SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop Documentation ▶

SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11 SP4

Administration Guide

Publication Date 19 Jun 2015

Copyright © 2006–2015 SUSE LLC and contributors. All rights reserved.

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or (at your option) version 1.3; with the Invariant Section being this copyright notice and license. A copy of the license version 1.2 is included in the section entitled “GNU Free Documentation License”.

For SUSE and Novell trademarks, see the Novell Trademark and Service Mark list http://www.novell.com/company/legal/trademarks/tmlist.html. All other third party trademarks are the property of their respective owners. A trademark symbol (®, ™ etc.) denotes a SUSE or Novell trademark; an asterisk (*) denotes a third party trademark.

All information found in this book has been compiled with utmost attention to detail. However, this does not guarantee complete accuracy. Neither SUSE LLC, its affiliates, the authors nor the translators shall be held liable for possible errors or the consequences thereof.

Contents

About This Guide
1. Available Documentation
2. Feedback
3. Documentation Conventions
I. Support and Common Tasks
1. YaST Online Update
1.1. The Online Update Dialog
1.2. Installing Patches
1.3. Automatic Online Update
2. Gathering System Information for Support
2.1. Collecting System Information with Supportconfig
2.2. Submitting Information to Global Technical Support
2.3. Support of Kernel Modules
2.4. For More Information
3. YaST in Text Mode
3.1. Navigation in Modules
3.2. Restriction of Key Combinations
3.3. YaST Command Line Options
4. Snapshots/Rollback with Snapper
4.1. Requirements
4.2. Using Snapper to Undo System Changes
4.3. Manually Creating and Managing Snapshots
4.4. Limitations
4.5. Frequently Asked Questions
4.6. Using Snapper on Thin-Provisioned LVM Volumes
5. Remote Access with VNC
5.1. One-time VNC Sessions
5.2. Persistent VNC Sessions
6. GNOME Configuration for Administrators
6.1. The GConf System
6.2. Customizing Main Menu, Panel, and Application Browser
6.3. Starting Applications Automatically
6.4. Automounting and Managing Media Devices
6.5. Changing Preferred Applications
6.6. Managing Profiles Using Sabayon
6.7. Adding Document Templates
6.8. Desktop Lock Down Features
6.9. For More Information
7. Managing Software with Command Line Tools
7.1. Using Zypper
7.2. RPM—the Package Manager
8. Bash and Bash Scripts
8.1. What is “The Shell”?
8.2. Writing Shell Scripts
8.3. Redirecting Command Events
8.4. Using Aliases
8.5. Using Variables in Bash
8.6. Grouping And Combining Commands
8.7. Working with Common Flow Constructs
8.8. For More Information
9. Using Third-Party Software
II. System
10. 32-Bit and 64-Bit Applications in a 64-Bit System Environment
10.1. Runtime Support
10.2. Software Development
10.3. Software Compilation on Biarch Platforms
10.4. Kernel Specifications
11. Booting and Configuring a Linux System
11.1. The Linux Boot Process
11.2. The init Process
11.3. System Configuration via /etc/sysconfig
12. The Boot Loader GRUB
12.1. Booting with GRUB
12.2. Configuring the Boot Loader with YaST
12.3. Uninstalling the Linux Boot Loader
12.4. Creating Boot CDs
12.5. The Graphical SUSE Screen
12.6. Troubleshooting
12.7. For More Information
13. UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface)
13.1. Secure Boot
13.2. For More Information
14. Special System Features
14.1. Information about Special Software Packages
14.2. Virtual Consoles
14.3. Keyboard Mapping
14.4. Language and Country-Specific Settings
15. Printer Operation
15.1. The Workflow of the Printing System
