ZENWALK LINUX MANUAL

The Zenwalker's Guide

Fred Galusik

Stijn Segers

Michael Verret

Fred Broders

Cyril Dejeanne

Pierrick Le Brun

Claus Futtrup

Copyright © 2005-2006 - The redaction team

About the licence governing this documentation

You have the right to copy, distribute and/or modify this documentation according to terms' of the GNU General Public License, version 2 or any later version, as published by Free Software Foundation. The text of the license is in the appendix: GNU General Public License.

Last revised: 27 September 2006

Table of Contents

Preface (by Jean-Philippe Guillemin)1. INTRODUCTION

1. What is Linux ?2. Free Software and Linux

2.1. Definition2.2. General Definition of "Software"2.3. Presentation of free software (based upon Marc Poiroud article)

2.3.1. The origins of free software2.3.2. Understanding free software

3. Zenwalk Linux2. INSTALLATION

1. Hardware requirements

2. How to get Zenwalk Linux3. How to burn a Zenwalk Linux ISO

3.1. Using Windows (Nero)3.2. Using Linux (Graveman)

4. Installation4.1. Verify that your PC will boot from CD-ROM4.2. Installation of Zenwalk Linux

3. USING ZENWALK'S SYSTEM TOOLS1. KEYBOARDCONFIG

1.1. Presentation1.2. Launch1.3. Basic usage

2. LOCALECONFIG2.1. Presentation2.2. Launch2.3. Basic usage

3. Mountpoints Manager3.1. Presentation3.2. Use3.3. USB automount... How does it work?3.4. Udev local rules how-to:3.5. Possible problems...3.6. Automounting removable storage devices (CDs, DVDs, memory cards):

4. Netpkg4.1. Presentation4.2. Using netpkg

4.2.1. Using netpkg via GUI - Graphical Mode.4.2.2. Using netpkg via CLI - (Command Line Interface)

4.3. Options4.3.1. Netpkg's options via GUI - Graphical Mode4.3.2. Netpkg's options via CLI - Command Line Mode

4.4. Some advices for upgrading your system5. NETWORKCONFIG

5.1. Presentatition5.2. Starting5.3. Use

6. PKGTOOL6.1. Presentation6.2. Starting6.3. Options

7. SERVICECONFIG7.1. Presentation7.2. Starting7.3. Use7.4. Some words about the services

8. USERCONFIG8.1. Presentation8.2. Starting8.3. Some words about each menu item

9. VIDEOCONFIG9.1. Presentatition9.2. Starting9.3. Use

10. XORGCONFIG11. XWMCONFIG

11.1. Presentation11.2. Starting11.3. Use

12. WIFI RADAR12.1. Presentation12.2. Starting12.3. Use

Preface (by Jean- Philippe Guillemin)

I started building Zenwalk (originally named Minislack) as a way to learn the inner workings of GNU/Linux. I believe that building an operating system is a great method to understand it because you're on your own to solve problems when things do not work as expected.

Another reason for building Zenwalk was that I always found myself repeating the same modifications on my systems after a new installation. Such repeated modifications included recompiling a more optimized and up to date kernel, removing loads of unused software and libraries, customizing the desktop, tuning the X window system, improving startup scripts, adding my preferred text editor, adding movie player and codecs and so on...

So this project brought forward an opportunity to share this customization with friends, as well as being able to reinstall my system in exactly in the same state at any given time.

Then came the users and contributors, and along with them, came the beginnings of the changes that has helped to mold Zenwalk into what it is today. We started replacing more and more parts of the original distribution, with alternatives (i.e. gtk libs), adding new libs (i.e. Gnome libs), adding lots of administration tools, and a new way to manage packages remotely (i.e. netpkg). Users have helped a lot improving Zenwalk, many features of the current version are answers to features requests posted and discussed on the support forum. The result is Zenwalk as is it now, based on Slackware, yet in many ways very different : it is a daily development work, done by several Linux lovers to build their ideal Linux OS.

Zenwalk aims to be a "GNU/Linux operating system" rather than a "distribution" : it's not a collection of packages, it's a finished, coherent and rational product.

In the future, Zenwalk will not change its philosophy, it will only become more "mature" as a multipurpose Operating System:

kernel hardware support will improve

applications will become better with new releases

system tools will be improved

New tools will be added

Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION

To master a distribution, documentation is necessary, Hence why we had the idea

of publishing a guide dedicated to Zenwalk. This manual takes lots of its inspiration from the excellent Slackbook. Reading these pages, you will find the necessary information about:

Obtaining Zenwalk

Burning an ISO image

Installing Zenwalk on your rig

Acquiring some basic knowledge of Linux

Using Zenwalk's specific tools

Running a performant system

Enjoying your Linux experience

Good luck, and happy Zenwalking !

1. What is Linux ?

Linux was born in 1991. Initially, it was just a kernel, developed by Linus Torvalds. Nowadays people commonly refer to a GNU/Linux system as just "Linux". As the full name of the OS says, GNU/Linux is a combination of the Linux software and GNU software components. GNU, an acronym for GNU’s not Unix, started out as a project in the early nineties to develop a free Unix-like OS. Now, lots of the applications on a Linux system are provided by the GNU project. Examples are the GNU C compiler (GCC) and the bash shell on your Linux box. More info on GNU/Linux can be found on Wikipedia.

2. Free Software and Linux

2.1. Definition

According to Wikipedia. computer software (or simply software) is that part of a computer system that consists of encoded information (or computer instructions). The term software is often used for a computer program, and vice versa. Software can consist of a single computer program, especially in recent micro-computer science, where raw processor performance and cheep memory capacity allow to run big programs. Over all, software is prevalently composed of one or more programs, but also of data that allow it to function. These programs can take different forms: executables, dynamic libraries ('dll' under Windows or 'so' under GNU/Linux), or just source files for an interpreter (e.g. Perl or PHP scripts). The data comes in different formats also: classic files, databases (relational, hierarchical, etc.), ... In micro-computer science, images, especially icons, are often integrated in the executable.

