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Yet another version of the soddin' FAQ. This one's HTML-ized by roji.
More sections added and other drek improved.
Deus Irae, please put this on your bloody server.
---cuttez---dicez---removez---choppez---amputez---obliterez---
<HTML>
<!--- $Id: linux-il.faq,v 1.11 1996/07/15 13:57:04 marc Exp $>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>Linux-IL FAQ</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
<A NAME = "TOP">
<CENTER><H1>Linux-IL FAQ</H1>
Marc A. Volovic (marc@cs.huji.ac.il)<BR>
Shay Rojansky (roji@cs.huji.ac.il)<BR>
Computer Science Faculty<BR>
Hebrew University<BR>
Jerusalem, Israel<BR>
(c) May 1996
</CENTER>
<HR>
This document is a list of frequently asked questions and the pertinent
answers pertaining to the Linux operating system, its use in Israel and
to the use of the Linux-IL mailing list.<P>
This document may be retrieved from the Leonardo FTP site using anonymous
FTP and from other, as yet, unknown places.
<HR>
This FAQ deals with any and all issues pertaining to the Linux
operating system. The general structure is:<P>
<UL>
<A HREF = "#admin"><B>Section 1</B> - Administrativia</A><BR>
<UL>
<A HREF="#admin-1">Q1.1) Where can one get this FAQ?</A><BR>
<A HREF="#admin-2">Q1.2) What is Linux-IL?</A><BR>
<A HREF="#admin-3">Q1.3) How can one subscribe, unsubscribe and post to Linux-IL mailing list?</A><BR>
<A HREF="#admin-4">Q1.4) Who are the movers and doers of Linux-IL?</A><BR>
<A HREF="#admin-5">Q1.5) Where can one find information on Linux in Israel?</A><BR>
<A HREF="#admin-6">Q1.6) Where can I obtain Linux in Israel?</A><BR>
</UL>
<A HREF = "#general"><B>Section 2</B> - General Information</A><BR>
<UL>
<A HREF="#general-1">Q2.1) What is Linux?</A><BR>
<A HREF="#general-2">Q2.2) Why should one install Linux?</A><BR>
<A HREF="#general-3">Q2.3) Will Linux run Microsoft PowerPoint (Excel, Word 7.0, whatever)?</A><BR>
</UL>
<A HREF = "#install"><B>Section 3</B> - Installation</A><BR>
<UL>
<A HREF="#install-1">Q3.1) What should be done first and foremost?</A><BR>
<A HREF="#install-2">Q3.2) What is one installing when one is installing Linux? What version of Linux should one install?</A><BR>
<A HREF="#install-3">Q3.3) Where does one get support for Linux?</A><BR>
<A HREF="#install-4">Q3.4) One has a 1.6GB or any other large IDE disk. Can one install Linux on it?</A><BR>
<A HREF="#install-5">Q3.5) One has a Acme Vacumatic CD-ROM Sniffer (or any other exotic equipment). How does one connect it to Linux?</A><BR>
</UL>
<A HREF = "#network"><B>Section 4</B> - Networking</A><BR>
<UL>
<A HREF = "#network-1">Q4.1) What type of networking does Linux support?</A><BR>
<A HREF = "#network-2">Q4.2) Can Linux be connected via SLIP or PPP from home?</A><BR>
<A HREF = "#network-3">Q4.3) Can Linux be an Internet server?</A><BR>
<A HREF = "#network-4">Q4.4) How can one connect Linux to non-Unix platforms?</A><BR>
</UL>
<A HREF = "#x11"><B>Section 5</B> - X11</A>
<UL>
<A HREF = "#x11-1">Q5.1) What is X11?</A><BR>
<A HREF = "#x11-2">Q5.2) Is there X11 for Linux? Is there MORE than one X11 for Linux?</A><BR>
<A HREF = "#x11-3">Q5.3) Is my graphics card supported by the X11 server?</A><BR>
<A HREF = "#x11-4">Q5.4) What is a window manager? What window managers are there?</A><BR>
<A HREF = "#x11-5">Q5.5) When XFree86 is started, ATI Pro Turbo displays rubbish. When should be done?</A><BR>
<A HREF = "#x11-6">Q5.6) When one tries to compile a program, it complains that it cannot link libXm. What's wrong?</A><BR>
</UL>
</UL>
<HR>
<OL>
<A NAME = "admin">
<H2><B><LI></B> Administrativia</H2>
This section deals with the structure of this FAQ, the FTP sites where
it may be obtained, its scope and its application.<P>
<A NAME="admin-1">
<B>Q1.1) Where can one get this FAQ?</B><P>
<UL>This FAQ may be obtained from the following FTP sites:<P>
<UL>ftp://www.linux.org.il/pub/Linux/linux-il/FAQ</UL><P>
In addition, this FAQ shall be mailed to every new subscriber of
Linux-IL. Read this FAQ. This FAQ is your friend. This FAQ is your
ONLY friend on Linux-IL. This FAQ and only this FAQ is what stands
between you and Marc A. Volovic's anger and nastiness.<P>
</UL>
<A NAME="admin-2">
<B>Q1.2) What is Linux-IL?</B><P>
<UL>Linux-IL is a loosely bound (some would say mostly unbound) group
of people who share a common interest in the Linux operating system.
