Starter Guide

Mandrake Linux 9.1

http://www.MandrakeSoft.com

by Camille Bégnis, Christian Roy, Fabian Mandelbaum, Joël Pomerleau, Vincent Danen, Roberto Rosselli del Turco, Stefan Siegel, Marco De Vitis, Alice Lafox, Kevin Lecouvey, Christian Georges, John Rye, Robert Kulagowski, Pascal Rigaux, Frédéric Crozat, Laurent Montel, Damien Chaumette, Till Kamppeter, Guillaume Cottenceau, Jonathan Gotti, Christian Belisle, Sylvestre Taburet, Thierry Vignaud, Juan Quintela, Pascal Lo Re, Kadjo N'Doua, Mark Walker, Roberto Patriarca, Patricia Pichardo Bégnis, Alexis Gilliot, Arnaud Desmons, Wolfgang Bornath, Alessandro Baretta, Aurélien Lemaire, Daouda Lo, Florent Villard, Gwenole Beauchesne, Giuseppe Ghibò, Joël Wardenski, Debora Rejnharc Mandelbaum.

Legal Notice

This manual is protected under MandrakeSoft intellectual property rights. Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the invariant sections being Section , “About Mandrake Linux”, with the front-cover texts being listed below, and with no back-cover texts. A copy of the license is available on the GNU site.

Front-cover texts:

MandrakeSoft March 2003
http://www.mandrakesoft.com/
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 by MandrakeSoft S.A. 
and MandrakeSoft Inc.

Mandrake”, “Mandrake Linux” and “MandrakeSoft” are registered trademarks of MandrakeSoft S.A.; Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds; UNIX is a registered trademark of The Open Group in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners.

Tools Used in The Making of This Manual

This manual was written in XML DocBook. Borges was used to manage the set of files involved. The XML source files were processed by openjade and jadetex using Norman Walsh's custom stylesheets. Screen-shots were taken using xwd or GIMP and converted with convert (from the ImageMagick package). All this software is available on your Mandrake Linux distribution, and all parts of it are free software.

