A session is the period of time from when you log in to when you log out. The login screen offers several login options. For example, you can select the language of your session so that text that appears in the interface is presented in that language.

After your username and password are authenticated, the Session Manager starts. The Session Manager lets you save certain settings for each session. It also lets you save the state of your most recent session and return to that session the next time you log in.

The Session Manager can save and restore the following settings:

For information on configuring session preferences, see Section 2.5.8, “Managing Sessions”.

If you installed both the GNOME and the KDE desktops, use the following instructions to switch desktops.

To lock the screen, you can do either of the following:

When you lock your screen, the screen saver starts. To lock your screen correctly, you must have a screen saver enabled. To unlock the screen, move your mouse to display the locked screen dialog. Enter your username and password, then press Enter.

For information on configuring your screen saver, see Section 2.3.5, “Configuring the Screen Saver”.

To remove an icon from the desktop, simply drag it onto the trash can. However, be careful with this option: if you move folder or file icons to the trash can, the actual data is deleted. If the icons only represent links to a file or to a directory, only the links are deleted.

You cannot move the Home icon to the trash.

Right-clicking an empty spot on the desktop displays a menu with various options. Click Create Folder to create a new folder. Create a launcher icon for an application with Create Launcher. Provide the name of the application and the command for starting it, then select an icon to represent it. You can also change the desktop background and align desktop icons.

Figure 1.2. GNOME Desktop Menu¶

The desktop includes a panel across the bottom of the screen. The bottom panel contains the Computer menu (similar to the Start menu in Windows) and the icons of all applications currently running. You can also add applications and applets to the panel for easy access. If you click the name of a program in the taskbar, the program's window is moved to the foreground. If the program is already in the foreground, a mouse click minimizes it. Clicking a minimized application reopens the respective window.

Figure 1.3. GNOME Bottom Panel¶

The Show Desktop icon is on the right side of the bottom panel. This icon minimizes all program windows and displays the desktop. Or, if all windows are already minimized, it opens them up again.

If you right-click an empty spot in the panel, a menu opens, offering the options listed in the following table:

You can add applications and applets to the bottom panel for quick access. An applet is a small program, while an application is usually a more robust stand-alone program. Adding an applet puts useful utilities where you can easily access them.

The GNOME desktop comes with many applets. You can see a complete list by right-clicking the bottom panel and selecting Add to Panel.

Figure 1.4. Add to Panel Dialog Box¶

Some useful applets include the following:

The search bar helps you find applications and files on your system. Enter your search terms in the Search field, then press Enter. The results are displayed in the Desktop Search dialog box.

You can use the results lists to open a file, forward it via e-mail, or display it in the file manager. Simply right-click an item in the results list and select the option you want. The options available for an item depend on the type of file it is. Clicking a file in the list displays a preview of the file and information such as the title, path, and when the file was last modified or accessed.

Use the Search menu to limit your search to files in a specific location, such as your address book or Web pages, or to display only a specific type of file in your results list. The Sort menu lets you sort the items in your results list according to name, relevance, or the date the file was last modified.

For more information about using the GNOME desktop’s search function, see Chapter 9, Searching with Beagle.

You can determine which icons appear in the main menu by clicking the Applications, Documents, or Places tabs.

System provides shortcuts to several system applications.

Status displays information about your hard drive and network connection, including the amount of available space on your hard disk and the type of network connection you are using.

Some simple shortcuts for navigating in the file manager include the following:

For more information, click Help+Contents in the file manager.

If you have files you have not used in a while but want to keep on your computer, you can compress the files into a tape archive (TAR) format.

To extract an archived file, right-click the file and select Extract Here.

If your system has a CD or DVD read/write drive, you can use the Nautilus file manager to burn CDs and DVDs.

You can also use the Helix* Banshee™ music player to burn audio and MP3 CDs.

Use the Nautilus Bookmarks feature to mark your favorite folders.

You can also organize your bookmarks list by clicking Bookmarks+Edit Bookmarks and making your selections in the dialog box.

To change the order of your bookmarks, click a bookmark and drag it to the desired location.

You can change the file manager preferences by clicking Edit+Preferences. The configurable preferences are organized on five tabs:

1.5.5.1. Views¶

To configure the appearance of the file manager, click Edit+Preferences+Views.

Figure 1.7. File Manager Views Dialog Box¶

Select from the following options:

Table 1.5. File Manager Views Options¶

Section	Option	Description
Default View	View new folders using	Determines whether new folders are displayed as icons or as a list.
	Arrange items	Sets the order items are listed in. Items can be listed by name, size, type, modification date, or emblems.
	Sort folder before files	Places this folder at the top of the list, if this check box is selected (the default).
	Show hidden and backup files	Shows hidden files and backup files in your directories. If this check box is not selected (the default), hidden and backup files do not appear.
Icon View Defaults	Default zoom level	Sets the size of items that appear in the file manager.
	Use compact layout	Displays items closer together.
	Text beside icons	Displays icon captions next to the icons, rather than under them.
List View Defaults	Default zoom level	Determines the size of items that appear in the list view.
Tree View Defaults	Show only folders	When selected, displays on folders in the tree in the side pane.

