Chapter 2. Customizing Your Settings¶
Contents
You can change the way the GNOME desktop looks and behaves to suit your own personal tastes and needs. Some of the settings you might want to change include:
Keyboard and mouse configuration, as described in Section 2.2.1, “Modifying Keyboard Preferences” and Section 2.2.2, “Configuring the Mouse”
Desktop background, as described in Section 2.3.1, “Changing the Desktop Background”
Screen saver, as described in Section 2.3.5, “Configuring the Screen Saver”
Password, as described in Section 2.4.3, “Changing Your Password”
Sounds, as described in Section 2.5.9, “Setting Sound Preferences”
These settings and others can be changed in the Control Center.
2.1. The Control Center¶
To access the Control Center, click +. The Control Center is divided into the following four categories:
Allows you to configure hardware components such as graphics cards, monitors, printers, or keyboard layout, and to set up your network devices and configure your network connection. For more information, see Section 2.2, “Configuring Hardware Settings”.
Holds settings for the desktop background, the screen saver, and the fonts appearing on the desktop. You can modify themes, window behavior, and styles of desktop elements, such as menus, and scroll bars. Here, you can also configure 3D desktop effects (Xgl). For more information, see Section 2.3, “Look and Feel”.
Go here to change your login password, or to configure keyboard shortcuts or keyboard accessibility settings. For more information, see Section 2.4, “Personal”.
- System
Lets you configure system settings such as date and time, language, sound, or power management,. Define how GNOME handles sessions on login or shutdown, and modify the Beagle search settings. For more information, see Section 2.5, “System”.
In order to change some systemwide settings, Control Center will prompt
you for the root password and start YaST. This
is mostly the case for administrator settings (including most of the
hardware, the graphical user interface, Internet access, security
settings, user administration, software installation, and system updates
and information). Follow the instructions in YaST to configure these
settings. Refer to the integrated YaST help texts or refer to
System Configuration with
YaST
in the SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop Deployment Guide for more information.
![[Note]](admon/note.png) | YaST Gtk and Qt Front-Ends |
|---|---|
YaST comes with two front-ends depending on the desktop installed on
your system. By default, the YaST gtk front-end runs on the GNOME
desktop, and the YaST qt front-end on the other desktops. This is
defined with the Feature-wise, the gtk front-end is very similar to the qt front-end described in the manuals. One exception is the gtk software management module, which differs considerably from the qt port. | |
This chapter focuses on individual settings you can change directly in the GNOME Control Center (without YaST interaction).
2.2. Configuring Hardware Settings¶
In the following sections, find examples of how to configure some hardware aspects of your GNOME desktop like keyboard or mouse preferences, handling of removable drives and media, or the screen resolution.
2.2.1. Modifying Keyboard Preferences¶
To modify some keyboard settings such as autorepeat preferences or typing break sessions, click +++.
On the tab, you can set some general keyboard preferences, such as enabling keyboard repeat with individual delay and speed options, or enabling or disabling the blinking of the cursor and defining the speed. For more information about the individual options, click .
To select your keyboard model, click the tab, click the button and select your model from the list.
To add a new language layout, click and choose a language layout to add to the list. You can select different layouts to suit different locales. Select one layout as .
On the tab, you can set typing break preferences. For more information about the individual options, click .
If all options are set according to your wishes, click .
The button opens the tool. For more information on this tool, refer to Section 2.4.1, “Configuring Keyboard Accessibility Settings”.
2.2.2. Configuring the Mouse¶
To modify some mouse options, click +++ to open the .
Use the tab to specify whether the mouse buttons are configured for left-hand use. You can also specify the delay between clicks for a double-click.
To select a different cursor theme, switch to the tab. There, you can also enable a mouse pointer animation when you press and release Ctrl. This feature can help you locate the mouse pointer.
On the tab, define the and of your mouse pointer. You can also modify the distance that you must move an item with the pointer before the action is interpreted as a drag and drop action.
If all options are set according to your wishes, click .
2.2.3. Configuring Removable Drives and Media¶
You can use a wide variety of removable drives and media, including storage devices, cameras, scanners, and more. The configurations for many of these devices are set up automatically during installation. To change the configuration for a drive or other removable device, click +++.
