Configuration HOWTO: General System Setup

2.1 Keyboard

First of all, how to configure the keyboard. If you missed this step during installation or have changed your keyboard, you'll have to:

choose a suitable key table from /usr/lib/kbd/keytables/; for example, it.map selects the Italian keyboard
edit the file /etc/sysconfig/keyboard so as it reads: KEYTABLE="/usr/lib/kbd/keytables/it.map"
to set up the keyboard repeat rate and delay time, add this line to /etc/profile or to one of your rc files :
/sbin/kbdrate -s -r 16 -d 500 # or whatever
and finally, do this to get the permission to set up the keyboard:
~# chmod 666 /dev/port

Upon the next reboot, the keyboard will work fine.

2.2 Kernel

IMHO, the first thing to do next is build a kernel that best suits your system. It's very simple to do but, in any case, refer to the README file in /usr/src/linux/. Hints:

consider carefully what your needs are. It's more productive to choose a suitable kernel and to apply patches once and for all, instead of reconfiguring and recompiling each month; this is especially true if your Linux box is a server. Don't forget to include support for all the hardware you might likely add in the future;
if your PC is a Cyrix-based one, apply appropriate patches to improve performance. Information on http://www.linuxhq.com/patch/20-p0591.html;
notebook users will want to improve legibility of their screen by applying the noblink patch;
again for notebook users, if you plan to use a PCMCIA modem/fax don't compile serial support as a module; compile it in the kernel or your PCMCIA modem won't work.

2.3 Bootup Messages

If you want to customise the bootup messages, check whether your /etc/rc.d/rc.local overwrites /etc/issue and /etc/motd. If so, get your hands on your editor and go.

2.4 Hostname

Issuing the command hostname new_host_name is not enough. Edit /etc/sysconfig/network and change the hostname therein.

2.5 Sendmail Lock

On some systems, sendmail locks the machine at boot time. Make sure your /etc/hosts contains a line that reads


127.0.0.1 localhost

2.6 Device Drivers

Devices in /dev (or better, links to the actual device drivers) may be missing. Check what devices your mouse, modem, and CD-ROM drive correspond to, then do what follows:


~# cd /dev
/dev# ln -s /dev/cua0 mouse
/dev# ln -s /dev/cua1 modem
/dev# ln -s /dev/hdb cdrom

and, if you want, do chmod 666 to these devices to make them fully accessible by every user. Tip: in some laptops the mouse device is /dev/psaux: take this into account also when configuring X11.

In addition, you'll want to make the floppy accessible by non-root users with chmod 666 /dev/fd*. This is bound to cause security problems, but I don't know the details. Comments on this are welcome.

2.7 Mouse

gpm mouse services are useful to perform cut and paste in console and to use the mouse in some apps. Check that you have a file called /etc/sysconfig/mouse and that it reads:


MOUSETYPE="Microsoft"
XEMU3=yes

Moreover, you must have a file /etc/rc.d/init.d/gpm. Of course, make sure this configuration is right for your mouse type. Tip: in some laptops, MOUSETYPE is ``PS/2''.

2.8 Mount Points

It's handy to have mount points for the floppy, the CD-ROM, the DOS partition, and other devices. For example, you may do the following:


~# cd /mnt
/# mkdir a: ; mkdir floppy ; mkdir cdrom ; mkdir win ; mkdir zip

This creates mount points for an MS-DOS floppy, an ext2 floppy, the CD-ROM, the DOS partition, and the parallel port Zip drive.

Now edit the file /etc/fstab and add the following entries:


/dev/fd0        /mnt/a:         msdos           user,noauto 0 1
/dev/fd0        /mnt/floppy     ext2            user,noauto 0 1
/dev/cdrom      /mnt/cdrom      iso9660         ro,user,noauto 0 1
/dev/hda1       /mnt/dos        msdos           user,noauto 0 1
/dev/sda4       /mnt/zip        vfat            user,noauto 0 1

Obviously, you must use the correct device in the first field. To access Win95 long names, use vfat instead of msdos in the last line. This doesn't (yet) apply to vfat32, though.