2.2. General Definition of "Software"

Software contains instructions that are executed by a computer, as opposted to the physical device on which it functions (the 'hardware'). A 'program' is a list of instructions, written by a programmer in programming language (e.g. C language, C++ language, Java language, Python language). Often they are stored in a simple file. 'Software' however, is used to indicate a set of instructions consisting of several programs. A person with the right knowledge can read the program; this is called the 'source code' and is the receipt of the program. Closed-source software developers guard these secrets well; only Open-source software make their source code available to the public. The characteristics of the software are clearly described in the source code (translation of the binary 0 and 1, which are the only instructions the machine grasps). Compilers are used to translate source code into machine language. After this transformation we have what we call 'binaries', which can be interpreted by a machine. We still need to adapt them to the system software however (MS Windows, Mac OS, GNU/Linux, BSD, etc.) to make it function. Once it has been adapted to the host system, the software is ready to be installed and executed.

Software can be classified as follows:

Open source: anyone can read the code; this is not the same as free software though !

Closed source: the code is only available for a small group of people.

Free software: anyone can study, copy, distribute and modify the software (This is the definition of the Free Software Foundation. Free software are often protected by a usage licence).

Proprietary software: at least one of the rights mentioned above is not applicable for the user. Most of the time, one needs to acquire a usage licence by paying the creators of the software.

Commercial software: software meant to be sold; it can be either free or proprietary.

2.3. Presentation of free software (based upon Marc Poiroud article)

2.3.1. The origins of free software

History begins at the start of the eighties, when Richard Stallman, a researcher of the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, U.S.A.), faced an ethical dilemma. His IT research section had been closed down; for years, he had shared his knowledge with his colleagues. Now, did he have to sell his knowledge to the highest bidder, or would he take the occasion to share his knowledge with the world? To appease his conscience, he created the principle of 'free software'. This concept is defined by the following four principles:

1° The liberty to run the program, without restrictions upon its usage.

2° The liberty to study the inner workings of a program, and to adapt it to your needs. For this, access to the source code is a prerequisite.

3° The liberty to redistribute copies.

4° The liberty to improve the program, and to publish those improvements, so the whole community can benefit from it. For this also, access to the source code is a prerequisite.

2.3.1.1. The GNU Project

After writing this statement, Stallman create the "Free Software Fondation" The objective of this foundation is promoting and developing free software; for his foundation, Stallman started writing applications. His ultimate goal: create an entirely free system. To protect the GNU software from commercial enterprises, Stallman created a license, the GNU Public License. The license reincorporates the four elementary principles mentioned above, with a solid judiciary background. The first real test for the GPL was a German trial in 2004, where a judge ruled a company violated it. GNU, as many acronyms in the *nix world, an abbreviation – GNU's Not Unix (the first word, GNU, doesn't really mean anything). In the eighties, when Microsoft and Windows were still midgets, Unix was the proprietary system number one.

2.3.1.2. The Open Source initiative

Another movement arose during the ninetees of the past century. They consider themselves more flexible than the FSF. The new current took form when in 1998 Netscape went free software – at that time, a group of people decided to support Netscape's move. They follow the Debian concept of free software.You can find their ten criteria here: original version of the OSI license (version 1.9).

2.3.2. Understanding free software

2.3.2.1. Where do the free software come from ?

The first free software was developed by Stallman himself. To start out with building an operating system, you need real basic software (like the GNU compiler collection). But after the FSF wrote the whole base of the new OS, still one thing was lacking: a kernel. Stallman choose an extremely ambitious concept for the new kernel: it should become a micro-kernel (Windows for example uses a macro-kernel; Linux, however, uses a micro-kernel). However, the development of his kernel, didn't went as smooth as planned. As we speak, this system (called GNU/Hurd) is still not operational. At that point Linus Torvalds jumped in. This student from Finland was studying the inner workings of x386 CPUs, and had written a POSIX compatible program to understand the functioning of this processor generation. Just for fun, he wrote a kernel, using the GNU software. Last but not least, he distributed the kernel under the GNU Public License. The newly bred GNU/Linux combo seemed the perfect match; the development shifted up incredibly fast, thanks to the contributions of the hacker community (the term ‘hacker’ means an IT passionate, as opposed to a ‘cracker’, which is a person aiming at destroying (or cracking) other’s systems; however, the widespread term ‘hacker’ is mainly used by the general public with the meaning of ‘cracker’, thus giving it a negative connotation). When announced officially (version 1.0 is born in March 14th, 1994), the GNU/Linux system already has a solid reputation. Despite being usable by a hackers elite only, it looks very promising. A lot of kernels follow; in 1996, kernel 2.0 is released, in 1999, 2.2 follows. While 2.2 is rather

buggy initially, with 2.2.13 it makes its way to the enterprise world, thanks to IBM’s mainframe patches. In 2001, the 2.4 kernel comes out. At the end of 2006 follows the 2.6 kernel. While 2.6 is the only one actively maintained, 2.4 still receives security updates. The focal point of Linux’ development is the internet; it’s the lifeblood of the free software community. The GNU/Linux system being one of its biggest achievements, it could well have never seen the light without the exchange of information between the developers spread all over the world. The free software offers a lot of quality apps – heck, most of the worldwide web runs on Linux servers, using software like Apache and PHP... Many apps are not only available on Linux, but have been ported to the BSD’s, Windows, and even Mac OS X. A quick summary of some of the most known apps:

the OpenOffice.org office suite

the internet browser Mozilla Firefox

the Gimp (GNU Image Manipulation Program)

Avidemux, a great video editor

the Gaim instant messenger

the Apache web server

the PHP language

3. Zenwalk Linux

Zenwalk Linux is the new name of the project "Minislack Linux". Zenwalk is based on Slackware, a robust Linux distribution truly faithful to the spirit of Unix, with which it is compatible. Zenwalk is recognized today as one of the fastest distributions available in binary version.

