Because information about technology can change rapidly,
the Internet is often one of the most reliable sources of up-to-date knowledge
and news about computers and software. In this appendix, you will find the URLs
of some good sites which can help you answer questions which may not be addressed
in this book or which you need answered before you can see your instructor.
Should you need information beyond the sites shown here, a good search engine
like Google (http://www.google.com) can help you find the answer. Note: Internet sites are usually not reviewed for accuracy. While you can usually
trust the information found on corporate sites, such as Sun’s or Red Hat’s,
it is not always the case that you can trust personal sites. Be cautious about
downloading software or configuration files from random sites unless you have
a good idea of what you are looking for.
What Is Unix? The sites in this section cover Unix history, as well as the
cultural aspects of the Unix community. http://perso.wanadoo.fr/levenez/unix/ A chart of Unix history, which spans 14 pages. The author included
only Unix variants, which were significant – the chart could have been much
larger! http://www.bell-labs.com/history/unix/ The “official” history of Unix, as told through the eyes of
AT&T. The site also includes biographies of Ken Thompson and Dennis Ritchie. http://www.uwsg.iu.edu/usail/library/history.html Copies of some of the seminal documents in Unix’s history.
This site collects most of the critical documents in one location, though
you can find each of them in various other places on the Web. http://www.gnu.org/ The home of the GNU project. Here, you can download all the
GNU software to install on your own system, as well as get documentation for
all GNU applications and programs. While there is some philosophical material
here, it is primarily devoted to programming and software released under the
GNU Public License. http://www.fsf.org/ A more political site than the GNU page, the Free Software
Foundation page provides information about supporting the foundation and the
philosophical positions behind Free Software. http://www.opensource.org/ The main site of the Open Source iniative, this site offers
links to other program sites. However, its main strength is information about
Open Source, especially that which is targeted at the media so that it will
cover Open Source software and describe it correctly. http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr/writings/ The home page of Eric Raymond, the major figure behind Open
Source. This site contains his seminal paper “The Cathedral and the Bazaar,”
as well as the two other papers in the Open Source trilogy: “Homesteading
the Noosphere” and “The Magic Cauldron.” http://www.linux.org Linux Online provides links to documentation, the wide range
of Linux variants, and software downloads. It also offers news and its own
editorial content. A good place to start your search for Linux information http://www.freebsd.org The FreeBSD project’s home site offers documentation, links
to other sites reflecting the FreeBSD community, downloads, and a good depository
of information about bugs in the software. You’ll also find links for user
groups and other community elements. back to the top Basic Unix Concepts The sites in this section offer help on the basic elements
of the Unix operating system, including command structure, file system organization
and navigation, and simplified documentation. http://www.linuxnewbie.org Not just for Linux users. This site offers simplified manual
pages and help files on a variety of Unix-related topics, which might be more
useful to someone who finds standard manual pages to be a bit confusing. http://www.nmt.edu/tcc/help/unix/unix_cmd.html A brief introduction to some of the most common Unix commands,
intended for those new to working with the operating system. http://wks.uts.ohio-state.edu/unix_course/intro-137.html A good reference card for commonly used commands. Print this
one out if you have trouble remembering the name or syntax of the commands
needed for your work. http://www.isu.edu/departments/comcom/unix/workshop/fstour.html An overview of the Unix file system. The documents pay particular
attention to file type and how the disk is organized, with a good explanation
of inodes. http://www.no.embnet.org/unixhelp/shell_jobz.php3 A good description of how jobs and processes are organized
under Unix, and how to manage processes by moving them between foreground
and background. http://www.ncl.ac.uk/ucs/unix/job_process.html Another approach to jobs and processes. This site pays particular
attention to the batching of non-interactive processes to run at more convenient
times. back to the top The Shell Environment These sites introduce various shells, and offer guidance for
those who are interested in exploring the capabilities of their shell environments. http://www.nscp.umd.edu/shells.html An excellent overview of several different shells. This site
