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SUSE Linux Enterprise Server

Administration Guide

Publication Date 03 Feb 2012

Copyright © 2006–2012 Novell, Inc. 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 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 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 Novell, Inc., SUSE LINUX Products GmbH, 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. Novell Support Link Overview
2.2. Using Supportconfig
2.3. Submitting Information to Novell
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 YaST and zypper Changes
4.3. Using Snapper to Restore Files from Hourly Backups
4.4. Managing Snapshots
4.5. Disabling Snapper
4.6. Creating Snapper Configurations
4.7. Limitations
4.8. Frequently Asked Questions
5. Remote Access with VNC
5.1. One-time VNC Sessions
5.2. Persistent VNC Sessions
6. Managing Software with Command Line Tools
6.1. Using Zypper
6.2. RPM—the Package Manager
7. Bash and Bash Scripts
7.1. What is “The Shell”?
7.2. Writing Shell Scripts
7.3. Redirecting Command Events
7.4. Using Aliases
7.5. Using Variables in Bash
7.6. Grouping And Combining Commands
7.7. Working with Common Flow Constructs
7.8. For More Information
II. System
8. 32-Bit and 64-Bit Applications in a 64-Bit System Environment
8.1. Runtime Support
8.2. Software Development
8.3. Software Compilation on Biarch Platforms
8.4. Kernel Specifications
9. Booting and Configuring a Linux System
9.1. The Linux Boot Process
9.2. The init Process
9.3. System Configuration via /etc/sysconfig
10. The Boot Loader GRUB
10.1. Booting with GRUB
10.2. Configuring the Boot Loader with YaST
10.3. Uninstalling the Linux Boot Loader
10.4. Creating Boot CDs
10.5. The Graphical SUSE Screen
10.6. Troubleshooting
10.7. For More Information
11. Special System Features
11.1. Information about Special Software Packages
11.2. Virtual Consoles
11.3. Keyboard Mapping
11.4. Language and Country-Specific Settings
12. Printer Operation
12.1. The Workflow of the Printing System
12.2. Methods and Protocols for Connecting Printers
12.3. Installing the Software
12.4. Network Printers
12.5. Printing from the Command Line
12.6. Special Features in SUSE Linux Enterprise Server
12.7. Troubleshooting
13. Dynamic Kernel Device Management with udev
13.1. The /dev Directory
13.2. Kernel uevents and udev
13.3. Drivers, Kernel Modules and Devices
13.4. Booting and Initial Device Setup
13.5. Monitoring the Running udev Daemon
13.6. Influencing Kernel Device Event Handling with udev Rules
13.7. Persistent Device Naming
13.8. Files used by udev
13.9. For More Information
14. The X Window System
14.1. Manually Configuring the X Window System
14.2. Installing and Configuring Fonts
14.3. For More Information
15. Accessing File Systems with FUSE
15.1. Configuring FUSE
15.2. Available FUSE Plug-ins
15.3. For More Information
III. Mobile Computers
16. Mobile Computing with Linux
16.1. Laptops
16.2. Mobile Hardware
16.3. Cellular Phones and PDAs
16.4. For More Information
17. Wireless LAN
17.1. WLAN Standards
17.2. Operating Modes
17.3. Authentication
17.4. Encryption
17.5. Configuration with YaST
17.6. Tips and Tricks for Setting Up a WLAN
17.7. Troubleshooting
17.8. For More Information
18. Power Management
18.1. Power Saving Functions
18.2. Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI)
18.3. Rest for the Hard Disk
18.4. Troubleshooting
18.5. For More Information
19. Using Tablet PCs
19.1. Installing Tablet PC Packages
19.2. Configuring Your Tablet Device
19.3. Using the Virtual Keyboard
19.4. Rotating Your Display
19.5. Using Gesture Recognition
19.6. Taking Notes and Sketching with the Pen
19.7. Troubleshooting
19.8. For More Information
IV. Services
20. Basic Networking
20.1. IP Addresses and Routing
20.2. IPv6—The Next Generation Internet
20.3. Name Resolution
20.4. Configuring a Network Connection with YaST
20.5. NetworkManager
20.6. Configuring a Network Connection Manually
20.7. smpppd as Dial-up Assistant
21. SLP Services in the Network
21.1. Installation
21.2. Activating SLP
21.3. SLP Front-Ends in SUSE Linux Enterprise Server
21.4. Installation over SLP
21.5. Providing Services via SLP
21.6. For More Information
22. Time Synchronization with NTP
22.1. Configuring an NTP Client with YaST
22.2. Manually Configuring ntp in the Network
22.3. Dynamic Time Synchronization at Runtime
22.4. Setting Up a Local Reference Clock
22.5. Clock Synchronization to an External Time Reference (ETR)
23. The Domain Name System
23.1. DNS Terminology
23.2. Installation
23.3. Configuration with YaST
23.4. Starting the BIND Name Server
23.5. The /etc/named.conf Configuration File
23.6. Zone Files
23.7. Dynamic Update of Zone Data
23.8. Secure Transactions
23.9. DNS Security
23.10. For More Information
24. DHCP
