Table Of Content4710-0 Cover 3/30/01 11:56 AM Page 1
If Debian GNU/Linux can do it, you can do it too . . . 100% 100% “Steve Hunger’s book is the most comprehensive and
up-to-date guide to Debian GNU/Linux in print.”
Whether you’re a Linux newcomer looking for foolproof installation tips or a Debian GNU/ veteran who wants
—Branden Robinson, Debian Developer
the scoop on the latest security enhancements, this authoritative guide delivers all the information you need C O M P R E H E N S I V E ONE HUNDRED PERCENT
COMPREHENSIVE
to make the most of the Debian GNU/ “potato” release. From customizing a desktop system to troubleshooting DD
AUTHORITATIVE
a network or setting up an e-commerce server, it’s the only reference you’ll ever need to become a Debian WHAT YOU NEED
GNU/Linux pro. ee ONE HUNDRED PERCENT
bb
Inside, you’ll find
Master Linux system
ii
complete coverage of
Configure the Debian (cid:2) aa administration
Debian GNU/Linux interface for your
nn
special requirements Discover the power
• Get crystal-clear instructions for fast, painless
®® of Debian’s package
installation GG
management system
• Learn your way around the Linux shell, file
NN Build a network and
system, and X Window System
Monitor your set up Linux servers
• Discover how easy it is to set up a LAN (cid:2) Web server
UU
in Debian and connect to the Internet with Debian
packages
• Make the most of Linux desktop applications, //
LL
games, and multimedia features
DD
• Master Linux administration, from automating ii eebbiiaann
nn
system tasks to locking in security
uu ®®
• Find guidance on how to keep Debian current
Combine the
and bug-free xx
simplicity of a (cid:2)
• Get the scoop on configuring servers, from window manager ®®
with up-to-date GGNNUU//LLiinnuuxx
Apache and FTP to NIS and Sendmail
graphic controls
HUNGER
®®
Debian GNU/Linux 2.2r2 inside
Bible
w w w . h u n g r y m i n d s . c o m
System Requirements: $49.99USA Reader Level: Shelving Category:
Intel 386 or better; 150MB+ hard drive space; $74.99Canada Beginning to Advanced Linux
16MB+ RAM; CD-ROM drive £39.99UK incl. VAT Debian GNU/
Linux 2.2r2
on CD-ROM
ISBN 0-7645-4710-0 BONUS
*85555-ACJDHi ,!7IA7G4-fehbac!:p;o;t;T;T CD-ROM
Debian GNU/Linux 2.2r2 Steve Hunger
Foreword by Ian Murdock, Founder of Debian
and now Cofounder of Progeny Linux Systems
4710-0 FM.F 4/10/01 3:38 PM Page i
Debian GNU/Linux® Bible
4710-0 FM.F 4/10/01 3:38 PM Page iii
Debian GNU/Linux®
Bible
Steve Hunger
Hungry Minds, Inc.
Indianapolis, IN ✦ Cleveland, OH ✦ New York, NY
4710-0 FM.F 4/10/01 3:38 PM Page iv
Debian GNU/Linux®Bible Computer Publishing Corporation, Inc., for the
Published by Philippines; by Contemporanea de Ediciones for
Hungry Minds, Inc. Venezuela; by Express Computer Distributors for the
909 Third Avenue Caribbean and West Indies; by Micronesia Media
New York, NY 10022 Distributor, Inc. for Micronesia; by Chips
www.hungryminds.com Computadoras S.A. de C.V. for Mexico; by Editorial
Norma de Panama S.A. for Panama; by American
Copyright 2001 Hungry Minds, Inc. All rights Bookshops for Finland.
reserved. No part of this book, including interior
design, cover design, and icons, may be reproduced For general information on Hungry Minds’ products
or transmitted in any form, by any means (electronic, and services please contact our Customer Care
photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the department within the U.S. at 800-762-2974, outside
prior written permission of the publisher. the U.S. at 317-572-3993 or fax 317-572-4002.
Library of Congress Catalog Card No.: 2001089113 For sales inquiries and reseller information, including
discounts, premium and bulk quantity sales, and
ISBN: 0-7645-4710-0 foreign-language translations, please contact our
Printed in the United States of America Customer Care department at 800-434-3422, fax
317-572-4002 or write to Hungry Minds, Inc., Attn:
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Customer Care Department, 10475 Crosspoint
1B/SW/QU/QR/IN Boulevard, Indianapolis, IN 46256.