March 2003


Table of Contents

Preface
About Mandrake Linux
Contact Mandrake Community
Support Mandrake Linux
Contribute to Mandrake Linux
Purchasing Mandrake Products
About this User Guide
Note from the Editor
Conventions Used in this Book
Typing Conventions
General Conventions
I. Discover
1. Migrating to Linux from Windows®
Where's my...?
Start Menu
Applications
Control Panel
DOS Shell
Network Neighborhood
C: Drive
CD-ROM Drive
Floppy Disk Drive
My Documents
A Brave New World!
A Multi-User Environment
Multiple Tasking
Multiple Desktops
Full Desktop Customization
Thousands of Free Applications
No More Reboots!
2. First Connection
The Bootloader Menu
Get Ready for your Session
The Login Screen
The First Time Wizard
Logging Out
3. Linux for Beginners
Introduction
Beginning your Session
Identifying Yourself
Some Notes About Security
Using your Graphical Environment
The Mandrake Linux Desktop
Accessing Programs
Opening a Window on the Desktop
Managing Windows and Desktops
Personalizing Your Desktop
Closing your Session
4. Where to Get Documentation
The Documentation Included with Mandrake Linux
MandrakeSoft's Own Documentation
The Man Pages
Info Pages
HOWTOs
The /usr/share/doc Directory
Internet
Web Sites Devoted to GNU/Linux
Mailing Lists
Newsgroups
General Guidelines for Solving a Problem under Mandrake Linux
Search the Internet
Mailing Lists and Newsgroups Archives
Questions to Mailing Lists and Newsgroups
Directly Contacting the Person in Charge
Mandrake Business Services
5. Using KDE
Discovering the K Desktop Environment
The Desktop
The Panel
Virtual Desktops
Personalizing your Desktop
Changing your Desktop's Appearance
Managing Desktop Icons
KDE Help System
KDE Sessions
6. Using GNOME
GNOME Overview
GNOME Panel
Desktop Menu
Personalizing GNOME
Configuring your Desktop
Configuring the Panel
Workspace Switcher
Getting Help
II. Using the Internet
7. Surfing with Mozilla
Mozilla Interface
Surfing the Web
Using the Sidebar
Managing Bookmarks
Tabbed Browsing
Installing Plugins
JAVA
Flash
Real
Password Management
8. Mail Client: Mozilla
Launching Mozilla Messenger
Configuring Mozilla Messenger
Using Mozilla Messenger
Folders and Filters
Digital Signing and Encrypting Mail Messages
III. Use
9. File Managers
Konqueror and Nautilus
Main Windows
Sidebars
Copying, Moving, Linking and Deleting Files
Browsing Web Pages
File Sharing
10. Graphics Tools And Practical Devices
Digital Photo Cameras
Configuring a Digital Photo Camera
Manipulating and Transferring Pictures to the Computer
Photographic Settings, Storage Media
Installing and Using Scanners
Getting Started
Advanced Configuration
Other Scanner Interface Software
CD Burning
Getting Started
Burning CDs
Going Further
Webcams And Video Conferencing
Getting Started
Connecting With Another User
Connecting With ILS (NetMeetingTM) Users
IV. Advanced Uses
11. Introduction to the Mandrake Control Center
What's in DrakConf
12. Configuration: Boot Section
DrakFloppy: Creating a Boot Disk
Using DrakFloppy
DrakBoot: Changing your Boot-Up Configuration
Configuring the Bootloader
Splash Screen Selection
Configuring the Login Mode
DrakAutoInst: Creating a Boot Disk for a (Semi-) Automated Installation
13. Configuration: Hardware Section
HardDrake: Configuring your Hardware
Introduction
Problems/Troubleshooting
Other Information
Controlling the Graphical Configuration
Configure your monitor
Change your screen resolution
XFDrake: Full-Configuration Video Tool
KeyboardDrake: Changing your Keyboard Layout
MouseDrake: Changing Your Mouse
PrinterDrake: Configuring Printers
The Printer Configuration Wizard
Reconfiguring an Existing Printer
Expert Mode
14. Configuration: Mount Points Section
DiskDrake: Managing your Hard Drive Partitions
The Interface
From Theory to Practice: Resizing an Old Partition And Creating a New One
A Note About The Expert Mode: Save The Partition Table
Managing Removable Devices
Importing Remote SMB Directories
Importing Remote NFS Directories
Partition Sharing: Allow Users to Share Directories
15. Configuration: Network & Internet Section
DrakConnect: Configuring Internet Connections
DrakGw: Configuring Your Machine as a Gateway
16. Configuration: Security Section
DrakSec: Securing your Machine
Setting your Security Level
Custom Security Level
DrakFirewall: Securing your Internet Access
17. Configuration: System Section
MenuDrake: Customizing Your Menus
Add a New Menu Entry
Advanced Features
DrakXServices: Configuring Start-Up Services
DrakFont: Managing The Fonts Available on Your System
Set Date and Time
LogDrake: Searching Through The Log Files
Access to The Console
UserDrake: Managing Users on Your System
The Interface
Adding a New User
Advanced Settings
LDAP support
DrakBackup: Back up your System and Personal Files
18. RpmDrake: Package Management
Install Software
Searching packages
Mandrake choices
All packages, alphabetical
All packages, by group
All packages, by size
All packages, by selection state
All packages, by source repository
All packages, by update availability
Remove Software
Mandrake Update
The Software Sources Manager
19. Server Configuration Wizards
Foreword
Server Wizard
DHCP Server
Domain Name Server
Adding a DNS Entry
Postfix server configuration
Samba Server Configuration
Web Server Configuration
FTP server configuration
News Server configuration
Proxy Server Configuration
Time Configuration
20. Troubleshooting
Introduction
A Boot Disk
Creating A Boot Floppy With Drakfloppy
Testing the boot disk
Backup
Why Backup?
Preparing your System
What to Backup?
Where to Backup?
Backup Media
When to Back Up?
Backup Example Using tar
Restore
Restore Example Using tar
Making a Recovery CD-ROM
My System Freezes at Boot Time
System Hanging During Boot
File System Check on Boot Fails
Bootloader and File-System Issues
Bootloader Reinstall
Repairing a Damaged Super-Block
Backing Up and Restoring the MBR
Recovering Deleted Files
Runlevels
Brief Description of What Runlevels Are
What Can Runlevels do For me?
Recovering From a System Freeze
Killing Misbehaved Apps
From The Console
Using Graphical Monitoring Tools
Configuring X From the Console
Miscellaneous
Mandrake's Specific Troubleshooting Tools
Final Thoughts
Index