Some of the possible configuration settings include:
What happens when a blank CD is inserted in the CD drive
What happens when an audio CD is inserted in the drive
Whether images are automatically imported from a digital camera when it is attached to the computer
Whether removable storage devices are mounted when they are plugged in to the computer
Whether PDAs are automatically synced when attached to the computer
In general, you do not need to change the settings that are already configured unless you want to change the behavior when a device is connected or if you want to connect a new device that is not yet configured. If you attach a device for the first time and it behaves in an unexpected or undesired way, check the settings.
2.3. Look and Feel¶
In the following sections, find examples of how to configure some look and feel aspects of your GNOME desktop, like desktop background and screens saver, 3D desktop effects, themes, window behavior, or menus.
2.3.1. Changing the Desktop Background¶
The desktop background is the image or color that is applied to your desktop. You can customize the desktop background in the following ways:
Select an image for the desktop background. The image is superimposed on the desktop background color. The desktop background color is visible if you select a transparent image or if the image does not cover the entire desktop.
Select a color for the desktop background. You can select a solid color or create a gradient effect with two colors. A gradient effect is a visual effect where one color blends gradually into another color.
To change the desktop preferences:
Click +++.
To change the picture on the background, select one of the from the list and select the style in which to arrange the image on the desktop.
To use a custom picture, click and select an image file from the file system.
If you do not want a picture on the background, specify a color scheme using the options in the drop-down list and the color selector buttons.
When you are satisfied with your choices, click .
Your desktop immediately changes to show the new settings.
2.3.2. Configuring Desktop Effects¶
Xgl is an X server architecture that lets you turn your desktop into a rotating 3-D cube, tile windows so they do not overlap, and switch tasks while viewing live thumbnails. You can enable translucent or transparent windows, zoom in and out of the desktop screen, and use other window effects such as shadows, fading, and transformations. You can also configure windows to snap to other windows and screen edges when they are moved.
2.3.2.1. Enabling Desktop Effects¶
To enable Xgl, you need a graphics adapter capable of providing 3-D
support, and you also need the graphics driver that Linux uses to
operate the graphics adapter. This driver must be able to handle OpenGL
(or 3-D) requests from the Linux kernel. For a list of supported
adapters, see the /etc/X11/xgl-hardware-list file
that is included with the SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop installation. This file tells you which
graphics cards are known to work with Xgl, which cards do not work with
Xgl, and which cards might work with Xgl but are not supported because
they are either too slow or contain too many known defects.
Your screen resolution must be within the 1024x768 to 1920x2000 range, and your color depth must be set at 24-bit. 3-D acceleration must also be enabled. Use SaX2 to change your graphic card and monitor properties if necessary.
To enable desktop effects:
Click +.
Click in the group.
The Desktop Effects tool analyzes your system and tries to determine whether or not you can run Xgl. If it finds anything wrong, it advises you on what actions you can take. For example, you might be advised to change your screen resolution or color depth, or to activate 3-D acceleration. Follow the on-screen prompts to configure your system for Xgl.
After your system is configured for Xgl, click .
Type the
rootpassword, then click .Click to log out of your session, then type your username and password to log back in.
The default desktop effects are now enabled. For example, windows “wobble” when they first appear and when you move them, they fade away when you close them, and dragging a window to the far right of the screen rotates the desktop cube. To change any of these effects, see Section 2.3.2.2, “Modifying Desktop Effects”.
You can also enable Xgl by running the following command as
root:
gnome-xgl-switch --enable-xgl
To disable Xgl, click in the
dialog box, or run the
following command as root:
gnome-xgl-switch --disable-xgl
2.3.2.2. Modifying Desktop Effects¶
Use the tool to enable or disable specific desktop effects, or to change the keystrokes or mouse actions used to control those effects.
Click +.
Click in the group.
Choose from the following options:
When you finish making changes, click .
You can also use gconf-editor to change Xgl settings.
Click +++ or press Alt+F2 and enter gconf-editor.
Navigate to the
apps/compiz/generalandapps/compiz/pluginsregistry folders and make the changes you want.Click + to close the .
2.3.2.2.1. Window Effects¶
Use the options on this tabbed page to specify what happens when you move windows, how window transitions appear, and to change window opacity.
- Moving Windows
By default, windows appear transparent when you move them. If you want window edges to stick (snap) to other windows and workspace edges when you hold down the Shift key while moving the window, both the and options must be selected.
