Running Mac OS X Panther

Larger Cover

Inside Mac OS X's Core

By James Duncan Davidson

Publisher: O'Reilly Media

Released: December 2003

Pages: 336

Apple® has shown no mercy to the Macintosh® power user---that dedicated individual who knows their Mac® inside and out: what makes it tick, and what makes it tick better. In the rapid evolution of Mac OS® X, there have been three major releases, and each new release challenges the power user to once more stay ahead of the learning curve. Mac OS X Panther is no exception to that rule. With more than 100 new features, including a new Finder, Expos , FileVault, and an improved BSD Unix core, there's plenty here to master. Fortunately, power users have a secret weapon in Running Mac OS X Panther. This book takes readers deep inside Mac OS X's core, revealing the inner workings of Panther for those who want to get the most out of their system.

Running Mac OS X Panther is the ultimate Swiss Army Knife™ for power users who want to customize, tweak, and generally rev up their Mac. The easy-to-follow format is organized into three primary parts:

Getting Started introduces you to Mac OS X--where it came from, how it's put together, and how it works
Administration Essentials gives you the tools you need to examine how your system is running and adjust all the knobs behind its operation
Networking and Network Services covers all the ways Mac OS X interfaces with the world around it, including wireless and spontaneous networking

Developer Tools, including Xcode, for Mac OS X are discussed throughout the book where needed to accomplish the task at hand. The appendices that follow include handy quick reference materials for things such as Open Firmware.

Written for readers who are inquisitive and confident enough to dig into their Macintosh system, Running Mac OS X Panther doesn't waste time talking about silly Finder tips or glossing over the messier details. This book dives right in and explains how your Mac works. You may not be a Mac guru when you start this book, but once you've read it, you'll be well on your way.

Getting Started
1. Chapter 1 Where It All Came From
  1. The Classic Mac OS
  2. System 7
  3. Copland
  4. NEXTSTEP
  5. Rhapsody
  6. Continued Development of the Classic Mac OS
  7. Mac OS X 10.0
  8. Mac OS X 10.1
  9. Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar
  10. Mac OS X Panther
  11. What Does the Future Hold?
2. Chapter 2 Lay of the Land
  1. Filesystem Hierarchy
  2. The Many Roots of the Finder
  3. Filesystem Domains
  4. The Library
  5. Further Explorations
3. Chapter 3 The Terminal and Shell
  1. Terminal Overview
  2. Mac-specific Shell Commands
  3. Configuring and Using bash
  4. Using Other Shells
  5. Shell Scripts
  6. Getting Help
  7. Editing Text Files
  8. Further Explorations
Essentials
1. Chapter 4 System Startup and Login
  1. The Hardware Boot Process
  2. The Operating System Boot Process
  3. Logging In
  4. Monitoring Users
  5. Logging Out
  6. Shutting Down the System
  7. Further Explorations
2. Chapter 5 Users and Groups
  1. What is a User Anyway?
  2. Managing Users
  3. Nonhuman Users
3. Chapter 6 Files and Permissions
  1. Finding Files
  2. File Ownership
  3. Type and Creator Codes
  4. Further Explorations
4. Chapter 7 Monitoring the System
  1. About This Mac
  2. System Profiler
  3. Monitoring System Activity
  4. Working with Processes
  5. Further Explorations
5. Chapter 8 Scheduling Tasks
  1. Setting the Time
  2. Using iCal to Schedule Tasks
  3. Using periodic
  4. cron
  5. The System crontab File
  6. The User crontab
  7. Changing periodic's Execution Time
  8. Further Explorations
6. Chapter 9 Preferences and Defaults
  1. Property Lists
  2. Where Preferences are Stored
  3. Reading and Writing Preferences
  4. Determining Preference Keys
  5. Further Explorations
7. Chapter 10 Disks and Filesystems
  1. Filesystems
  2. Network-based Filesystems
  3. Disk Utility
  4. Erasing and Formatting Disks
  5. Partitioning Disks
  6. Disk Images
  7. Creating a RAID
  8. Further Explorations
Advanced Topics
1. Chapter 11 Open Directory
  1. Open Directory in Action
  2. Directory Services Defined
  3. Directory Domains
  4. The Local Domain and NetInfo
  5. Configuring Shared Domains
  6. Kerberos and Single Sign-on
  7. Command-Line Open Directory Tools
  8. Further Explorations
2. Chapter 12 Printing
  1. Print System Overview
  2. Managing Printers
  3. Adding and Configuring Printers
  4. Anatomy of a Print Job
  5. Printing from the Command Line
  6. Further Explorations
3. Chapter 13 Networking
  1. The Internet Protocol
  2. Configuring IP Addresses
  3. Naming and DNS
  4. Private Networks and NAT
  5. Routing
  6. Active Network Connections
  7. AppleTalk
  8. Locations
  9. Using a Dial-Up Connection
  10. Virtual Private Networks
  11. Firewalls
  12. Internet Connection Sharing
  13. Further Explorations
4. Chapter 14 Network Services
  1. File Sharing
  2. Web Sharing
  3. Remote Login
  4. FTP Access
  5. Sharing Printers
  6. Mail
Appendixes
1. Appendix A Installing From Scratch
  1. Preparing to Install Panther
  2. Installing Panther
2. Appendix B Boot Command Keys
3. Appendix C Other Sources of Information
  1. Books
  2. Magazines
  3. Mailing Lists
  4. Web Sites

