How Linux Works describes the inside of the Linux system for systems administrators, whether they maintain an extensive network in the office or one Linux box at home. Some books try to give you copy-and-paste instructions for how to deal with every single system issue that may arise, but How Linux Works actually shows you how the Linux system functions so that you can come up with your own solutions. After a guided tour of filesystems, the boot sequence, system management basics, and networking, author Brian Ward delves into open-ended topics such as development tools, custom kernels, and buying hardware, all from an administrator's point of view. With a mixture of background theory and real-world examples, this book shows both "how" to administer Linux, and "why" each particular technique works, so that you will know how to make Linux work for you.

1. Chapter 1 THE BASICS

   1. About /bin/sh

   2. Using the Shell

   3. Basic Commands

   4. Using Directory Commands

   5. Intermediate Commands

   6. Changing Your Password and Shell

   7. Dot Files

   8. Environment and Shell Variables

   9. The Command Path

   10. Special Characters

   11. Command-Line Editing

   12. Text Editors

   13. Getting Online Help

   14. Shell Input and Output

   15. Understanding Error Messages

   16. Processes

   17. File Modes and Permissions

   18. Archiving and Compressing Files

2. Chapter 2 DEVICES, DISKS, FILESYSTEMS, AND THE KERNEL

   1. Directory Hierarchy

   2. The Kernel

   3. Devices

   4. Filesystems

   5. Swap and Virtual Memory

3. Chapter 3 HOW LINUX BOOTS

   1. init

   2. Boot Loaders

   3. Virtual Consoles

4. Chapter 4 ESSENTIAL SYSTEM FILES, SERVERS, AND UTILITIES

   1. System Logging

   2. A Glance at /etc

   3. User Management Files

   4. getty and login

   5. Setting the Time

   6. Scheduling Recurring Tasks with cron

   7. Scheduling One-Time Tasks with at

   8. Tracking Individual Processes

   9. Adjusting Process Priorities

   10. Monitoring System Performance

   11. Running Commands as the Superuser

5. Chapter 5 CONFIGURING YOUR NETWORK

   1. Network Layers

   2. The Internet Layer

   3. Basic ICMP Tools

   4. Configuring Interfaces and the Host-to-Network Layer

   5. Configuring a Default Gateway

   6. Resolving Hostnames

   7. Using DHCP Clients

   8. PPP Connections

   9. Broadband Connections

   10. Ethernet Networks

   11. Configuring Routes

   12. The Transport Layer: TCP, UDP, and Services

   13. Firewalls

   14. Network Address Translation (IP Masquerading)

   15. Wireless Ethernet

6. Chapter 6 NETWORK SERVICES

   1. The Basics of Services

   2. Stand-Alone Servers

   3. The inetd Daemon

   4. Secure Shell (SSH)

   5. Diagnostic Tools

   6. Remote Procedure Call (RPC)

   7. Network Security

7. Chapter 7 INTRODUCTION TO SHELL SCRIPTS

   1. Shell Script Basics

   2. Quoting

   3. Special Variables

   4. Exit Codes

   5. Conditionals

   6. Loops

   7. Command Substitution

   8. Temporary File Management

   9. Here Documents

   10. Important Shell Script Utilities

   11. Subshells

   12. Including Other Files in Scripts

   13. Reading User Input

   14. Too Much?

8. Chapter 8 DEVELOPMENT TOOLS

   1. The C Compiler

   2. Debuggers

   3. Lex and Yacc

   4. Scripting Languages

   5. Java

   6. Assembly Code and How a Compiler Works

9. Chapter 9 COMPILING SOFTWARE FROM SOURCE CODE

   1. Unpacking Source Packages

   2. GNU Autoconf

   3. Other Systems

   4. Installation Practice

   5. Applying a Patch

   6. Troubleshooting Compiles and Installations

10. Chapter 10 MAINTAINING THE KERNEL

    1. Do You Need to Build Your Own Kernel?

    2. What You Need to Build a Kernel

    3. Getting the Source Code

    4. Configuring and Compiling the Kernel

    5. Installing Your Kernel with a Boot Loader

    6. Testing the Kernel

    7. Boot Floppies

    8. Working with Loadable Kernel Modules

11. Chapter 11 CONFIGURING AND MANIPULATING PERIPHERAL DEVICES

    1. Floppy Drives

    2. CD Writers

    3. Introduction to USB

    4. IEEE 1394/FireWire Disks

    5. Hotplug Support

    6. PC Cards (PCMCIA)

    7. Approaching Other Devices

12. Chapter 12 PRINTING

    1. PostScript

    2. Print Servers

    3. Print Filters

    4. Print Clients

    5. CUPS

    6. Ghostscript

    7. Further Printing Topics

13. Chapter 13 BACKUPS

    1. What Should You Back Up?

    2. Backup Hardware

    3. Full and Incremental Backups

    4. Using tar for Backups and Restores

    5. Backups to Non-Traditional Media

    6. Tape Drive Devices

    7. Other Archivers

    8. Further Backup Topics

14. Chapter 14 SHARING FILES WITH SAMBA

    1. Configuring the Server

    2. Starting the Server

    3. Diagnostics and Log Files

    4. Sharing Files

    5. Sharing Printers

    6. Using the Samba Client

15. Chapter 15 NETWORK FILE TRANSFER

    1. rsync Basics

    2. Checksums and Verbose Transfers

    3. Compression

    4. Limiting Bandwidth

    5. Transferring Files to Your Computer

    6. Further rsync Topics

16. Chapter 16 USER ENVIRONMENTS

    1. Appropriate Startup Files

    2. Shell Startup File Elements

17. Chapter 17 BUYING HARDWARE FOR LINUX

    1. Core Components

    2. Other Hardware Components

    3. A Word About Hardware Upgrades

    4. Saving Money

    5. Notebooks

    6. Smaller Designs

18. Chapter 18 FURTHER DIRECTIONS

    1. Additional Topics

    2. Final Thoughts

1. Appendix Command Classification

2. BIBLIOGRAPHY