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by Tim Parker
So far in this book, you’ve seen how to use Linux for many different tasks. However, there are some issues we haven’t dealt with because they are used rarely or only by a single administrator (who may be the only user). This chapter looks at simple system administration tasks, including the following:
Of course, we can’t cover everything you need to know to run a system efficiently. Instead, we will look at the basic information and utilities and leave you to experiment. For more details, check the documentation files with your Linux operating system. Better yet, consider purchasing a good UNIX system administration book, such as Linux System Administrator’s Survival Guide (Sams Publishing, 1995). Much of the information in a UNIX system administration book will be applicable to Linux, too.
The root login, as you probably know, has no limitations at all. It can do anything anywhere, access any files it wants, and control any processes. This power has its price, though: Any mistake can be disastrous, sometimes resulting in damage to the entire operating system.
A mystique has built up in the UNIX community about the root login, because it holds unlimited power over the system. The tendency to want to use this superuser login is overwhelming for many. However, a simple rm command in the wrong place can spell many hours of trouble, if not a complete reload of your entire Linux system.
For this reason, the root account should be employed only for limited system use, and then only when its power is necessary (such as when rebuilding a kernel, installing new software, or setting up new file systems). As a general rule, you should not use the root account for routine tasks.
Naturally, many people use root for their daily Linux sessions, ignoring any advice because they think they won’t make mistakes. In truth, everyone makes a mistake occasionally. Check with any UNIX system administrator and you’ll find that accidents happen with the root account. (I have managed to delete entire file systems more than once while trying to do two things at the same time.) Although many people ignore the rule about using root only when necessary, most of them eventually find out why this rule is important!
There are several ways of booting the Linux operating system, as well as a few ways to safely shut it down. Some were mentioned earlier in this book. Because Linux can be installed in many different ways, there is no single “right” method of booting the operating system, so we must look at both hard-disk–based and floppy-disk–based boot procedures.
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