Distributed in the United States by For information on licensing foreign or domestic
Hungry Minds, Inc. rights, please contact our Sub-Rights Customer Care
Distributed by CDG Books Canada Inc. for Canada; by department at 212-884-5000.
Transworld Publishers Limited in the United For information on using Hungry Minds’ products
Kingdom; by IDG Norge Books for Norway; by IDG and services in the classroom or for ordering
Sweden Books for Sweden; by IDG Books Australia examination copies, please contact our Educational
Publishing Corporation Pty. Ltd. for Australia and Sales department at 800-434-2086 or fax 317-572-4005.
New Zealand; by TransQuest Publishers Pte Ltd. for
For press review copies, author interviews, or other
Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Hong
publicity information, please contact our Public
Kong; by Gotop Information Inc. for Taiwan; by ICG
Relations department at 650-653-7000 or fax
Muse, Inc. for Japan; by Intersoft for South Africa; by
650-653-7500.
Eyrolles for France; by International Thomson
Publishing for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland; by For authorization to photocopy items for corporate,
Distribuidora Cuspide for Argentina; by LR personal, or educational use, please contact
International for Brazil; by Galileo Libros for Chile; by Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive,
Ediciones ZETA S.C.R. Ltda. for Peru; by WS Danvers, MA 01923, or fax 978-750-4470.
LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: THE PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR HAVE USED THEIR
BEST EFFORTS IN PREPARING THIS BOOK. THE PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR MAKE NO
REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE
CONTENTS OF THIS BOOK AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THERE ARE NO WARRANTIES WHICH
EXTEND BEYOND THE DESCRIPTIONS CONTAINED IN THIS PARAGRAPH. NO WARRANTY MAY BE
CREATED OR EXTENDED BY SALES REPRESENTATIVES OR WRITTEN SALES MATERIALS. THE
ACCURACY AND COMPLETENESS OF THE INFORMATION PROVIDED HEREIN AND THE OPINIONS
STATED HEREIN ARE NOT GUARANTEED OR WARRANTED TO PRODUCE ANY PARTICULAR RESULTS,
AND THE ADVICE AND STRATEGIES CONTAINED HEREIN MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR EVERY
INDIVIDUAL. NEITHER THE PUBLISHER NOR AUTHOR SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOSS OF PROFIT OR
ANY OTHER COMMERCIAL DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL,
CONSEQUENTIAL, OR OTHER DAMAGES.
Trademarks:All brand names and product names used in this book are trade names, service marks,
trademarks, or registered trademarks of their respective owners. All other trademarks are the property of
their respective owners. Hungry Minds, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this
book.
is a trademark of
Hungry Minds, Inc.
4710-0 FM.F 4/10/01 3:38 PM Page v
About the Author
Steve Hunger has spent the last 10 years in the computer industry, the last four
supporting and integrating multiple platforms for a Fortune 500 Company. Having
been introduced to UNIX while attending Purdue University, he quickly latched onto
Linux as the primary platform for his startup Web hosting and development busi-
ness in 1996. He continues operating his Web business, consulting with local busi-
nesses, and freelance writing. When not conquering the world with Linux, he has
co-written and contributed to several books for Macmillan USA and Brady Games,
including work on the line of Mandrake Linux products. His latest work has been for
AOL Press called Powering Up the Internet.
In his spare time he enjoys relaxing with his wife, riding bicycles, and tinkering with
an R/C model that is evolving into something that looks amazing like a plane. He is
also on the Board of Directors for the Central Indiana Linux Users Group
(www.cinlug.org). Steve can be reached at [email protected].
4710-0 FM.F 4/10/01 3:38 PM Page vi
Credits
Acquisitions Editor Quality Control Technicians
Terri Varveris DavidFaust
Susan Moritz
Project Editor Marianne Santy
Gus A. Miklos Charles Spencer
Technical Editor Permissions Editor
Steve Schafer Laura Moss
Copy Editors Media Development Specialist
Victoria Lee O’Malley Travis Silvers
Luann Rouff
Media Development Coordinator
Project Coordinator Marisa Pearman
Dale White
Proofreading and Indexing
Graphics and Production Specialists York Production Services, Inc.