24.1. Configuring a DHCP Server with YaST
24.2. DHCP Software Packages
24.3. The DHCP Server dhcpd
24.4. For More Information
25. Using NetworkManager
25.1. Use Cases for NetworkManager
25.2. Enabling NetworkManager
25.3. Configuring Network Connections
25.4. Using KNetworkManager
25.5. Using GNOME NetworkManager Applet
25.6. NetworkManager and VPN
25.7. NetworkManager and Security
25.8. Frequently Asked Questions
25.9. Troubleshooting
25.10. For More Information
26. Samba
26.1. Terminology
26.2. Starting and Stopping Samba
26.3. Configuring a Samba Server
26.4. Configuring Clients
26.5. Samba as Login Server
26.6. Samba Server in the Network with Active Directory
26.7. For More Information
27. Sharing File Systems with NFS
27.1. Terminology
27.2. Installing NFS Server
27.3. Configuring NFS Server
27.4. Configuring Clients
27.5. For More Information
28. File Synchronization
28.1. Available Data Synchronization Software
28.2. Determining Factors for Selecting a Program
28.3. Introduction to CVS
28.4. Introduction to rsync
28.5. For More Information
29. The Apache HTTP Server
29.1. Quick Start
29.2. Configuring Apache
29.3. Starting and Stopping Apache
29.4. Installing, Activating, and Configuring Modules
29.5. Getting CGI Scripts to Work
29.6. Setting Up a Secure Web Server with SSL
29.7. Avoiding Security Problems
29.8. Troubleshooting
29.9. For More Information
30. Setting up an FTP server with YaST
30.1. Starting the FTP server
30.2. FTP General Settings
30.3. FTP Performance Settings
30.4. Authentication
30.5. Expert Settings
30.6. For more information
31. The Squid Proxy Server
31.1. Some Facts about Proxy Caches
31.2. System Requirements
31.3. Starting Squid
31.4. The /etc/squid/squid.conf Configuration File
31.5. Configuring a Transparent Proxy
31.6. cachemgr.cgi
31.7. Cache Report Generation with Calamaris
31.8. For More Information
32. Web Based Enterprise Management using SFCB
32.1. Introduction and Basic Concept
32.2. Setting Up SFCB
32.3. SFCB CIMOM Configuration
32.4. Advanced SFCB Tasks
32.5. For More Information
V. Troubleshooting
33. Help and Documentation
33.1. Documentation Directory
33.2. Man Pages
33.3. Info Pages
33.4. Online Resources
34. Common Problems and Their Solutions
34.1. Finding and Gathering Information
34.2. Installation Problems
34.3. Boot Problems
34.4. Login Problems
34.5. Network Problems
34.6. Data Problems
34.7. IBM System z: Using initrd as a Rescue System
A. GNU Licenses
A.1. GNU General Public License
A.2. 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
9.1. System Services (Runlevel)
9.2. System Configuration Using the sysconfig Editor
10.1. Boot Loader Settings
16.1. Integrating a Mobile Computer in an Existing Environment
17.1. YaST: Configuring the Wireless Network Card
19.1. xvkbd Virtual Keyboard
19.2. Gesture Recognition with CellWriter
19.3. Annotating a PDF with Xournal
19.4. Editing Texts with Dasher
20.1. Simplified Layer Model for TCP/IP
20.2. TCP/IP Ethernet Packet
20.3. Configuring Network Settings
20.4. Modem Configuration
20.5. ISDN Configuration
20.6. ISDN Interface Configuration
20.7. DSL Configuration
22.1. YaST: NTP Server
22.2. Advanced NTP Configuration: Security Settings
23.1. DNS Server Installation: Forwarder Settings
23.2. DNS Server Installation: DNS Zones
23.3. DNS Server Installation: Finish Wizard
23.4. DNS Server: Logging
23.5. DNS Server: Zone Editor (Basics)
23.6. DNS Server: Zone Editor (NS Records)
23.7. DNS Server: Zone Editor (MX Records)
23.8. DNS Server: Zone Editor (SOA)
24.1. DHCP Server: Card Selection
24.2. DHCP Server: Global Settings
24.3. DHCP Server: Dynamic DHCP
24.4. DHCP Server: Start-Up
24.5. DHCP Server: Host Management
24.6. DHCP Server: Chroot Jail and Declarations
24.7. DHCP Server: Selecting a Declaration Type
24.8. DHCP Server: Configuring Subnets
24.9. DHCP Server: TSIG Configuration
24.10. DHCP Server: Interface Configuration for Dynamic DNS
24.11. DHCP Server: Network Interface and Firewall
25.1. GNOME Network Connections Dialog
25.2. KDE Network Configuration Dialog
25.3. KNetworkManager—Configured and Available Connections
26.1. Determining Windows Domain Membership
27.1. NFS Server Configuration Tool
27.2. Configuring an NFS Server with YaST
27.3. Exporting Directories with NFSv4
27.4. Exporting Directories with NFSv2 and v3
27.5. NFS Client Configuration with YaST
29.1. HTTP Server Wizard: Default Host
29.2. HTTP Server Wizard: Summary
29.3. HTTP Server Configuration: Listen Ports and Addresses
29.4. HTTP Server Configuration: Server Modules
30.1. FTP Server Configuration — Start-Up
32.1. Package Selection for Web-Based Enterprise Management Pattern
32.2. Package selection of additional CIM providers
34.1. Checking Media
34.2. Displaying Hardware Information
34.3. US Keyboard Layout
34.4. Automatic Repair Mode