provides links to each shell’s home page and to other documentation. There
is a great table, which compares a wide range of features across the various
shells. A good place to start if you are interested in changing your shell. http://www.mmm.ucar.edu/computing/doc/guide/ch_2.html A more detailed comparison of the Bourne shell, the C shell,
and the T C shell. If sh, csh, and tcsh are the main shells available to you,
this site will help you figure out the differences. http://www.gnu.org/manual/bash-2.02/html_chapter/bashref_toc.html The complete bash manual. It can be a bit dry, but it will
answer almost any question you can ask about the bash shell. Use this in conjunction
with the FAQ described in the next entry. http://www.faqs.org/faqs/unix-faq/shell/bash/ The bash FAQ. Use this along with the bash manual from the
link above. The FAQ addresses the most common questions and problems with
the shell. Text Editors Sites in this section discuss various aspects of Unix text
editors, offer helpful hints on making editors simpler to use, and introduce
some editors, which are less widely used. http://www.thomer.com/vi/vi.html This site, the “vi Lovers’ Home Page,” is an excellent collection
of vi-related links and tutorials. You’ll also find extensive information
about macros and other vi functions. http://www.math.fu-berlin.de/~guckes/vi/ The other major vi site, vi-editor pulls together a number
of vi resouces. This site is especially strong in discussion of vi clone programs,
like the vim editor, which may be installed on some systems by administrator
preference. http://www.eng.hawaii.edu/Tutor/vi.html A thorough vi tutorial that will teach you the basic skills
you need to use the editor efficiently. The tutorial includes hints for programming
with the editor and for configuring vi’s environment to your liking. http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/emacs.html This is the basic home site for GNU Emacs information and downloads.
New releases, bugfixes, documentation, and other important information will
be placed here before it is released to any other sites or software archives. http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/emacs-faq.text The FAQ for Emacs, written by its developers. Most basic questions
can be answered by this document. Read it before you start working with GNU
Emacs. http://www.geek-girl.com/emacs/refcard.html A quick reference card for commonly used GNU Emacs functions.
Print this out and slip it under your keyboard. http://www.oceanwave.com/technical-resources/unix-admin/editors.html A wonderful overview of text editors. Though the site focuses
on GNU Emacs and vi, it offers links and information about other editors as
well. Easy to navigate and well designed. back to the top Internet Applications The sites in this section introduce various applications and
clients used for Internet services, such as e-mail, Web, and news. http://www.washington.edu/pine/ The home of the PINE mail/news reader. Download packages here,
or read documentation and FAQs. An easily navigated site with lots of great
information. http://www.eng.hawaii.edu/Tutor/elm.html A good tutorial introducing the elm electronic mail reader.
The tutorial walks you through composing, sending, retrieving, and saving
mail messages. http://www.netscape.com The same browser you use on Windows or Macintosh computers.
Download Netscape 6.2 packages for Linux, or Netscape Navigator for a vast
range of Unix variants. http://www.mozilla.org Linux users can check out the Open Source browser right now;
other Unix variant users will probably have to wait until the program is more
thoroughly developed before it is ported to other platforms. Builds are available
for other platforms, but require more skill to install and use. http://www.opera.com Download the HTML-compliant Opera browser, read documentation,
or find the latest news. This site offers Opera downloads for Linux and Solaris
Unix variants. http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/help/usenet/trnint-3.3.html An excellent overview of USENET in general, and the threaded
news reader trn in particular. This document will get you up and running in
short order. http://www.landfield.com/usenet/usenet.html Before you jump into the world of USENET, read some of the user documents housed
on this site. You’ll learn about USENET etiquette, how posts are propagated,
and how to find the right newsgroup for your post. back to the top Unix Networking These sites provide information about Unix networking on both
heterogeneous and homogeneous networks. http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Networking-Overview-HOWTO.html The nuts and bolts of networking under Linux, as well as an
introduction to networking in general. This HOWTO document is part of the
Linux Documentation Project. http://www.yale.edu/pclt/COMM/TCPIP.HTM A brief overview of TCP/IP, its history, and how it works.
