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发信人: netiscpu (说不如做), 信区: Linux
标  题: [B] Red Hat Linux Unleashed (2)
发信站: 紫丁香 (Sat Jul 25 03:05:16 1998), 转信

Types of Linux Available
     _________________________________________________________________

               o Linux Releases
               o What's a Linux Release?
                    # Other Linux Information Sources
               o Finding Linux Updates on the Internet
               o Common Extensions for Filenames
               o Obtaining Linux from BBSs
               o Accessing DOS Files from Linux
               o Summary

     _________________________________________________________________

   2


   Types of Linux Available


   This chapter covers the many types of Linux systems and distributions
   available. I strongly recommend that you read this chapter at least
   once before starting the installation process. Included in this
   chapter are the following topics:
     * The various distribution types in Linux

     * The types of disk sets for each distribution

     * Which distribution sets are important for you

     * How to look for files on the CD-ROM

     * How to get Linux from FTP sites

     * How to get Linux from BBS sites

     * How to find FTP sites where you can get Linux updates


   Linux Releases


   There are many independent releases of Linux, each with its own list
   of unique features. Some of these releases are available free of
   charge if you have access to the Internet. Some releases are available
   for a nominal fee ($20 to $90) for distribution on CD-ROM or disks.
   Typically, the CD-ROM versions are cheaper and are easier to use than
   the floppy-disk distributions because the cost of one CD-ROM is less
   than the cost of 30 or more floppy disks. Another plus for the CD-ROM
   is the convenience of having everything on one source media. It beats
   swapping disks!

   What's a Linux Release?


   A Linux release is a set of files for a complete Linux system. Various
   changes made by the Linux community are incorporated into each
   release.

   Linux releases are identified by numbers. These numbers are of the
   form X.YY.ZZ, where X is between 0 and 9, and YY and ZZ are numbers
   between 0 and 99. Generally, the higher the number, the newer the
   release. Some release numbers also include pNN, where NN is a number
   between 1 and 20. These refer to patches to a specific Linux version
   (a patch is a fix or an update to the software). For example, 0.99p15
   would mean the fifteenth patch to the Linux release 0.99.

   A release consists of several components called series of disks, or a
   collection of disks. For example, the X series of disks comes on 10
   disks. Each series is referred to by its name. A name generally tells
   you who put the software together and what its date is.

   Some of the releases of Linux are as follows:
     * The Red Hat Software Inc. Release
       This is a release of Linux from Red Hat Software Inc. The latest
       version is 3.0.3, which is included on the CD-ROM at the back of
       this book.
       The highlight of the installation package is the Red Hat Packet
       Manager (RPM). Using the RPM enables you to safely install and
       uninstall packages. By far, the uninstall capability of the
       package is the best feature because most upgrades to critical
       packages require a complete Linux installation. Red Hat Linux is
       also notable for the ability to install from an X session,
       assuming the video card and monitor are supported by Linux.

     * Slackware
       This is a popular release of Linux included with this book's
       sister books: Linux Unleashed Second Edition and Linux System
       Administrator's Survival Guide. You can get versions of this
       release on CD-ROM from various vendors for about $25.
       The primary distributor for this release is Patrick Volkerding,
       who can be reached at volkerdi@mhdl.moorhead.msus.edu.

     * The Softlanding Linux System Release (SLS)
       This release consists of about 23 disks for Linux and 10 for X11.
       The first disk (a1) must be "rawritten" (using rawrite.exe in
       Chapter 3, "Installing and Updating Linux") on floppies, and the
       rest of the images must be put onto DOS-formatted floppies using
       the DOS copy command. This release contains all the software
       package(s) you need to get started with Linux, and for newcomers
       it is easy to install.
       The SLS release can also be found at tsx-11.mit.edu in the
       directory /pub/linux/packages/SLS and on sunsite.unc.edu in the
       directory /pub/Linux/SLS. By snail mail, SLS is available from
       Softlanding Software
       910 Lodge Ave.
       Victoria, B.C.
       Canada V8X-3A8
       (604) 360-0188

     * The TAMU (Texas A&M University) Linux Release
       This release is supposedly like the SLS release, but it has some
       different software packages and a different installation procedure
       than SLS. The installation procedure is the main difference from
       SLS. A single boot diskette, which boots directly into an
       automated installation program, is used. This installation program
       asks a few questions about the desired configuration and sets up
       everything, including your file systems, booting from the hard
       drive with LILO (see Chapter 5, "Odds and Ends") and a simplified
       X configuration.
       This release is a full-featured package, including X Window,
       emacs, networking tools, boot utilities, and a list of sources for
       all installation programs without any use restrictions. TAMU is
       available from sc.tamu.edu in pub/free_unix4.