You can also choose to make windows appear distorted (wobbly) as you move or resize them, giving the impression that the window is more fluid than rigid.
- Window Transitions
These options lets you add a fade-in and fade-out effect to windows and menus when you open and close them. Windows will also shrink smoothly onto the task bar when they are minimized and will grow smoothly back to their normal size when they are reopened.
- Translucent Windows
This option lets you use the scroll wheel to change how transparent a window appears on-screen. Select , then select the button or combination of buttons you want to use. Select a window, hold down the button or buttons you selected, then scroll the mouse wheel up or down to change the transparency of the window.
2.3.2.2.2. Desktop Cube¶
Use the options on this tabbed page to specify how many sides your desktop cube has, which keystroke and mouse button combination you can use to drag the cube, and to configure edge flipping.
- Desktop Cube
By default, this option gives you four desktops on the faces of a virtual cube that you can rotate to access each desktop. This provides extra space in which to arrange open applications and windows. For example, you can put an editor on one desktop, some shells on another, and your e-mail application and Web browser on the third desktop. Using Ctrl+Alt+← and Ctrl+Alt+→, you can rotate the cube to access the programs running in the selected desktop and avoid windows piled on top of each other on one desktop.
Dragging a window to the edge of the screen rotates the cube and places the window on the new desktop. To rotate the cube manually in 3-D, press Ctrl+Alt, left-click the desktop, then drag the mouse pointer. Ctrl+Alt+Shift+← or → lets you rotate the cube while taking the currently selected window with you.
Use the options under to change the default keystrokes used to rotate the cube.
For information on how to add an image behind your cube, see Section 2.3.2.4.3, “Displaying a Skydome Image Behind the Cube”.
- Edge Flipping
When edge flipping is enabled, the desktop cube rotates to the next face when you bump the mouse pointer to the edge of the screen. You can choose to always enable edge flipping or to enable edge flipping only when you drag a window or icon to the edge of the desktop.
Use the slider bar at the bottom of the tabbed window to specify how long (in microseconds) it takes to rotate the cube after you bump the edge of the desktop with a window or the mouse pointer.
2.3.2.2.3. Other Features¶
Use the options on this tabbed page to configure window tiling, zooming, and water effects.
- Window Picker
This option lets you tile (or scale) the windows on your desktop so that you can see what windows you have open and select a specific one. This also provides you with a snapshot of all applications open on your desktop. Pressing Ctrl+Alt+↑ shrinks all windows and rearranges them on the screen so that they do not overlap. Selecting a window with the mouse causes all windows to return to their original size and position, with the selected window on top.
To change the keystrokes used to tile windows, click the box to the right of until appears. Then press the keystrokes you want to use. The new keystrokes appear in the box.
You can also choose to tile windows by moving the mouse pointer to the top left (default), top right, bottom left, or bottom right of the screen.
- Zoom
These options give you the ability to zoom in and out of areas on your screen, which significantly improves desktop accessibility for visually impaired users or for anyone who wants to see a part of the screen displayed in a larger size.
By default, pressing the Super key (the Windows key)+Button 3 zooms in on part to the desktop (if you have a two-button mouse, press the Super key then press the left and right buttons simultaneously). You can move the mouse while holding those buttons down to see other parts of the screen. You can also press the Super key and use the scroll wheel on the mouse to manually zoom in and out of the desktop.
You can choose to deactivate any of these options, or to change the zoom keystrokes.
- Water Effect
This option creates a ripple effect on your screen when you hold down the specified key or key combination (Ctrl+Alt+Super by default) and move the mouse pointer. You can also enable or disable a rain effect when you press Shift+F9. To change the keystrokes used to enable and disable the rain effect, click the box to the right of until appears. Then press the keystrokes you want to use. These new keystrokes will appear in the box.
Use the slider bar at the bottom of the tabbed window to specify the intensity of the rain effect.
2.3.2.3. Xgl Shortcuts¶
The following table contains a list of the default keystrokes and mouse movements you can use to perform desktop effects. To change any of these shortcuts, see Section 2.3.2.2, “Modifying Desktop Effects”.
Table 2.1. Desktop Effects Shortcuts¶
2.3.2.4. More Desktop Effects¶
Here are some other things you can do with Xgl.
2.3.2.4.1. Switching Tasks¶
Press Alt+→| to display a thumbnail view of all windows open on your desktop. While holding the the Alt key down, press Tab to cycle through the list of windows. The currently highlighted window will appear in focus. Release the keys to access that window.