1.5.5.2. Behavior¶

To configure the behavior of the file manager, click Edit+Preferences+Behavior.

Figure 1.8. File Manager Behavior Dialog Box¶

Select from the following options:

Table 1.6. File Manager Behavior Options¶

Option	Description
Single-click to activate items	Performs the default action for an item when you click the item. If this option is selected and you point to an item, the title of the item is underlined.
Double-click to activate items	Performs the default action for an item when you double-click the item.
Always open in browser windows	Opens the file manager in browser mode whenever you open it.
Run executable text files when they are clicked	Runs an executable file when you click the file. An executable file is a text file than can execute (that is, a shell script).
View executable text files when they are clicked	Displays the contents of an executable file when you click the file.
Ask each time	Displays a dialog when you click an executable file. The dialog asks whether you want to execute the file or display the file.
Ask before emptying the Trash or deleting files	Displays a confirmation message before the Trash is emptied or before files are deleted.
Include a Delete command that bypasses Trash	Adds a Delete menu item to the Edit menu and the pop-up menu that is displayed when you right-click a file, folder, or desktop object. When you select an item and click Delete, the item is immediately deleted from your file system.

1.5.5.3. Display¶

To configure the way icon captions and dates appear in the file manager, click Edit+Preferences+Display.

Figure 1.9. File Manager Display Dialog Box¶

Select from the following options:

Table 1.7. File Manager Display Options¶

Option	Description
Icon Captions	Sets the order of information to appear beneath icon names. You can set three information types, in the order they appear.
Date	Configures the date format.

1.5.5.4. List Columns¶

To configure the columns that appear in the file manager, as well as the order in which they appear, click Edit+Preferences+List Columns.

Figure 1.10. File Manager List Columns Dialog Box¶

Select the columns that you want to appear. To change the order, click Move Up or Move Down.

1.5.5.5. Preview¶

To configure how file previews appear in the file manager and whether or not folders show the number of items they contain, click Edit+Preferences+Preview:

Figure 1.11. File Manager Preview Dialog Box¶

Select from the following options:

Table 1.8. File Manager Preview Options¶

Option	Description
Show text in icons	Specifies when to preview the content of text files in the icons that represent the files.
Show thumbnails	Specifies when to show thumbnails of image files in the icons that represent the files.
Only for files smaller than	Specifies the maximum file size for files represented by thumbnails.
Preview sound files	Specifies when to preview sound files.
Count number of items	Specifies when to show the number of files contained in folders. In the Icon view, you might need to increase your zoom level to see the number.

You can connect to a network with wired and wireless connections. To view your network connection status, click Computer. In the Status area of the main menu, the Network Connections icon shows your network connection status. For example, in the following figure, the computer is connected to a wired network using an Ethernet connection.

Figure 1.12. Network Connections Icon in the Main Menu¶

Click the icon to get information about your connection, such as the IP address, gateway address, and similar details. Click Configure Networking in the Connection Information dialog box if you need to configure your network setup method or edit your network card configuration.

For information, see Chapter 11, Managing Network Connections.

Other network devices, like workstations and servers, can be set up to share some or all of their resources. Typically, files and folders are marked to let remote users access them. These are called network shares. If your system is configured to access network shares, you can use Nautilus file manager to access them.

To access network shares, double-click your Home directory icon on the desktop, then click Network Servers in the left pane. The window displays the network shares that you can access. Double-click the network resource that you want to access. You might be required to authenticate to the resource by providing a username and password.

Figure 1.13. Network File Browser¶

To access Novell shares, double-click the Novell Services icon. A list of Novell shares available to you is displayed.

To access NFS shares, double-click the UNIX Network icon. A list of UNIX shares available to you is displayed.

To access Windows shares, double-click the Windows Network icon. The Windows shares available to you are displayed.

You can make directories on your computer available to other users on your network.

Using Search for File on the System menu, you can locate files on your computer or on a network share using any number of search criteria.

Figure 1.14. Search for Files Dialog¶

Search for Files uses the find, grep, and locate UNIX commands, and all searches are case insensitive.

You can also open the Search for Files dialog by entering the following command in a terminal window:

    gnome-search-tool
   

1.8.1.3. Using the Search Results List¶

You can use the Search Results list to open or delete a file found during a search, or you can save the search results to a file.

Figure 1.15. Search Results List¶

To open a file displayed in the Search Results list, right-click the file and then click Open or double-click the file. To open the folder that contains a file displayed in the Search Results list, right-click the file and then click Open Folder.

To delete a file displayed in the Search Results list, right-click the file and then click Move to Trash.