Zenwalk is designed with the following objectives:

Be simple and fast

Provide one application for one task on the install CD

Be a complete development/desktop environment

Be small so that it can be distributed on a single CD

There are 2 versions of Zenwalk.

Zenwalk (full version ~ 420MB ISO download):

Zenwalk is a complete system. Out of the box, you will be able to browse, mail, chat, listen to music, program in C, Perl, Python, Ruby,.. watch videos in various formats, write documents, print, scan, burn CD and DVD, connect your camera and edit your photographs, without adding anything. Coders will like the full set of development libraries and interpreters.

Zenwalk Core (~ 350MB ISO download):

Zenwalk-core is is a Zenwalk system without X applications. Zenwalk-core is intended to be used as a starting point to build a custom desktop system or a server system, and for users with limited space on their disk, or great perfectionists wanting to build their personal desktop system themselves.

Some features of the current version are:

Kernel: Linux 2.6.17.11 with suspend2 support

Development: GCC-3.4.6, JRE-1.5.0.08, Python-2.4.3, Perl-5.8.8, GTK2-2.8.20

Editors: Geany-0.8, Bluefish-1.0.5, Leafpad-0.8.9, Vim-7.0.017

Desktops: XFCE-4.3.99.1, KDE 3.5.4, Gnome-2.14.2, Fluxbox-1.0rc2

Internet: Firefox-1.5.0.6, Thunderbird-1.5.0.5, Gftp-2.0.18

Multimedia: Alsa-1.0.11, Gxine-0.5.6, Graveman-0.3.12.5, Xine-lib-1.1.2

Office: OpenOffice-2.0.2, Abiword-2.4.5, Gnumeric-1.6.3

Chapter 2. INSTALLATION

1. Hardware requirements

To be able to enjoy Zenwalk Linux to the fullest, you need at least the following hardware:

A Pentium II class processor

128 MB of RAM memory

2 GB of available space on your hard drive

2. How to get Zenwalk Linux

You can get Zenwalk in various manners:

Downloading the ISO image on one of official distribution . mirrors.

Using a tracker to download the ISO image on Bittorrent network.

Buying CD at On-Disk.com.

3. How to burn a Zenwalk Linux ISO

The file that you downloaded should not be burned as “data” but as an “image”, so that your system can boot from it. We will explain how to burn an ”ISO”, also known as an ISO image, both under Windows and under Linux.

3.1. Using Windows (Nero)

After having launched Nero, select from the menu "Disc Image".

A window will now appear enabling you to choose the file you wish to burn.

After having chosen it, click on [open]

The image is not ready to be burned, you are now to choose the appropriate burning options:

option [Disk at once], and not [track at once] then [write]

3.2. Using Linux (Graveman)

After having launched Graveman, select from the menu "Duplicate CD" and "ISO file".

A window will then appear giving you burning options:

When a window appears,select from the top level dialogue "Copy From":

Choose [Copy to CD].

And finally, click on [Burn].

4. Installation

4.1. Verify that your PC will boot from CD- ROM

Once you have your Zenwalk Installation CD, you can restart your system. If you arrive at the boot screen of Zenwalk CD, you can begin the installation.

If you do not arrive at this screen, but are back under your current operating system, your computer may not be configured to boot from CD-ROM.

No need to panic, simply restart your system and reconfigure the BIOS settings.

With the starting of your PC appears on the screen the word Setup followed by the name of a key on your keyboard. Generally, it should be:

Touch "Suppr" or,

Touch "Del" or,

Touch "F2" or,

Touch "Ctrl+Alt+Esc" or,

Touch "F1" or,

Touch "F10" or,

Touch "Ctrl+Alt+S" or,

Others one, ...

After having pressed on the correct key, you will reach the “Setup” section of the BIOS. Modify the boot options to enable the CD-ROM. Often changing the order in which you system looks for an "Operating System" is where the change needs to be made. Make sure that you move CDROM to the top of the list. Now save your settings when you are thru and restart your system. If you succeed in booting from the CD-ROM, you’ll get a prompt if you want to proceed. Press any key to continue.

4.2. Installation of Zenwalk Linux

Boot from the CD and perform one of the following actions:

accept the default boot options (if you use standard IDE pata/sata controler)

then press [enter]

The install process begin by choosing your keyboard:

Then, you will have to choose the hard-disk on wich you want to install Zenwalk:

Your hard-disk must be partitioned properly to install Zenwalk.

Create at least 2 partitions with the "cfdisk" utility, if you preferred a more graphical utility,"Gparted" is on the ZenLive live-CD:

1° A "swap" partition (specifications: primary, number 1, size > 300 Mo, type 82)

2° A "root" partition (primary, number 2, size > 1,5GB, type 83, active)

3° You are free to make others one but it isn't needed.

Don't forget to validate the changes [write], it isn't needed for those who have partitioned their DD before installing Zenwalk.

Your swap partition should be detected and setup:

Choose your root partition / :

Format the root partition:

Xfs or Reiserfs are fast and reliable filesystems.

Choose the automatic CD detection, this should detect your CD medium correctly:

Setup will begin installing packages : please wait 20 minutes ....No package selection because it is unnecessary with "a one app/one task" system. And Linux beginners will avoid to obtain a corrupt system.