List of Figures

2.1. The Login Window
2.2. The First Time Wizard
2.3. Two Ways to Log Out in KDE
3.1. The Login Window
3.2. The Pull-Down Session Type List
3.3. The KDE Desktop
3.4. The GNOME Desktop
3.5. Icon for accessing the Mandrake Control Center
3.6. Application Menu For KDE And GNOME
3.7. KDE And GNOME File Managers
3.8. Buttons for Virtual Desktops
3.9. Moving a Window to Another Desktop
3.10. Maximizing Windows For KDE And GNOME
3.11. Minimizing Windows For KDE And GNOME
3.12. The Task Bar Under KDE And Tasklist Under GNOME
3.13. Closing a Window For KDE And GNOME
3.14. KDE Log-Out Confirmation
3.15. Logging Out Using the Pop-Up Menu under KDE
5.1. The KDE Desktop
5.2. The KDE Panel
5.3. Changing KDE's Color Scheme
5.4. Changing KDE's Background Wallpaper
5.5. KDE Help Center Main Window
6.1. GNOME Desktop
6.2. GNOME Window List
6.3. Adding a Launcher Icon to your Desktop
6.4. Panel Properties
6.5. Workspace Switcher Properties
7.1. Mozilla Browser Interface
7.2. What's Related and Search Tabs
7.3. Bookmarks and History Tabs
7.4. Bookmarks Manager Dialog
7.5. Mozilla's Browser Tabs
7.6. Enter your Login and Password
7.7. Passwords Preferences Dialog
7.8. Manage Stored Passwords Dialog
7.9. Master Passwords Preferences Dialog
8.1. Launching Mozilla Messenger from the Left-Bottom Toolbar
8.2. Selecting Account Type to Create
8.3. Configuration of Account Identity
8.4. Mail Servers Configuration
8.5. User Name Configuration
8.6. Account Name Configuration
8.7. Mail Account Configuration Summary
8.8. The Message-Compose Window
8.9. The Filter Creation Window
8.10. Enigmail Message-Compose Window
9.1. Nautilus and Konqueror
10.1. Configuring the Camera Connection
10.2. Information About a Picture
10.3. The Scanner Icon on the Desktop
10.4. Install your Scanner with ScannerDrake
10.5. The Tree-list of All Known Scanner Models
10.6. Specifying the Connection Type
10.7. xscanimage, a Basic But Effective Acquisition Program
10.8. Sharing Scanners within a LAN
10.9. XSane Multiple Windows And ScannerDrake Icon on Desktop
10.10. Allow Non-Root Access to the CD Burner?
10.11. CD-R(W) Drive Detection under X-CD-Roast
10.12. Setting CD Reader and Writer Parameters
10.13. Setting up Temp Space on Disk
10.14. Setting up Users Allowed to Use the CD Burner
10.15. Selecting the ISO Image to Write to CD
10.16. Selecting Files/Directories to Include on the CD
10.17. GnomeMeeting's Main Window
10.18. Setting Audio Levels For GnomeMeeting
10.19. Setting Video Levels For GnomeMeeting
10.20. Video Conferencing With a Remote Party
10.21. Finding People on ILS Servers
11.1. The Control Center Icon
11.2. The Control Center's Main Window
12.1. Making a Custom Boot Disk
12.2. Choosing the Boot Mode
12.3. Choosing the Steps to Replay
13.1. HardDrake –– Selected Device
13.2. Choosing a New Monitor
13.3. Choosing a New Video Resolution
13.4. Video Configuration Menu
13.5. Text or Graphical Login?
13.6. Choosing a Different Keyboard Layout
13.7. Choosing a Different Mouse
13.8. A Brand New Printer
13.9. Managing Printers
13.10. Auto-Detecting Printers
13.11. The Printer Port
13.12. Multi-Function Device
13.13. Choosing a Name for your Printer
13.14. Choosing the Printer Model
13.15. Configuring the Printer's Options