2.9 LILO and Loadlin

Many users want their PC to run both Linux and DOS/Windows, and want to choose at boot time which os to use. Let's suppose that /dev/hda1 contains DOS/Windows and that /dev/hda2 contains Linux.

Do what follows:


~# fdisk
Using /dev/hda as default device!

Command (m for help):a
Partition number (1-4): 2

Command (m for help):w
~#

This makes the Linux partition bootable; this step ought to be carried out by activate when running LILO's QuickInst, but it won't work with my Red Hat.

Write this basic /etc/lilo.conf file:


boot = /dev/hda2
compact
delay = 50
# message = /boot/bootmesg.txt  # write your own
root = current
image = /boot/vmlinuz
  label = linux
other = /dev/hda1
  table = /dev/hda
  label = dos

Now issue /sbin/lilo and you're set. Being LILO a crucial part of your installation, you're strongly advised to read its documentation anyway.

To boot Linux from DOS without resetting, put LOADLIN.EXE in a directory (in the DOS partition!) included in the DOS path; then copy your kernel to, say, C:\DOS\VMLINUZ. The following .BAT file will boot linux:


rem   linux.bat
smartdrv /C
loadlin c:\dos\vmlinuz root=/dev/hda2 r

I you use Windows 95, set the properties of this .BAT so as it starts in MS-DOS mode.

2.10 Printer Configuration

Red Hat has a fine configuration tool that worked wonderfully for my HP DeskJet 400; if you don't use Red Hat, manual configuration follows.

Let's suppose you have a non-PostScript printer you want to use to print raw text (e.g., C source files) and PostScript files via GhostScript, which is assumed to be already installed.

Setting up the printer involves a few steps:

check which one the parallel print device is: try
~# echo "hello, world" > /dev/lp0 ~# echo "hello, world" > /dev/lp1
and take note which one works.

make two spool directories:


~# cd /var/spool/lpd
/var/spool/lpd/# mkdir raw ; mkdir postscript

if your printer exibits the ``staircase effect'' (most inkjets do), you'll need a filter. Try printing two lines with
~# echo "first line" > /dev/lp1 ; echo "second line" > /dev/lp1
if the output is like
first line second line
then save this file as /var/spool/lpd/raw/filter:
#!/bin/sh # This filter does away with the "staircase effect" awk '{print $0, "\r"}'
and make it executable with chmod 755 /var/spool/lpd/raw/filter.

make a filter for PostScript emulation. Write the following filter as /var/spool/lpd/postscript/filter:


#!/bin/sh

DEVICE=djet500
RESOLUTION=300x300
PAPERSIZE=a4
SENDEOF=

nenscript -TUS -ZB -p- |
if [ "$DEVICE" = "PostScript" ]; then
        cat -
else
        gs -q -sDEVICE=$DEVICE \
                -r$RESOLUTION \
                -sPAPERSIZE=$PAPERSIZE \
                -dNOPAUSE \
                -dSAFER \
                -sOutputFile=- -
fi

if [ "$SENDEOF" != "" ]; then
        printf "\004"
fi

(in this example an HP DeskJet printer is assumed. Fix it to suit your printer).

finally, add the following entries in /etc/printcap:


# /etc/printcap
lp|ps|PS|PostScript|djps:\
        :sd=/var/spool/lpd/postscript:\
        :mx#0:\
        :lp=/dev/lp1:\
        :if=/var/spool/lpd/postscript/filter:\
        :sh:
raw:\
        :sd=/var/spool/lpd/raw:\
        :mx#0:\
        :lp=/dev/lp1:\
        :if=/var/spool/lpd/raw/filter:\
        :sh:

For more complex or exotic printing configurations, the Printing-HOWTO awaits you.

For Red hat users: be aware that the GSDEVICE chosen by Printtool will work, but is not necessarily the best for your printer. You may consider fiddling a bit with the file postscript.cfg; for instance, I changed GSDEVICE from cdj500 to djet500 and now my prints come out much quicker.