About the Author
Colophon
The Running Mac OS X Panther Lab

Title:

Running Mac OS X Panther

By:

James Duncan Davidson

Publisher:

O'Reilly Media

Formats:

Print
Safari Books Online

Print:

December 2003

Pages:

336

Print ISBN:

978-0-596-00500-9

| ISBN 10:

0-596-00500-8

Colophon

Our look is the result of reader comments, our own experimentation, and feedback from distribution channels. Distinctive covers complement our distinctive approach to technical topics, breathing personality and life into potentially dry subjects. Our book is the result of reader comments, our own experimentation, and feedback from distribution channels.

The animal on the cover of Running Mac OS X Panther is a German shepherd. The model for this picture was Vinny, a search and rescue dog for the King County (Washington) sheriff's department. The German shepherd was hand-drawn from photographs of Vinny by his aunt, Lorrie LeJeune, a former editor at O'Reilly.

Search and rescue dogs are in quite a stressful field of work. In order for a dog to perform well, it must adapt to many different things--for example, modes of travel, new people, all kinds of weather, and various types of terrain. Often, search and rescue dogs are medium to large in size. They are expected to be intelligent, strong, and generally even-tempered. The German shepherd is by no means the only breed of dog that takes on this line of work. Ultimately, search and rescue dogs must have a strong nose and be physically fit. It is a difficult job that requires the dedication and commitment of both the dog and its owner/partner. Claire Cloutier was the production manager for this book. Jill Steinberg was the copyeditor and Kellie Robinson was the proofreader. Chuck Toporek, Claire Cloutier, Darren Kelly, and David Futato provided quality control. Julie Hawks wrote the index.

Emma Colby designed the cover of this book, based on a series design by Edie Freedman. The cover image is an original illustration created by Lorrie LeJeune. Emma produced the cover layout with Quark XPress 4.1, using Adobe's ITC Garamond font.

David Futato designed the interior layout. James Duncan Davidson implemented the layout in InDesign. The text font is Linotype Birka; the heading font is Adobe Myriad Condensed; and the code font is LucasFont's TheSans Mono Condensed. The tip and warning icons were drawn by Christopher Bing.

The initial drafts of the early chapters of the book were written using a variety of applications from Microsoft Word to BBEdit. OmniOutliner and OmniGraffle were invaluable for organizing random thoughts into coherent form. Once it became apparent that a toolset change was in order to speed the production process, Adobe InDesign and Adobe InCopy became the tools of choice for writing and enabled a high degree of collaboration between the author, editor, and copyeditor. The illustrations were produced using Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. The layout of the text and illustrations into final form was performed with Adobe InDesign.

The final production of the book was accomplished over a 48-hour weekend in Portland, Oregon with James Duncan Davidson, Chuck Toporek, and Kellie Robinson collaborating over proofs and PowerBooks with Jill Steinberg joining in from Seattle via telephone and iChat. Adobe InDesign was used to generate the final PDF files that went to press after a brief stop in Cambridge, Massachusetts for a final look over.

Every word was written on a Mac.

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oreilly Running Mac OS X Panther

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4/30/2004

5.0

Excellent Book full of Gems of Information

By Bryan

from Undisclosed

Comments about oreilly Running Mac OS X Panther:

This book is an excellent source of technical information for Mac OS X 10.3 for beginning to intermediate level support technicians. Information is presented very clearly and gets to the point without a lot of extra discussion.

I hope the author considers publishing a book covering the technical aspects of Mac OS X Server 10.3.

3/3/2004

4.0

Running Mac OS X Panther Review

By John Suda

from Undisclosed

Comments about oreilly Running Mac OS X Panther:

Book Review: "Running MacOSX Panther"

by John Suda

Most Mac users are perfectly happy that the Mac user interface shields them from the intricacies and complexities of the Unix-based "plumbing" beneath the surface of their machines. Others, however, like motorheads who compulsively tune, torque, and tinker with their souped-up cars, love to open up their Mac, so to speak, to get at the innards. This book is for them.

"Running MacOSX Panther" is a systematic guide to the core of OSX written, not just for power users, but for those with a compulsive need to know how the Mac works inside-out. It is for those who want master-level knowledge of how the Mac operates inside.

After a short history of the developmentof the Mac operating system, the book describes all the essentials: what happens during the startup and login process; how files organized and permissions set up; how preferences are maintained and edited; how users and groups are set up and administered, and more. The emphasis is on the Unix underpinnings and use of the command line to view, customize, and control the Mac. There is discussion on how to see and edit hidden files and directories, how to use the Unix "shell" and text editors, and how to edit Open Firmware - the Mac version of the PC's "BIOS". You can learn to create a user account for non-human users (not including your kitty!)

The advanced sections discuss the Open Directory, a type of database which stores information about the system and its components, and advanced networking information and options. Journaling is explained and an argument is made why disk defragmentation is not necessary on OSX. It convinced me.

An appendix providing guidance on installing Panther has sections for ordinary users as well as for Mac "motorheads". The motorheads will enjoy reviewing the list of Boot Command key combinations.