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6 Advanced 6.1 Use a different window manager/desktop environment. You may want to do this if: KDE/GNOME is too unstable for you, you
are short on RAM(memory), want something faster, less bloated, prettier,
you are tired of a unified look, or just plain curious( I use blackbox on
my laptop because it just doesn't have the power for KDE or Gnome). For an
overview of available managers go to
http://www.plig.org/xwinman/
Before you decide which window manager you will use by default, you will
want to have the ability to decide on startup where you want to go today.
There are a couple of programs available for this task that are reported to
work.
guichooser
,
wmchoose
, and for those of you running RedHat or systems based on it, you can run
'switchdesk' to switch between KDE, GNOME, and AFTERSTEP. Note: You only need to do this if you need new features, you want to learn something, or you just want to show off :0) Getting a kernel update wrong is a popular way of breaking a Linux system(been there, done that...). Make sure you have a working bootdisk. Most distros allow the creation of one during the install. If you don't have one make one with 'mkbootdisk kernel#'(man mkbootdisk for more info). Another good option is to get a mini distribution like tomsrtbt . This is a generic boot/root disk with a ton of useful utilities. Basically the best way to do this is to patch the source for your current version. You will need to know your current kernel version( look it up in /boot or type 'uname -r'). Get the patch(es) from http://www.linuxhq.com/ . You will need all the patches up to the kernel number you want to upgrade to (to upgrade from 2.2.7 to 2.2.9 you will need patch-2.2.8 as well as patch-2.2.9). If you want to upgrade to a development kernel or from one major number to another. You will need to get the original kernel source package, and usually you will have to update other packages as well. Unpack the patch(es) and move them to /usr/src. 'cd' to /usr/src and type 'patch -t -p0 <patch-2.2.x ( x being the number of the patch). If you are patching a Mandrake kernel you will get some error messages, because their kernel sources only contain the i386-arch tree( I don't know about the other distros) don't worry about them. If you are patching the original source you might want to omit the -t option. Repeat if you are applying more than one patch. type 'cd linux'. Type 'make xconfig' (or make menuconfig if you are not in X) and choose your poison. Next type 'make dep', then 'make clean', 'make bzImage'(some people combine these into one command I prefer to do it one at a time). If you are compiling the original source type 'export PATH=$PATH:/usr/src/linux/include' first. Next if you chose to make any options modular you will need to do a 'make modules' and a 'make modules_install' When complete do a 'make install' to install the kernel, system map, and run lilo. If you are compiling from a patched kernel source, you will note that the new modules directory still carries the the old version number. To avoid confusion, change the name of the modules directory by typing 'mv old_version_number new_version_number' this makes sure the right modules load at boot time. Take a deep breath, cross your fingers and reboot. If your new kernel boots relax and make a new boot disk. In case it doesn't work go back and try again, or ask in your favorite newsgroup . 1. Don't work as root. root is allowed to do everything which also
means 'everything wrong'. If you are expected to do root tasks, use thought
and caution. Don't consider having restricted rights as a nuisance, but as
a protection. 2. Protect the root account with a good password. An intruder getting access to the root account is a worst case scenario. Tip: Don't use a plain word from a dictionary. Instead think of a sentence and use the words' initials. Better: mix some numbers in. Best: use a good password generating program. 3. Turn inetd off (e.g. via 'linuxconf'-services( some of the distros
now use a file called xineted, it is almost identical it does have somewhat
better security)). You only need inetd if you want to provide services like
ftp to other clients. With Mandrake's/RedHat's default settings running inetd
on a connected box is like wearing a bunny dress during hunting season.
If you decide to run it anyway (e.g. for a local news server like leafnode)
take a look at /etc/inetd.conf, /etc/hosts.allow and /etc/hosts.deny and choose
reasonable settings (the defaults are crap) + install tpcd (it's in the tcp_wrappers.rpm). 4. Stay informed about security issues. Read at least the weekly security section of Linux Weekly News ( http://www.lwn.net/ ). See if the listed exploits pose a threat to you and get the updates. 5. For the very latest in Linux security information check out
http://www.linuxsecurity.com/
. 6. Get ssh if you are doing things like telnet. 6.4 Find out what's eating your system resources. Use 'top', 'xtop' or 'ktop'. They will show all processes and the strain they put on your system. They will also allow you to kill misbehaving processes. rename commands: If you recently switched from DOS this error may
occur annoyingly often: you want to list a directory typing 'dir', which
the shell will refuse. Now that's where aliases come in. aliases are defined
either in /etc/bashrc (system wide) or in ~/.bashrc (per user settings). Type
'alias dir=ls' save and after the next login, typing 'dir' will execute 'ls'
(of course 'ls' itself will remain functioning) and list the directory.
6.6 Handle system services (daemons). Mandrake's/RedHat's default setting is having all daemons enabled which is certainly some kind of overkill and may even introduce nasty problems (see security section). The easiest way to disable them continuously is by using 'linuxconf' ('administration/control panel/services). Most likely to be superfluous are: firewall: handles firewalls :-). If you've not set up one, or your box doesn't connect through one to the internet, you don't need it. gpm: handles mouse on console. If you only work within X or don't use the mouse on the console, you don't need it. Some X programs may even have problems when gpm is enabled (e.g. Netscape Navigator). You will still be able to use the mouse in a xterm. inet: handles dial-in services. If you only use dial-out (e.g. for connecting to the internet), disable it. There are severe security issues with that daemon (read the security section for more). nfsfs: handles the network file system of Novell Netware. If your box is not part of a Novell network, you can turn it off. pcmcia: only useful with notebooks. sendmail: handles sendmail. If you use a mail program that can do SMTP (send mails) on its own (like kmail or Netscape mail), you don't need it. ypbind: handles NIS (Network Information Service) domains. Most likely you are not part of such a domain, so you can disable it. Next
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