2.3.2.4.2. Unfolding the Cube¶
Press Ctrl+Alt+↓ to unfold the desktop cube, opening a panoramic view of all your desktops. Your desktop cube is laid out like a film strip on your screen, and you can use ← and → to select a different screen. This is similar to the switcher feature (Alt+→|), but lets you view a thumbnail of your entire desktop instead of only your active windows.
2.3.2.4.3. Displaying a Skydome Image Behind the Cube¶
You can add background wallpaper (also known as a skydome image) that is visible when you rotate or unfold the desktop cube.
Click +++ or press Alt+F2 and enter gconf-editor.
Navigate to the
apps/compiz/plugins/cube/screen0/optionsregistry folder.Scroll down the list on the right side of the and select .
Double-click and specify the path to the skydome image you want to display behind the cube.
Skydome images must be in
.pngformat. The suggested image sizes for skydome images are 1024 x 1024, 1024 x 2048, 1024 x 4096, 2048 x 1024, 2048 x 2048, 2048 x 4096, 4096 x 1024, 4096 x 2048, and 4096 x 4096.(Optional) Select to make it look like you are moving around the cube when you use your mouse to rotate the cube.
Click .
Click + to close the .
2.3.3. Configuring Fonts¶
To select the fonts to use in your applications, windows, terminals, and desktop, click +++.
The upper part of the dialog shows the fonts selected for applications, documents, the desktop, window titles, and a fixed-width font for terminals. Click one of the buttons to open a selection dialog where you can set the font family, style, and size. For more information on the individual options, click .
2.3.4. Configuring Menus and Toolbars¶
You can configure the appearance and behavior of menus and toolbars. Click +++.
If you want icons to appear in menus, select . Not all menu items have icons.
If you want to be able to define new keyboard shortcuts for menu items, select . When this option is enabled, you can change an application shortcut key by placing the mouse pointer over the menu item you want to change, then pressing the new key combination. To remove a shortcut key combination, place the mouse pointer over the menu item, then press <— or Del.
![[Important]](admon/important.png) | New Keyboard Combinations Can Change Defaults |
|---|---|
If you assign a new keyboard combination, you are not warned if you select a combination that was previously assigned to something else. The previous assignment is removed and replaced by the new one. There is no automatic way to restore the original, default keyboard shortcut for a command. You must manually reassign the keyboard shortcut. This feature does not maintain shortcuts that are normally assigned to all applications, such as Ctrl+C for copy. This might lead to inconsistencies in your GNOME applications. | |
If you want to be able to move toolbars to other locations on the screen, click . When this option is enabled, a handle displays on the left side of the toolbars in your applications. To move a toolbar, click and hold on the handle, then drag the toolbar to the new location.
Select one of the following options to specify how toolbar button labels display in your GNOME-compliant applications:
Displays icon labels below the icons for each button.
Displays icons on the toolbar, with text beside the most important icons.
Displays icons only, without any text labels.
Displays text labels on each button, without icons.
A preview of the selected option appears in the dialog.
2.3.5. Configuring the Screen Saver¶
A screen saver is a program that blanks the screen or displays graphics when the computer is not used for a specified amount of time. Originally, screen savers protected monitors from having images burned into them. Now they are used primarily for entertainment or security.
To configure a screen saver, click +++.
You can select from (random selection of screen savers from a custom-defined list), , or a selection of installed screen savers.
Select a screen saver from the list to choose it. The currently selected screen saver is displayed in the small preview window. Specify the amount of time that the screen is to be idle before the screen saver is activated, and whether the screen is locked when the screen saver is activated.
2.3.6. Choosing a Theme¶
A theme is a group of coordinated settings that specifies the visual appearance of a part of the desktop. You can choose themes to change the appearance of the desktop. Use the tool to select from a list of preinstalled themes. The list of available themes includes several themes for users with accessibility requirements.
To choose a theme, click +++.
A theme contains settings that affect different parts of the desktop, as follows:
- Controls
The controls setting for a theme determines the visual appearance of windows, panels, and applets. It also determines the visual appearance of the GNOME-compliant interface items that appear on windows, panels, and applets, such as menus, icons, and buttons. Some of the controls setting options that are available are designed for special accessibility needs. You can select an option for the controls setting in the tabbed page of the tool.
