by Tim Parker and Kamran Husain
IN THIS CHAPTER
This chapter takes a brief look at the documentation available from the Linux CD-ROM, as well as alternative sources. You will read about the following topics:
This book should provide most of the information you'll need in order to get going with Linux, but you might need to investigate other sources of information for various reasons (such as hardware support or troubleshooting).
The first exposure most people get to Linux is a book like the one you are now reading or the Linux INFO-SHEET, a relatively short ASCII document available from Usenet, BBSs (bulletin board systems), and many user groups. The INFO-SHEET is a quick summary of Linux posted at regular intervals to the Linux newsgroups on Usenet. In addition, you can find the INFO-SHEET on this book's CD-ROM, in the /cdrom/docs directory.
As Linux was developed, several programmers started writing brief guides to their contributions, as well as wider areas of the operating system. These documents, while usually terse and awkward to read, did provide others with enough information to continue their own use of Linux. Over a short span, the documentation for Linux began growing rapidly, and a central organizing body became necessary to help keep it on track and avoid unnecessary duplication.
The Linux Documentation Project was created to provide a complete set of public domain documentation for Linux. From a few rough installation notes a couple of years ago, the documentation has expanded to include almost a thousand pages, some very good, some not. The following primary documents are currently available or soon to be released:
In addition to these primary documents, there are about a dozen smaller guides to specific or esoteric aspects of Linux. These smaller guides are called HOWTO documents. Together they form a growing document suite that covers practically every aspect of Linux. These documents are available with most distributions of the software. Not all the documents are up-to-date, because changes to the operating system have occurred since they were first written. Several people wrote the Linux documents, so the styles and layout are not consistent. A printed copy of the Linux Documentation Project is available from Linux Systems Labs and some bookstores.
The Slackware CD-ROM that accompanies this book supplies a lot of documentation. The primary location of information is the /docs directory of the CD-ROM, which contains several types of files. Listing 15.1 shows a directory listing of this /docs directory.
# ls /cdrom/docs AX25-HOWTO Hebrew-HOWTO Polish-HOWTO Access-HOWTO INDEX Portuguese-HOWTO BootPrompt-HOWTO INDEX.html Printing-HOWTO Bootdisk-HOWTO INDEX.short.html Printing-Usage-HOWTO Busmouse-HOWTO INFO-SHEET SCSI-HOWTO CDROM-HOWTO IPX-HOWTO SCSI-Programming-HOWTO COPYRIGHT ISP-Hookup-HOWTO Serial-HOWTO Commercial-HOWTO Installation-HOWTO Shadow-Password-HOWTO Cyrillic-HOWTO Italian-HOWTO Sound-HOWTO DNS-HOWTO JE-HOWTO Sound-Playing-HOWTO DOSEMU-HOWTO Java-HOWTO TRANS.TBL Danish-HOWTO Kernel-HOWTO Term-HOWTO Distribution-HOWTO Keyboard-HOWTO Tips-HOWTO ELF-HOWTO Keystroke-HOWTO UMSDOS-HOWTO Ethernet-HOWTO META-FAQ UPS-HOWTO Finnish-HOWTO MGR-HOWTO UUCP-HOWTO Firewall-HOWTO Mail-HOWTO WRITING Ftape-HOWTO NET-2-HOWTO XFree86-HOWTO GCC-HOWTO NIS-HOWTO install-guide/ German-HOWTO News-HOWTO kernel-2.0/ HAM-HOWTO PCI-HOWTO linux.faq/ HOWTO-INDEX PCMCIA-HOWTO mini/ Hardware-HOWTO PPP-HOWTO slack-docs/
Most of these files are extracted to your Linux hard drive if you select the documentation options when installing Linux through setup. The setup routine lets you choose which types of documentation will be moved from the installation CD-ROM to your hard drive, but you can't select individual entries in the sets. If you are limited in disk space, you should consider leaving most of the document on the CD-ROM and viewing it only when needed.
Most documentation files are stored in the /usr/doc directory (both on the CD-ROM and when installed to your hard drive). A directory listing of this area shows a wealth of files, as given in Listing 15.2.