Choose your preferred Linux Loader install mode. [simple] will work on most disks

[standard] is always safe until you’re sure that your video card is supported for frame buffered console, in this way you will have the bootsplash:

[MBR] (Master Boot Record) is generally a good place to install LILO

Then, setup your RTC modem:

Choose the way you plug your mouse:

Select on-boot services, hit the "space" touch for choosing or not (rc.cups is for printing, rc.pcmcia is for laptop), you will find more explanations in the "SERVICECONFIG" manual section:

Default screen font should be OK, choose [No]

Use local time, and choose your time zone

Set the "root" password

Exit from "setup" and press [Ctrl+alt+delete] to reboot

After rebooting you’ll go through the post-installation routine. Enjoy !

If your videocard support it and if you have setup lilo in this way, you will see this bootsplash:

Your sound card should be detected, let “alsaconf” configure it

Select your system language

Now it's time to add a user, select [Create User] and follow the wizard

When finished, check the information you entered and then select [Back] to exit Userconfig

Then you can setup your network via NETWORKCONFIG (see the dedicated section in this manual)

Then, VIDEOCONFIG will setup your videocard or your graphic chipset:

You will be able to choose between a graphical or tsxt login:

Now, you can choose if you want to activate Numlock at boot (it's a bad idea for laptop users ;) )

You can now reboot your computer by pressing simultaneously [Ctrl][Alt] and [delete]:

Welcome under Zenwalk Linux !

Chapter 3. USING ZENWALK'S SYSTEM TOOLS

1. KEYBOARDCONFIG

1.1. Presentation

The command keyboardconfig allows the user to implement its keyboard map.

Several provisions of the keys exist: keyboard AZERTY, keyboard QWERTY, keyboard QWERTZ and keyboard DVORAK. For each one of these provisions, national alternatives exist. For example, the French AZERTY is not the same one as the Belgian AZERTY, and the German QWERTZ is not the same one as the Swiss QWERTZ.

1.2. Launch

To use this command you need to know the root password. Only root can change the keyboard mapping.

You can fire up "keyboardconfig" from within your graphical environment, but also in the terminal, just by typing keyboardconfig because this tool runs with or

without the X server running.

1.3. Basic usage

After you have cliqued on "keyboardconfig", you will have to fill the window showed up with your root password.

Then, the keyboardconfig window will come:

Just pick the keyboardmap you want and simply click [OK].:

You can notice that you can setup here too if you want or not that numlock been activated.

2. LOCALECONFIG

2.1. Presentation

The command localeconfig allows the user to implement the locale of his system.

A 'locale' is a set of conventions linked to the user’s language, his environment and/or his cultural conventions (like monetary symbols, date display, ...etc.). This locale is then applied to the user’s working environment.

By default, a Linux system is configured with the "en_US" locale, so we have to tell our system if we want to use another language ("en_GB" for the United Kingdom, "es_ES" for Spain, and so on).

2.2. Launch

To use this command you need to know the root password. Only root can change the locale settings.

You can fire up "localeconfig" from within your graphical environment, but also in the terminal, just by typing localeconfig.

2.3. Basic usage

To set your system’s locale, do the following:

First, become root

Pick the language you want:

The "locale" choice is essential; a modern system will use UTF-8 instead of ISO. Don’t worry, the € symbol comes with UTF-8 also. Once you’ve taken your pick, simply click [OK].

3. Mountpoints Manager

3.1. Presentation

Zenwalk Mountpoint Manager is a collection of scripts working together with udev in order to manage removable devices.

That is automatic mount/unmount of any removable USB devices and dynamic creation of their mountpoints in a graphic panel or in a CLI environment. Automatic mount and easy unmount/eject of cdrom and dvd is provided as well.

Indeed, beside being light and stable, one of Zenwalk Mountpoint Manager's specificity is that is independent of any particular X window manager, desktop or filemanager, in fact it is independent of X all together, it is therefore fully functional in runlevel 3 as well.

3.2. Use

In Xfce, you just have to click on the Mountpoints icon situated at the top left of the desktop. Then just click on whichever device you want to have access to.

To eject your cdrom or dvd, right-click on the appropriate icon and choose Eject from the contextual menu.

Before removing your USB device, make sure to synchronize it first to ensure all your data have been saved properly on it. Just right-click on your USB device and choose Sync from the contextual menu. A message box will appear at the completion of the synchronization process. You can then safely remove your USB device

3.3. USB automount... How does it work?

Note: Most of the following material is based on some of the forum posts, courtesy of Markc (M.S.Colclough)

The naming scheme in udev USB automounts is determined by the following rules:(in order of decreasing precedence)

1. The variable NICEMOUNTPOINT that you have assigned in your own udev rule that matches a particular device (identified, for example, by serial or model number)

2. A 3rd argument to usbmount which you have provided by your own udev rule

3. An entry you have made in /etc/fstab for a particular device name (like /dev/sda1)

4. /mnt/usb, /mnt/usb1, /mnt/usb2/, ... which are the default names generated by the automounter.

The automounter just descends this list for each mountable partition it sees, and takes the first eligible mount point that is not currently in use.

Rules 1,2 and 4 are private to the automounter, so if you use an explicit mount command, then only rule 3 applies (or not, if you give explicit values for all parameters)

Now, some problems may be related to entries in fstab since fstab can only identify devices by their device name, and this changes depending on the order in which they are connected.

Thus, a device may show up as /dev/sda1 when plugged in first, but as /dev/sdb1 if another device was there before it. Therefore, the same device can be found on different lines in fstab, yielding different mount points.

Moreover, if the assigned name is not in fstab, the first free mount point in the /mnt/usb series is used.

For this reason, it is better not to use fstab with automount. Fstab is better suited to devices that are fixed in the system.

