The modemtool command creates a symbolic link, called /dev/modem, that points to a specified serial port you select.

Run the modemtool command from the control-panel by clicking the Modem Configuration
Figure 22.3.
The netcfg command is
used to start, stop,
add, delete, change,or
otherwise configure a
range of network
devices and services.

button, or by entering the command name on a command line:

# modemtool

Kernel Configuration with the kernelcfg Command

The kernelcfg command is a system administration tool and graphic interface to the init, lsmod, insmod, and rmmod commands (see Figure 22.4). Use this command's window to control running modules. Unlike the tksysv command, you won't find a help file, so
be careful before removing running modules unless you're sure that's exactly what you want to do.

Figure 22.4.
The kernelcfg command
presents a window of
currently loaded
system modules.

The kernelcfg command may be run from the control-panel by clicking the Kernel Daemon Configuration Button, or by typing the following on the command line:

# kernelcfg

Using the glint and rpm Commands

The glint command is a graphic representation of your system's software database, used by the Red Hat Package Manager, or rpm command. The glint command visibly demonstrates the benefits of using a combination of a graphic interface and a sophisticated software management program for system administration. The glint and rpm commands are just two
of the reasons why Red Hat Linux is the easiest Linux distribution to install, maintain, and use.

Run glint from the control-panel by pressing the Package Management button, or by typing the following on the command line:

# glint &

When glint starts, it uses the rpm command to parse the database of the software installed on your system, found in the /var/lib/rpm directory. This database is then graphically displayed by different folders in an open window. You can see the software installed on your system by navigating through the various folders. You can then query, uninstall (or delete), verify, or see what other packages are available for installation.

In order to use the glint command's buttons, first select a software package by clicking the package's icon with your left mouse button. Then query or delete the package by pressing the appropriate glint button. Deleting a package with glint is the equivalent to using the rpm command with its -e option. For example,

# rpm -e doom-1.8-9

This rpm command deletes all software files associated with the Doom 1.8-9 package. As you can see, using the glint command saves you a lot of typing, and using the rpm command is a lot easier than searching your file system for all files related to the game Doom.

Press the Available button in the glint window, and the glint command searches for available software packages to install. If any are found, the package names are compared against your system's database of files, and a new window of folders or packages is displayed. Select a package from the new window and then press the Install button, and glint attempts to install the software (actually, the process is a bit more complicated than that, but simplicity serves here). This is the equivalent to using the rpm command with its -i, or install command-line option:

# rpm -i asoftwarepackage.rpm

This rpm command attempts to install the named software package. Again, you should see that using glint is a lot easier.

Use the glint command to peruse the contents of your Linux software, and if necessary, to delete unneeded packages to save hard drive space. You won't find any documentation for glint, but you can read the rpm manual pages to find out more about the rpm command and managing software packages.

Finding Help with the helptool Command

The helptool command is used to search your system for related documents containing a phrase you enter into its search dialog box (see Figure 22.5). This command searches user documents, GNU info files, and manual pages for corresponding readable documents.

When the helptool has finished, get help by double-clicking with your left mouse button on the name of any listed documents. Double click a manual page filename, and a terminal window appears, using the man command to display the file. Double-click an info document

name, and a terminal window appears, then helptool displays the document using the GNU info command.

Unlike other tools discussed in this hour, any user running the X Window System can use the helptool command.

Configuring Your System with the setup Command

This section shows you how to use the setup command to change or configure your Linux system's keyboard, mouse, filesystem, kernel processes, sound, or time. This set of system configuration tools may seem familiar because they use some of the windows or dialog boxes from when you first installed Linux.

The setup command may be started in an X11 terminal window, but you don't have to run the X Window System to use setup or any of its tools.

Starting the setup command, found under the /usr/sbin directory, is easy—simply type the following:

# setup

This command line runs the setup command, which then displays a scrolling list of tools. Move through the list with your cursor keys, stop on a program, then press the Tab key to go to the Run or Quit buttons. Run a command by pressing the F1 function key, or tabbing to the Run button and pressing the Enter key. Quit the setup command by tabbing to the Quit button and pressing the Enter key, or by pressing the F12 function key.

Each setup command recognizes your keyboard's Tab key to navigate through menus. You can quit each command with the F12 function key.

Maintaining Your Filesystem with the cabaret Command

The cabaret command is used to configure your filesystem, add new filesystems such as CD-