- Window frame
The window frame setting for a theme determines the appearance of the frames around windows only. You can select an option for the window frame setting in the tabbed page of the tool.
- Icon
The icon setting for a theme determines the appearance of the icons on panels and the desktop background. You can select an option for the icon setting in the tabbed page of the tool.
The color settings for the desktop and applications are controlled using
themes. You can choose from a variety of preinstalled themes. Selecting
a style from the list overview applies it automatically.
opens another dialog where you can customize
the style of single desktop elements, like window content, window
borders, and icons. Making changes and leaving the dialog by clicking
switches the theme to . Click to save your
modified theme under a custom name. The Internet and other sources
provide many additional themes for GNOME as .tar.gz
files. Install these with .
Procedure 2.1. Creating a Custom Theme¶
The themes that are listed in the tool are different combinations of controls options, window frame options, and icon options. You can create a custom theme that uses different combinations of options.
Click +++.
Select a theme from the list of themes, then click .
Select the controls option that you want to use in the custom theme from the list in the tabbed page.
Click the tab, then select the window frame option that you want to use in the custom theme.
Click the tab, then select the icons option that you want to use in the custom theme.
Click +.
A dialog is displayed.
Type a name and a short description for the custom theme in the dialog, then click .
The custom theme now appears in your list of available themes.
Procedure 2.2. Installing a New Theme¶
You can add a theme to the list of available themes. The new theme must
be an archive file that is tarred and zipped (a
.tar.gz file).
Click +++.
Click .
Specify the location of the theme archive file in the field, then click .
You can also click to browse for the file.
Click to install the new theme.
Procedure 2.3. Installing a New Theme Option¶
You can install new controls options, window frame options, or icons options. You can find many controls options on the Internet.
Click +++.
Click , then click the tab for the type of theme you want to install.
For example, to install an icons option, click the tab.
Click .
Specify the location of the theme archive file in the field, then click .
Click to install the new theme option.
Procedure 2.4. Deleting a Theme Option¶
You can delete controls options, window frame options, or icons options.
Click +++.
Click , then click the tab for the type of option you want to delete.
Click .
A file manager window opens on the default option folder.
Use the file manager window to delete the option.
2.3.7. Customizing Window Behavior¶
Use the tool to customize window behavior for the desktop. You can determine how a window reacts to contact with the mouse pointer or to double-clicks on its title bar, and you can define which key to hold for moving an application window.
To customize window behavior, click +++.
When several application windows populate the desktop, the active one by default is the one last clicked. Change this behavior by activating . If desired, activate and adjust the latency time with the slider. This raises a windows a short time after the window receives focus.
Application windows can be shaded (rolled up) by double-clicking the title bar, leaving only the title bar visible. This saves space on the desktop and is the default behavior. It is also possible to set windows to maximize when the title bar is double-clicked.
Using the radio buttons, select a modifier key to press for moving a window (Ctrl, Alt, Hyper, or the Windows key).
2.4. Personal¶
In the following sections, find examples of how to configure some personal aspects of your GNOME desktop, like keyboard accessibility, keyboard shortcuts, assistive technology support, and learn how to change your password or manage virtual keyrings.
2.4.1. Configuring Keyboard Accessibility Settings¶
GNOME provides keyboard settings designed to help users with motion impairments using the GNOME desktop. Some of the available settings include:
How long a key is pressed and held before being recognized as valid input
Whether the keyboard can be used as a mouse
Whether key combinations that use Alt, Ctrl, and Shift can be duplicated with “sticky keys”
To configure keyboard accessibility settings, click +++.
Before you can modify any settings, you need to activate at the top of the window.
On three tabs, you can then define various settings for keys:
- Sticky Keys
Some keyboard shortcuts require that one key (a modifier key) is kept pressed constantly (this applies to Alt, Ctrl, and Shift) while the rest of the shortcut is typed. When sticky keys are used, the system regards those keys as staying pressed after being pressed once. To enable sticky keys, activate the appropriate check box. For an audible feedback generated each time a modifier key is pressed, activate . If is selected, the keys do not “stick” anymore when two keys are pressed simultaneously. The system then assumes that the keyboard shortcut has been completely entered.
- Repeat Keys
Activate to make settings with sliders for and . This determines how long a key must be pressed for the automatic keyboard repeat function to be activated and at what speed the characters are then typed.
