Tag Archives: Users and Groups

[How To]: Edit Icon Captions on Ubuntu 10.04 LTS

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another quick how to for editing icon captions, become handy for easier navigations for files and knowing more informations about this file.

You have many options to show beneath icons such as size, type, date accessed, date modified, owner, group, permission, octal permission, MIME type, selinux context, and Location.

For any opening window go to edit then preferences then select display tab.

modify it as you wish, every time you zoom in to increase icon size it will show more caption details.

That’s it for now.

[How To]: Create ISO file from CD-DVD using Terminal

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A quick How To For today create ISO file from CD or DVD using command line.

Usually I use this command to get an ISO image from Disk for operating system, for example I have Kubuntu 10.04 LTS on a Disk, and i want to use that image on my virtual machine, instead of keeping the CD inside my CD ROM all the time.

Also you can use it as a backup way to keep your files safe on ISO file. I am sure you will figure out many ways to use this command  for  :)

The process

Insert the disk

then open terminal,,, type

 dd if=/dev/dvd of=~/Kubuntu.iso

I am not sure what dd stand for ” destroy data “, ” delete ” according to wiki  :)

if : input file

of : output file for the image will be copied to

dvd : it’s a variable according to what’s the device name located on ” dev ” directory

to get more information about dd unix command follow this link

That’s it for now, If you have any questions please inform me.

dd

if=f/dev/cdrom of=~/cdrom_image.iso

Easier Navigation for Nautilus Gnome 2.30

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It’s quite easier to use keyboard instead of the mouse sometimes, some changes comes up with the new release of Gnome GDM 2.30 for Nautilus. we already reviewed how to move “close, minimize, and maximize” button to right hand side of the title bar in this post. This tested on Ubuntu 10.04 LTS, also it’s working on other platforms as long as the gnome GDM 2.30 installed.

So here you can find many shortcuts will help you to easily navigate and use your file browser.

F3 : Extra pane    ” This options is new with Gnome 2.30 ”

Ctrl+S : Select Pattern [enter pattern]

Alt+ENTER : File/Folder Properties

Shift+Ctrl+N : Create New Folder

Ctrl+1 : Toggle View As Icons

Ctrl+2 : Toggle View As List

Shift+Right Arrow : Open Directory (List View)

Shift+Left Arrow : Close Directory (List View)

F2 : Rename File

Ctrl+A : Select All

Ctrl+T : Delete (to Trash)

Ctrl+W : Close Window

Ctrl+Shift+W : Close All Nautilus Windows

Ctrl+R : Reload Nautilus Window

Alt+Up Arrow : Open Parent

Alt+Left Arrow : Back

Alt+Right Arrow : Forward

Alt+Home : Home Folder

Ctrl+L : Location Bar

F9 : Toggle Sidepane

Ctrl+H : Show Hidden Files

Ctrl++ : Zoom In

Ctrl+- : Zoom Out

Ctrl+0 : Normal Size

[How To]: extend time for deleting temporary files in tmp directory on Ubuntu 10.04 LTS

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Temporary files located on /tmp directory will be deleted by default with every time you restart or shutdown from ubuntu 10.04 LTS. It becomes handy some times if you want to keep your tmp files for some applications already installed in your machine in case you want to use it later.

Open this your filesystem directory /etc/default/rcS Open this file

In line 10 you will find ” TMPTIME=0 ” by default the value is zero that value delete temporary files with every time you restart the machine.

If you want to keep your files for ever make the value ” TMPTIME=0 ” with negative number. ” not recommended it will  ”

If you want to keep temporary file for two days, change the value to be ” TMPTIME=2 ”

so that’s for now :)

[Books Directory]: 10 free Linux Administration Books

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10 free GNU/Linux Administration Books

Linux based distributions have a lot of different administration options and privilege options, Books listed here will help you with administrations privilege for different distributions debian, fedora, redhat, ubuntu, gentoo, opensuse, mandriva, …..

Also other books for security administrations, and files system directory hierarchy, software help you to secure you system, securing VPN servers,…

## so here we go…

1. Linux Administration Made Easy

This documentation will attempt to summarize the installation and configuration, as well as the day-to-day administrative and maintenance procedures that should be followed to keep a Linux-based server or desktop system up and running. It is geared to an audience of both corporate as well as home users. It is not intended to be a full overview of Unix operations, as there are several good texts available as well as on-line documentation which can be referred to in cases where more detailed information is required.

2. The Linux System Administrator’s Guide

The Linux System Administrator’s Guide, describes the system administration aspects of using Linux. It is intended for people who know next to nothing about system administration (those saying “what is it?”), but who have already mastered at least the basics of normal usage. This manual doesn’t tell you how to install Linux; that is described in the Installation and Getting Started document. See below for more information about Linux manuals.