The ideal is to have some simple udev rules to give fixed names to devices that are often plugged in, and leave /mnt/usb to catch the rest (visitors' USB sticks, etc.)

3.4. Udev local rules how- to:

Create the following file:/etc/udev/rules.d/12-local.rules and follow the sample below, adapting it to your situation.

Important: Each rule has to be on its own line. Also, do not put spaces, quotation marks or other strange characters into NICEMOUNTPOINT, because they may choke the usbmount.sh script. Moreover, if you add the prefix "usb-" in front of your personalization, you will still benefit from the sync command of Thunar's

right-click menu.

# Provide sensible mountpoint names for personal USB devices## To see what attributes are available for the device at bus 2 device 3# (as shown by lsusb):# udevinfo -a -p /sys/class/usb_device/usbdev2.3## A particular USB stickBUS=="usb",SYSFS{serial}=="08C1B350D3B0A929",ENV{NICEMOUNTPOINT}="/mnt/usb-work"## Any USB stick of this model numberBUS=="usb",SYSFS{idVendor}=="0204",SYSFS{idProduct}=="6025",ENV{NICEMOUNTPOINT}="/mnt/usb-zen"## A particular USB hard disk driveBUS=="usb",SYSFS{serial}=="Maxtor 6Y1Y44GVFWE",ENV{NICEMOUNTPOINT}="/mnt/usb-asso"## Any camera of this model numberBUS=="usb",SYSFS{idVendor}=="0784",SYSFS{idProduct}=="0003",ENV{NICEMOUNTPOINT}="/mnt/konika"

So use lsusb to figure out where (on this occasion) your device sits on the bus, then use udevinfo to see how it describes itself to the system.

You just have to find some suitable attribute(s) in the list shown by udevinfo. Make sure you use the verse of udevinfo that refers to your device, not the ones lower down that refer to the controllers through which it is connected.

See the /usr/doc/udev-098/docs/writing_udev_rules/index.html document for many more details.

(note: Some changes in the keywords used in .rules files have been introduced in udev-098; the above example should still work)

3.5. Possible problems...

Problems can arise when a usb storage device has inconsistent partition informations which results in /dev/sda and /dev/sda1 both appearing to be filesystems. Either could be correct (usually the latter is right), but not both. The automounter may then mount /dev/sda (which appears empty), whereas files are really in sda1.

The best solution in that case is to properly repartition and reformat that device, taking care of course to safeguard your data elsewhere beforehand. In this case it is advisable to completely erase the first few sectors before repartitioning: dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sda bs=512 count=32 (be careful where you point this command!)

Also, some USB devices do not present themselves as storage devices, and therefore do not involve mounting. Scanners and some cameras enter into that category. The applications that use them talk directly to the unmounted device.

3.6. Automounting removable storage devices (CDs, DVDs, memory cards):

If your CD or DVD drive is the typical built-in ATA variety, then inserting a disk is noticed by Zenwalk's UWD deamon, and the disk is automounted according to the relevant line in /etc/fstab. To unmount and remove a disk, the eject command works from the Thunar right-click menu (as shown previously), or use the command line...

Audio CDs will not mount. This is correct because they do not have filesystems. Player and ripper applications talk to the unmounted device. Video DVDs do mount, because the video files are contained in a filesystem.

Some removable storage devices, such as camera memory cards readers, and CD/DVDs in USB drives, do not notify the system when their media are inserted. Moreover, it is cumbersome to poll them every few seconds, and Zenwalk chooses not to do this. Depending on the device, one of the following strategies should work:

Mount manually by using the Thunar right-click or a command-line mount command. Some cases may need OPTIONS=all_partitions to be set in the UDEV rules file.

Unplug and replug the drive with the media inserted.

Find out how the system could detect when there is something to mount, and report your finding to the UWD maintainer.

4. Netpkg

4.1. Presentation

Netpkg is a program designed to update your system easily.

It checks a central repository for updates on request and prompts for installation. It does not only keep your system up to date; it can also install software that is not on the install Cd, as long as it is available on the repository. Netpkg has a dependency management feature, enabled by default, but it can be disabled easily by editing /etc/netpkg.conf. You can find a "black-list" on this file for the packages that you don't want an automatically update.

4.2. Using netpkg

netpkg can be started in two manners: In graphical mode or via the terminal. The graphical front-end is the easiest one to use.

4.2.1. Using netpkg via GUI - Graphical Mode.

XFCE menu/kde menu => system > netpkg

In XFCE you can get the same menu by right-clicking anywhere on your desktop.

The XFCE menu will appear, afterwards you may now click on "System" and finally "Netpkg".

If you are not presently running as "root" or "super-user", a window will appear prompting you for root's password.

The list of available choices will now appear, which we go into detail below.

4.2.2. Using netpkg via CLI - (Command Line Interface)

Become root by typing su and enter your root password, and simply type netpkg.

To find out about netpkg’s syntax (in the terminal netpkg can do a lot you can’t do with it’s graphical interface). If xdialog is installed, issuing ‘netpkg’ will merely result in the GUI showing up. Only if you issue netpkg with additional parameters, netpkg will stay in the terminal. Netpkg and its possible parameters are covered in the next section.

4.3. Options

4.3.1. Netpkg's options via GUI - Graphical Mode

If you choose "search"

Netpkg ask you to write some letters include in the wanted package name. It will go searching on the internet repository which package have these letters in its name and then it will post the packages list. For each one it will inform you wether the package currently installed is different from the version found in the repository, an identical version or if it is not installed at all. You then can choose the packages which you wish to install and/or update. Simply place a check mark by click in the box next to your choice of packages and click "OK".