     * H.J. Lu's bootable rootdisk
       This is a release of the Linux kernel and basic binaries on a
       single floppy. It, along with Lu's gccdisk, libdisk, and so on, is
       good for upgrading or installing a basic Linux system by hand.
       It's not recommended for newcomers, because there's no real
       install script; it's mostly meant as an upgrade of the basic
       system software.
       H.J. Lu's bootable rootdisk release is found at tsx-11.mit.edu: in
       the directory /pub/linux/packages/GCC.

     * The Manchester Computing Centre Interim Release
       This is the fabled MCC-Interim Linux release, which was originally
       the de facto standard Linux distribution. This release has almost
       all of the important Linux software, such as Slackware, but does
       not contain emacs or X Window.
       MCC-Interim can be found on sunsite.unc.edu in the directory
       /pub/Linux/distributions/MCC and also at ftp.mcc.ac.uk in the
       directory /pub/linux/mcc-interim.

     * Trans-Ameritech
       This is available only on CD-ROM. The CD-ROM offers a complete,
       uncompressed, bootable Linux file system. This feature has two
       distinct advantages: You have instant access to the file of your
       choice without having to uncompress or unzip any archives, and it
       saves the disk space that you would use uncompressing these
       archives.
       The CD-ROM is based on the Slackware distribution of Linux with
       all the source code, an uncompressed file system, and NetBSD
       source and binary distribution.
       To minimize the possibility of hardware conflicts, many extra
       kernels are provided for different configurations. They are usable
       for installation and normal use. Many online documents are
       provided for quick reference, including the Linux Documentation
       Project files in source, dvi, and ps formats. This distribution
       also includes the FlexFax, a package that enables you to send and
       receive faxes on either class 1 or class 2 fax modems.
       To help first-time Linux users, many of the provided documentation
       files are readable from DOS even before Linux is installed.
       All source files for Linux are available on the CD-ROM. The most
       often needed source code files are uncompressed and can be used
       directly from the CD-ROM. An uncompressed Linux file system is
       available for reference and disk-space conservation. You can run
       programs directly from the CD-ROM. There is a large information
       directory, including many man pages, for online reference.
       For a hacker's reference, an uncompressed FreeBSD source tree is
       provided. You can order by phone (408) 727-3883, or e-mail at
       roman@trans-am.com.

     * The Linux Support Team Erlang Distribution (LST)
       This release is for you if you speak German. The menus, manuals,
       and installation instructions are in German. You can get this
       release from ftp.uni-erlangen.de under
       /pub/Linux/LST.distribution.

     * Yggdrasil Plug-and-Play Linux
       This is a complete CD-ROM distribution of the Linux operating
       system. It includes a great deal of software covering nearly every
       package that you would expect to find on a complete UNIX system. A
       complete file list is available via FTP from yggdrasil.com.
       They also offer The Linux Bible, a full library of Linux and UNIX
       documentation, including three books from the Linux Documentation
       Project, their Yggdrasil installation manual, and the complete set
       of Linux HOWTO guides.
       Yggdrasil's Plug-and-Play Linux is named for plug-and-play
       operation, which means that you can place a floppy in drive A,
       turn the computer on, and answer all the questions. That's all
       there is to installation. The reality is a little more
       complicated, because you have to know whether your hardware is
       compatible before you begin.
       The login screen lists a number of preconfigured usernames,
       including install, which installs the system, giving paragraphs of
       explanation about every question it asks the user.
       The install script even searches for a modem, and upon finding it,
       configures mail and UUCP so that mail sent to an Internet address
       is transparently delivered through a bulletin-board system at
       Yggdrasil. Some people might not like this, so don't say that I
       didn't warn you!
       The X Window configuration is automated, too, with forms to fill
       in as you run X for the first time, as well as a graphical control
       panel that enables additional forms for configuration of
       networking, SLIP, outgoing UUCP, the printer, and so on. You can
       call them, toll-free, in the U.S. at (800) 261-6630 or e-mail them
       at info@ygg-drasil.com.
       Yggdrasil Computing, Incorporated
       4880 Stevens Creek Blvd., Suite 205
       San Jose, CA 95129-1034