3. Filesystem Hierarchy Standard

The filesystem standard has been designed to be used by Unix distribution developers, package developers, and system implementors. However, it is primarily intended to be a reference and is not a tutorial on how to manage a Unix filesystem or directory hierarchy.

4. Linux Administrator’s Security Guide

There are numerous definitions for “computer security”, and most of them are correct. Essentially computer security means enforcement of usage policies, this must be done since people and software have flaws that can result in accidents, but also because someone may want to steal your information, use your resources inappropriately or simply deny you the use of your resources.

5. Debian GNU/Linux System Administrator’s Manual (Obsolete Documentation)

This manual assumes the reader is familiar with using a Unix system and/or understands Debian User Reference Manual. Additional reading for System Administrator is Debian GNU/Linux Network Administrator’s Manual. Both of these are available from the Debian Documentation Project. Another useful book is “Linux System Administrator’s Guide” by Lars Wirzenius, available from Linux Documentation Project, http://metalab.unc.edu/LDP/ .

6. Forensic Discovery

The target audience of the book is anyone who wants to deepen their understanding of how computer systems work, as well as anyone who is likely to become involved with the technical aspects of computer intrusion or system analysis. These are not only system administrators, incident responders, other computer security professionals, or forensic analysts, but also anyone who is concerned about the impact of computer forensics on privacy.

7. Best Practices for Managing Linux and UNIX Servers

Call it the Linux fallacy. It’s the conventional wisdom that says Linux/UNIX gives you lots of power and reliability in exchange for far more complex and costly systems management. But in fact Linux/UNIX shouldn’t be a tradeoff–as long as you also implement a set of proven best practices.

8. GNU/Linux Advanced Administration

The GNU/Linux systems have reached an important level of maturity, allowing to integrate them in almost any kind of work environment, from a desktop PC to the sever facilities of a big company.

9. COIT13146 Systems Administration

In the course Systems Administration.  It is an attempt to give you an overview of the course and more importantly of computing, Linux and Systems Administration.

Many students commented that they felt lost in the detail of Linux without having an overall picture of how it fits together.  Hopefully this chapter will go some way towards solving this problem, and will provide some sort of small map and compass so you have an idea of where you are and where you are going.

10. GNU/Linux Desktop Survival Guide

The aim of this book is to get you up to speed with GNU/Linux and to deliver a fun and productive environment. It guides you through the many different regions of a GNU/Linux system with a focus on getting your desktop environment to do what you want it to do. It is comprehensive with basic support for the user who installs and maintains the system themselves (whether in the home, office, club, or school). It provides insights and step-by-step procedures that deal with specific tasks in setting your system up and maintaining it. The book covers many of the core features of a GNU/Linux system and you will gain the knowledge to enjoy and use one of the most comprehensive and useful developments in the history of computing.

Files System Directories “Hierarchy” Part 2

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Hello guys,

here is the second part of Files system Directories

so here we go:

5. lib

The /lib directory contains those shared library images needed to boot the system and run the commands in the root filesystem, ie. by binaries in /bin and /sbin.

File Description
libc.so.* The dynamically-linked C library (optional)
ld* The execution time linker/loader (optional)

6. media

/media This directory contains subdirectories which are used as mount points for removeable media such as floppy disks, cdroms and zip disks.

Historically there have been a number of other different places used to mount removeable media such as /cdrom, /mntor /mnt/cdrom. Placing the mount points for all removeable media directly in the root directory would potentially result in a large number of extra directories in /. Although the use of subdirectories in /mnt as a mount point has recently been common, it conflicts with a much older tradition of using /mnt directly as a temporary mount point.

Directory Description
floppy Floppy drive (optional)
cdrom CD-ROM drive (optional)
cdrecorder CD writer (optional)
zip Zip drive (optional)

On systems where more than one device exists for mounting a certain type of media, mount directories can be created by appending a digit to the name of those available above starting with ’0′, but the unqualified name must also exist.

7. mnt
Mount point for a temporarily mounted filesystem

/mnt  This directory is provided so that the system administrator may temporarily mount a filesystem as needed. The content of this directory is a local issue and should not affect the manner in which any program is run.

This directory must not be used by installation programs: a suitable temporary directory not in use by the system must be used instead.

8. opt

/opt is reserved for the installation of add-on application software packages.

A package to be installed in /opt must locate its static files in a separate /opt/<package> or /opt/<provider> directory tree, where <package> is a name that describes the software package and<provider> is the provider’s LANANA registered name.

9. root

/root     Home directory for the root user

The root account’s home directory may be determined by developer or local preference, but this is the recommended default location.

10. sbin

/sbin    System binaries

Utilities used for system administration (and other root-only commands) are stored in /sbin, /usr/sbin, and /usr/local/sbin. /sbin contains binaries essential for booting, restoring, recovering, and/or repairing the system in addition to the binaries in /bin. Programs executed after /usr is known to be mounted (when there are no problems) are generally placed into /usr/sbin. Locally-installed system administration programs should be placed into /usr/local/sbin.

