Chapter 5 Study Guide 169
Scenarios
1.The Linux system is installed and the user wants to install a new program. The system supports the RPM method of installation. What should you do before installing, during install, and after installation of the RPM package?
2.A user wants to use Linux to perform a specific task. He is required to use Microsoft Windows to support his e-mail program. What are the steps necessary to install Linux to dual-boot on this system?
Lab Exercises
Lab 5-1 Linux Software Installation
The objective for this hands-on lab is to gain experience in installing additional software on a Linux PC. You should be able to use any distribution of Linux for this installation exercise.
1.Download an RPM software package to install on the Linux system.
2.Query for an existing version of the RPM software on the system.
3.Verify the files that are associated with the RPM software (if it exists on the system).
4.Install or upgrade the RPM package in the test mode only.
5.Install or upgrade the RPM package on the system.
6.Verify the installation of the RPM software.
7.Test the software to verify that it works.
8.Remove the RPM software from the system.
9.Verify that the RPM software has been removed.
Answers to Chapter Questions
Chapter Pre-test
1.There are two types of text-based installations: command line and shell.
2.The basic disk partitioning tool included with most distributions of Linux is fdisk.
170 Chapter 5 Study Guide
3.Not all distributions support the ReiserFS.
4.A test installation is preferred over a GUI for speed and resource issues.
5.Virtually any operating system can be dual-booted with Linux.
6.The major differences between a GUI and text installation are the customized menus and specialized tools of the GUI that don’t work in text mode.
7.The kernel can be (and often is) updated and even upgraded after installation of Linux.
8.The major reasons to upgrade a Linux kernel are to provide hardware support, stability, and package requirements.
9.You have many ways to verify the installation of a service. RPM packages can be verified; log files can be checked for services, such as Web servers; and you can test the service at the machine, or another machine for network services.
10.All the pre-installation planning, installation selections, and configurations — and all the post installation configurations and added packages — should be documented. These should be kept in a standard place for all systems, which may be attached to the system, in a file cabinet, or on a file server.
Assessment Questions
1.A. The alternative to a GUI installation is a text installation. Command line and shell are types of text installation and graphical is a GUI installation. For review, see the “Alternative to the GUI Installation” section.
2.C. fdisk and cfdisk are the most popular disk partitioning tools for Linux, and are available with most distributions. Disk Druid is a Red Hat specific partitioning tool, while Partition Magic is a third party tool. For review, see the “Command Line installation” section.
3.C. Reiser is a Journaling File System; the others are not. For review, see the “Command Line installation” section.
4.D. The swapon command can be used to activate a created swap partition; it does not create a swap partition. For review, see the “More disk configurations” section.
5.D. When many small files are expected on the system, it’s best to use an Inode of 1024. This saves space on so many small files and is the only time you need to add the overhead of the smaller Inodes to the system. For review, see the “More disk configurations” section.
6.B. The secondary boot loader has been loaded when LI appears. “L” signifies that the primary boot loader has been started and “LIL” signals that the secondary boot loader has been loaded. For review, see the “Finalize the installation” section.
Chapter 5 Study Guide 171
7.C. In this list, only an NIC is required; the others may be needed for installation, but not for a network installation on a LAN. For review, see the “Network installations of Linux” section.
8.D. When creating a dual-boot system, the safest place to install LILO is the Linux root partition’s boot sector. On some systems, the other choices can render the system inoperable. LILO can’t be placed on the extended partition, but it can be placed in an extended partition. For review, see the “A Dual-Boot Installation of Linux” section.
9.A. The loader, boot.ini, with Windows 2000 is not compatible with LILO, and the reference to the Windows 2000 partition will be removed. LILO can be installed in the MBR if preferred, but it will have to be specially configured to boot the Windows 2000 partition. For review, see the “Linux with Microsoft Windows NT and 2000” section.
10.B. gzip is a compression utility created by the GNU project. It is not a file system, installation program, or archive utility. For review, see the “Installing Additional Software with gzip and tar” section.
11.C. tar is an archive utility that is used to create tape backups. It is not a file system, installation program, or compression utility. For review, see the “Installing Additional Software with gzip and tar” section.
12.D. The standard command used to uncompress gzip files is gunzip. For review, see the “Installing Additional Software with gzip and tar” section.
13.A. The command line switch for installing an RPM is -i. For review, see the “Installing Additional Software with RPM” section.
14.B. The most common command used to install an RPM package is rpm -ivh filename-1.2-2.i386.rpm. The -i and -U will work, but aren’t normally used because the vh switches provide more feedback. The -evh switch will remove the package. For review, see the “Installing Additional Software with RPM” section.
15.C. The most common command used to remove an RPM package is rpm -evh filename-1.2-2.i386.rpm. The others commands are used to install RPM packages. For review, see the “Removing Software with RPM” section.
16.B. The command rpm -Uvh filename-1.2-2.i386.rpm performs the installation of the package with additional information and hash marks, and then removes old packages. For review, see the “Upgrading software with RPM” section.
17.A. The rpm -q tar is used to see which RPM version of tar was installed on the system. The other answers either won’t work or won’t return the desired results. For review, see the “Query the RPM software” section.
18.B. The automatically mounted file systems are listed in the file /etc/fstab. The other files contain different data. For review, see the “System Log Files” section.
172 Chapter 5 Study Guide
19.C. The processor type is determined in the /proc/cpuinfo file. The other files contain different data. For review, see the “System Log Files” section.
20.B. Most of the boot-up log files are kept in /var/log/. The other locations contain different data or don’t exist. For review, see the “System Log Files” section.
Scenarios
1.The RPM tools should be used to query or verify the installed packages to confirm the installation of any previous packages; the signature of the new package should also be checked. The RPM should be installed or upgraded by first using the test mode to verify that it works, and then it should be installed. Then query the RPM system and verify the installation of the RPM package.
2.The steps to creating a dual-boot system are as follows:
a.You should always begin with backing up all the data on the system before starting.
b.Perform the same checklist that you used to install Linux on any system.
c.Execute the installation and verify that LILO is installed.
d.Finalize the dual-boot configuration and test-boot each operating system.
e.Document all processes completed.
Configuration
Configuring is a constant task when maintaining a Linux workstation or server. The chapters in this part detail how to configure your Linux system for better performance
and functionality. In a corporate environment, you will have to get your Linux systems on the network, and you will have to configure printers and peripherals, along with the user interface. On top of these duties, you will also have to swap space, edit basic configuration files, and document all of your work. CompTIA focuses 15 percent of the exam on configuration. Thus, the chapters in this part focus on every exam objective related to configuration so you will be able to fully understand how to configure your Linux system and be able to apply this knowledge when taking the exam.
P A R T
III
In This Part
Chapter 6
Configuring
X-Windows
Chapter 7
Configuring
Networking
Chapter 8
User Environment
Settings
C 6H A P T E R
Configuring
X-Windows
EXAM OBJECTIVES
3.1 Reconfigure the Xwindow system with automated utilities (e.g., Xconfigurator, XF86Setup)
3.14 Document the installation of the operating system, including configuration
176 Part III Configuration
CHAPTER PRE-TEST
1.What is the X Window System?
2.Where are the software and resources for the X Window System?
3.What applications are used to configure the X Window System?
4.What are the benefits of a manual configuration versus a GUI configuration of the X Window System?
5.What files are used to support or document the X Window System?
6.What are the major components of the X Window System?
7.What are the available Desktop Environments?
8.What are the benefits of a Desktop Environment?
9.Can the X Window System be used on remote systems?
10.What are the benefits of using the X Window System in the enterprise?
Answers to these questions can be found at the end of the chapter.