SUSE Linux: A Complete Guide to Novell's Community Distribution

by Chris Brown

Overview

SUSE Linux: A Complete Guide to Novell's Community Distribution will get you up to speed quickly and easily on SUSE, one of the most friendly and usable Linux distributions around. From quick and easy installation to excellent hardware detection and support, it's no wonder SUSE is one of the most highly rated distributions on the planet. According to Novell, SUSE is installed more than 7,000 times every day, an average of one installation every 12 seconds.

This book will take you deep into the essential operating system components by presenting them in easy-to-learn modules. From basic installation and configuration through advanced topics such as administration, security, and virtualization, this book captures the important details of how SUSE works—without the fluff that bogs down other books and web sites. Instead, readers get a concise task-based approach to using SUSE as both a desktop and server operating system.

In this book, you'll learn how to:

• Install SUSE and perform basic administrative tasks
• Share files with other computers
• Connect to your desktop remotely
• Set up a web server
• Set up networking, including Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
• Tighten security on your SUSE system
• Monitor for intrusions
• Manage software and upgrades smoothly
• Run multiple instances of SUSE on a single machine with Xen

Whether you use SUSE Linux from Novell, or the free openSUSE distribution, this book has something for every level of user. The modular, lab-based approach not only shows you how—but also explains why—and gives you the answers you need to get up and running with SUSE Linux.

About the author:
Chris Brown is a freelance author and trainer in the United Kingdom and Europe. Following Novell's acquisition of SUSE, he taught Linux to Novell's consultants and IT staff and is certified in both Novell's CLP program and Red Hat's RHCE. Chris has a PhD in particle physics from Cambridge.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780596101831
Publisher:	O'Reilly Media, Incorporated
Publication date:	07/01/2006
Pages:	445
Product dimensions:	9.08(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Dr. Chris Brown has been using UNIX for more than 25 years, initially in his role as a Research Fellow at Sheffield Universityin the UK, where he carried out research into the use of tightly-coupled multi-processor systems for real-time processing of machine vision data. He has been a linux enthusiast, user, and advocate for the last 8 years and holds RedHat RHCE and Novell CLP certifications, in addition to B.A. and M.A. degrees from Cambridge University, and a Ph.D. in particle physics which he hopes won't put you off reading his book.

Chris has authored a number of hands-on training courses on Linux TCP/IP networking, systems programming, and administration. Working for a while in the USA, he managed the development of a linux training curriculum for the training company Learning Tree International. Chris now works mostly as a freelance trainer and writer and has delivered training throughout North America and Europe for companies including Learning Tree, IBM Learning Services, and First Technology Transfer. Chris has been heavily involved in providing technical training within Novell. He wrote two five-day courses on SuSE Linux which he delivered to Novell's consultants and IT support staff within Europe. He was also invited to deliver internal training sessions at Novell's Brainshare conference in 2004. Subsequently, Chris has worked with Novell throughout Europe to provide training to staff on Novell Linux Desktop in support of Novell's internal migration to Linux.

In his spare time Chris enjoys Bach, Jake Thackray, Tom Lehrer, Flanders and Swan, gardening, reading, eating and sleeping.

Table of Contents

• Preface
• Chapter 1: Quick Start
• Chapter 2: Basic System Administration
• Chapter 3: Using SUSE Linux on Your Desktop
• Chapter 4: Using Linux on Your Laptop
• Chapter 5: Package Management
• Chapter 6: System Administration for Servers
• Chapter 7: Network Services
• Chapter 8: Security
• Chapter 9: Alternative Installations
• Colophon

Editorial Reviews

The Barnes & Noble Review
Powerful, slick, and backed by both a thriving community and a highly respected software company, SUSE Linux offers the best of many worlds. Chris Brown's SUSE Linux gives you what you need most to master it: hands-on practice.

Brown's "labs" walk you through system and server administration; desktop and laptop SUSE; package management; network services; security; and more. Best of all, he never strands you after you've tried one example: his "What About..." sections anticipate what you need to know next.

So, once you've learned how to play media, Brown helps you deal with proprietary formats like WMV. Once you've learned how to configure wireless networks; Brown offers solutions for cards without Linux drivers. Once you've learned to create logical volumes, Brown shows how to enlarge them. Once you've learned how to access your desktop remotely, Brown helps you cope with firewalls. Simply an immensely useful book. Bill Camarda, from the November 2006 Read Only