     * InfoMagic Developer's Resource CD-ROM Kit
       This is a complete snapshot of the sunsite.unc.edu and
       tsx-11.mit.edu archives. It also includes the complete GNU
       software collection (in source form). The following Linux
       distributions are included on the discs: Slackware, Debian, SLS,
       TAMU, MCC, and JE (Japanese Extensions).
       The Linux HOWTO documents have been formatted for use with the
       Microsoft Multimedia Viewer (which is included) to allow browsing
       and full text search under Microsoft Windows. You can contact them
       at (800) 800-6613 or via e-mail at Orders@InfoMagic.com.
       The contents of the CDs can also be found at the site
       InfoMagic.com in the directory
       /pub/Linux or ftp.uu.net in the directory
       /vendor/InfoMagic/cd-roms/linux.

   There you have it. This list of locations where you can get Linux from
   is incomplete. In fact, I should apologize to the folks whose company
   names didn't get listed here. There was not enough time for me to
   fully review all the distributions before this book went to press. If
   you would like a more complete list, please look at the newsgroups
   comp.os.linux.announce and comp.os.linux.misc.

   The document Distribution-HOWTO is archived on a number of Linux FTP
   sites, including sunsite.unc.edu in pub/Linux/docs/HOWTO.

   Other Linux Information Sources


   If you like magazines, you will love The Linux Journal, a monthly
   publication covering the Linux community. Most material in LJ is new
   (that is, derived from a bunch of USENET newsgroup topics). Each issue
   includes columns and articles on Linux programming, GNU, Free Software
   Foundation issues, systems administration, questions and answers,
   interviews, and more. This is a darn good magazine. You can reach the
   publishers at
        Linux Journal

            P.O. Box 85867

            Seattle, WA 98145-1867

            (206) 527-3385

   If you want to keep up-to-date with the latest releases of Linux, try
   to get quarterly updates to your Linux system via a subscription to
   Morse Telecommunication, Inc.'s Linux Quarterly CD-ROM. Each CD
   contains the complete contents of tsx-11.mit.edu. This is one of the
   most popular Internet Linux sites. It provides both source and binary
   files of major Linux distributions, utilities, source code, and
   documentation. This quarterly update includes Slackware, SLS, MCC, and
   Debian releases of Linux. Get information through e-mail from
   order@morse.net.

   Lastly, the Linux Systems Labs (dirvin@vela.acs.oakland.edu) can also
   provide commercial software for Linux, including manuals, database
   applications, and other applications software not in the shareware or
   public domain. You can contact Linux Systems Labs at (800) 432-0556.

   Finding Linux Updates on the Internet


   As I mentioned previously, a CD-ROM is not the only place for you to
   get Linux or information about Linux. After all, you might not have a
   CD-ROM reader. If you don't, you aren't out of luck. You can still get
   Linux goodies from the Internet sites in the following listing. The
   catch is that you have to be on the Internet.

   So, you may well ask, why am I showing you how to get Linux from the
   Internet when you already have it on a CD? Well, some of the files on
   the CD might be different a year from now. In fact, some of the
   locations you see listed here might be different, too. By showing you
   how to find out more, you can use the archie method at a later time to
   locate updates to Linux and more information easily.

   If you want to learn more about the Internet and archie, read The
   Internet Unleashed (Sams Publishing, 1994).

   I used the telnet program to log into archie.internic.net, a good site
   from which to use the archie program. The archie program is a
   searching utility for locating files on the Internet by specifying
   keywords. I logged in with the name archie and didn't have to provide
   a password. (See Listing 2.1.)

   The archie> prompt is where I issued the find Linux command. The
   search type of sub means that we'll ask archie to search for all
   strings in its database with the word Linux anywhere in it.

   The output from Listing 2.1 shows only a few files. I have edited it
   to fit in the book. Your listing won't match.

   Listing 2.1. Using archie to find Linux.

