The Linux Documentation Project proudly presents... Linux Installation and Getting Started by Matt Welsh v2.3, 22 February 1996 Linux Installation and Getting Started is a book for anyone wishing to dive into the Linux world. It covers what Linux is, how to get it, and how to install it on your machine. Also included is an introductory tutorial to using Linux for UNIX novices, and chapters on Linux system administration and advanced features of Linux, such as the X Window System, TCP/IP networking, and more. This book is freely distributable under certain conditions (see below). This license allows anyone to print and distribute copies of the book, as well as to modify the book under certain conditions. I encourage publishing companies and printing houses to do so. In particular, I encourage distributors of Linux software to use this book as an installation guide. (After all, that's why I wrote it!) If you don't find the instructions contained therein specific enough, you can provide your own short "installation supplement" to go along with the book, or modify the book to suit your needs. Version 2.3 is IDENTICAL in content to version 2.2.2, released over a year ago (12 February 1995). The only change is that the book is now covered under the GNU General Public License, a more liberal copyright in that anyone is allowed to modify and redistribute the book without my express permission. In previous versions of this book, translations and derivative works had to be approved by me; I no longer have the time to maintain this book actively and want to make it available for modification and revision by the Linux community. I apologize for releasing a new version of this book without updating the content to make it reflect the many changes in the Linux world over the last year. Due to many circumstances (not the least of which is my research career) I am just unable to bring the book up-to-date myself. I hope you will help by updating the book as you see fit and releasing those changes to the community. The book has been uploaded to sunsite.unc.edu in the directory /pub/Linux/docs/LDP/install-guide Other sites, such as tsx-11.mit.edu, should mirror this soon. The book is also available in printed form via mail order from SSC, Inc. See below for more information. The files below ending in the .gz extension have been compressed with gzip. Gzip is available from many FTP sites, including prep.ai.mit.edu in /pub/gnu. An MS-DOS version of Gzip can be found on sunsite.unc.edu in /pub/Linux/distributions/slackware/GZIP.EXE. The files without the .gz extension are plain, uncompressed files. Many readers were having trouble getting Gzip for MS-DOS and other platforms, so I am providing both gzipped and ungzipped versions of the files on the FTP sites. The gzipped files are identical to their non-gzipped counterparts. You only need to get one or the other, not both. The files are: install-guide-2.3.ps install-guide-2.3.ps.gz PostScript output, ready to print, 236 pages. Should print fine on US letter or A4 paper. You can also view this with Ghostview. parts/chapter0.ps.gz, parts/chapter1.ps.gz, ... The "parts" subdirectory contains individual PostScript files for each chapter of the book, as some people have had problems printing the single PostScript file above. In addition, the file appendix.ps.gz contains the appendices and index. Each of these files should be printed separately. install-guide-2.3.dvi install-guide-2.3.dvi.gz .dvi (device independent) TeX output. 236 pages. ou can view this with xdvi or convert to another format with the various DVI tools if you wish. For example, dvips will generate PostScript from this file, dvilj2p will produce HP LaserJet IIP output, etc. See the comp.text.tex FAQ for details. install-guide-2.2.2.txt install-guide-2.2.2.txt.gz Plain ASCII output. This is made available mostly for previewing purposes---it is rather ugly. I DO NOT recommend reading the plain ASCII if you can help it---the PostScript and .dvi versions look very nice in comparison. It's also for the previous version of the book, v2.2.2. install-guide-2.3.tar.gz Complete LaTeX source, including formatting macros and style file. You only need this if you want to format the book from scratch, or make modifications. Note that you must release source code for any modifications; the easiest way to do this would be as a patch to these LaTeX sources. This is a gzipped UNIX tar file. Linux Installation and Getting Started may be reproduced and distributed in whole or in part, subject to the following conditions: Copyright (c) 1992--1996 by Matt Welsh Cornell University Computer Science Department 4130 Upson Hall Ithaca, NY 14853 USA Linux Installation and Getting Started is a free document; you may reproduce and/or modify it under the terms of version 2 (or, at your option, any later version) of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation. This book is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details. The author encourages wide distribution of this book for personal or commercial use, provided that the above copyright notice remains entact and the provisions of the GNU General Public License are adhered to. The summary is that you may copy and distribute this book free of charge, or for a profit. No explicit permission is required from the author for reproduction of this book in any medium, physical or electronic. Note that derivative works and translations of this document must be placed under the GNU General Public License, and the original copyright notice must remain entact. If you have contributed new material to this book, you must make the source code (e.g., LaTeX source) available for your revisions. Please make revisions and updates available directly to the author: Contact mdw@sunsite.unc.edu via Internet e-mail. This will allow the author to merge updates and provide consistent revisions to the Linux community. The author encourages distributors of Linux software in any medium to use the book as an installation and new user guide. Given the copyright above, you are free to print and distribute copies of this book with your software. If doing so, you may wish to include a short ``installation supplement'' for your release, or modify the relevant sections of this book to reflect your product. The author would like to know of any plans to publish and distribute this book commercially. In this way, we can ensure that you are kept up-to-date with new revisions. And, should a new version be right around the corner, you might wish to delay your publication of the book until it is available. If you are distributing this book commercially, donations, royalties, and/or printed copies are greatly appreciated by the author. Contributing in this way shows your support for free software and the Linux Documentation Project. If you have questions or comments, please contact the author at mdw@sunsite.unc.edu or at the address listed above. This book is available from SSC, Inc. via mail order. Belinda Frazier writes, SSC has printed the Linux Installation and Getting Started manual to make it available for those who do not have the capability to print it themself and to support our customers who buy Linux (Yggdrasil) from us. It is printed double-sided, perfect bound, with a cover. SSC also intends to make comb bound versions of the other LDP manuals available. Linux Installation and Getting Started is available for $12.95 plus shipping ($3 in the U.S.). We can accept credit card orders (Visa, MasterCard or AmEx). Orders can be phoned in (206-FOR-UNIX/206-527-3385), FAXed (206-527-2806) or mailed to SSC, P.O. Box 55549, Seattle, WA 98155. Mail sales@ssc.com or see http://www.ssc.com for more information. Share and enjoy, M. Welsh, mdw@sunsite.unc.edu