This group maintains a presence of the Linux operating
system at various trade shows, promotes the use of the Linux
operating system and, sometimes, assists newcomers to Linux to
find the two mostly underused appendages of their bodies - namely,
their feet.<P>
In addition, Linux-IL is also the name of the mailing list used
by the Linux-IL members.<P>
</UL>
<A NAME="admin-3">
<B>Q1.3) How can one subscribe, unsubscribe and post to Linux-IL mailing list?</B><P>
<UL>To subscribe to the list send a mail message containing the
following line to majordomo@linux.org.il:<P>
<UL><I>subscribe linux-il</UL></I><P>
To unsubscribe from the list, send a mail message containing the
following line to the very same address:<P>
<UL><I>unsubscribe linux-il</UL></I><P>
To send a real message to the list members, send the message to
linux-il@linux.org.il and hope for the best.<P>
Note that sending a subscribe or unsubscribe request to the general
list is cause for flogging. With a SCSI cable. A differential SCSI
cable.<P>
Posting a message with a question from this FAQ without first
reading the documentation pointed out herein and without first
taking all possible steps to overcome a problem by one's own little
friendless self is the <I>cause celebre</I> for Marc Volovic's anger and
outbursts.<P>
</UL>
<A NAME="admin-4">
<B>Q1.4) Who are the movers and doers of Linux-IL?</B><P>
<UL>There are no preset responsibility areas in Linux-IL. Anyone capable
of explaining, obtaining or attaining anything may and should
contribute.<P>
The people who post answers on a more or less regular basis are:<P>
<TABLE BORDER>
<TR> <TD>Erez Strauss</TD> <TD>Commercial liaison, organizer of trade shows'
participation and generally a presentable creature. (strauss@actcom.co.il)</TD> </TR>
<TR> <TD>Ira Abramov</TD> <TD>Commercial liaison, importer of CD sets for
the Linux-IL group, co-organizer of trade shows' participation. Answers
technical questions. (ira@scso.com)</TD> </TR>
<TR> <TD>Harvey Stein</TD> <TD>The wisest voice in the wilderness, maintainer
of the UPS-HOWTO. Answers technical questions nicely. Very nicely.
(abel@netvision.net.il) </TD> </TR>
<TR> <TD>Amos Shapira</TD> <TD>A wise voice in the wilderness. Answers Un*x
questions nicely. (amoss@dsi.co.il) </TD> </TR>
<TR> <TD>Shay Rojansky</TD> <TD>A persistent participator in trade shows. The
group mascot. Answers some technical questions.