To save the results of the last search that Search for Files performed, right-click anywhere in the Search results list and then click Save Results As. Type a name for the file the results are saved to, then click Save.

     # gconftool-2 --type=bool --set
      /apps/gnome-search-tool/disable_quick_search 1
    

Evolution seamlessly combines e-mail, a calendar, an address book, and a task list in one easy-to-use application. With its extensive support for communications and data interchange standards, Evolution can work with existing corporate networks and applications, including Microsoft* Exchange.

To start Evolution, click Computer+More Applications+Office+Evolution Mail and Calendar.

The first time you start it, Evolution prompts you with a few questions as it sets up a mail account and helps you import mail from your old mail client. Then it shows you how many new messages you have and lists upcoming appointments and tasks, as well as the current weather and news from news feeds. The calendar, address book, and mail tools are available in the shortcut bar on the left.

Press Ctrl+N open a new item for whatever part of Evolution you are working in. In mail, this creates a new message. If you are in the address book, Ctrl+N creates a new contact card, and in the calendar, Ctrl+N creates a new appointment.

For more information, see Chapter 4, Evolution: E-Mail and Calendaring.

GroupWise is a robust, dependable messaging and collaboration system that connects you to your universal mailbox anytime and anywhere. SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop includes the GroupWise 7.0.2 Cross-Platform Client for Linux.

GroupWise is not installed by default. Use the Software Management feature in YaST to install the novell-groupwise-gwclient package. Then click Computer+More Applications+Communicate+GroupWise to open the GroupWise Client.

Your main work area in GroupWise is called the Main Window. From the Main Window of GroupWise, you can read your messages, schedule appointments, view your Calendar, manage contacts, change the mode of GroupWise you are running in, open folders, open documents, and much more.

For more information on using GroupWise, click Help+User Guide in the GroupWise Client.

Managing packages on a Linux system requires root privileges. Software Updater and rug (a new command line tool for installing and updating packages) have their own user management system that allows users to install software updates. When a user first invokes an action that requires special privileges in the ZEN tools, a prompt for the root password appears. When the password has been verified, Software Updater automatically adds the user's account to the user management system with update permissions. To review or change these settings, use the rug user management commands.

For more information, see rug User Management in the SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop Deployment Guide.

Software Updater resides in the notification area of your panel as an icon depicting a globe, which changes color and appearance depending on the availability of a network link and new updates. Once a day, Software Updater automatically checks whether updates for your system are available (right-click the application icon and select Refresh to force an immediate check). The Software Updater applet in the panel changes from a globe to an exclamation mark on an orange background when new updates are available.

Left-click the panel icon to open the updater window. A list of patches and new package versions are display (if available). Each entry has a short description and, if applicable, a category icon: Security patches are marked with a yellow shield. Optional patches are marked with a light blue circle. Recommended patches are not marked with an icon. Security patches are listed first, then recommended patches, optional patches, and new package versions. Use the All, Packages, and Patches links to filter the list of displayed packages.

Officially released updates from Novell show up as Patches. New package versions from other sources show up as Packages.

To get details about a certain entry, select the entry and click the Details link under the list window. To select an entry for installation, select the entry's check box. Use the All and None links to select or deselect all patches. Click Update to install the selected programs.

Figure 1.18. Software Updater¶

To install software packages, click Computer+Install Software or enter zen-installer in a terminal. The interface is almost identical to the Software Updater; the only difference is a search panel you can use to search for single packages or to filter the list.

Figure 1.19. Software Installer¶

Select the packages that you want to install, then click Install to start the package installation. Possible dependencies on other packages are automatically resolved by the installer.

To remove software packages, click Computer+More Applications+System+Remove Software or enter zen-remover in a terminal.

Figure 1.20. Software Remover¶

Use the Products, Patterns, Packages, and Patches links to narrow the list of packages. Select the packages you want to remove, then click Remove to start the package uninstallation. If other packages depend on the packages you selected, those packages will be removed as well. You must confirm the removal of additional packages. If you click Cancel in the confirmation dialog, no packages are uninstalled.

To configure the ZENworks tools, click Configure in the Software Updater window. A dialog box with three tabs opens:

1.16.5.2. Catalogs¶

Services are able to provide packages for different pieces of software or for different software versions (typically RCE or ZENworks services do so). These are organized in different categories called catalogs. Subscribe or unsubscribe from a catalog by marking or unmarking the check box in front of it.

At the moment, the SUSE Linux services (YUM and ZYPP) do not provide different catalogs. Each service only has one catalog. If the Software Updater was configured during installation or with suse_register, it subscribes to the YUM and ZYPP catalogs automatically. If you manually add a service, you must subscribe to its catalogs.

To install packages from a catalog, you must be subscribed to this catalog. If you unsubscribe, the packages from this catalog are still listed in the update window, but you cannot install them.