15.2. Methods and Protocols for Connecting Printers
15.3. Installing the Software
15.4. Network Printers
15.5. Printing from the Command Line
15.6. Special Features in SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop
15.7. Troubleshooting
16. Dynamic Kernel Device Management with udev
16.1. The /dev Directory
16.2. Kernel uevents and udev
16.3. Drivers, Kernel Modules and Devices
16.4. Booting and Initial Device Setup
16.5. Monitoring the Running udev Daemon
16.6. Influencing Kernel Device Event Handling with udev Rules
16.7. Persistent Device Naming
16.8. Files used by udev
16.9. For More Information
17. The X Window System
17.1. Manually Configuring the X Window System
17.2. Installing and Configuring Fonts
17.3. For More Information
18. Accessing File Systems with FUSE
18.1. Configuring FUSE
18.2. Available FUSE Plug-ins
18.3. For More Information
III. Mobile Computers
19. Mobile Computing with Linux
19.1. Laptops
19.2. Mobile Hardware
19.3. Cellular Phones and PDAs
19.4. For More Information
20. Wireless LAN
20.1. WLAN Standards
20.2. Operating Modes
20.3. Authentication
20.4. Encryption
20.5. Configuration with YaST
20.6. Tips and Tricks for Setting Up a WLAN
20.7. Troubleshooting
20.8. For More Information
21. Power Management
21.1. Power Saving Functions
21.2. Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI)
21.3. Rest for the Hard Disk
21.4. Troubleshooting
21.5. For More Information
22. Using Tablet PCs
22.1. Installing Tablet PC Packages
22.2. Configuring Your Tablet Device
22.3. Using the Virtual Keyboard
22.4. Rotating Your Display
22.5. Using Gesture Recognition
22.6. Taking Notes and Sketching with the Pen
22.7. Troubleshooting
22.8. For More Information
IV. Services
23. Basic Networking
23.1. IP Addresses and Routing
23.2. IPv6—The Next Generation Internet
23.3. Name Resolution
23.4. Configuring a Network Connection with YaST
23.5. NetworkManager
23.6. Configuring a Network Connection Manually
23.7. Setting Up Bonding Devices
23.8. smpppd as Dial-up Assistant
24. SLP Services in the Network
24.1. Installation
24.2. Activating SLP
24.3. SLP Front-Ends in SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop
24.4. Providing Services via SLP
24.5. For More Information
25. Time Synchronization with NTP
25.1. Configuring an NTP Client with YaST
25.2. Manually Configuring NTP in the Network
25.3. Dynamic Time Synchronization at Runtime
25.4. Setting Up a Local Reference Clock
26. Using NetworkManager
26.1. Use Cases for NetworkManager
26.2. Enabling or Disabling NetworkManager
26.3. Configuring Network Connections
26.4. Using KNetworkManager
26.5. Using the GNOME NetworkManager Applet
26.6. NetworkManager and VPN
26.7. NetworkManager and Security
26.8. Frequently Asked Questions
26.9. Troubleshooting
26.10. For More Information
27. Samba
27.1. Terminology
27.2. Configuring a Samba Server
27.3. Configuring Clients
27.4. Samba as Login Server
27.5. For More Information
28. Sharing File Systems with NFS
28.1. Terminology
28.2. Installing NFS Server
28.3. Configuring NFS Server
28.4. Configuring Clients
28.5. For More Information
29. File Synchronization
29.1. Available Data Synchronization Software
29.2. Determining Factors for Selecting a Program
29.3. Introduction to CVS
29.4. Introduction to rsync
29.5. For More Information
V. Troubleshooting
30. Help and Documentation
30.1. Documentation Directory
30.2. Man Pages
30.3. Info Pages
30.4. Online Resources
31. Common Problems and Their Solutions
31.1. Finding and Gathering Information
31.2. Installation Problems
31.3. Boot Problems
31.4. Login Problems
31.5. Network Problems
31.6. Data Problems
A. An Example Network
B. GNU Licenses
B.1. GNU Free Documentation License