Linux maniac, walks around in a Linux T-shirt. (roji@cs.huji.ac.il) </TD> </TR>
<TR> <TD>Marc Volovic</TD> <TD>The maintainer of this FAQ, a loudmouthed,
filthy-minded, pugnacious creature. The group bugbear. Answers technical
questions NOT NICELY AT ALL. (marc@cs.huji.ac.il)</TD> </TR>
<TR> <TD>Evgeny Stambulchik</TD> <TD> All around Linux guru. Answers technical
questions nicely. (fnevgeny@plasma-gate.weizmann.ac.il)</TD> </TR>
</TABLE><P>
AND MANY OTHERS WHO WILL BE LISTED IN FUTURE VERSIONS OF THIS FAQ.<P>
</UL>
<A NAME="admin-5">
<B>Q1.5) Where can one find information on Linux in Israel?</B><P>
<UL>The official location of the Linux-IL web site is:<P>
<B><UL>http://www.linux.org.il/</B></UL><P>
This WWW site also contains links to other WWW and FTP sites.<P>
</UL>
<A NAME="admin-6">
<B>Q1.6) Where can I obtain Linux in Israel?</B><P>
<UL>The official Linux-IL FTP site is:<P>
<B><UL>ftp://ftp.linux.org.il</B></UL><P>
There are other FTP sites in Israel that have Linux in various
degrees of completeness on them. A partial list is:<P>
<UL>
ftp://leonardo.ls.huji.ac.il/pub/linux<BR>
ftp://ftp.technion.ac.il/pub/unsupported/Linux<BR>
ftp://cs.huji.ac.il/mirror/Linux (Slackware)<BR>
ftp://ftp.tau.ac.il/pub/OS/Slackware (Slackware)<BR>
ftp://ftp.tau.ac.il/pub/OS/linux (emulators, kernel, utils)<BR>
</UL><P>
It is possible to purchase Linux CD sets from various computer
shops in Israel. A few types of of CD sets exits, most notably the
Yggdrasil archives (currently five CD's) and the Infomagic
Developer's Resource (currently 6 CD's).<P>
</UL>
<B>Q1.99) Who are the contributors to this FAQ??</B><P>
<UL>Current contributors (in no particular order) are:<P>
<UL>
Marc A. Volovic (marc@cs.huji.ac.il)<BR>
Shay Rojansky (roji@cs.huji.ac.il)<BR>
Gili Granot (gil@csc.cs.technion.ac.il)<BR>
Raphael Slepon (mrkgnao@actcom.co.il)<BR>
Evgeny Stambulchik (fnevgeny@plasma-gate.weizmann.ac.il)<BR>
</UL>
</UL>
<HR>
<A NAME="general">
<H2><B><LI></B> General Information</H2>
The general information section pertains to why Linux, where Linux, what
Linux and other matters of the sort.<P>
<A NAME="general-1">
<B>Q2.1) What is Linux?</B><P>
<UL>
Linux is a version of Un*x. It runs on Intel machines, on PPC, on
m68k, on MIPS', on Sparcs and on AXP. If one does not know what
these acronyms mean, then one must be satisfied in the answer that
it is a version of Un*x for Intel machines.<P>
Linux is also a mystique and a way of life --- it provides to the
Unwashed Masses the ability to use their home computer to the limit
of the said computer's capability, by turning the computer into
a multi-user, multi-tasking workstation, capable of running the
entire range of Un*x applications. It does this at the astonishing
cost of nothing at all, other than patience.<P>
If, however, one is a lazy bum who wants a POINTA-CLICKA-NO-THINKA
interface to one's computer, one shall be told off, shown the
egress, kicked in the goolies and otherwise molested.<P>
</UL>
<A NAME="general-2">
<B>Q2.2) Why should one install Linux?</B><P>
<UL>
See above.<P>
</UL>
<A NAME="general-3">
<B>Q2.3) Will Linux run Microsoft PowerPoint (Excel, Word 7.0, whatever)?</B></P>
<UL>
The simple answer is <B>NO</B>. Therefore, do not look at Linux as a
Windows (whatever flavour) replacement --- it is not.<P>
The complex answer is <B>MAYBE</B>. RTF{M,LDP,H,F} (Manual, Linux
Documentation Project, HOWTO's, FAQ's). Linux runs several
emulators:<P>
<TABLE>
<TR> <TD>DOSEMU</TD> <TD>MS-DOG emulator. Very robust and successful.</TD> </TR>
<TR> <TD>WINE</TD> <TD>MS-Windoze emulator. Still not in fully working state.</TD> </TR>
<TR> <TD>Executor</TD> <TD>shareware/commercial Mac emulator.</TD> </TR>
</TABLE><P>
Various other emulators exist for a multitude of platforms, including
Commodore64, Amiga, Oric, and many more.<P>
</UL>
<HR>
<A NAME="install">
<H2><B><LI></B> Installation</H2>
The Initial Installation Section pertains to the installation of Linux from
scratch.<P>
<A NAME="install-1">
<B>Q3.1) What should be done first and foremost?</B><P>
<UL>
(Raphael Slepon answers):<P>
1. One should read chapters 1 and 2 of "Linux Installation and
