Linux Noob

[JoeCDaMan]

I'm running Mandrake Linux right now, but on sat I am going to format and install slackware instead. I am proficient at maneuvering around in Linux, copying files, untaring them etc... as I spend most of my time coding. However I would like to become much more knowledgeable in Linux in general, being able to configure hardware, how to install updates etc. I guess just being a sys admin for my own box. Can anyone recommend any good sites with tutorials or instructions. I?m not sure what I?m looking for is a ?Linux for dummies? site but at the same time it probably couldn?t hurt.

Thanks

 

[n0cmonkey]

http://www.tldp.org/ has some docs. I don't look at them often, but last time I looked most of them were pretty old. They're still applicable, but don't be surprised if you have to noodle things a bit before they work properly.

 

[drag]

If you want a basic overview, why not get a book?

"Linux for Dummies" is a good place to start.

As for stuff like configuring your hardware, its usually pretty simple.

TLDP.org is good, check out their administration guides and networking guides. (most of those guides are updated at 2002 or newer, BTW. I think TLDP has put forth extra effort lately to update older stuff that is still usefull)

But what I found the best thing to do is go "I want to do this" and then figure out how to do it. As opposed to going to a website and finding things to do.

Having more then one computer laying around is cool too, because you can break one and leave the other for your desktop to look up how to fix the one you broke.

 

[drag]

(couldn't edit my old post due to javascript errors.)

Also check out linux filesystem hierarchy standard. Once I understood the setup a little bit better then the OS made more sense. Like what is the point between different /sbin vs /usr/sbin and whats the difference between

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: drag
(couldn't edit my old post due to javascript errors.)

Also check out linux filesystem hierarchy standard. Once I understood the setup a little bit better then the OS made more sense. Like what is the point between different /sbin vs /usr/sbin and whats the difference between

I haven't found a distro yet that follows that.

The /usr/local hierarchy is for use by the system administrator when installing software locally. It needs to be safe from being overwritten when the system software is updated. It may be used for programs and data that are shareable amongst a group of hosts, but not found in /usr.

Locally installed software must be placed within /usr/local rather than /usr unless it is being installed to replace or upgrade software in /usr.

Debian and Slackware seem to put everything in /usr instead of /usr/local. :|

It's taking me more time to post this than it would take me to fix Slackware. :|

 

[drag]

Most distros are close to being 2.2 compliant. Actually I think that Debian is the closet to being compliant.

The way I understand it is that FHS is the ideal, and what distros choose in the reality. They change the FHS closer and closer to what people use as they try to become FHS compliant and eventually they will meet somewere in the middle and all will be perfect in the world. Or something like that.


The rpm'd based distros are close to it, too. But the non-compliant I-don't-care distros are stuff like Gentoo and Slackware... or maybe just Gentoo.

As far as /usr/ vs /usr/local goes anything you install thru Apt is going to be installed in /usr/, which is what the standards call for. Any deb package you install has to be put in /usr/ since official packages are considured part of the OS. Anything installed by "./configure && make && make install" should be put in /usr/local, because the OS shouldn't ever touch that and you don't have to worry about a package screwing up your install. There realy isn't a "core" or standard base for the operating system like in OpenBSD, just program packages developed by OS developers, and programs manually installed by you.

If their is a "core" part of the OS, then it would be located mostly in the /etc, /usr, and /sbin, /dev, and /boot since staticly compiled programs are suppose to be in /bin and /sbin and would be considured to be the absolute minimum to get the system up and running and be somewhate usefull. The idea being is that /usr can be installed remotely on the network and the OS should be able to boot up and get going without it, till it had a chance to mount all the partitions/network shares/whatever.

Anyways, 2.2 FHS is good enough so that 90% of it is going to be accurate pretty much no matter which distro you choose, so it's still valid to look thru IMO.

 

[n0cmonkey]

I like having a core OS and then everything else installed in /usr/local. Makes things easier.

That's the problem with standards. They're open to interpretation

 

[JoeCDaMan]

Hey, thanks much for your input, I will check out those sites. Another follow up question is: How different are the different versions of linux? (Debian, Mandrake, slackware etc...) The reason I ask is if lets say I do get a general Linux book would that necessarily help me? or should I get a book thats specific to the OS I am planning to run ie. Slackware? Cause it appears that the different Linux systems handle files in different directories.
Thanks

 

[JoeCDaMan]

bump

 

[n0cmonkey]

If you learn how to use Linux, using a particular distro shouldn't be too hard. I just went from Debian to slackware without much of a problem.

 

[JoeCDaMan]

ok thanks, I'll look into getting a few books then.

 

[lowpost]

Find discussion forums which focus on your distro of choice. Get help from them, and return it to the newbie's.


I need to add links to forums in my FAQ

 

[groovin]

i second the suggestion to use distro specific forums or forums in general for help. what makes the linux community so strong is everyones (well, mostly everyones) willingness to help as long as you give a hard and earnest try first. there are lots of guys out there that will flame the heck outta you for asking a simple question without reading the manual first, but some forums like www.justlinux.com has lots of friendly users (like myself!).