List of Figures

1.1. YaST Online Update—Qt Interface
1.2. YaST Online Update—GTK Interface
3.1. Main Window of YaST in Text Mode
3.2. The Software Installation Module
6.1. Sabayon: User Profile Editor
6.2. Sabayon: New Xnest Window
6.3. Sabayon: Selecting Users
11.1. System Services (Runlevel)
11.2. System Configuration Using the sysconfig Editor
12.1. Boot Loader Settings
13.1. UEFI: Secure Boot Process
19.1. Integrating a Mobile Computer in an Existing Environment
20.1. YaST: Configuring the Wireless Network Card
22.1. xvkbd Virtual Keyboard
22.2. Gesture Recognition with CellWriter
22.3. Annotating a PDF with Xournal
22.4. Editing Texts with Dasher
23.1. Simplified Layer Model for TCP/IP
23.2. TCP/IP Ethernet Packet
23.3. Configuring Network Settings
23.4. Modem Configuration
23.5. ISDN Configuration
23.6. ISDN Interface Configuration
23.7. DSL Configuration
25.1. YaST: NTP Server
25.2. Advanced NTP Configuration: Security Settings
26.1. GNOME Network Connections Dialog
26.2. KDE Network Configuration Dialog
26.3. KNetworkManager—Configured and Available Connections
31.1. Checking Media
31.2. Displaying Hardware Information
31.3. US Keyboard Layout
31.4. Automatic Repair Mode

List of Tables

7.1. The Most Important RPM Query Options
7.2. RPM Verify Options
8.1. Bash Configuration Files for Login Shells
8.2. Bash Configuration Files for Non-Login Shells
8.3. Special Files for Bash
8.4. Overview of a Standard Directory Tree
8.5. Useful Environment Variables
11.1. Available Runlevels
11.2. Possible init Script Options
12.1. Screen Resolution and Color Depth Reference
14.1. ulimit: Setting Resources for the User
17.1. Sections in /etc/X11/xorg.conf
17.2. Parameters of fc-list
18.1. Available FUSE Plug-ins
19.1. Use Cases for NetworkManager
20.1. Overview of Various WLAN Standards
23.1. Several Protocols in the TCP/IP Protocol Family
23.2. Specific Addresses
23.3. Private IP Address Domains
23.4. Various IPv6 Prefixes
23.5. Manual Network Configuration Scripts
23.6. Parameters for /etc/host.conf
23.7. Databases Available via /etc/nsswitch.conf
23.8. Configuration Options for NSS “Databases”
23.9. Some Start-Up Scripts for Network Programs
29.1. Features of the File Synchronization Tools: -- = very poor, - = poor or not available, o = medium, + = good, ++ = excellent, x = available
30.1. Man Pages—Categories and Descriptions
31.1. Log Files
31.2. System Information With the /proc File System
31.3. System Information With the /sys File System

List of Examples

4.1. Example time line configuration
7.1. Zypper—List of Known Repositories
7.2. rpm -q -i wget
7.3. Script to Search for Packages
8.1. A Shell Script Printing a Text
11.1. A Minimal INIT INFO Block
14.1. Entry in /etc/crontab
14.2. /etc/crontab: Remove Time Stamp Files
14.3. Example for /etc/logrotate.conf
14.4. ulimit: Settings in ~/.bashrc
15.1. /etc/modprobe.conf: Interrupt Mode for the First Parallel Port
15.2. Error Message from lpd
15.3. Broadcast from the CUPS Network Server
16.1. Example udev Rules
17.1. Screen Section of the File /etc/X11/xorg.conf
23.1. Writing IP Addresses
23.2. Linking IP Addresses to the Netmask
23.3. Sample IPv6 Address
23.4. IPv6 Address Specifying the Prefix Length
23.5. /etc/resolv.conf
23.6. /etc/hosts
23.7. /etc/networks
23.8. /etc/host.conf
23.9. /etc/nsswitch.conf
23.10. Output of the Command ping
23.11. Output of the ifconfig Command
23.12. Output of the route -n Command
27.1. Global Section in smb.conf
SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop Administration Guide 11 SP4

SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop Documentation ▶