100%

O N E H U N D R E D P E R C E N T

C O M P R E H E N S I V E A U T H O R I T A T I V E W H A T Y O U N E E D

O N E H U N D R E D P E R C E N T

Master Linux system administration

Discover the power of Debian’s package management system

Build a network and set up Linux servers

“Steve Hunger’s book is the most comprehensive and up-to-date guide to Debian GNU/Linux in print.”

—Branden Robinson, Debian Developer

Debianebian®®

GNU/LinuxGNU/Linux®®

BONUS

CD-ROM

Debian GNU/Linux 2.2r2	Steve Hunger

Foreword by Ian Murdock, Founder of Debian and now Cofounder of Progeny Linux Systems

4710-0 Cover 3/30/01 11:57 AM Page 2

If Debian GNU/Linux can do it, you can do it too . . .

Whether you’re a Linux newcomer looking for foolproof installation tips or a Debian GNU/ veteran who wants the scoop on the latest security enhancements, this authoritative guide delivers all the information you need to make the most of the Debian GNU/ “potato” release. From customizing a desktop system to troubleshooting a network or setting up an e-commerce server, it’s the only reference you’ll ever need to become a Debian GNU/ Linux pro.

Inside, you’ll find
complete coverage of		▲
Debian GNU/Linux
• Get crystal-clear instructions for fast, painless
installation

•Learn your way around the Linux shell, file system, and X Window System

•Discover how easy it is to set up a LAN in Debian and connect to the Internet

•Make the most of Linux desktop applications, games, and multimedia features

•Master Linux administration, from automating system tasks to locking in security

•Find guidance on how to keep Debian current and bug-free

•Get the scoop on configuring servers, from Apache and FTP to NIS and Sendmail

▲

▲

w w w . h u n g r y m i n d s . c o m

100%

® GNU/Linux ®Debian

HUNGER

Bible

100%

C O M P R E H E N S I V E A U T H O R I T A T I V E W H A T Y O U N E E D

Master Linux system administration

Discover the power of Debian’s package management system

Build a network and set up Linux servers

“Steve Hunger’s book is the most comprehensive and up-to-date guide to Debian GNU/Linux in print.”

—Branden Robinson, Debian Developer

Debian®

GNU/Linux®

Steve Hunger

Foreword by Ian Murdock, Founder of Debian and now Cofounder of Progeny Linux Systems

Debian GNU/Linux® Bible

Debian GNU/Linux®

Bible

Steve Hunger

Hungry Minds, Inc.

Indianapolis, IN Cleveland, OH New York, NY

Debian GNU/Linux® Bible

Published by

Hungry Minds, Inc.

909 Third Avenue New York, NY 10022

www.hungryminds.com

Copyright 2001 Hungry Minds, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book, including interior design, cover design, and icons, may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means (electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Library of Congress Catalog Card No.: 2001089113

ISBN: 0-7645-4710-0

Printed in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

1B/SW/QU/QR/IN

Distributed in the United States by

Hungry Minds, Inc.

Distributed by CDG Books Canada Inc. for Canada; by Transworld Publishers Limited in the United Kingdom; by IDG Norge Books for Norway; by IDG Sweden Books for Sweden; by IDG Books Australia Publishing Corporation Pty. Ltd. for Australia and New Zealand; by TransQuest Publishers Pte Ltd. for Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Hong Kong; by Gotop Information Inc. for Taiwan; by ICG Muse, Inc. for Japan; by Intersoft for South Africa; by Eyrolles for France; by International Thomson Publishing for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland; by Distribuidora Cuspide for Argentina; by LR International for Brazil; by Galileo Libros for Chile; by Ediciones ZETA S.C.R. Ltda. for Peru; by WS

Computer Publishing Corporation, Inc., for the Philippines; by Contemporanea de Ediciones for Venezuela; by Express Computer Distributors for the Caribbean and West Indies; by Micronesia Media Distributor, Inc. for Micronesia; by Chips Computadoras S.A. de C.V. for Mexico; by Editorial Norma de Panama S.A. for Panama; by American Bookshops for Finland.

For general information on Hungry Minds’ products and services please contact our Customer Care department within the U.S. at 800-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993 or fax [phone].

For sales inquiries and reseller information, including discounts, premium and bulk quantity sales, and foreign-language translations, please contact our Customer Care department at 800-434-3422, fax [phone] or write to Hungry Minds, Inc., Attn: Customer Care Department, 10475 Crosspoint Boulevard, Indianapolis, IN 46256.

For information on licensing foreign or domestic rights, please contact our Sub-Rights Customer Care department at 212-884-5000.

For information on using Hungry Minds’ products and services in the classroom or for ordering examination copies, please contact our Educational Sales department at 800-434-2086 or fax [phone].

For press review copies, author interviews, or other publicity information, please contact our Public Relations department at 650-653-7000 or fax [phone].

For authorization to photocopy items for corporate, personal, or educational use, please contact Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, or fax [phone].

LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: THE PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR HAVE USED THEIR BEST EFFORTS IN PREPARING THIS BOOK. THE PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS BOOK AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THERE ARE NO WARRANTIES WHICH EXTEND BEYOND THE DESCRIPTIONS CONTAINED IN THIS PARAGRAPH. NO WARRANTY MAY BE CREATED OR EXTENDED BY SALES REPRESENTATIVES OR WRITTEN SALES MATERIALS. THE ACCURACY AND COMPLETENESS OF THE INFORMATION PROVIDED HEREIN AND THE OPINIONS STATED HEREIN ARE NOT GUARANTEED OR WARRANTED TO PRODUCE ANY PARTICULAR RESULTS, AND THE ADVICE AND STRATEGIES CONTAINED HEREIN MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR EVERY INDIVIDUAL. NEITHER THE PUBLISHER NOR AUTHOR SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOSS OF PROFIT OR ANY OTHER COMMERCIAL DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR OTHER DAMAGES.

Trademarks: All brand names and product names used in this book are trade names, service marks, trademarks, or registered trademarks of their respective owners. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Hungry Minds, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.

is a trademark of Hungry Minds, Inc.

About the Author

Steve Hunger has spent the last 10 years in the computer industry, the last four supporting and integrating multiple platforms for a Fortune 500 Company. Having been introduced to UNIX while attending Purdue University, he quickly latched onto Linux as the primary platform for his startup Web hosting and development business in 1996. He continues operating his Web business, consulting with local businesses, and freelance writing. When not conquering the world with Linux, he has co-written and contributed to several books for Macmillan USA and Brady Games, including work on the line of Mandrake Linux products. His latest work has been for AOL Press called Powering Up the Internet.

In his spare time he enjoys relaxing with his wife, riding bicycles, and tinkering with an R/C model that is evolving into something that looks amazing like a plane. He is also on the Board of Directors for the Central Indiana Linux Users Group (www.cinlug.org). Steve can be reached at [e-mail].

Credits

Acquisitions Editor	Quality Control Technicians
Terri Varveris	David Faust
Project Editor	Susan Moritz
	Marianne Santy
Gus A. Miklos	Charles Spencer

	Technical Editor	Permissions Editor
	Steve Schafer	Laura Moss
	Copy Editors	Media Development Specialist
	Victoria Lee O’Malley	Travis Silvers
	Luann Rouff	Media Development Coordinator
	Project Coordinator
		Marisa Pearman
	Dale White	Proofreading and Indexing
	Graphics and Production Specialists
		York Production Services, Inc.
	Amy Adrian
	Sean Decker
	Gabriele McCann
	Kendra Span

This book is dedicated to my beloved wife, Sandy. Without her love, support, and encouragement to carry me on days I needed it, this book would not have been possible. And to my father, who also saw me through this book.

Foreword

In January 1993, while browsing USENET news one evening after work, I ran across a thread with a subject line that read, simply, “LINUX.” I’m not sure what

it was about the word “LINUX” that made me hit Enter, but I did, and within a few minutes, it was clear to me that I had to have it.

Unfortunately, that’s about where I hit a brick wall. I had just enough information about Linux to whet my appetite, but there was precious little more of it to be found. Over the course of the next few weeks, I hunted down and pieced together the rest of what I needed to know: where to find it, how to download it, how to install it, and what I could do with it once I had installed it.

It was a tedious process, because only scraps of information were available, and those scraps were scattered about all over the place — a bit on a USENET group here, a bit more on an FTP site there. And even when found and pieced together, the scraps did not form a complete picture — I had to fill in large gaps for myself. All in all, it was a tremendous learning experience, but it was also a tremendously frustrating and time-consuming experience, and if presented with the same obstacles today, I likely would not have had the time or the inclination to overcome them.

Fortunately, becoming a Linux user is much easier today than it was in 1993. The software itself has come a long way, and a wide range of books on the subject are available, from installation and use to programming to administration and management. These days, the local bookstore has all the information you need to get started and become productive as a Linux user.

One subject that has not been covered as extensively as others, a subject near and dear to my heart, is Debian, a project I founded not long after discovering Linux. Debian has much to offer the Linux user — a huge selection of software, an open development process that leads to rapid bug fixes and improvements, an unparalleled software management facility that allows software to be installed easily and systems to be upgraded non-disruptively, and much more — but it has long remained a daunting prospect to piece together the information you need to get there.

x	Debian GNU/Linux Bible

And, so, I am extremely pleased to see books such as my friend Steve Hunger’s

Debian GNU/Linux Bible. Debian GNU/Linux Bible contains all the information you need to know to get the most out of Debian, from installing it to using its powerful package management system to install software and upgrade your system to setting up a Web server and other advanced topics. With Debian GNU/Linux Bible by your side, you will be well prepared to join the large and growing group of users that call Debian home. I hope this book serves you well.

Ian Murdock

Founder of Debian and Co-founder of Progeny Linux Systems, Inc.