SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop

Administration Guide

Publication Date 16 Apr 2012

Copyright © 2006–2012 Novell, Inc. and contributors. All rights reserved.

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or (at your option) version 1.3; with the Invariant Section being this copyright notice and license. A copy of the license version 1.2 is included in the section entitled GNU Free Documentation License.

For Novell trademarks, see the Novell Trademark and Service Mark list http://www.novell.com/company/legal/trademarks/tmlist.html. All other third party trademarks are the property of their respective owners. A trademark symbol (®, ™ etc.) denotes a Novell trademark; an asterisk (*) denotes a third party trademark.

All information found in this book has been compiled with utmost attention to detail. However, this does not guarantee complete accuracy. Neither Novell, Inc., SUSE LINUX Products GmbH, the authors, nor the translators shall be held liable for possible errors or the consequences thereof.


Contents

About This Guide
1. Available Documentation
2. Feedback
3. Documentation Conventions
I. Support and Common Tasks
1. YaST Online Update
1.1. The Online Update Dialog
1.2. Installing Patches
1.3. Automatic Online Update
2. Gathering System Information for Support
2.1. Novell Support Link Overview
2.2. Using Supportconfig
2.3. Submitting Information to Novell
2.4. For More Information
3. YaST in Text Mode
3.1. Navigation in Modules
3.2. Restriction of Key Combinations
3.3. YaST Command Line Options
4. Snapshots/Rollback with Snapper
4.1. Requirements
4.2. Using Snapper to Undo YaST and zypper Changes
4.3. Using Snapper to Restore Files from Hourly Backups
4.4. Managing Snapshots
4.5. Disabling Snapper
4.6. Creating Snapper Configurations
4.7. Limitations
4.8. Frequently Asked Questions
5. Remote Access with VNC
5.1. One-time VNC Sessions
5.2. Persistent VNC Sessions
6. GNOME Configuration for Administrators
6.1. The GConf System
6.2. Customizing Main Menu, Panel, and Application Browser
6.3. Starting Applications Automatically
6.4. Automounting and Managing Media Devices
6.5. Changing Preferred Applications
6.6. Managing Profiles Using Sabayon
6.7. Adding Document Templates
6.8. Desktop Lock Down Features
6.9. For More Information
7. Managing Software with Command Line Tools
7.1. Using Zypper
7.2. RPM—the Package Manager
8. Bash and Bash Scripts
8.1. What is The Shell?
8.2. Writing Shell Scripts
8.3. Redirecting Command Events
8.4. Using Aliases
8.5. Using Variables in Bash
8.6. Grouping And Combining Commands
8.7. Working with Common Flow Constructs
8.8. For More Information
II. System
9. 32-Bit and 64-Bit Applications in a 64-Bit System Environment
9.1. Runtime Support
9.2. Software Development
9.3. Software Compilation on Biarch Platforms
9.4. Kernel Specifications
10. Booting and Configuring a Linux System
10.1. The Linux Boot Process
10.2. The init Process
10.3. System Configuration via /etc/sysconfig
11. The Boot Loader GRUB
11.1. Booting with GRUB
11.2. Configuring the Boot Loader with YaST
11.3. Uninstalling the Linux Boot Loader
11.4. Creating Boot CDs
11.5. The Graphical SUSE Screen
11.6. Troubleshooting
11.7. For More Information
12. Special System Features
12.1. Information about Special Software Packages
12.2. Virtual Consoles
12.3. Keyboard Mapping
12.4. Language and Country-Specific Settings
13. Printer Operation
13.1. The Workflow of the Printing System
13.2. Methods and Protocols for Connecting Printers
13.3. Installing the Software
13.4. Network Printers
13.5. Printing from the Command Line
13.6. Special Features in SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop
13.7. Troubleshooting
14. Dynamic Kernel Device Management with udev
14.1. The /dev Directory
14.2. Kernel uevents and udev
14.3. Drivers, Kernel Modules and Devices
14.4. Booting and Initial Device Setup
14.5. Monitoring the Running udev Daemon
14.6. Influencing Kernel Device Event Handling with udev Rules
14.7. Persistent Device Naming
14.8. Files used by udev
14.9. For More Information
15. The X Window System
15.1. Manually Configuring the X Window System
15.2. Installing and Configuring Fonts
15.3. For More Information
16. Accessing File Systems with FUSE
16.1. Configuring FUSE
16.2. Available FUSE Plug-ins
16.3. For More Information
III. Mobile Computers
17. Mobile Computing with Linux
17.1. Laptops
17.2. Mobile Hardware
17.3. Cellular Phones and PDAs
17.4. For More Information
18. Wireless LAN
18.1. WLAN Standards
18.2. Operating Modes
18.3. Authentication
18.4. Encryption
18.5. Configuration with YaST
18.6. Tips and Tricks for Setting Up a WLAN
18.7. Troubleshooting
18.8. For More Information
19. Power Management
19.1. Power Saving Functions
19.2. Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI)
19.3. Rest for the Hard Disk
19.4. Troubleshooting
19.5. For More Information
20. Using Tablet PCs
20.1. Installing Tablet PC Packages
20.2. Configuring Your Tablet Device
20.3. Using the Virtual Keyboard
20.4. Rotating Your Display
20.5. Using Gesture Recognition
20.6. Taking Notes and Sketching with the Pen
20.7. Troubleshooting
20.8. For More Information
IV. Services
21. Basic Networking
21.1. IP Addresses and Routing
21.2. IPv6—The Next Generation Internet
21.3. Name Resolution
21.4. Configuring a Network Connection with YaST
21.5. NetworkManager
21.6. Configuring a Network Connection Manually
21.7. smpppd as Dial-up Assistant
22. SLP Services in the Network
22.1. Installation
22.2. Activating SLP
22.3. SLP Front-Ends in SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop
22.4. Providing Services via SLP
22.5. For More Information
23. Time Synchronization with NTP
23.1. Configuring an NTP Client with YaST
23.2. Manually Configuring ntp in the Network
23.3. Dynamic Time Synchronization at Runtime
23.4. Setting Up a Local Reference Clock
24. Using NetworkManager
24.1. Use Cases for NetworkManager
24.2. Enabling NetworkManager
24.3. Configuring Network Connections
24.4. Using KNetworkManager
24.5. Using GNOME NetworkManager Applet
24.6. NetworkManager and VPN
24.7. NetworkManager and Security
24.8. Frequently Asked Questions
24.9. Troubleshooting
24.10. For More Information
25. Samba
25.1. Terminology
25.2. Configuring a Samba Server
25.3. Configuring Clients
25.4. Samba as Login Server
25.5. For More Information
26. Sharing File Systems with NFS
26.1. Terminology
26.2. Installing NFS Server
26.3. Configuring NFS Server
26.4. Configuring Clients
26.5. For More Information
27. File Synchronization
27.1. Available Data Synchronization Software
27.2. Determining Factors for Selecting a Program
27.3. Introduction to CVS
27.4. Introduction to rsync
27.5. For More Information
V. Troubleshooting
28. Help and Documentation
28.1. Documentation Directory
28.2. Man Pages
28.3. Info Pages
28.4. Online Resources
29. Common Problems and Their Solutions
29.1. Finding and Gathering Information
29.2. Installation Problems
29.3. Boot Problems
29.4. Login Problems
29.5. Network Problems
29.6. Data Problems
A. GNU Licenses
A.1. GNU General Public License
A.2. GNU Free Documentation License