There are some graphics. While not as in-depth as other sites in this section,
this is a quick way to learn the basics. http://www.private.org.il/tcpip_rl.html A comprehensive collection of links about TCP/IP and networking
topics. The site lists FAQs, tutorials, newsgroups, printed books, and other
resources, which will help the network professional or someone new to the
concept. http://www.sangoma.com/fguide.htm A tutorial, which walks you through setting up a network. This
is a commercial site, which emphasizes its own network cards, but the information
is usable whether you have one of Sangoma’s cards or not. Not Unix-specific. http://www.itprc.com/tcpipfaq/default.htm The TCP/IP FAQ, which answers the most common questions about
TCP/IP, how it works, and how to troubleshoot network installations. It also
provides an exhaustive explanation of the various protocols involved in network
transmissions. http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/535/4.html A complete introduction to TCP/IP, with good graphics and solid
information. Cisco routers are the industry standard, so this is trustworthy
information. http://www.samba.org For those interested in running heterogeneous networks, which
have both Unix and Windows machines, consider Samba. This wonderful program
handles networking connections in ways that both operating systems understand,
and is critical for Windows-involved networks. http://www.umich.edu/~rsug/netatalk/ As Samba is used with Windows/Unix heterogeneous networks,
netatalk is used for Macintosh/Unix networks. This site provides downloads
and information about netatalk, which offers file and print sharing using
Appletalk. back to the top Shell Programming Sites in this section offer help with shell programming, including
excellent information on the various elements and constructs of good shell
scripts. http://www.tldp.org/LDP/abs/html/ An excellent tutorial for shell programming. This is targeted
at Linux users, but can be read and used by people working under a number
of operating systems. It begins with simple topics and progresses to far more
complicated and advanced mechanisms. Well worth the time. http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Bash-Prog-Intro-HOWTO.html A tutorial more specifically devoted to bash shell programming
than the previous document. This file includes information about various program
constructs, including tables, and has a section on debugging. http://www.docs.uu.se/~matkin/documents/shell/ A Swedish site, which goes into more detail than many other
shell scripting pages. Although the author notes that the site is undergoing
revision, it is quite complete and offers a great range of ideas for your
own shell programs. http://dmoz.org/Computers/Software/Operating_Systems/Unix/Shell/Scripting/ The dmoz.org directory offers a lengthy list of links for those
interested in shell scripting. You’ll find resources for scripting under bash,
sh, and a range of other shells. Not a search engine, so some links may be
outdated since the directory is a managed resource. http://pegasus.rutgers.edu/~elflord/unix/bash-tute.html A brief overview of bash scripting, and a simple tutorial.
While this is not the most in-depth resource, it can provide just enough help
to get you going in your own scripting. http://steve-parker.org/sh/sh.shtml Should you not have the Bourne (Again) shell available on your
system, this site provides a tutorial for programming under the Bourne shell.