If you choose "upgrade"

Netpkg will list all the packages present on the Internet Repository which are a different version that those presently installed on your system. Simply place a check mark by click in the box next to your choice of packages and click "OK". The updating of the package or packages will then be made without requiring any further input from you.

If you choose "add"

Netpkg will list all the packages present on Internet Repository which are not already installed. Simply place a check mark by click in the box next to your choice of packages and click "OK". The installation of the package or packages will then be made without requiring any further input from you.

If you choose "mirrors"

Netpkg will prompt you to choose your mirror categorie:

• Stable: packages from last Zenwalk release

• Current : the most up to date packages expected to be stable

• Misc : user defined mirrors in /etc/netpkg.conf. By default, only ZenGamer is setup. Choose it and you will be able to install all your favorite games.

For a mirror categorie, you will have several choices. Pick up the one which is faster for you, Netpkg will remain it.

4.3.2. Netpkg's options via CLI - Command Line Mode

packageX ... packageZ

You list one or more packages for netpkg to find in the Internet repository. In most cases, the name of the software is all that's needed (e.g. you wish to install "vim-6.3.007-i486-1.tgz", type netpkg vim on the command line ). The

generic names are also allowed (e.g. If you put a package name like "mozilla", netpkg will propose "mozilla-firefox" and "mozilla-thunderbird" to you).

When the package is found, netpkg will then propose to you several types of actions to be achieved:

If the package is already installed but in a different version, netpkg will propose to you to update it (upgrade).

If the package is already installed, netpkg will propose to you to reinstall it (reinstall).

If the package is not installed on your system, netpkg will propose to you to install it (install).

Netpkg will initially try to use the package present on the local mask before downloading it. Don't worry. The integrity of the local package is checked and the package will again be downloaded if the package is corrupt. The downloaded package will overwrite the old one. Note: the choice "skip" means "master key".

auto-install packageX ... packageZ

Netpkg will install or update this list of package without requiring anything further of you. Any package absent will be installed and any package present in a different version will be updated.

upgrade-all

Netpkg will update your system, i.e. all the packages from which a version different is found in the Internet Repository. New packages will not be installed. A list of packages that should not be upgraded can be specified in /etc/netpkg.conf by using the "Black_list" variable. Please use the "upgrade-all" option with caution, especially if you have a highly customized system. ALWAYS BACKUP YOUR CONFIGURATION BEFORE PROCEEDING. If you have a short storage area then set the "Keep_packages" variable in /etc/netpkg.conf accordingly.

upgrade-new

netpkg will attempt to upgrade every installed packages that are not the same version as found on the repository. New packages will be installed. This is needed when new libraries are required by upgraded applications. A list of packages that should not be upgraded or installed can be specified in /etc/netpkg.conf by using the "Black_list" variable. Please use the "upgrade-all" option with caution, especially if you have a highly customized system. ALWAYS BACKUP YOUR CONFIGURATION BEFORE PROCEEDING. If you have a short storage area then set the "Keep_packages" variable in /etc/netpkg.conf accordingly.

download-all

When this option is given, netpkg will download all the packages found in the Internet Repository with the purpose of building a local mask. The packages will be matched in various repositories which differentiate the software categories. The location of this local mask is indicated in netpkg's configuration file found at /etc/netpkg.conf. By default the local mask is located in /var/packages.

list-all

Netpkg will give you the list of all the packages which it will find on the Internet Repository . For each one found list the package name as well as wether the package is installed on your system in a different version, an identical version or if it is not installed .

list-new

Netpkg will give you the list of all the packages which it will find on the Internet Repository . For each one found list the package name as well as wether the package is installed on your system in a different version, an identical version or if it is not installed.

list-upg

Netpkg will list all the packages present on the Internet Repository which are not already installed

menu-list:

When this option is given, netpkg will require ask you to state which kind of package or packages it must list. You will then choose from the following package states:

1-The packages which are not installed

2-The packages that are able to be updated

3-The packages already installed

4-all packages

upgrade-config

Netpkg will search all ".new" files in /etc and prompt the user to replace original versions with these newer versions.

select-mirror

netpkg will prompt you to choose a mirror from the list speci- fied in netpkg.conf.

"Current": the most up to date packages expected to be stable

"Stable": packages from last Zenwalk release

"Misc": user defined mirrors

4.4. Some advices for upgrading your system

First, always upgrading Netpkg:

# netpkg netpkg

Then, when you have to update "X11, XFCE, Desktop", you should do in text mode, with leaving the graphical one

Don't be afraid, it's quite simple:

1. Leave your graphical session:

Run your root Terminal, and go to init 3:

# init 3

2. Do the needed update

3. Go back to the graphical session, in init 4

# init 4

5. NETWORKCONFIG

5.1. Presentatition

A tool designed for Zenwalk to get your network up and running in the blink of an eye. Networkconfig is able to configure your settings for up to four network interfaces, set DHCP, DNS servers, gateways, and the host and domain your Zenwalk box will be part of.

5.2. Starting

Networkconfig is available from the XFCE menu, under the System submenu (this will only work if xdialog is still installed). After having clicked on it, you will be prompted for the root password, when you've filled that out, you will get the

following screen.

5.3. Use

To configure, just doubleclick the highlighted option, or press [OK]. If you're done, select the apply option (or exit in case you don't want to save) and click [OK].

Above you see a screenshot of the eth0 interface settings. DHCP is enabled, and all is working fine. The driver the card uses is mentioned also (in this case: forcedeth). To change settings, doubleclick again, or press the [OK] button. If your settings are fine – just press the [Back] button. You will be taken back to the main menu then.

In general, enabling DHCP is your best option (and definitely the easiest). DHCP will negotiate an IP and renew when needed, working completely in the background. Normally you have seen networkconfig's Ncurses interface during the post-install setup.