Test the effect of the settings in the field at the bottom of the dialog. Select parameters that reflect your normal typing habits.
- Slow Keys
To prevent accidental typing, switch to the tab and activate . Set a minimum time limit that a key must be pressed and held before it is recognized as valid input by the system. Also determine whether audible feedback should be provided for keypress events, accepted keypresses, and the rejection of a keypress.
- Bounce Keys
To prevent double typing, activate on the tab and set a minimum time limit for accepting two subsequent keypress events of the same key as the input of two individual characters. If desired, activate audible feedback upon rejection of a keypress event.
- Toggle Keys
If you activate , the system gives an audible feedback when a keycap modifier key is pressed.
- Mouse Keys
To use the keyboard as mouse, switch to the tab and activate . The mouse pointer is controlled with the arrow keys of the number pad. Use the sliders to set the maximum speed of the mouse pointer, the acceleration time until the maximum speed is reached, and the latency between the pressing of a key and the cursor movement.
You can also choose to automatically disable the keyboard accessibility preferences after some time of inactivity. To do so, click the tab and activate and set an appropriate time limit (measured in seconds) with the slider. The system can additionally provide audible feedback when the keyboard accessibility functions are activated and deactivated.
2.4.2. Configuring Assistive Technology Support¶
Several assistive technologies are included for users with special needs:
Screen reader
Screen magnifier
On-screen keyboard
To configure assistive technology options, click +++. To activate the technologies, first select and then choose the technologies you want to enable every time you log in.
The gok package must be
installed in order to get on-screen keyboard support, and the
gnopernicus and
gnome-mag packages must
be installed in order to get screenreading and magnifying capabilities.
If these packages are not installed on your system (they are installed by default during installation), install them with the following procedure:
Start the YaST package manager from the command line or open YaST and select +.
For , select .
In the field, enter the name of the package you want to install and press Enter. The package is listed in the right frame.
Select it for installation. Once done, you can search for more packages and select them for installation in one go.
Click to start the installation of the packages.
2.4.3. Changing Your Password¶
For security reasons, it is a good idea to change your login password from time to time. To change your password:
Click +++.
Type your old (current) password.
Type your new password.
Confirm your new password by typing it again, then click .
2.4.4. Managing Keyrings¶
GNOME Keyring Manager provides an interface for viewing secrets stored in keyrings on your computer. Secrets include such items as:
Passwords
Wireless credentials
Certificates
Credentials for logging in to another computer
Most users will not need to use GNOME Keyring Manager because secrets are automatically managed by the applications that create them. Whenever any GNOME application that uses GNOME Keyring needs to access passwords or credentials stored there, a check is made if the keyring is locked or not. If it is locked, you will be prompted for the master password to unlock the keyring.
To open Keyring Manager (independent of any application interaction) press Alt+F2 and enter gnome-keyring-manager.
To delete a secret:
In the list of keyrings on the left side of Keyring Manager, click .
Click the secret you want to delete in the list in the top right area of Keyring Manager.
Click .
The secret is removed from the list.
2.4.5. Using Single Sign-on with Novell CASA¶nld
Single sign-on is a method of access control that enables users to authenticate once and thus gain access to the resources of multiple software systems. CASA (Common Authentication Service Adapter) lets you manage authentication credentials across several platforms like SUSE Linux Enterprise, Microsoft* Windows* and Macintosh* OS 10. You can access and store passwords of the programs and services installed on any of these platforms. CASA also interfaces with GNOME Keyring, KDE's KWallet, and the Firefox Password Manager, allowing you to manage all of these from one interface if desired.
Before you can use CASA to manage your passwords, CASA needs to be enabled in YaST. To do so, start YaST and click +. In the dialog, click and after the confirmation message, click to close YaST.
Procedure 2.5. Managing Passwords with Novell CASA
Click +++.
If the CASA services are not available yet, a message box lets you start the appropriate YaST module to enable CASA first.
If you start CASA for the first time, you are prompted for a master password to encrypt and secure your credentials. Enter your master password twice and click . The opens.
Persistent Storage in CASA is Tied to Login Password Verify that your login password has been recorded and an entry is shown on the tab. If the entry does not appear, log out from your desktop and log in again to have your password recorded with CASA. If your login password is not known to CASA, you cannot use single sign-on.