List of Tables

6.1. The Most Important RPM Query Options
6.2. RPM Verify Options
7.1. Bash Configuration Files for Login Shells
7.2. Bash Configuration Files for Non-Login Shells
7.3. Special Files for Bash
7.4. Overview of a Standard Directory Tree
7.5. Useful Environment Variables
9.1. Available Runlevels
9.2. Possible init Script Options
10.1. Screen Resolution and Color Depth Reference
11.1. ulimit: Setting Resources for the User
14.1. Sections in /etc/X11/xorg.conf
14.2. Parameters of fc-list
15.1. Available FUSE Plug-ins
16.1. Use Cases for NetworkManager
17.1. Overview of Various WLAN Standards
20.1. Several Protocols in the TCP/IP Protocol Family
20.2. Specific Addresses
20.3. Private IP Address Domains
20.4. Various IPv6 Prefixes
20.5. Manual Network Configuration Scripts
20.6. Parameters for /etc/host.conf
20.7. Databases Available via /etc/nsswitch.conf
20.8. Configuration Options for NSS “Databases”
20.9. Some Start-Up Scripts for Network Programs
28.1. Features of the File Synchronization Tools: -- = very poor, - = poor or not available, o = medium, + = good, ++ = excellent, x = available
32.1. Commands for Managing sfcbd
33.1. Man Pages—Categories and Descriptions
34.1. Log Files
34.2. System Information With the /proc File System
34.3. System Information With the /sys File System

List of Examples

4.1. Example timeline configuration
6.1. Zypper—List of Known Repositories
6.2. rpm -q -i wget
6.3. Script to Search for Packages
7.1. A Shell Script Printing a Text
9.1. A Minimal INIT INFO Block
11.1. Entry in /etc/crontab
11.2. /etc/crontab: Remove Time Stamp Files
11.3. Example for /etc/logrotate.conf
11.4. ulimit: Settings in ~/.bashrc
12.1. /etc/modprobe.conf: Interrupt Mode for the First Parallel Port
12.2. Error Message from lpd
12.3. Broadcast from the CUPS Network Server
13.1. Example udev Rules
14.1. Screen Section of the File /etc/X11/xorg.conf
20.1. Writing IP Addresses
20.2. Linking IP Addresses to the Netmask
20.3. Sample IPv6 Address
20.4. IPv6 Address Specifying the Prefix Length
20.5. /etc/resolv.conf
20.6. /etc/hosts
20.7. /etc/networks
20.8. /etc/host.conf
20.9. /etc/nsswitch.conf
20.10. Output of the Command ping
20.11. Output of the ifconfig Command
20.12. Output of the route -n Command
23.1. Forwarding Options in named.conf
23.2. A Basic /etc/named.conf
23.3. Entry to Disable Logging
23.4. Zone Entry for example.com
23.5. Zone Entry for example.net
23.6. The /var/lib/named/example.com.zone File
23.7. Reverse Lookup
24.1. The Configuration File /etc/dhcpd.conf
24.2. Additions to the Configuration File
26.1. A CD-ROM Share (deactivated)
26.2. [homes] Share
26.3. Global Section in smb.conf
29.1. Variations of Name-Based VirtualHost Entries
29.2. Name-Based VirtualHost Directives
29.3. IP-Based VirtualHost Directives
29.4. Basic VirtualHost Configuration
29.5. VirtualHost CGI Configuration
31.1. Firewall Configuration: Option 15
31.2. Access Rules
31.3. Access Rules
34.1. Output of the Mount Command
34.2. chroot to the Mounted File System
34.3. Installing the IPL Record with zipl
34.4. Unmounting the File System

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