# ls /usr/doc GETTING.GNU.SOFTWARE indent/ sendmail/ INSTALL ipfwadm/ seyon/ PROBLEMS ispell/ splitvt/ README jpeg/ strace/ SlingShot/ ldso/ sysklogd/ WorkBone-2.3/ less/ sysvinit/ arena/ libc-4.7.6/ tar/ bash/ lilo@ tcl7.5/ bc/ lizards/ tclX7.5.0/ bind-4.9.3-BETA26/ lrzsz/ tcsh/ binutils/ lynx/ textutils/ bootutils/ m4/ tin/ cnews/ mc/ tk4.1/ cpio-2.3/ metamail/ tkdesk/ dialog/ minicom/ tools-2.17/ diffutils/ modules/ ttysnoop/ dip/ mtools/ unzip/ elm/ net-tools/ util-linux-2.5/ emacs-19.31/ netpipes/ x3270/ faq/ nfs-server/ xboard-3.2.pl2/ fdutils-4.3/ nn/ xfig/ file/ p2c/ xfm-1.3/ flex/ perl5.003/ xlock/ fvwm95-2/ pidentd/ xpaint/ g77/ pine/ xpm-3.4c/ gawk/ popclient/ xspread/ gdb/ portmap/ xv/ getty_ps/ ppp/ yp-clients/ gnu-make/ procmail/ ypserv/ gnuchess-4.0/ rcs/ zip/ gpm/ rdist/ ibcs2/ sasteroids/
Each subdirectory in the preceding list contains more specific information about each tool. For example, if you want more specific information about archiving, look in the /usr/doc/tar/ directory for a README file for a listing of the contents.
Let's face it. This one chapter (or book, for that matter) cannot possibly hope to cover all the scenarios you will encounter as you work with Linux. The number of combinations of hardware devices, software interfaces, and versions of Linux makes it impossible to list them all here. That one specific CD-ROM or Ethernet card in your PC might not be listed here in this book, but might very well be supported under Linux. To get detailed information about specific topics, you have to read the HOWTO files for that topic.
Basically, a HOWTO file is compiled by someone who has tracked problems related to a specific issue. Topics include booting, printing, tape support, and so on. Various HOWTO files are included with the CD-ROM (and installed to the hard drive with most installations of Linux). If your mount point is /cdrom, the HOWTO files are found in /cdrom/docs. The files are in text format in that directory, so you can use any text editor to view them. A complete listing of the /cdrom/docs/INDEX file is shown here to help you get an idea of where to look for more information: Linux-HOWTOs.tar.gz Tar file of all the HOWTOs in plain text
README README file
mini Directory containing informal mini-HOWTOs
other-formats Directory containing other formats of the HOWTOs
AX25-HOWTO How to configure AX25 networking for Linux
Access-HOWTO How to use adaptive technology with Linux
BootPrompt-HOWTO List of boot-time arguments and overview of booting software
Bootdisk-HOWTO How to create a boot/root maintenance disk for Linux
Busmouse-HOWTO Information on bus mouse compatibility with Linux
CDROM-HOWTO Information on CD-ROM drive compatibility with Linux
Commercial-HOWTO Listing of commercial software products for Linux
Cyrillic-HOWTO How to configure Linux for use with the Cyrillic character set
DNS-HOWTO How to set up DNS
DOSEMU-HOWTO HOWTO about the Linux MS-DOS Emulator, DOSemu
Danish-HOWTO How to configure Linux for use with the Danish character set
Distribution-HOWTO List of Linux distributions
ELF-HOWTO How to install and migrate to the ELF binary file format
Ethernet-HOWTO Information on Ethernet hardware compatibility with Linux
Finnish-HOWTO How to configure Linux for use with the Finnish character set
Firewall-HOWTO How to set up a firewall using Linux
Ftape-HOWTO Information on ftape drive compatibility with Linux
GCC-HOWTO How to set up the GNU C compiler and development libraries
German-HOWTO Information on using Linux with German-specific features
HAM-HOWTO How to configure amateur radio software for Linux
HOWTO-INDEX Index of HOWTO documents about Linux
Hardware-HOWTO List of hardware known to work with Linux
Hebrew-HOWTO How to configure Linux for use with the Hebrew character set
INFO-SHEET Generic introduction to the Linux operating system
IPX-HOWTO How to install and configure IPX networking
ISP-Hookup-HOWTO Basic introduction to hooking up to an ISP
Installation-HOWTO How to obtain and install the Linux software
Italian-HOWTO How to configure Linux for use with the Italian character set
JE-HOWTO Information on JE, a set of Japanese language extensions for Linux
Java-HOWTO How to get started with Java and HotJava
Kernel-HOWTO Upgrading and compiling the Linux kernel
Keyboard-HOWTO Information about the Linux keyboard, console, and non-ASCII characters
META-FAQ A listing of Linux sources of information
MGR-HOWTO Information on the MGR graphics interface for Linux