To configure CASA, select +.
In the dialog, select the stores that should be supported by CASA and click . A tab is added for each store you selected, so you can now access and manage the passwords stored there from .
To delete a password from one of the stores, select the entry, right-click and choose .
If you need to change the CASA master password, select +.
You can also edit existing passwords, import or export passwords, or link passwords with Novell CASA. For detailed information, click + to access the CASA online help. Find the complete CASA documentation at http://developer.novell.com/wiki/index.php/Special:Downloads/casa.
2.4.6. Customizing Keyboard Shortcuts¶
A keyboard shortcut is a key or combination of keys that provides an alternative to standard ways of performing an action. You can customize the keyboard shortcuts for a number of actions.
To open the Keyboard Shortcuts tool, click +++.
To change the shortcut keys for an action, select the action and then press the keys you want to associate with the action. To disable the shortcut keys for an action, click the shortcut for the action, then press <—.
2.5. System¶
In the following sections, find examples of how to configure some system aspects of your GNOME desktop, like language settings, power management, preferred applications, session and session sharing preferences, Beagle search options, and audio preferences.
2.5.1. Configuring Streaming Audio and Video¶
With GNOME Control Center, you can configure which audio and video plug-ins you want to use for streaming multimedia. To open this application, click +++.
In most cases, you should use the default selections. However, if you want to select other plug-ins, select the plug-in you want from the menus. The tab lists the plug-ins for audio input and output. The tab lists the video plug-ins.
Click when you are finished. The system is immediately configured to use the selected plug-ins.
2.5.2. Configuring Language Settings¶
SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop can be configured to use any of many languages. The language setting determines the language of dialogs and menus, and can also determine the keyboard and clock layout.
You can set the following language settings:
Primary language
Whether the keyboard language setting should depend on the primary language
Whether the time zone should depend on the primary language
Secondary languages
To configure your language settings:
Click +++.
Enter the
rootpassword.If you do not know the root password, contact your system administrator. You cannot continue without the root password.
Specify the primary language, whether you want to adapt the keyboard layout or time zone to the primary language, and any secondary languages you need to support on the computer.
Click .
The language configuration settings are written to several configuration files. This process can take a few minutes. The new settings take effect immediately after they are written to the configuration files.
2.5.3. Configuring Network Proxies¶
The Network Proxy Configuration tool lets you configure how your system connects to the Internet. You can configure the desktop to connect to a proxy server and specify the details of the server. A proxy server is a server that intercepts requests to another server and fulfills the request itself, if it can. You can specify the Domain Name Service (DNS) name or the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the proxy server. A DNS name is a unique alphabetic identifier for a computer on a network. An IP address is a unique numeric identifier for a computer on a network.
Click +++.
For more information on the individual options, click .
2.5.4. Configuring Power Management¶
The Power Management module lets you manage your system’s power-saving options. It is especially useful for extending the life of a laptop’s battery charge. However, several options also help to save electricity when you are using a computer that is plugged in to an electricity source.
Sleep mode shuts down the computer when it is unused for a specified amount of time. Whether you are using battery or AC power, you can specify the amount of time that the computer remains unused before it is put to sleep. You can also put the computer’s display to sleep without shutting down the computer, saving the power required by the display.
Sleep mode is especially important when the computer is operating under battery power. Both the screen and the computer draw power from the battery, so you can save a significant amount of battery power by shutting down one or both. It is common to put the display to sleep after a shorter period of time. Then, if the computer remains unused for an additional amount of time, it is also put to sleep.
There are several sleep modes or actions you can set in the Power Management module:
The computer does not shut down or automatically go into any kind of power-saving mode. If you have a laptop, the laptop continues to run normally when the lid is closed.
The screen is blanked, reducing power consumption.
Suspend mode turns off power-consuming computer components such as the display and the hard drive without saving the contents of RAM. Any unsaved data is lost.
The computer saves the contents of RAM to the hard disk, then shuts down. When you turn the computer on again, the saved data is put back into RAM, restoring your computer to the state it was in before it shut off. requires an amount of free hard disk space equal to the amount of RAM installed on the computer.
To open the Power Management module, click +++.
Procedure 2.6. Specifying Your Computer’s Sleep Settings
Click the tab for the type of power you are using: if your computer uses AC power, click . If your computer runs on battery power, click . If your computer operates on both AC and battery power, you can configure the settings on both tabs.