13.16. Test the Printer
13.17. Modifying an Existing Printer
13.18. Configuring a Remote Printer
14.1. DiskDrake's Main Window
14.2. The /home Partition Before Resizing
14.3. Choosing a New Size
14.4. Defining The New Partition
14.5. The New Partition Table
14.6. Confirming The Writing of The Partition Table
14.7. Changing a Criterium
14.8. Scanning The Whole Network
14.9. Choosing The Machine to Import Files From
14.10. Authenticate on a remote Samba server
14.11. Choosing The Remote Directory to Import
14.12. Where to Make Remote Files Accessible
14.13. Choosing the Export Protocol
14.14. Controlling Exports
15.1. Connecting to the Internet
15.2. Choosing the Internet Connections to Configure
15.3. Configuring the Internet Connection
15.4. Try the Internet Connection
15.5. Choosing The LAN Network Adapter
15.6. Configuring The LAN Interface
15.7. Configuring a Client To Use DHCP
16.1. Choosing the Security Level of your System
16.2. Modifying Standard MSEC Options
16.3. The DrakFirewall Window
17.1. Launching menudrake in System or User Mode
17.2. Menudrake's Main Window
17.3. Adding a New Menu Entry
17.4. A New Menu Entry With menudrake
17.5. Choosing a Menu Style
17.6. Choosing The Services Available at System Start-Up
17.7. drakfont's Main Window
17.8. Date and Time Changing
17.9. Browsing And Searching Through System Logs
17.10. The Users List in userdrake
17.11. Adding a New User in The System
17.12. Affect Users to a Group
17.13. userdrake's Parameters Window
17.14. userdrake's User View Parameters
17.15. Groups Are Different For Two Users
17.16. Configuring Userdrake to Edit an LDAP Base
17.17. DrakBackup's Main Window
18.1. Software Management in the Mandrake Control Center
18.2. The Software Packages Installation interface
18.3. RpmDrake –– dependency alert box
18.4. RpmDrake –– package alternatives
18.5. The Software Sources Manager
18.6. RpmDrake –– adding a source
18.7. RpmDrake –– configuring a proxy
19.1. An Example of an Internal Network
19.2. Accessing the Wizards through the Control Center
19.3. Choose the Range of Addresses Available via your DHCP Server
19.4. Enter the Addresses for the Name Servers
19.5. Specify the name to associate to a static IP address
19.6. Enter your mail domain name
19.7. Enter the name of the SMTP server
19.8. Choose the work group for your shares
19.9. What name for your Samba server?
19.10. Define the Samba access rules
19.11. Share files and printers?
19.12. Where should your web server be visible from?
19.13. Where should your FTP server be visible from?
19.14. Which news server do you want to fetch newsgroups from?
19.15. How often do you want to check for news?
19.16. Choose the Proxy Port
19.17. Choose the Cache Sizes
19.18. Select Access Control Policy
19.19. Restrict access to a particular subnetwork
19.20. Use an upper level proxy?
19.21. What method do you want for time synchronization?
19.22. Choose your time servers

List of Tables

6.1. GNOME Desktop Icons
6.2. GNOME Panel Objects
7.1. Mozilla's Web Browser Toolbar Buttons
8.1. Mozilla Messenger's Toolbar Buttons
8.2. Message Compose Toolbar Buttons
8.3. Enigmail Toolbar Buttons
9.1. Konqueror Sidebar Icons
10.1. GnomeMeeting's Toolbar Buttons
11.1. A Fast Review of Mandrake Graphical Tools