Mail-HOWTO Information on Linux-based mail servers and clients
Module-HOWTO How to load modules and a listing of parameters
NET-2-HOWTO How to configure TCP/IP networking, SLIP, PLIP, and PPP under Linux
NIS-HOWTO Information on using NIS/YP on Linux systems
News-HOWTO Information on USENET news server and client software for Linux
PCI-HOWTO Information on PCI-architecture compatibility with Linux
PCMCIA-HOWTO How to install and use PCMCIA Card Services
PPP-HOWTO Information on using PPP networking with Linux
Polish-HOWTO How to configure Linux for use with the Polish character set
Portuguese-HOWTO How to configure Linux for use with the Portuguese character set
Printing-HOWTO HOWTO on printing software for Linux
Printing-Usage-HOWTO How to use the printing system for various file types and options
SCSI-HOWTO Information on SCSI driver compatibility with Linux
SCSI-Programming-HOWTO Information on programming the generic Linux SCSI interface
Serial-HOWTO Information on use of serial devices and communications software
Shadow-Password-HOWTO How to obtain, install, and configure shadow passwords
Sound-HOWTO Sound hardware and software for the Linux operating system
Sound-Playing-HOWTO How to play various sound formats under Linux
Term-HOWTO How to use the term communications package on Linux systems
Tips-HOWTO HOWTO on miscellaneous tips and tricks for Linux
UMSDOS-HOWTO How to install and use the UMSDOS file system
UPS-HOWTO Information on using a UPS power supply with Linux
UUCP-HOWTO Information on UUCP software for Linux
XFree86-HOWTO How to obtain, install, and configure XFree86 3.1.1 (X11R6)
Look at the preceding list carefully. If you see the topic of your interest here, you are in luck. The HOWTO file will be the best source for you to get more specific information. If you want to confirm that you have the latest HOWTO files, you can check the official repository of documents in the tsx-11.mit.edu site in the /pub/linux/docs/HOWTO directory for any updates.
Usenet is a collection of discussion groups (called newsgroups) available to Internet users. The more than 25,000 newsgroups generate over 1GB of traffic every day. Of all these newsgroups (which cover every conceivable topic), several are dedicated to Linux. These newsgroups are a useful forum for information and answers to questions about Linux.
You can read Usenet newsgroups through newsreader software that accesses either the Internet or a local site that offers Usenet service (called a newsfeed). Many online services, such as CompuServe and Delphi, provide access to the newsgroups (sometimes at an additional cost), and some have their own forums for Linux users. BBSs dedicated to Linux in whole or in part are also appearing, and many excerpt the Usenet conversations for the BBS users who do not have access to Usenet.
Usenet newsgroups are divided into three categories: primary newsgroups that are readily available to all users, local newsgroups with a limited distribution (usually based on geography), and alternate newsgroups that might not be handled by all news servers due to the relaxed rules of etiquette on them. These are the primary newsgroups of interest to Linux users when this book was written:
These primary newsgroups should be available at all Usenet sites, unless the system administrator filters them out for some reason. The other Linux newsgroups tend to change frequently, primarily because they are either regional or populated with highly opinionated users. The alt. (alternate) newsgroups are the ones most likely to contain such users. One alt. newsgroup in operation when this book was written was the following one:
alt.uu.comp.os.linux.questions
To find several different newsgroups about Linux, use your newsreader software to search for all newsgroups with the word Linux in the title. If you have access to Usenet, regularly scan the newsgroup additions and deletions to check for new Linux newsgroups or existing groups that have folded. Notices about newsgroup changes are usually posted to all existing groups, but every now and again one gets through without fanfare. Online services that provide access to Usenet usually maintain lists of all active newsgroups that can be searched quickly.
The traffic on most of these Linux newsgroups deal with problems and issues people have when installing, configuring, administering, or using the operating system. A lot of valuable information passes through the newsgroups quickly, so check