Getting Started" by Matt Welsh.<P>
2. One should read "Linux Installation HOWTO."<P>
3. One should go through "Linux Hardware Compatibility HOWTO" and
check whether one's hardware is supported. Most of it probably
is, but better safe than sorry!<P>
4. Select a distribution (the currently popular ones are Slackware
and RedHat).<P>
5. One should then:<P>
i. Take a deep breath.<BR>
ii. Clear the weekend.<BR>
iii. Be alone, composed and relaxed (This is <B>NOT</B> about
masturbation, I promise).<BR>
iv. Get a few pens, a pad of paper, coffee, a comfy chair, all
the books and documents about Linux one has and that very
nice teddy one used to have as child.<P>
6. JUUUUUUUUUUUMP!<P>
</UL>
<A NAME="install-2">
<B>Q3.2) What is one installing when one is installing Linux? What version of
Linux should one install?</B><P>
<UL>
One is installing a DISTRIBUTION, containing a KERNEL and a set of
bundled commands and applications.<P>
A kernel is the operating system innards - without it there would not
be Linux. There is, normally, TWO current kernels - the current
stable kernel and the current development kernel.<P>
The most recent stable kernel is 1.2.13. It is fairly old now, and
lacks a number of bells and whistles. However, it works or fails
fairly predictably. A new semi-stable kernel is 2.0.6.<P>
The most recent development kernel is (at the time of writing)
pre-2.0pl14. Alas, this kernel is also called 1.99.14 and pre-2.0.14,
so be not deceived. A new development kernel is expected in about
a month and will be of the 2.1 series.<P>
A distribution is a kernel wrapped in a set of additional commands
and applications. There are a number of distributions, the most
notable being:<P>
<UL>
Slackware 3.0<BR>
Red Hat 3.0.3<BR>
Debian 1.1<BR>
Bogus 1.0.1<BR>
Caldera 1.0<BR>
</UL><P>
Each of the distributions has advantages and disadvantages. In order
to select a distribution, one should read its own documentation.<P>
There is a widespread confusion between the various version numbers,
especially between the kernels and the distributions. Among the
distributions, Slackware and Red Hat are prominent and popular.
Both are ELF. RedHat is supposedly easier to upgrade and downgrade
and comes in two versions --- a commercial and a free version. The
commercial version contains certain commercial programs. Slackware
is, so far, completely non-commercial (though this is slated to
change very soon) but is somewhat uncomfortable to upgrade or
downgrade. It is also quite a bit less hand-holding. This can be
both a boon and a curse, choose your own poison.<P>
</UL>
<A NAME="install-3">
<B>Q3.3) Where does one get support for Linux?</B><P>
<UL>
Linux itself is not a product of an actual, real company. Therefore,
it is not "supported" in the usual sense.<P>
There is, however, extensive mailing-lists and newsgroups dealing
with Linux and many competent people are frequently willing to
help. There is also a large body of documentation available (FAQ's,
HOWTO's, LDP).<P>
If one is moderately patient, if one is willing to read documentation,
reread it, peruse it and glance at it again and again, one will be
accorded a mostly reasonable response by other users of Linux.<P>
Linux-IL also supports Linux via its mailing list and web site. It
must be stressed again that Linux-IL is not <B>bound</B> to support
Linux and members help other people from the goodness of their
heart, if they have any.<P>
A number of companies also offer commercial suport for Linux.<P>
</UL>
<A NAME="install-4">
<B>Q3.4) One has a 1.6GB or any other large IDE disk. Can one install Linux on it?</B><P>
<UL>
Well, yes and no. Or, rather, very much depends on the partitioning
of the disk. If one has a Pentium or a Pentium Pro, then it should be
no problem, provided the root partition sits below the 1024th cylinder
of the disk.<P>
If one has a 486 or a 386, the answer is more complex. Possibly yes,
again, assuming the root file system is under the 1024th cylinder
limit. However, it is possible one might not see any beyond the
1024th cylinder anyway. If this is so, a disk manager is required.