$ telnet archie.internic.net
...
login: archie
******************************************************************
Welcome to the InterNIC Directory and Database Server.
******************************************************************
# Bunyip Information Systems, 1993, 1994
# Terminal type set to 'vt100 24 80'.
# 'erase' character is '^?'.
# 'search' (type string) has the value 'sub'.
archie> find Linux
# Search type: sub.
# Your queue position: 1
# Estimated time for completion: 16 seconds.
working...
Host unix.hensa.ac.uk (129.12.43.16)
Last updated 23:37 22 Nov 1994
Location: /pub/sunsite/pub
DIRECTORY drwxr-xr-x 1024 bytes 21:32 16 Nov 1994 Linux
Host unix.hensa.ac.uk (129.12.43.16)
Last updated 23:37 22 Nov 1994
Location: /pub/walnut.creek/XFree86/binaries
DIRECTORY drwxr-xr-x 1536 bytes 20:26 13 Nov 1994 Linux
Host romulus.ucs.uoknor.edu (129.15.10.20)
Last updated 18:31 16 Nov 1994
Location: /
FILE -rwxrwxrwx 13 bytes 15:05 12 Nov 1994 Linux
Host ftp.germany.eu.net (192.76.144.75)
Last updated 23:39 6 Nov 1994
Location: /pub/os
DIRECTORY drwxrwxr-x 512 bytes 01:44 5 Nov 1994 Linux
Host csc.canberra.edu.au (137.92.1.1)
Last updated 03:23 6 Nov 1994
Location: /pub/ise
DIRECTORY drwxr-xr-x 1024 bytes 18:49 31 Oct 1994 Linux
Host power.ci.uv.es (147.156.1.3)
Last updated 21:12 23 Nov 1994
Location: /pub/linux/docs/faqs
FILE -rrr 96319 bytes 16:25 30 Oct 1994 Linux-FAQ
Host ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu (141.142.20.50)
Last updated 20:06 11 Nov 1994
Location: /HDF/contrib
DIRECTORY drwxrwxr-x 512 bytes 01:02 30 Oct 1994 Linux
[24;1H[K:[24;1H[24;1H[K
Host romulus.ucs.uoknor.edu (129.15.10.20)
Last updated 18:31 16 Nov 1994
Location: /mirrors/Linux/docs/faqs
FILE -rwxrwxrwx 15 bytes 00:56 30 Oct 1994 Linux-FAQ
Host monu1.cc.monash.edu.au (130.194.1.101)
Last updated 21:27 17 Oct 1994
Location: /pub/linux/docs/faqs
FILE -rw-rr 96568 bytes 23:39 21 Sep 1994 Linux-FAQ
Host dutiws.twi.tudelft.nl (130.161.156.11)
Last updated 03:10 23 Nov 1994
Location: /pub
DIRECTORY drwxrwxr-x 512 bytes 10:31 29 Aug 1994 Linux
Host telva.ccu.uniovi.es (156.35.31.31)
Last updated 22:27 23 Nov 1994
Location: /uniovi/mathdept/src
DIRECTORY drwxr-xr-x 1024 bytes 10:36 28 Jul 1994 Linux
Host neptune.ethz.ch (129.132.101.33)
Last updated 17:38 15 Nov 1994
Location: /pub/Oberon
DIRECTORY drwxrwxr-x 512 bytes 07:31 22 Jul 1994 Linux
Host ftp.germany.eu.net (192.76.144.75)
Last updated 23:39 6 Nov 1994
Location: /pub/os/Linux/Local.EUnet/Kernel/Linus/net-source
DIRECTORY drwxr-xr-x 512 bytes 04:23 19 Jul 1994 Linux
archie> find LDP
# Search type: sub.
# Your queue position: 1
# Estimated time for completion: 16 seconds.
working...
Host hpcsos.col.hp.com (15.255.240.16)
Last updated 18:49 13 Nov 1994
Location: /mirrors/.scsi0/linux/docs
FILE -rwxr-xr-x 17 bytes 20:42 4 Nov 1994 LDP
Host romulus.ucs.uoknor.edu (129.15.10.20)
Last updated 18:31 16 Nov 1994
Location: /mirrors/Linux/docs
FILE -rwxrwxrwx 17 bytes 23:14 24 Oct 1994 LDP
Host mcsun.eu.net (192.16.202.2)
Last updated 20:32 10 Nov 1994
Location: /os/linux/doc
FILE -rwxrwxrwx 12 bytes 14:22 18 Sep 1994 LDP
archie>quit


   Common Extensions for Filenames


   Table 2.1 is a list of common filename extensions for the files you
   will see in Linux archives. The fname in the following table implies
   the filename with which you want to work.

   Table 2.1. File extensions used in Linux releases.


