On 12/05/99, Svante Signell addressed "Q: Where to configure things in
slink/potato":
> Having installed slink (twice) and upgraded to potato (twice) I'm
> wondering if somebody can give pointers to the appropriate tools/files
> to change for configuring different utilities.
Most everything is in /etc; actually, I can't think of any
configuration files outside of /etc. You can almost always find
documentation in /usr/doc/<package name>. This will eventually be
/usr/share/doc/<package name> I think.
> 1. Kernel modules
Look in /etc/modutils. See modules.conf(5) and modules(5) manpages.
For tools: modconf and insmod/rmmod.
> 2. Daemons
As in things that run at startup -- /etc/init.d; there's a README
there that points you to more in-depth documentation. Basically, the
scripts in that direcotory are symlinked to /etc/rcN.d, where N=the
runlevel where you'd like that script to run. The naming convention
for the symlinks determines the order in which scripts are run and
their function (start or kill the daemon). Most daemons set
themselves up with logical defaults when you install the package.
> 3. Networking
/etc/init.d applies here too, plus /etc/inetd.conf. There's an
/etc/ppp directory if you use ppp. There's a package called pppconfig
I think that's supposed to be good for setting up your ppp. For
tools, there's ipconfig and route (obsolete with 2.2 kernels). The
tools you need will depend on what you want to do. Of course, you
need kernel support for high-speed network cards. Other files are
/etc/hosts, /etc/networks, /etc/hosts.{allow,deny,equiv},
/etc/host.conf and others. Many of these have corresponding man
pages. However, you don't *have* to understand all of them to get
your system functioning.
> 4. Sound
>From an admin perspective, all I have to do is compile the support for
my specific board into the kernel, possibly as a module. It just
works. On a higher level, you can try esd and other schemes, but
that's up to you.
(Actually, for my current MB, I had to use isapnptools to get sound
working properly. But that's hopefully not too common.)
> 5. X windows
Config files in /etc/X11/. There are a couple utilities that help you
write your configuration, XF86Setup is often suggested. If you run
into problems, ask. And be specific about your system.
> 6. Window managers
/etc/X11/window-managers should list them all. Default is listed
first. Other wm's available in X through the Debian menu. If you're
interested, I wrote a tiny hack that allows you to choose your window
manager interactively from /etc/X11/window-managers when you run
startx. It's not official Debian, of course. Also see /usr/doc/menu
for a description of the Debian Menu and ways to customize it.
> 7. Printers
/etc/printcap. Install magicfilter or apsfilter and it will allow you
to configure for the printer you use. You may need gs-aladdin from
nonfree if your printer requires support not found in the free
gs. (Ghostscript) You need kernel support to use the printer port.
> 8. ppp/modem
See above. pppconfig is supposed to handle most of this I think. To
understand how things are set up for your modem, see setserial(8).
> 9. Mail
You have a choice of MTA's (Mail Transport Agents). Exim is
relatively easy to configure, and is the default in Potato (unstable)
I think. Install the exim-doc package and look in /usr/doc/exim for
more documentation, if you need it. You can use fetchmail to get mail
onto your system if it doesn't sit on the 'net by default.
> 10. User accounts
adduser(8) manpage. Other standard utilities like passwd, etc., and
standard files like /etc/passwd, /etc/group, /etc/shadow. New
accounts are built from /etc/skel/. There are also manpages and such.
Ask if you have problems.
> 11. File systems/external drives
/etc/fstab. See fstab(5). Also see mount(8). You need kernel
support for any filesystems you use, of course, as well as disk
support for the architecture you use (SCSI, etc.).
> 12. Runlevel dependant scripts, ...
See Daemons. Maybe I misunderstood what you meant by daemons above.
> 13. What did I forget ...
Not much :-)
> - I really like the apt-get upgrade utility. dpkg is OK. dselect on the
> other hand is not very user friendly.
dselect only appears unfriendly because it doesn't actually hit new
users over the head, holding them at gunpoint until they read and
understand the pages that instruct them how to use it. You can't get
very far with it under the assumption that it's like other programs.
It's feature set is also behind the curve for dealing with the huge
number of packages that Debian now offers. Read the built-in help
pages. Take time to understand them, and dselect will become much
more useful and friendly to you. Potato also offers console-apt, but
IMO it's not quite as useful yet as dselect. Close though. Overall,
apt-get is your best friend. :-)
> - My questions sent to this list have been so far answered with very
> informative and competent answers. Thank you very much.
Sorry, can't take any credit for that!
Jesse
--
Jesse Jacobsen, Pastor [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Grace Lutheran Church (ELS) http://www.jvlnet.com/~jjacobsen/
Madison, Wisconsin GnuPG public key ID: 2E3EBF13