AmyAdrian
Sean Decker
Gabriele McCann
Kendra Span
4710-0 FM.F 4/10/01 3:38 PM Page vii
This book is dedicated to my beloved wife, Sandy. Without her love, support, and
encouragement to carry me on days I needed it, this book would not have been
possible. And to my father, who also saw me through this book.
4710-0 FM.F 4/10/01 3:38 PM Page ix
Foreword
I
n January 1993, while browsing USENET news one evening after work, I ran
across a thread with a subject line that read, simply, “LINUX.” I’m not sure what
it was about the word “LINUX” that made me hit Enter, but I did, and within a few
minutes, it was clear to me that I had to have it.
Unfortunately, that’s about where I hit a brick wall. I had just enough information
about Linux to whet my appetite, but there was precious little more of it to be
found. Over the course of the next few weeks, I hunted down and pieced together
the rest of what I needed to know: where to find it, how to download it, how to
install it, and what I could do with it once I had installed it.
It was a tedious process, because only scraps of information were available, and
those scraps were scattered about all over the place—a bit on a USENET group
here, a bit more on an FTP site there. And even when found and pieced together,
the scraps did not form a complete picture—I had to fill in large gaps for myself. All
in all, it was a tremendous learning experience, but it was also a tremendously frus-
trating and time-consuming experience, and if presented with the same obstacles
today, I likely would not have had the time or the inclination to overcome them.
Fortunately, becoming a Linux user is much easier today than it was in 1993. The
software itself has come a long way, and a wide range of books on the subject are
available, from installation and use to programming to administration and manage-
ment. These days, the local bookstore has all the information you need to get
started and become productive as a Linux user.
One subject that has not been covered as extensively as others, a subject near and
dear to my heart, is Debian, a project I founded not long after discovering Linux.
Debian has much to offer the Linux user—a huge selection of software, an open
development process that leads to rapid bug fixes and improvements, an unparal-
leled software management facility that allows software to be installed easily and
systems to be upgraded non-disruptively, and much more—but it has long
remained a daunting prospect to piece together the information you need to get
there.
4710-0 FM.F 4/10/01 3:38 PM Page x
x
Debian GNU/Linux Bible
And, so, I am extremely pleased to see books such as my friend Steve Hunger’s
Debian GNU/Linux Bible. Debian GNU/Linux Biblecontains all the information you
need to know to get the most out of Debian, from installing it to using its powerful
package management system to install software and upgrade your system to setting
up a Web server and other advanced topics. With Debian GNU/Linux Bibleby your
side, you will be well prepared to join the large and growing group of users that call
Debian home. I hope this book serves you well.
Ian Murdock
Founder of Debian and Co-founder of Progeny Linux Systems, Inc.
4710-0 FM.F 4/10/01 3:38 PM Page xi
Preface
A
s Linux becomes more and more popular, resources to learn and use Linux
become more important. These resources help to guide, direct, and inform an
individual to make the best use of the tools available, just as a stack of boards,
nails, and a hammer don’t make a house—it takes the skilled craftsmanship of a
carpenter to turn the parts into a whole house. Debian GNU/Linux Bible gives you
the skilled guidance to help you turn the individual parts into a system.
Whom This Book Is For
This book covers the many aspects of the Debian GNU/Linux system, from the ini-
tial install of this reputable operating system to the more advanced functions like
Web servers or file servers. You do not need to have any special programming expe-
rience to use this book. You may just want to learn how to use Debian as a work-
station environment.
This book does assume some level of general computer knowledge, even though
not specifically related to Linux or UNIX. Many people get introduced to Linux after
becoming familiar with another operating system. You may be someone who wants
to learn something new, someone who wants to know what all the buzz is about
Linux, or someone who just likes the idea that the software and upgrades are free.
Whatever the reason you are reading this book, I’m sure that you will find assis-
tance in the pages of this book. You will find everything from installation to admin-
istration to server setup. This book will give you the boost needed to set up a home
or office network and to maintain that network of computers.
How This Book Is Organized
This book is organized in a progression of skill as well as function. The beginning of
the book starts out with an overview of Linux. It then progresses to the concepts
needed for average use. Then, it concludes with the concepts needed for more
intense use.
For those who are fairly new to Linux, this book will help them get their feet wet.
Some of the basic concepts, commands and tools are explained in the beginning
chapters of this book. As you become more experienced with Linux and specifically