                             Extension Used By
    .Z compress/uncompress. Use uncompress fname foo.Z to uncompress the
      file, where fname is the name of the file that was uncompressed.
      .z, .gz gzip. gzip is now used by many archive sites instead of
   compress. If you don't have gzip on your system, get it! To uncompress
        one of these files, use gzip -d fname.z. .gz is the new gzip
                                 extension.
   .tar Tar file. Use tar xvf fname.tar to unpack it. Or you can use tar
           tvf fname.tar to get an index listing of the tar file.
   .taz Compressed tar file. You can do something such as zcat fname.taz
    | tar xvf - or tar xvfz fname.taz to unpack it (some versions of tar
                         don't have the z option).
    .tpz, .tgz gzipped tar file. If you have gzip, zcat is linked to it,
             so you can do zcat foo.tpz | tar xvf to unpack it.
    .tpz The old extension. All gzipped tar files should now end in .tgz
                                  instead.

   Most distributions use gzipped tar files with the tgz extension.

   Obtaining Linux from BBSs


   A bulletin board system (BBS) enables you to transfer messages and
   files via your phone line. All you need is a computer with
   communications software and a modem. Some BBSs transfer messages among
   each other, forming large computer networks similar to USENET. The
   most popular of these in the U.S. are FidoNet and RIME.

   Linux is available from various BBSs worldwide. Some of the BBSs on
   FidoNet carry comp.os.linux as a FidoNet conference.

       ______________________________________________________________


     NOTE: While you are installing Linux, you might get the error You
     may have inserted the wrong disk when you insert the next disk in a
     series.
     Each disk has a small file on it that contains the name of the
     disk. For example, the SLS a3 disk has a file on it called diska3.
     If it doesn't exist, or is named something else (such as diska3.z),
     create it or rename it. If you copied the files to the SLS floppies
     using copy *.*, you probably missed the diska3 file because it
     doesn't have an extension in the filename.
     Also, the last disk in a series (for example, the a4 or b5 disk)
     has a file on it called install.end. You need this file as well.
     These files are used by the installation programs to keep track of
     when to stop installing a package.


       ______________________________________________________________


   Accessing DOS Files from Linux


   Linux supports several features that you can use to access your DOS
   files from Linux. With the mtools package, included with most
   distributions of Linux, you can use commands such as mcopy and mdir to
   access your DOS files. Another option is to mount a DOS partition or
   floppy directly under Linux, which gives you direct access to your
   files by way of the DOS file system.

   You will find the mtools package indispensable if you have to swap
   files between DOS and Linux. When you first start Linux from a DOS
   machine, it's comforting to know that you can transfer files easily
   between two machines that are running different operating systems, so
   don't worry; you will not have to give up your familiar DOS
   environment.

   Why use mtools if you can just mount a DOS drive? mtools is good if
   you want to do something quicklyfor example, if you want to get
   directories on a bunch of floppies. The mount procedure requires you
   to mount the drive, get a directory, and then umount it. With mtools
   you can get the directory with one command.

   mtools also comes with the Slackware release of Linux and is available
   in source-code form on most Linux FTP sites. This mtools source tree
   can prove to be interesting reading, especially if you are a
   programmer.

   There is also DOS Emulator available for Linux, and work is beginning
   on a Microsoft Windows emulator to run under the X Window system. The
   DOS Emulator isn't perfect, so don't expect to play DOOM on
   itDosemu is still in the development stages. You can use it to
   run some standard applications such as WordPerfect 5.1, Quicken, and
   Lotus 1-2-3. At the time I wrote this, Dosemu was slow and crashed
   frequently. However, you can work with it for some quick tasks.

   Summary


   This chapter has given you a whirlwind tour of what's actually
   available for Linux. You also learned about Linux releases and how to
   interpret the release numbers. Each Linux release consists of several
   disk sets. Some of these files in a disk set are just labels, and some
   are called packages. A package is generally a compressed tar archive
   containing binary files and directory trees.

   Finally, for DOS fans, Linux provides a host of tools to read or write
   DOS disks and files. There is even an experimental DOS emulator for
   you to run DOS programs under Linux. Any DOS partitions can be mounted
   to appear as directory trees, so you can still work with your data on
   DOS disks.

   Previous Page Page Top TOC Next Page See Page

--

                              Enjoy Linux!
                          -----It's FREE!-----

※ 修改:．netiscpu 于 Jul 25 03:41:37 修改本文．[FROM: mtlab.hit.edu.cn]
※ 来源:．紫丁香 bbs.hit.edu.cn．[FROM: mtlab.hit.edu.cn]

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