11. srv

Data for services provided by this system

/srv contains site-specific data which is served by this system.

This main purpose of specifying this is so that users may find the location of the data files for particular service, and so that services which require a single tree for readonly data, writable data and scripts (such as cgi scripts) can be reasonably placed. Data that is only of interest to a specific user should go in that users’ home directory.

The methodology used to name subdirectories of /srv is unspecified as there is currently no consensus on how this should be done. One method for structuring data under /srv is by protocol, eg. ftp, rsync, www, and cvs. On large systems it can be useful to structure /srv by administrative context, such as /srv/physics/www, /srv/compsci/cvs, etc. This setup will differ from host to host. Therefore, no program should rely on a specific subdirectory structure of /srv existing or data necessarily being stored in /srv. However /srv should always exist on FHS compliant systems and should be used as the default location for such data.

Distributions must take care not to remove locally placed files in these directories without administrator permission.

12. tmp

The /tmp directory must be made available for programs that require temporary files.

Programs must not assume that any files or directories in /tmp are preserved between invocations of the program.

IEEE standard P1003.2 (POSIX, part 2) makes requirements that are similar to the above section.

Although data stored in /tmp may be deleted in a site-specific manner, it is recommended that files and directories located in /tmp be deleted whenever the system is booted.

FHS added this recommendation on the basis of historical precedent and common practice, but did not make it a requirement because system administration is not within the scope of this standard.

13. usr

/usr is the second major section of the filesystem. /usr is shareable, read-only data. That means that /usr should be shareable between various FHS-compliant hosts and must not be written to. Any information that is host-specific or varies with time is stored elsewhere.

Large software packages must not use a direct subdirectory under the /usr hierarchy.

14. var

/var contains variable data files. This includes spool directories and files, administrative and logging data, and transient and temporary files.

Some portions of /var are not shareable between different systems. For instance, /var/log, /var/lock, and /var/run. Other portions may be shared, notably /var/mail, /var/cache/man,/var/cache/fonts, and /var/spool/news.

/var is specified here in order to make it possible to mount /usr read-only. Everything that once went into /usr that is written to during system operation (as opposed to installation and software maintenance) must be in /var.

If /var cannot be made a separate partition, it is often preferable to move /var out of the root partition and into the /usrpartition. (This is sometimes done to reduce the size of the root partition or when space runs low in the root partition.) However, /var must not be linked to /usr because this makes separation of /usr and /var more difficult and is likely to create a naming conflict. Instead, link /var to /usr/var.

Applications must generally not add directories to the top level of /var. Such directories should only be added if they have some system-wide implication, and in consultation with the FHS mailing list.

——————-

that’s it for now

and i will include graphic chart later

Files System Directories “Hierarchy” Part 1

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Hello Guys,

In this article I will explain what’s files system directories also it know as Hierarchy.

This article will be really helpful for beginners to know what’s the purpose of each directory and command inside Hierarchy.

So let’s begin,

Directory Description
bin Essential command binaries
boot Static files of the boot loader
dev Device files
etc Host-specific system configuration
lib Essential shared libraries and kernel modules
media Mount point for removeable media
mnt Mount point for mounting a filesystem temporarily
opt Add-on application software packages
sbin Essential system binaries
srv Data for services provided by this system
tmp Temporary files
usr Secondary hierarchy
var Variable data

1. bin

/bin contains commands that may be used by both the system administrator and by users, but which are required when no other filesystems are mounted (e.g. in single user mode). It may also contain commands which are used indirectly by scripts.

2. boot

/boot This directory contains everything required for the boot process except configuration files not needed at boot time and the map installer. Thus /boot stores data that is used before the kernel begins executing user-mode programs. This may include saved master boot sectors and sector map files.

3. dev

The /dev directory is the location of special or device files.

Devices treated like files to read and write it

Example:

  • /dev/cdrom
  • /dev/hda                       for first hard driver IDE

If it is possible that devices in /dev will need to be manually created, /dev must contain a command named MAKEDEV, which can create devices as needed. It may also contain a MAKEDEV.local for any local devices.

If required, MAKEDEV must have provisions for creating any device that may be found on the system, not just those that a particular implementation installs.

4. etc

The /etc hierarchy contains configuration files. A “configuration file” is a local file used to control the operation of a program; it must be static and cannot be an executable binary.

It can be edited by hand :             ex:

  • /etc/fstab
  • /et

No binaries may be located under /etc.

The following directories, or symbolic links to directories are required in /etc:

Directory Description
opt Configuration for /opt
X11 Configuration for the X Window system (optional)
sgml Configuration for SGML (optional)
xml Configuration for XML (optional)

Will explain other ten directories on next post