List of Figures

1.1. YaST Online Update—Qt Interface
1.2. YaST Online Update—GTK Interface
3.1. Main Window of YaST in Text Mode
3.2. The Software Installation Module
6.1. Sabayon: User Profile Editor
6.2. Sabayon: New Xnest Window
6.3. Sabayon: Selecting Users
10.1. System Services (Runlevel)
10.2. System Configuration Using the sysconfig Editor
11.1. Boot Loader Settings
17.1. Integrating a Mobile Computer in an Existing Environment
18.1. YaST: Configuring the Wireless Network Card
20.1. xvkbd Virtual Keyboard
20.2. Gesture Recognition with CellWriter
20.3. Annotating a PDF with Xournal
20.4. Editing Texts with Dasher
21.1. Simplified Layer Model for TCP/IP
21.2. TCP/IP Ethernet Packet
21.3. Configuring Network Settings
21.4. Modem Configuration
21.5. ISDN Configuration
21.6. ISDN Interface Configuration
21.7. DSL Configuration
23.1. YaST: NTP Server
23.2. Advanced NTP Configuration: Security Settings
24.1. GNOME Network Connections Dialog
24.2. KDE Network Configuration Dialog
24.3. KNetworkManager—Configured and Available Connections
26.1. NFS Client Configuration with YaST
29.1. Checking Media
29.2. Displaying Hardware Information
29.3. US Keyboard Layout
29.4. Automatic Repair Mode

List of Tables

7.1. The Most Important RPM Query Options
7.2. RPM Verify Options
8.1. Bash Configuration Files for Login Shells
8.2. Bash Configuration Files for Non-Login Shells
8.3. Special Files for Bash
8.4. Overview of a Standard Directory Tree
8.5. Useful Environment Variables
10.1. Available Runlevels
10.2. Possible init Script Options
11.1. Screen Resolution and Color Depth Reference
12.1. ulimit: Setting Resources for the User
15.1. Sections in /etc/X11/xorg.conf
15.2. Parameters of fc-list
16.1. Available FUSE Plug-ins
17.1. Use Cases for NetworkManager
18.1. Overview of Various WLAN Standards
21.1. Several Protocols in the TCP/IP Protocol Family
21.2. Specific Addresses
21.3. Private IP Address Domains
21.4. Various IPv6 Prefixes
21.5. Manual Network Configuration Scripts
21.6. Parameters for /etc/host.conf
21.7. Databases Available via /etc/nsswitch.conf
21.8. Configuration Options for NSS Databases
21.9. Some Start-Up Scripts for Network Programs
27.1. Features of the File Synchronization Tools: -- = very poor, - = poor or not available, o = medium, + = good, ++ = excellent, x = available
28.1. Man Pages—Categories and Descriptions
29.1. Log Files
29.2. System Information With the /proc File System
29.3. System Information With the /sys File System

List of Examples

4.1. Example timeline configuration
7.1. Zypper—List of Known Repositories
7.2. rpm -q -i wget
7.3. Script to Search for Packages
8.1. A Shell Script Printing a Text
10.1. A Minimal INIT INFO Block
12.1. Entry in /etc/crontab
12.2. /etc/crontab: Remove Time Stamp Files
12.3. Example for /etc/logrotate.conf
12.4. ulimit: Settings in ~/.bashrc
13.1. /etc/modprobe.conf: Interrupt Mode for the First Parallel Port
13.2. Error Message from lpd
13.3. Broadcast from the CUPS Network Server
14.1. Example udev Rules
15.1. Screen Section of the File /etc/X11/xorg.conf
21.1. Writing IP Addresses
21.2. Linking IP Addresses to the Netmask
21.3. Sample IPv6 Address
21.4. IPv6 Address Specifying the Prefix Length
21.5. /etc/resolv.conf
21.6. /etc/hosts
21.7. /etc/networks
21.8. /etc/host.conf
21.9. /etc/nsswitch.conf
21.10. Output of the Command ping
21.11. Output of the ifconfig Command
21.12. Output of the route -n Command
25.1. Global Section in smb.conf