This piece of excretable software often, if not always, means that
Linux cannot be installed. Caveat emptor.<P>
</UL>
<A NAME="install-5">
<B>Q3.5) One has a Acme Vacumatic CD-ROM Sniffer (or any other exotic equipment).
How does one connect it to Linux?</B><P>
<UL>
First one should check in the Hardware-HOWTO whether the Vacumatic
(or, indeed, any other piece of equipment) is supported.<P>
If it is, so much for the better. If it isn't, well, THEN ask the list.<P>
Now that one knows that the Vacumatic is supported, one should look
at the related FAQ's and HOWTO's.<P>
</UL>
<HR>
<A NAME = "network">
<H2><B><LI></B> Networking</H2>
<A NAME = "network-1">
<B>Q4.1) What type of networking does Linux support?</B><P>
<UL>
Linux supports a very wide range of networking services. A
partial list of the protocols supported is:<P>
<CENTER>
<TABLE BORDER>
<TR> <TD COLSPAN=2 ALIGN=CENTER> <H2> Protocols </H2> </TD> </TR>
<TR> <TD>TCP/IP</TD>
<TD> TCP/IP is the standard Internet protocol. Linux supports all standard
Unix services such as NFS, FTP, Telnet, NIS, etc.</TD></TR>
<TR> <TD>PPP</TD>
<TD> PPP is a popular protocol used to route TCP/IP over serial links.
Linux can act as both a PPP client or a PPP server, maintaining enormous
amounts of connections.</TD></TR>
<TR> <TD>SLIP</TD>
<TD> SLIP is a somewhat outdated protocol to route TCP/IP over serial
links. Linux can act both as a SLIP client and as a SLIP server.</TD></TR>
<TR> <TD>IPX</TD>
<TD> IPX is the protocol used in Novell networks. It is used to access Novell
servers. See Q4.3.</TD></TR>
<TR> <TD>SMB</TD>
<TD> SMB is the protocol used in Microsoft networks. It is used
to access Windows machines, See Q4.3.</TD></TR>
</TABLE><P>
</CENTER>
A partial list of the hardware devices supported is:<P>
<CENTER>
<TABLE BORDER>
<TR> <TD COLSPAN=2 ALIGN=CENTER> <H2> Hardware Devices </H2> </TD> </TR>
<TR> <TD>Ethernet</TD>
<TD> An enormous amount of Ethernet cards are support by Linux. Chances are
that if you have it, it's supported.</TD> </TR>
<TR> <TD>ISDN</TD>
<TD> ISDN is still in development, but is supported by Linux.</TD></TR>
<TR> <TD>Frame Relay</TD>
<TD> Linux can utilize Frame Relay devices. This means a Linux machine
can replace a router.</TD></TR>
<TR> <TD>Token Ring</TD>
<TD> Linux supports Token Ring networks.</TD></TR>
</TABLE><P>
</CENTER>
</UL>
<A NAME="network-2">
<B>Q4.2) Can Linux be connected via SLIP or PPP from home?</B><P>
<UL>
Yes. Read the <A HREF="?">NET-2-HOWTO</A>.<P>
</UL>
<A NAME="network-3">
<B>Q4.3) Can Linux be an Internet server?</B><P>
<UL>
Yes. In fact, almost all ISPs in Israel use Linux, and it is rated
as the second most widely used OS by ISPs in the US. Linux can
efficiently function as a web server, mail server, news server, IRC
server, DNS, file server, router, firewall and many others.<P>
</UL>
<A NAME="network-4">
<B>Q4.4) How can one connect Linux to non-Unix platforms?</B><P>
<UL>
In addition to standard Unix services (NFS, telnet, FTP, etc.), Linux
can converse with a wide range of non-Unix machines. Following
is a list of useful gadgets in this realm:<P>
<UL>
<TABLE BORDER>
<TR> <TD><B><A HREF="http://lake.canberra.edu.au/pub/samba/"><CENTER>SAMBA</CENTER></A></B></TD>
<TD> SAMBA utilizes the SMB protocol to talk to Windows (3.11, 95, NT)
networks. It allows Linux to easily replace an NT server (server), or
access shares on other computers (client).</TD></TR>
<TR> <TD><B><A HREF="?"><CENTER>ncpfs</CENTER></A></B></TD>
<TD> NCPFS utilizes the NCP protocol to talk to Novell servers and clients.