Die-hards can directly edit /etc/rc.d/rc.inet1.conf, which contains the settings for the network cards. Domain names are set in /etc/hosts. DNS servers are set in /etc/resolv.conf

And, with this graphical interface, you will be able to start/stop your network whenever you want.

6. PKGTOOL

6.1. Presentation

Pkgtool is the utility Zenwalk uses to install and remove packages. Pkgtool can also be used to view the contents of an installed package. It calls on installpkg and removepkg to achieve its goals. Those tools can also be called upon independently.

6.2. Starting

Pkgtool is available from the XFCE menu, under the System submenu (this will only work if xdialog is still installed). After having clicked on it, you will be prompted for the root password, when you've filled that out, you will get the following screen.

6.3. Options

As you can see you are presented with three options. Choosing the first option, install, will show the following screen

Pkgtool asks you for the path to the package. When you fill it out and press [OK], pkgtool will prompt you for every package it finds in that directory, asking you if you want to install it. If you are not afraid of the command line, using plain installpkg /path/to/tgz might be easier for you.

If you pick the second option, removepkg, you get the following screen:

Here you'll find the complete list of all installed packages. Select the ones you want to remove (you can remove multiple packages at once).

When using the classic Ncurses interface of removepkg, the user can simply press a letter of the alphabet to be taken to the first package starting with that letter (the list is alphabetical), so you don't have to scroll down the list yourself. Use the spacebar to select or deselect packages for removal, and the tab and arrow keys to jump to the [OK] or [Cancel] button.

The third option allows you to view the contents of a package. This only works for installed packages. You will not get a glimpse of the installed files – instead you'll be presented with the contents of the package. For example, you will also see the /install directory (which is present in a tgz but never installed)

If you use the Ncurses interface, you can use the same keyboard shortcuts available in the package removal list.

7. SERVICECONFIG

7.1. Presentation

Serviceconfig is a Zenwalk-specific tool; it has been designed to facilitate control over the installed services. If not configured by hand, Zenwalk will enable some default services at boot.

7.2. Starting

Serviceconfig is available from the XFCE menu, under the System submenu (this will only work if xdialog is still installed). After having clicked on it, you will be prompted for the root password, when you've filled that out, you will get the following screen.

7.3. Use

Depending on your configuration, some of them might not be needed (for example a ssh daemon or the gpm console mouse server). This, of course, is up to you to decide. You can enable or disable multiple services to run at boot time. If you are not sure about disabling a service, first read the available info about it, ask "Google", or our forum.

When xdialog is not installed anymore, serviceconfig will use the Ncurses interface. As with previous tools, you can use the spacebar and tab and arrow keys to navigate your way through.

In the terminal the service command can be used also to configure the daemons. Besides simple (de)activating those daemons, service can also stop/start/restart them. A glimpse of its syntax: - starting/stopping daemons: service start|stop|restart [servicename] - enabling/disabling daemons: service enable|disable [servicename] - list the state of the installed daemons: service list

Starting/stopping daemons: # service start|stop|restart [servicename]

Enabling/disabling daemons: # service enable|disable [servicename]

List the state of the installed daemons: # service list

7.4. Some words about the services

alsa: The Advanced Linux Sound Architecture (ALSA) provides audio and MIDI functionality to the Linux operating system.

cups: The Common UNIX Printing System ("CUPS") is a cross-platform printing solution for all UNIX environments. It is based on the "Internet Printing Protocol" and provides complete printing services to most PostScript and raster printers.

famd: The File Alteration Monitor (FAM) daemon. It is a subsystem that applications can use to be notified when specific files or directories are changed. The daemon listens for requests and provides notifications, famd is normally started by an Internet superserver such as inetd, but can also be started independently. Only one instance of famd can be run at a time. famd can be configured by editing the famd configuration file (famd.conf). Since famd is used by eg. the Thunar filemanager for updating the directory view, it is recommended to leave famd on.

gpm: a cut and paste utility and mouse server for virtual consoles, necessary only if you want to use your mouse on the console.

inetd: inetd is a daemon on many Unix systems that manages Internet services. Often called a super-server, inetd listens on all ports used by internet services such as FTP, POP3, and telnet. When a TCP packet or UDP packet comes in with a particular port number, inetd launches the appropriate server program to handle the connection.

ip_forward: covers IP forwarding.

messagebus: D-BUS is first a library that provides one-to-one communication between any two applications; dbus-daemon is an application that uses this library to implement a message bus daemon. Multiple programs connect to the message bus daemon and can exchange messages with one another.

netfilter: is a system in the Linux kernel that is responsible for various forms of packet mangling, like NAT. The netfilter system does connection tracking (allowing for stateful firewalls to be built on top of it), IP address/port translations, and has plenty of various hooks for other applications.

nfsd: The nfsd daemon runs on a server and handles client requests for file system operations. The Network File System (NFS) is a distributed file system that allows users to access files and directories located on remote computers and treat those files and directories as if they were local.

ntpd: The ntpd sets and maintains the system time of day in synchronism

with Internet standard time servers.

numlock: activates the numeric keypad in console.

portmap: The portmap daemon converts RPC (Remote Procedure Call) program numbers into Internet port numbers.

scanluns: looks for devices that have been plugged into a USB or IEEE1394 (Firewire) port that might not have been detected because they use a LUN (Logical Unit Number) other than 0.

sshd: Secure Shell daemon, allows secure and remote logging to this machine.

syslog: Logs all system activities.

uwd: uwd is a server that monitors media insertions (CD/DVD) and then notify udev so that it can mount corresponding devices.

wifi-radar: Allow you to start wifi-radar, the multi-network connector, on boot.

wireless: Allow you to start a single network wifi on boot.