It provides the manual pages for a number of important shell functions, as
well as assistance in writing elegant sh scripts. back to the top System Administration The sites shown here are a good starting point for those interested
in the administrative elements of Unix, including user management, software
installation, security, and other tasks. http://www.washington.edu/R870/ The home for a course taught at the University of Washington
by Dave Dittrich. Dittrich’s site contains notes and syllabus from his regular
class, as well as a series of sample problems that describe real-life system
administration situations. An excellent hands-on introduction to the tasks
in such a job. http://www.ee.siue.edu/~bnoble/classes/anet/links.html A great series of links about network administration, including
security, scripting, and LAN administration. The information linked here should
answer almost any network administration question. http://www.freshmeat.org One of the larger software archives devoted solely to Unix
programs. You’ll find mostly FreeBSD and Linux packages here, but it’s a good
place to search for other programs that you might want to use. Part of the
Slashdot-related universe: Slashdot (http://www.slashdot.org) is the wildly
popular tech-related news site. http://www.rpm.org For those using the RPM package manager to install software,
the program’s home page can be a helpful site. It has documentation, downloads,
and helps in making your installations run more smoothly. http://www.alw.nih.gov/Security/Docs/network-security.html This site, provided by the National Institutes of Health, gives
a good introduction to Unix networks and their security risks. The focus is
on firewalls and gateways. http://www.cert.org/ The first place to read about new security risks, virus, worms,
security holes in newly-released software, and the like. CERT advisories are
thoroughly fact-checked and are reliable, unlike virus warnings that people
pass through e-mail without checking first. If you get a scary e-mail, check
it out at CERT before passing it on. back to the top The X Window System These sites introduce the X Window System and offer help in
configuring this often frustrating, yet critical, element of Unix. http://www.x.org The main site for the X Consortium, the group that administers
the X Window System standard. This site is not particularly targeted toward
users, but does offer a great introduction to how X works and where graphics
on Unix platforms is heading. http://www.xfree86.org/ The site for people running X on personal computers using x86
architecture chips. The site offers downloads and documentation, as well as
assistance in configuring X for particular chips and video hard http://www.plig.org/xwinman/ An excellent compendium of information and links about the
various window managers and desktop environments that work with X. Each section
shows a number of screenshots to illustrate how the manager or desktop will
look when installed on your system. http://www.gnome.org The home of the Gnome integrated desktop. This program is a
graphical user interface with a wide variety of embedded and native software.
At the site, you can download software and documentation, as well as read
Gnome-related news. http://www.kde.org The KDE site also offers an integrated desktop environment,
which is highly configurable and provides a very comfortable interface to
Unix. The KDE site is especially useful to those whose first language is not
English, as it is mirrored in multiple languages. Software downloads, news,
documentation, and bugfixes are all here. http://www.ximian.com A more commercial site than Gnome or KDE, Ximian is the current project of
the person who first developed Gnome. Ximian is a smooth and appealing integrated
desktop. Learn more about it, or download packages, here. back to the top Running Services The sites in this section offer assistance in installing, configuring,
and administering the servers, which provide data to various clients across
local networks or the Internet. http://www.apache.org The site of the Apache Software Foundation, providers of the
best and most popular Web server available. Links, documentation, downloads,
and Apache news. You’ll find more specific help at some of the sites linked
from here, but this is the central clearinghouse for Apache news and packages. http://www.irt.org/articles/js180.index.htm If you run Apache, you may want to configure it to fit more
specific needs at some point. This site offers some suggestions about working
with Apache configuration files, and emphasizes Apache’s modular nature as
the key to a fully-customized Apache installation. http://www.sendmail.org The home page for the “big kahuna” of mail servers. Learn more
about sendmail here, including troubleshooting help for installations gone
wrong. The big strength of this site is its attention to security and ensuring
that your sendmail installation is as tight as possible. http://cr.yp.to/qmail.html The site for the Qmail mail server. You can download the server
here, as well as read various documents about running a safe and efficient
Qmail server. http://www.postfix.cs.uu.nl/start.html The home site for the Postfix mail server. Although it offers
the same documentation and downloads that most project sites have, Postfix’s
site also provides links to manuals that cover general problems associated
with e-mail administration. http://www.isc.org/products/INN/ The home site for the INN USENET news server. INN is under
reasonably active development, so the current version is quite stable but
a new version will be released in the next year or so. Downloads, documentation,
and everything else you’ll need to run INN. http://www.uwsg.iu.edu/security/inetd.html This site explains how to configure inetd in the most secure manner. The site
focuses on TCP wrappers as the best method to thwart crack attempts that come
through processes managed by inetd. back to the top | 
2003 McGraw-Hill Higher Education