Assignment 4: Treasure hunting in Linux

INSS 610

1. Login and change of desktop:

   The machines in the MIS Lab are waiting for a login in Linux, like in MISLABxx login: _ (if the screen is blank press space to see the login prompt) or in Windows. If the machine is waiting for a Windows login press the restart button and select login in Linux, not in Windows. Enter your username and the system will ask for your password. After you are logged in type startx and you will be placed in a graphical desktop.

   1. If the desktop you are is Gnome you will see in the bottom of the screen the Gnome toolbar. If the desktop is KDE you will see in the bottom of the screen the KDE toolbar and you should bypass the next instructions and go to "B. Perform some basic operations."
   2. Click (do not double-click) on the Monitor symbol besides the Netscape symbol and a terminal window will open.
   3. Select the terminal window, by clicking on the top of the terminal window. In the terminal window type switchdesk.
   4. A graphical tool to select desktops will open and you should choose KDE and click on OK. A message will tell that it is done but you need to exit X-Windows and come back to see it.
   5. Click on the foot symbol in the Gnome toolbar (the leftmost) and select Log out (the last item).
   6. You will be placed again in text mode. Type startx to go back to graphical mode in KDE.

2. Perform some basic operations:
   (Refer to my KDE tutorial for details on KDE, specially the item in customizing KDE.)
   1. Make the color of your desktop white, and select from /usr/share/pixmaps/backgrounds/space a background image. (Hint: click on Browse in the KDE Control Center, Bakground and navigate the directory tree until you find this directory.) You will need to include in your report a copy of the file .kde/share/config/desktop0rc in your home directory, where the information about your backgroung choices will be recorded by KDE.

   2. Open a terminal window using KDE toolbar clicking on its symbol . Obtain a listing of all files in your home directory, including hidden files and redirect it to a file. (HINT: to redirect use command   > filename like in DOS, e.g. cat test > test.txt , where test.txt would contain the result of the command.) You will use this file later on in your report.

   3. Obtain a list of all files in the root / directory, including file types, ownership, permissions and size. Read (explain this list) for at least three different files of each different file type. Again redirect the output to a file.

   4. Use a command to show your home directory, tell which one was it, and the full path of your home directory. Write this information in a file, using Kedit.

      rintenv and obtain the environment variables PATH and HOME. Again redirect the output to a file.

   5. Use the df -k command and find the percentage of free space in /boot file system. Once more redirect the results to a file, open the file in Kedit and explain what you see in the results.

   6. Use cat and more and display the content of a file (equivalent to type in DOS). Explain the difference between the two commands given what you saw in a file created with Kedit.

   7. Open the KDE file manager and click on View, and select Show hidden files, Show Tree and Long View. Then Select Options, Save Settings to save your settings. Navigate the file manager using the mouse and go to /etc/X11/wmconfig and see who owns and who can read lynx. Then go to /etc/X11/xdm and see who can execute chooser. Create a text file using Kedit and write what you saw. You will include this file in your report.

   8. Still using the file manager go back to your home directory. In what sub-directory of your home directory is the Netscape cache saved? In what sub-directory, or sub-directories, are information kept about gnome?

   9. Use Kedit to combine the files you saved before and then send me as an attachment to an e-mail with the subject 610A4. You can also setup the KDE graphical Mail client and use it to send an e-mail to yourself with the file attached to it or cut and pasted to it, or setup and use Pine in Linux (just open a terminal window and type pine), or setup and use Netscape mail (just open a terminal window and type netscape).

This page is maintained by Al Bento who can be reached at abento@UBmail.ubalt.edu This page was last updated on September 25, 2001. Although we will attempt to keep this information accurate, we can not guarantee the accuracy of the information provided.