Table of Contents
Most chapters end with a Summary, Q&A and Workshop.
Introduction.
What This Book Is. What This Book Is Not. How to Use This Book.
I. INTRODUCTION TO FREEBSD.
Hour 1. Planning for and Preparing to Install FreeBSD.
What Is FreeBSD? What Is FreeBSD Being Used for? FreeBSD Compared
to Other Operating Systems. System Requirements. Deciding How and
Where to Install FreeBSD. Backing Up Existing Systems.
Hour 2.
Installing FreeBSD.
Beginning the FreeBSD Installation. Sysinstall. Hard Disk
Partitioning. Boot Manager. Creating BSD Partitions. Choosing the
Distribution to Install. Choosing Installation Media. Post
Installation. Shutting Down the System After Reboot.
Hour 3. A
Basic Tour of FreeBSD.
The Basics of the FreeBSD Startup Process. Logging In to FreeBSD.
Your Home Directory. The Rest of the Directory Structure. Working
with Files and Directories. Logging Out of the System. Importance
of Proper System Shutdown.
Hour 4. Basic UNIX Shell Use.
The Role of the Shell. Different Shells Available. Special Features
of Bash. File Permissions. Process Management.
II. BASIC FREEBSD ADMINISTRATION.
Hour 5. Users and Groups.
Multiuser Capabilities of FreeBSD. Adding Users to FreeBSD.
Removing a User Account. Groups and Their Purpose. Primary Versus
Secondary Groups.
Hour 6. Adding and Removing Third-Party
Software.
FreeBSD's Software Packaging Systems. The Differences Between
Packages and Ports. Discovering What's Available. Installing
Software from Prebuilt Packages. Installing Software from Ports.
Removing Installed Software. Updating Installed Software. Notes on
Ports and Disk Space. Working with Linux Applications.
Hour 7.
System Configuration and Startup Scripts.
Understanding the FreeBSD Startup Process. Resource Configuration
Scripts. Modifying System Settings. The inetd Daemon and the
inetd.conf Configuration File. The System Logger (syslogd) and the
syslog.conf File.
Hour 8. Storage Systems and Backup
Utilities.
Understanding UNIX Filesystems. Mounting and Unmounting Various
Media Formats. The /etc/fstab File. The FreeBSD Automounter. System
Backup Strategies and Utilities.
Hour 9. The FreeBSD Printing
System.
How FreeBSD Handles Printing. Configuring the Printer. Starting
lpd. Command Line Printing. Checking the Status of Jobs. Removing
Jobs from the Queue. Controlling the Printers.
Hour 10. The
FreeBSD Kernel and Device Tree.
The Kernel and Its Purpose. Why Build a Custom Kernel? The Kernel
Configuration File. Building the New Kernel. Installing the New
Kernel. Recovering from Botched Kernel Builds.
Hour 11. Updating
FreeBSD.
The Two FreeBSD Source Trees. Updating Your Source Tree. The
UPDATING File. The /etc/make.conf File. Updating Important Files.
Rebuilding the System. Installing the New World. Building the New
Kernel. Troubleshooting.
III. NETWORKING.
Hour 12. Introduction to Networks.
The OSI Networking Model. Basic Networking Components. The IP
Address System and Subnets. Subnets and the Network Mask.
Hour
13. Connecting FreeBSD to an Existing Network.
The Network Interface Device. Configuring Network Settings with
sysinstall.
Hour 14. Dial-Up Network Connections.
Selecting an Internet Service Provider. Modem Information.
Configuring the Dial-up Internet Connection. Troubleshooting the
Connection.
Hour 15. Network Security.
Ensuring Password Integrity. Remote Login Issues. Configuring a
Basic Firewall. Securing the Console. Security Holes in FreeBSD.
IV. FREEBSD AS A WORKSTATION.
Hour 16. Command-Line Applications.
Working with Text. Email Applications. The Lynx Web Browser.
Hour
17. Configuring the X Window System.
More About X. Configuring X. Starting X.
Hour 18. The K Desktop
Environment (KDE).
What Is a Desktop Environment? Installing KDE. Making KDE Your
Default Window Manager. Starting KDE. Navigating the KDE Desktop.
KDE Applets. File Management in KDE. Customizing Your KDE
Desktop.
Hour 19. Window Managers and Desktop
Environments.
The Difference Between Window Managers and Desktop Environments.
Alternative (Non-KDE) Windowing Environments. Installing and
Configuring Alternative Window Managers. Changing Your Default
Window Manager.
Hour 20. Productivity in the X Window
System.
Office Software. Image Editing. Internet Applications.
Hour 21.
Multimedia in FreeBSD.
Configuring Sound Support in FreeBSD. Sound Applications. CD
Burning. Viewing MPEG Video Files. Playing DVDs.
V. FREEBSD AS A SERVER.
Hour 22. Configuring a Basic Web Server.
What Is Apache? Requirements for Running Your Own Web Server.
Installing Apache. Basic Apache Configuration: What You Need to
Edit. Starting and Stopping the Apache Server. CGI. Apache Modules.
Basic Security and Access Control.
Hour 23. Basic Email
Services.
SMTP and Sendmail. Basic Sendmail Configuration. Mail Relaying and
Spam Control.
Hour 24. File Sharing.
File Sharing Through FTP. Basic NFS Configuration. Samba and
Windows File Sharing.
VI. APPENDIXES.
Appendix A. Resources for FreeBSD Users.
Web Sites. Mailing Lists. USENET Newsgroups. IRC
Channels.
Appendix B. FreeBSD Quick Reference.
Index.Promotional Information
There are currently no books on the market that offer to teach
FreeBSD to a novice. This book will be very attractive to the
rushed and impatient, as well as to those who simply have a desire
to learn the benefits of FreeBSD when compared to other proprietary
operating systems. The book covers the most beneficial uses of
FreeBSD, as well as the information needed to install and configure
the operating system. This book will be the definitive tutorial
reference for the growing FreeBSD market.
About the Author
Michael Urban is a biology student at the University of
Minnesota where he plans to major in Ecology, Evolution, and
Behavior. He is involved in research projects with African lions
and is also the Webmaster for the Lion Research Center. He has
worked in numerous IT jobs including Web design and technical
analysis. He has experience with various Unix operating systems
including FreeBSD, Linux, and Solaris.
Brian Tiemann has been a constant user of FreeBSD since
his student days at Caltech, where he used it to build a movie fan
Web site that has continued to grow and sustain more and more load
until the present day. Born in Ukiah, California, He has remained
in the state all his life; he currently lives in San Jose, works in
the networking appliance field, and writes ceaseless commentary
about Apple, Microsoft, and the technology field. Occasionally, but
not often enough, he has time to enjoy motorcycling, travel,
animation, and other such interests.