Linux Universe: Installation and Configuration

In Linux Universe: Installation and Configuration, the medium and the message become one. Even though Linux itself is free, this book/CD-ROM combination is well worth its modest price. You not only get the convenience of having all the software (plus source code) for version 2.0 on two CD- ROMs, but you'll get clear and detailed guidance to help you install it. The book covers partitioning the disk, installing software and device drivers, configuring the boot manager, setting up the X-Window manager, administering users, and setting up TCP/IP networking. For those new to Unix, it also provides much-needed orientation, a primer of essential commands, and a useful command reference.

This is not a project for a computing novice, but if you're comfortable partitioning a drive, installing device drivers, and working from a command line, you'll have the necessary skills. By the time you finish, you'll have gained a good working understanding of Unix system configuration and administration. You'll need at least a 386 PC with 16 MB RAM, about 200 MB of disk space to spare, and a CD-ROM drive. The book assumes that your system has a DOS partition and is already running DOS, Windows, or Windows 95. A boot manager makes it possible to keep your current operating system installed if you wish.

Author Stefan Strobel has coauthored a companion volume, Linux: Unleashing the Workstation in Your PC, which delves more deeply into Linux system administration. Both books are also available in a single package, The Complete Linux Kit.

Linux is a free 32-bit multitasking operating system for 32-bit Intel and other industry-standard processors that closely resembles Unix. It supports multiple users, TCP/IP networking, and much of the peripheral hardware found on today's systems. Originally written by Linus Torvalds, Linux is now the product of a global community of interested programmers and is licensed through the Free Software Foundation.