist ~ http://www.linuxmagazine.com/2002-09/harden_list.htm
- Go Directly to Jail: Secure Untrusted Applications with Chroot ~ http://www.linux-mag.com/2002-12/chroot_01.html
- Firewalls
- Basic Firewall Configuration, from The Official Red Hat Linux Customization Guide ~ http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/linux/RHL-8.0-Manual/custom-guide/ch-basic-firewall.html
- Linux Productivity Magazine: IPTables ~ http://www.troubleshooters.com/lpm/200305/200305.htm ~ An excellent, lengthy introduction to IPTables.
- Linux Firewall and Security Site ~ http://www.linux-firewall-tools.com/linux/ ~ Papers, info, tools, and more. Especially check out the Firewall Design Tool link, which enables you to build the rules you need for your Linux firewall.
- User tools
- Intrusion Detection
- Real-time alerting with Snort, part 1, part 2, & part 3 ~ "Snort is built to perform one task and perform it very well. It does a magnificent job of detecting intrusions."
- Assessment tools
- Audit Your LAN Before the Bad Guys Do with nmap ~ http://networking.earthweb.com/netsecur/article/0,,12084_1429131,00.html ~ A very brief intro to one of the most useful security tools available: nmap.
- Scanning and Defending Networks with Nmap ~ http://www.linuxsecurity.com/feature_stories/feature_story-4.html ~ A more detailed look at nmap.
- Introduction to Nessus, a Vulnerability Scanner ~ http://www.linuxsecurity.com/feature_stories/nessusintro-printer.html ~ An excellent step-by-step overview of Nessus: how to install it & how to use it.
- Police your network traffic with IPTraf ~ http://techupdate.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t481-s2109393,00.html ~ An intro to an open source, free, "simple, reliable network monitoring tool"
- Bridge the Gap Between Physical and Virtual Networking with netstat ~ http://www.linuxjournal.com/article.php?sid=6613 ~ "Use netstat and a variety of options to see what services are available on what hosts, where the vulnerabilities are and more."
- Making a Connection with tcpdump ~ http://www.linuxjournal.com/article.php?sid=6446 ~ "How to use tcpdump and what to do with the data you collect."
- Incident Response Tools For Unix, Part One: System Tools ~ http://www.securityfocus.com/infocus/1679 ~ "... tools that are useful during incident response and investigation after a compromise has occurred ..."
- Open source security
- Viruses: a concern for all of us ~ http://tldp.org/linuxfocus/English/September2002/article255.shtml ~ An excellent overview of viruses, trojans, and the like, along with reasons that open source software is safer.
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