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Introduction

2.1.3. Beginning Linux Books

Red Hat Linux for Dummies, 2nd Edition by Jon "maddog" Hall; IDG

Special Edition Using Red Hat Linux by Alan Simpson, John Ray and Neal Jamison; Que

Running Linux by Matt Welsh and Lar Kaufman; O'Reilly & Associates

Red Hat Linux 7 Unleashed by William Ball and David Pitts; Sams

The books suggested here are excellent primary sources of information for basic knowledge about

a Red Hat Linux system. For more in depth information concerning the various topics discussed

throughout this book, many of the chapters list specific book titles, usually in an Additional Resources

area.

2.2. For the More Experienced

If you have used other Linux distributions, you probably already have a basic grasp of the most fre 

quently used commands. You may have installed your own Linux system, and maybe you have even

downloaded and built software you found on the Internet. After installing Linux, however, configura 

tion issues can be very confusing.

The Official Red Hat Linux Customization Guide is designed to help explain the various ways your

Red Hat Linux system can be configured to meet specific objectives. Use this manual to learn about

specific configuration options and how to put them into effect.

When you are installing software that is not covered in the Official Red Hat Linux

Customization Guide, it is often helpful to see what other people in similar circumstances

have done. HOWTO documents from the Linux Documentation Project, available at

http://www.redhat.com/mirrors/LDP/HOWTO/HOWTO INDEX/howtos.html, document particular

aspects of Linux, from low level kernel esoteric changes to using Linux for amateur radio station

work.

2.3. Documentation for Linux Gurus

If you are a long time Red Hat Linux user, you probably already know that one of the best ways to

understand a particular program is to read its source code and/or configuration files. A major advantage

of Red Hat Linux is the availability of the source code for anyone to read.

Obviously, not everyone is a C programmer, so the source code may not be helpful for you. However,

if you have the knowledge and skills necessary to read it, the source code holds all of the answers.

3. Document Conventions

When you read this manual, you will see that certain words are represented in different fonts, type 

faces, sizes, and weights. This highlighting is systematic; different words are represented in the same

style to indicate their inclusion in a specific category. The types of words that are represented this way

include the following:

command

Linux commands (and other operating system commands, when used) are represented this way.

This style should indicate to you that you can type the word or phrase on the command line

and press [Enter] to invoke a command. Sometimes a command contains words that would be