8. USERCONFIG

8.1. Presentation

Userconfig is a Zenwalk-specific tool; it has been designed to facilitate easy control over the user registrations on your Zenwalk system, including the defined groups, etc...

8.2. Starting

Userconfig is available from the XFCE menu, under the System submenu (this will only work if xdialog is still installed). After having clicked on it, you will be prompted for the root password, when you've filled that out, you will get the following screen.

8.3. Some words about each menu item

List users: lists all users on your system.

Create user: Selecting "Create user" will prompt you for the user name (eg. your own login name). Then you are prompted for the group this user should belong to (eg. users, in this case just accept the default string). Then you are prompted for the home directory. Then additional groups membership. Then the shell interpreter (bash) . Then account expiry date - select NEVER if you do not want the account to expire. Then some additional information (suitable for multiuser systems) and the user password. When finished you are presented with the settings and they can be modified in case something should be changed. Select BACK to return to the main menu. This is a GUI to the "adduser" command.

Delete users: presents you with a list of users on your system. Highlight one and press OK to delete that user. Press BACK to return to the main menu.

Change password: presents you with a list of users on your system. Highlight one and press OK to change password for that user. Press BACK to return to the main menu.

List groups: lists all groups defined on your system.

Modify group: shows a list of groups on your system. Selecting OK will allow you to modify the name for the highlighted group. Selecting BACK will send you back to the main menu.

Create group: allows you to create a new group on your system. This is suitable for example if you want to install the ClamAV antivirus programme. This programme must be given a special group name, which users are then allowed to access (if you will allow them to run ClamAV). You are prompted for the group name.

Delete groups: shows a list of groups on your system. Selecting OK will delete the highlighted group. Selecting BACK will send you back to the main menu.

About: pops the About box showing you the userconfig version you are running, etc...

9. VIDEOCONFIG

9.1. Presentatition

Videoconfig is Zenwalk's tool to get X, the graphical server, up and running properly. It will probe for monitor refresh rates and optimal resolution, and check which video card you are using.

9.2. Starting

Videoconfig is available from the XFCE menu, under the System submenu (this will only work if xdialog is still installed). After having clicked on it, you will be prompted for the root password, when you've filled that out, you will get the following screen and following warning

9.3. Use

Be smart – don't ignore this. If you don't aim to configure X (which shouldn't be needed at this point, since it has been done during the post-install routine), press [OK], then you'll get the following window:

As the warning box told you – configuring X should be done in text mode. This is less difficult than it looks, provided you start out with the right tools. Log out as a regular user, press Ctrl+alt+f2 to switch to a terminal, login as root, and issue init 3. X will be shut down and you will be returned to another terminal. Log in as root again, and run videoconfig. Now you'll get a dialog box asking you if it detected the right card and refresh rates. If it's ok, press [yes]. If not, exit and configure manually with xorgconfig, or edit /etc/X11/xorg.conf by hand. This last option,

however, is not recommended if you are not familiar with X' configuration file.

So videoconfig will set up X for you. If you still aren't satisfied with your X configuration, or the Zenwalk setup utility detects your card wrongly, you can do it all by yourself running xorgconfig. See the "xorgconfig" section for more info.

10. XORGCONFIG

Xorgconfig is not a Zenwalk specific tool, it just come with your xorg package, but it could be helpful to know how it works.

Make a backup of your current xorg.conf (/etc/X11/xorg.conf). Check your monitor documentation for refresh rates and possible resolutions, check which video card you are using – brand, model, amount of onboard RAM – and check the protocol your mouse uses, if it has a scroll wheel, and how many buttons it has. Take into account that a scroll wheel counts as three buttons (click – forward scroll – backward scroll). Check what keyboard type you use (azerty or qwerty) and how many keys it has (most probably an international 105-key one). Now that you have the right info, take a dive and launch xorgconfig from text mode, as root. If it's not in your path, then use the full path to the program – it is located in /usr/X11R6/bin/xorgconfig. Xorgconfig is an interactive program – it will ask you questions, if you have gathered the information provided above, it will be a piece of cake to answer them. Once you completed xorgconfig's procedure, save it. Then reboot into graphical mode and behold the fruit of your hard work.

11. XWMCONFIG

11.1. Presentation

Xwmconfig is a Slackware utility adopted by Zenwalk because it does the job. Xwmconfig is short for "X Window Manager CONFIGurator" and its purpose is to easily define the default desktop environment (DE) or window manager (WM). A window manager, living up to its name, is very basic and will provide you with the mere ability to manage windows, not much more. A desktop environment, on the other hand, does not only comprehend a window manager but also provides various applications and plugins. When run, xwmconfig will check which window managers are available on the system and ask which one you want to use.

Xwmconfig is not the usual way to configure this because most Zenwalk users will take advantage of the GDM login manager. This manager allows the user to configure which Window Manager / Desktop Environment should be loaded when starting X-Window. It is only for the small group of users who prefer to start X-Window in a different way that Xwmconfig still comes in handy.

11.2. Starting

Xwmconfig is available if you open a terminal and as normal user execute xwmconfig (remember to use lower case letters only). Do not run xwmconfig as root unless you want to change settings for root.

11.3. Use

Xwmconfig resides in /usr/X11R6/bin. It can be run as a regular user; if you run it as root, it will configure root's settings, and not yours... So don't be too hasty ;-). Simply select the graphical environment of your liking and click [OK].

DE/WM settings are stored in the ~/.xinitrc file. On a default Zenwalk install, you will find it's a script that launches XFCE. Changing your DE or WM can be done simply by replacing the ~/.xinitrc file with the one that calls your preferred graphical environment.

12. WIFI RADAR

12.1. Presentation

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12.2. Starting

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12.3. Use

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