The settings you choose are in effect no matter which power source you use.
Use the sliders to set the amount of inactive time that passes before the display and computer go into sleep mode.
When the display is in sleep mode, the computer continues to run. When the computer is in sleep mode, power to the display and hard disk is shut off and the computer uses only the power needed to maintain the contents of RAM.
If the computer is a laptop, set the actions you want taken when the laptop lid is closed.
If you configure how a laptop manages battery power, configure the action you want taken if battery power reaches a critical level.
Choose the option you prefer by selecting it from the menu. If you have sufficient free disk space, is the best choice.
If you want power management to prefer power savings over performance, select the check box for that option.
If the check box is selected, the performance of some power-consuming features, such as the display, is reduced slightly to reduce power consumption.
On the tab, you can set further options, for example the action to take when the power button is pressed, or the sleep type to use when the computer is inactive. The options available there depend on the type of computer you use (laptop or other computer).
You can also define when and how to display the power icon in the notification area.
When all options are set according to your wishes, click . The options you selected go into effect immediately.
2.5.5. Setting Preferred Applications¶
The Preferred Applications module allows you change the default application for various common tasks such as browsing the internet, sending mails or transferring data with FTP.
Click +++.
Click the tab for the type of application you want to set.
Select one of the available from the applications from the menu or enter the command used to start the application.
Click .
The changes take effect immediately.
2.5.6. Setting Session Sharing Preferences¶
The dialog box lets you share a GNOME desktop session between multiple users and set session-sharing preferences.
| Sharing Desktop Sessions Affects System Security |
|---|---|
Be aware that sharing desktop sessions can be a security risk. Use the restriction options available. If you need to adjust the options to a lower security level, do not forget to switch back to a higher security level as soon as possible. | |
Click +++.
To share your desktop session with other users, activate . All keyboard, pointer, and clipboard events from the remote user are ignored.
If you want or need to allow other users to access and control your session from a remote location, activate . Click the highlighted text below to send the system address by e-mail to a remote user.
Make use of the security options available: if is activated, remote users require your confirmation before they can connect to your session. To achieve a higher security level, activate (if authentication is used).
2.5.7. Configuring Search with Beagle Settings¶
Beagle is the search engine used on the GNOME desktop. By default, Beagle is configured to start automatically and index your home directory. If you want to change these settings, specify the number of results displayed after a search or change the Beagle privacy settings, click +++.
For more information, see Section 9.4, “Setting Search Preferences” and Section 9.6, “Preventing Files and Directories from Being Indexed”.
2.5.8. Managing Sessions¶
This module lets you manage your sessions. A session occurs between the time that you log in to the desktop environment and the time that you log out. You can set session preferences and specify which applications to start when you begin a session. You can configure sessions to save the state of applications and then restore the state when you start another session.
You can also use this preference tool to manage multiple sessions. For example, you might have a mobile session which starts applications you use most frequently when traveling, a demo session that starts applications used to present a demonstration or slide show to a customer, and a work session that uses a different set of applications when you are working in the office.
Click +++.
Procedure 2.7. Setting Session Preferences
Use the tab to manage multiple sessions and set preferences for the current session.
For example, to manage multiple sessions, click and enter a session name to create a new session. When you log in to GDM, you can then choose which of the multiple session to use.
On the tab, you can modify options for your current session. For more information on the individual options, click .
On the tab you can add programs to start automatically when beginning a session. Click and specify the command that runs this application. If you specify more than one startup application, use the box to specify the startup order of the each application. The commands are executed automatically when you log in.
You can also a startup application or temporarily a startup application.
2.5.9. Setting Sound Preferences¶
The tool lets you control when the sound server starts. You can also specify which sounds to play when particular events occur.
Click +++ to open the tool.
Use the tab to specify when to launch the sound server. You can also enable sound event functions.
Click to start the sound server when you start a session. When the sound server is active, the desktop can play sounds.
Click to play sounds when particular events occur in the desktop.
Finally, select the sound to play at each of the specified events.
Some applications play a beep sound to indicate a keyboard input error. Use the tab to set preferences for the system beep.
2.5.10. Configuring Administrative Settings with YaST¶
For your convenience, YaST is available from the Control Panel as well as the Applications menu. For information about using YaST, refer to System Configuration with YaST in the Deployment Guide.