It allows Linux to easily mount and print via a Novell server. Linux-based
Novell servers are currently under development.</TD></TR>
<TR> <TD><B><A HREF="?"><CENTER>Net-a-talk</CENTER></A></B></TD>
<TD> Net-a-talk utilizies the Appletalk protocol to talk to Apple networks.
It allows Linux to replace Appletalk servers and can provide other
services.</TD> </TR>
</TABLE></UL><P>
</UL>
<HR>
<A NAME = "x11">
<H2><B><LI></B> X11</H2>
<A NAME = "x11-1">
<B>Q5.1) What is X11?</B><P>
<UL>
X11, or X-Windows is the standard GUI interface to Un*x. It replaces
the standard text console interface. It also provides applications a
standard and portable way of displaying graphics.<P>
X11 is in no way related to MS-Windoze or the Macintosh and, in fact,
pre-dates them.<P>
X11 is also frequently refered to as X11R[5|6{,.1}]. X11R6.1 is
the final release of X11. The next version which will sing and
make coffee in addition to being a GUI will be called Broadway.<P>
</UL>
<A NAME = "x11-2">
<B>Q5.2) Is there X11 for Linux? Is there MORE than one X11 for Linux?</B><P>
<UL>
Yes and yes.<P>
Most distributions of Linux come with <A HREF="http://www.free86.org">
XFree86</A>. The current version of XFree86 is v3.1.2E, but most
distributions still come with XFree86 v3.1.2.<P>
There are also two commercial X11 implementations for Linux ---
<A HREF="http://www.xinside.com/">Accelerated X</A> and
<A HREF="http://www.metrolink.com/products/Metro-X.html">
Metro-X</A>.<P>
</UL>
<A NAME = "x11-3">
<B>Q5.3) Is my graphics card supported by the X11 server?</B><P>
<UL>
Read the X11 server's documentation:<P>
<UL>
<LI>A list of graphics cards supported by XFree86 is <A
HREF="http://www.xfree86.org/FAQ/index.html#SectionF">here</A>
<LI>A list of graphics cards supported by Accelerated X is <A
HREF="http://www.xinside.com/bd/index.html">here</A>.
<LI>A list of graphics cards supported by Metro-X is <A
HREF="http://www.metrolink.com/products/Cardlist.html">here</A>.
</UL><P>
</UL>
<A NAME = "x11-4">
<B>Q5.4) What is a window manager? What window managers are there?</B><P>
<UL>
A window manager is what allows one to manage windows (i.e. virtual
consoles), move them, resize them and do other things to them on
the fly.<P>
There are a whole slew of window managers. Most distributions
come with the <B>fvwm</B> window manager pre-configured.
Look at <A HREF="http://www.csv.warwick.ac.uk/~csuoq/window_managers/">here
</A> for an extensive page dealing with window managers.<P>
</UL>
<A NAME = "x11-5">
<B>Q5.5) When XFree86 is started, ATI Pro Turbo displays rubbish. When
should be done?</B><P>
<UL>
The problem lies with revision 3 of the ATI Pro Turbo which causes
Xfree86 to display rubbish. XFree86 v3.1.2D and later resolves the
problem.<P>
</UL>
<A NAME = "x11-6">
<B>Q5.6) When one tries to compile a program, it complains that it cannot
link libXm. What's wrong?</B><P>
<UL>
libXm, libXrm, libXuil and some other library files are part of
Motif. Motif is a not free and in order to compile programs which require
Motif, it must be purchased separately.<P>
</UL>
</OL>
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