![]()
Chapter 1
Starting with Ubuntu Linux
IN THIS CHAPTER
- Introducing Ubuntu Linux
- Finding Ubuntu resources
- Learning quick and powerful commands
- Referencing useful utilities
- Working as Linux gurus do
Whether you make extensive use of Ubuntu Linux at work every day, or just putter around with it once in a while, a book that presents efficient and comprehensive ways to maintain, monitor, secure, and enhance Ubuntu can be an invaluable resource.
Ubuntu Linux Toolbox, Second Edition is that resource.
Ubuntu Linux Toolbox, Second Edition is aimed primarily at power users and systems administrators. To give you what you need, I will show you how to quickly find and install software for Ubuntu, as well as how to update, maintain, and monitor the health and security of your system. In short, I will show you the most efficient ways of using Ubuntu by working with some of the powerful tools that are at your fingertips.
The goal of this book is to pack as much useful information as possible into a small package that you can carry around with you. To that end, I describe:
- CommandsāTons of command line examples demonstrate clever and useful ways to navigate the often daunting command line.
- GUI toolsāQuick tips for using graphical interface tools to administer and configure your Ubuntu system.
- Software repositoriesāMethods for downloading and installing the software, which is custom-made for your Ubuntu system.
- Online resourcesāWhere to find useful and helpful information about Ubuntu, such as mailing lists that you can subscribe to, IRC channels, and other online resources.
- Local documentationāTools for working with the man pages, the standard Linux and UNIX reference volumes, as well as specific documentation for the software you install.
Because this book is for people already familiar with Linux, there wonāt be a lot of screenshots of icons and menus. What you get instead is the quickest path to using your Ubuntu system to its fullest extent. Primarily, that means unlocking the mysteries of the command line to do things you can only dream about doing from the desktop.
What you learn in this book will help you become more adept at working with your Ubuntu or Debian system, as well as Linux in general. If this sounds useful to you, please read on.
Ubuntu, Debian, and Linux
Ubuntu is an operating system based on Debian GNU/Linux (www.debian.org). Debian has been around since the early 1990s, and because of its maturity, is regarded as a leading Linux distribution in terms of stability and security. Debian is also known for its strict adherence to free software (www.debian.org/intro/free). It is on this foundation that Ubuntu has been formed.
Debian has given rise to not only Ubuntu, but many other Linux distributions (www.debian.org/misc/children-distros). Some are derived directly from Debian, while others are Ubuntu derivatives:
- XubuntuāAn Xfce-based desktop system based on Ubuntu
- KubuntuāA KDE-based desktop system based on Ubuntu
- EdubuntuāAn Ubuntu derivative focused on schools
- Linux MintāAn easy-to-use desktop system with both Ubuntu and Debian roots
- KnoppixāA KDE desktop-oriented live CD based on Debian
- KanotixāA Debian-based live CD
- Damn Small LinuxāA tiny (50MB) live CD based on Knoppix
- MepisāA desktop live CD based on Ubuntu and Debian
Xubuntu, Kubuntu, and Edubuntu are the same Debian-based Ubuntu distribution under the hood. The only difference in these is the default desktop they run, or the collection of applications bundled with them. For example, Kubuntu features the KDE desktop and Adept package manager, which are not installed on Ubuntu by default. Edubuntu is geared toward educational applications, many of which are not installed by default on the other Ubuntu distros.
Because Debian and Ubuntu are open source systems with most parts built on the GNU General Public License (www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html), anyone is free to take the GPL-based source code, or any part of the GPLād system, and modify, strip down, build upon, extend, embed, reverse-engineer, and freely distribute those changes or modifications. Generally, the only requirement is that you abide by the terms of the GPL, which basically states that any changes you make to existing GPL works must be made available for others to utilize in the same way (see www.debian.org/social_contract for other licenses Debian recognizes).
In the end, you have not only a superior system with a free, online, worldwide support base, but a product that is constantly evolving and that is driven by people with a passion for what they do. Many other Linux distributions offer these same advantages; however, Ubuntu has certainly pulled out in front in terms of popularity among desktop and first-time Linux users.
Understanding Ubuntu Releases
Every six months or so, a new release of Ubuntu comes out. You can choose which release you want to use from the Ubuntu Releases page (http://releases.ubuntu.com).
Short release cycles allow Ubuntu to always offer the latest open source software available. The downside of short release cycles, however, is that many businesses prefer stability over the latest bells and whistles. Traditionally, that is why business applications are more often run on Red Hat Enterprise Linux, which has a much longer major release cycle.
To deal with that issue, Canonical began offering releases of Ubuntu that were specified as Long Term Support (LTS) releases. For LTS releases, Canonical makes extra efforts at stability and offers longer support cycles. See the Ubuntu Wiki LTS page (https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LTS) for a description of the support cycles offered with long term releases.
To have the longest possible useful life, this book is focused on the Ubuntu 12.04 LTS (Precise Pangolin) release. To use the same version of software used in this book, go to the Precise Pangolin download page (http://releases.ubuntu.com/precise/) and choose server install media thatās appropriate for your computer (x86 or 64-bit).
If you donāt have the exact same version of Ubuntu, donāt worry. Most of the commands in this book are ones you can rely on to not change much over time. They will form a foundation for your command line use that will help you to get up-to-speed quicker on new features as they are released.
start feature
Note Ever wonder where Ubuntu (Edgy Eft) and Debian (Woody) get those odd naming conventions from? Find out at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DevelopmentCodeNames or www.debian.org/doc/manuals/project-history/ch-releases.en.html.
end feature Ubuntu Compared to Other Linux Distributions
If you log into the command line of both an Ubuntu system and a Red Hat Enterprise Linux or Fedora system, very little will look different. There are common directories and utilities between the two, and functionality is fundamentally the same. So what makes Ubuntu different from other Linux distributions? Consider the following:
- Ubuntu Unity desktopāTaking its own direction, Ubuntu features its own Unity desktop, rather than use GNOME, KDE, or other common Linux desktop interfaces. Though based on GNOME, Unity seeks to simplify the user interface to make it more useful on smaller screens, such as those used on netbook computers.
A major plan for Unity is to change the underlying display management system from the X Window system (used in most Linux and UNIX desktop systems) to the OpenGL-based Waylan project. With Waylan, Ubuntu seeks to improve the user experience with smoother graphics and effects. Popular X-based applications would then be run in compatibility mode.
/Level1 - Mobile and entertainment devicesāWhile Ubuntu has made some inroads into the enterprise computing arena, a more natural transition for Ubuntu from the desktop has been to specialty devices. The Canonical Group (www.canonical.com), which runs the Ubuntu project, announced an Ubuntu phone (www.ubuntu.com/devices/phone). There is also an Ubuntu TV project (www.ubuntu.com/devices/tv).
- Simplified installationāThe complexity of booting and installing Ubuntu has been narrowed down to a handful of mouse clicks, making many of the install decisions automatic based on assumptions as to what the average user may need and want. A simpler instal...
