1.12. Additional Resources

1.12.1. Installed Documentation

The following resources are installed in the course of a typical Red Hat Linux installation, and can help you learn more about the subject matter discussed in this chapter.

Note

Red Hat Linux uses the man command to display online help text. The text to be displayed is known as a man page, and is displayed using the following command: man <man-page> (Replace <man-page> with the name of the desired man page.) Often you will see a man page followed by a number or letter within parentheses; this number or letter denotes the section under which the man page is filed. The sections include: Section 1 — User commands Section 2 — System calls Section 3 — Subroutines Section 4 — Devices Section 5 — File formats Section 6 — Games Section 7 — Miscellaneous Section 8 — System administration Section l — Local Section n — New It should be noted that many of the man pages have gotten their section classifications in years past, sometimes making the sections more of a historical curiosity than a factual classification system. However, there is one instance when the section number is important: when more than one man page exists with the same name. One example is chroot(1) and chroot(2). The first man page documents the chroot user command, while the second documents the chroot system call. If you enter the command man chroot, you will see the man page for the chroot user command[1]. In order to view the man page for the chroot system call, you must include the section number: man 2 chroot Once you are displaying a man page, you are actually using a text display program known as a pager. To display subsequent screens, press the [Space] key; to quit, press [Q]. The [H] key will display help for the pager.

• crontab(1) and crontab(5) man pages — Command and file format documentation for using cron.

• at(1) man page — Schedule commands and scripts for execution at a later time with this utility.

• bash(1) man page — Learn more about the default shell (and shell script writing) with this documentation.

• perl(1) man page — View pointers to the many man pages that make up perl's online documentation.

• gedit(1) man page and Help menu entry — Learn how to edit text files with this graphical text editor.

• emacs(1) man page — Information (including instructions for running an online tutorial) on how to use this text editor.

• vim(1) man page — Learn how to use this text-based editor.

• mozilla(1) man page and Help Contents menu entry — Learn how to edit HTML files, read mail, and browse the Web.

• Quanta Handbook menu entry — Learn how to edit HTML files with this graphical HTML editor.

• evolution(1) man page and Help menu entry — Learn how to manage your email with this graphical email client.

• pine(1) man page and ? menu entry — Learn how to manage your email with this text-based email client.

• mutt(1) man page and files in /usr/share/doc/mutt-<version> — Learn how to manage your email with this text-based email client.

• pam(8) man page and files in /usr/share/doc/pam-<version> — Learn how authentication takes place under Red Hat Linux.

• tripwire(8) man page — Learn how to configure and run this intrusion detection software.

1.12.2. Useful Websites

• http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/libs/pam/ — The Linux-PAM project homepage.

• http://www.usenix.org/ — The USENIX homepage. A professional organization dedicated to bringing together computer professionals of all types and fostering improved communication and innovation.

• http://www.sage.org/ — The System Administrators Guild homepage. A USENIX special technical group that is a good resource for all system administrators responsible for Linux (or Linux-like) operating systems.

• http://www.tripwire.org/ — The Tripwire homepage.

1.12.3. Related Books

Most books on system administration do little to cover the philosophy behind the job. However, the following books do have sections that give a bit more depth to the issues that were discussed here:

• The Red Hat Linux Reference Guide; Red Hat, Inc. — Provides an overview of locations of key system files, user and group settings, PAM configuration, and Tripwire usage.

• The Red Hat Linux Security Guide; Red Hat, Inc. — Contains a comprehensive discussion of many security-related issues for Red Hat Linux system administrators.

• The Red Hat Linux Customization Guide; Red Hat, Inc. — Includes chapters on managing users and groups, automating tasks, and managing log files.

• The Red Hat Linux Getting Started GuideRed Hat, Inc. — Discusses Web browsing, email, and basic shell command usage.

• The Official Red Hat Linux Administrator's Guide and the Official Red Hat Linux User's Guide (both published by Red Hat Press) are compilations of various chapters from the Red Hat Linux documentation mentioned above. As such, they are viable alternatives for people that do not have the printed Red Hat Linux manuals available to them.

• Linux Administration Handbook by Evi Nemeth, Garth Snyder, and Trent R. Hein; Prentice Hall — Provides a good section on the policies and politics side of system administration, including several "what-if" discussions concerning ethics.

• Linux System Administration: A User's Guide by Marcel Gagne; Addison Wesley Professional — Contains a good chapter on automating various tasks.

• Solaris System Management by John Philcox; New Riders Publishing — Although not specifically written for Red Hat Linux (or even Linux in general), and using the term "system manager" instead of "system administrator," this book provides a 70-page overview of the many roles that system administrators play in a typical organization.