LDP HOWTO-INDEX

Guylhem Aznar

Greg Ferguson

Joshua Drake

This document contains an index to the Linux HOWTOs as well as other information about the HOWTO project.


Table of Contents
1. What Are Linux HOWTOs?
2. Where Can I Get Linux HOWTOs?
3. HOWTO Translations
4. Categorized List of HOWTOs
4.1. Administration HOWTOs (60% done)
4.2. Hardware HOWTOs (0% done)
4.3. Networking HOWTOs (50% done)
4.4. Other Languages
4.5. Programming HOWTOs
5. Single list of HOWTOs
6. Single list of mini-HOWTOs
7. Special HOWTOs
8. Unmaintained HOWTOs
9. Writing and Submitting a HOWTO
10. Copyright

Chapter 1. What Are Linux HOWTOs?

Linux HOWTOs are documents which describe in detaila certain aspect of configuring or using Linux. For example, there is the Installation HOWTO, which gives instructions on installing Linux, and the Mail Administrator HOWTO, which describes how to set up and configure mail under Linux. Other examples include the Net HOWTO and the Printing HOWTO.

HOWTOs are comprehensive docs - much like an FAQ but generally not in question-and-answer format. However, many HOWTOs contain a FAQ section at the end.

There are several HOWTO formats available: plain text, PostScript, PDF, and HTML.

In addition to the HOWTOs, there are a multitude of mini-HOWTOs on short, specific subjects.


Chapter 2. Where Can I Get Linux HOWTOs?

HOWTOs can be retrieved via anonymous FTP from the following sites:

as well as many mirror sites.

You can also browse HOWTOs in HTML format or grab Linux-html-HOWTOs.tar.gz for viewing on your own PC. The files will be extracted into HOWTO/html/.

Many mirror sites mirror the HTML files.

www.linuxdoc.org is heavily used, so please use a mirror site if possible.

A HOWTO index is also posted towards the beginning of the month to the Usenet newsgroupcomp.os.linux.answers. There is a tool called NewstoHOWTO that will assemble the postings.


Chapter 3. HOWTO Translations

HOWTO translations are available on metalab.unc.edu and mirrors around the world. So far, there are:

If you know of any other translation projects, please let us know and they will be added to this list. If you are interested in getting your translations archived on metalab.unc.edu, please read the directory structure specification at http://metalab.unc.edu/pub/Linux/docs/HOWTO/translations/Directory-Structure and contact the LDP.


Chapter 4. Categorized List of HOWTOs

This is a categorized list of the currently available HOWTOs. It is the hope that by categorizing this information if will be easier for you to find the information that you are looking for.


4.1. Administration HOWTOs (60% done)

This section includes HOWTOs on topics such as System Administration.

  • Bash-Prompt-HOWTO, Bash Prompt HOWTO

    Updated: December 1999. Creating and controlling terminal and xterm prompts is discussed, including incorporating standard escape sequences to give username,current working directory, time, etc.

  • Benchmarking-HOWTO, Linux Benchmarking HOWTO

    Updated: August 1997. Discusses some issues associated with the benchmarking of Linux systems and presents a basic benchmarking toolkit.

  • Bootdisk-HOWTO, The Linux Bootdisk HOWTO

    Updated: April 2000. How to design and build your own boot/root diskettes for Linux.

  • BootPrompt-HOWTO, The Linux BootPrompt HOWTO

    Updated: May 1999. A compilation of all the possible boot time arguments that can be passed to the Linux kernel at boot time. Includes all kernel and device parameters.

  • CD-Writing-HOWTO, CD-Writing HOWTO

    Updated: May 2000. Explains how to write CD-ROMs under Linux.

  • Config-HOWTO, Configuration HOWTO

    Updated: September 1999. Aims at making the fine-tuning of your newly installed Linux box quicker and easier. You will find a set of configurations for the most common applications and services.

  • Filesystems-HOWTO, Filesystems HOWTO

    Updated: March 2000. About filesystems and accessing filesystems.

  • Font-HOWTO, Font HOWTO

    Updated: March 2000. Provides a comprehensive source to act as a starting point for any and all font questions about Linux.

  • From-PowerUp-To-Bash-Prompt-HOWTO, From Power Up To Bash Prompt

    Updated: April 2000. A brief description of what happens in a Linux system from the time that you turn on the power, to the time that you log in and get a bash prompt.

  • Ftape-HOWTO, Ftape HOWTO

    Updated: August 1998. Discusses essential do's and dont's for the ftape floppy tape driver under Linux. Focuses on the newest version (ftape-4.02 at the time of this writing).

  • HP-HOWTO, HP HOWTO - Utilisation and Configuration Guide of HP Products under Linux

    Updated: April 2000. Describes the use of products available in the Hewlett-Packard (HP) catalog with Linux and some free software.

  • Installation-HOWTO, The Linux Installation HOWTO

    Updated: May 2000. How to obtain and install Linux software. It is the first document which a new Linux user should read to get started.

  • ISP-Hookup-HOWTO, ISP-Hookup HOWTO

    Updated: March 1998. How to use Linux to connect to an Internet Service Provider via a dial-up modem TCP/IP connection (basic dial-up procedure and IP establishment, email and news handling is covered).

  • ISP-Setup-RedHat, "Pocket" ISP based on RedHat Linux

    Updated: April 2000. Outlines the setup of a single RedHat box for dial-ins, virtual web hosting, virtual email, POP3 and ftp servers.

  • Jaz-Drive-HOWTO, Jaz-drive HOWTO

    Updated: January 2000. Covers the configuration and use of the 1Gb and 2Gb Iomega Jaz drives under Linux.

  • Kernel-HOWTO, The Linux Kernel HOWTO

    Updated: June 1999. A detailed guide to kernel configuration, compilation, upgrades, and troubleshooting for ix86-based systems.

  • Keyboard-and-Console-HOWTO, The Linux keyboard and console HOWTO

    Updated: February 1998. Contains some information about the Linux (v2.0) keyboard and console, and the use of non-ASCII characters.

  • KickStart-HOWTO, RedHat Linux KickStart HOWTO

    Updated: January 1999. Briefly describes how to use the RedHat Linux KickStart system to rapidly install large numbers of identical Linux boxes.

  • Loopback-Encrypted-Filesystem-HOWTO, Loopback Encrypted Filesystem HOWTO

    Updated: November 1999. Explains how to setup and then use a filesystem that, when mounted by a user, dynamically and transparently encrypts its contents.

  • MultiOS-HOWTO, Managing Multiple Operating Systems HOWTO

    Updated: February 2000. Covers the procedures for using removable hard disks to install and manage multiple alternative operating systems while leaving a single fixed disk to permanently house and protect the primary operating system.


4.2. Hardware HOWTOs (0% done)

This section includes HOWTOs on topics such as Graphics chips and how to get items such as Bus Mice working under Linux.


4.3. Networking HOWTOs (50% done)

This section includes HOWTOs on topics such as Networking, Routing and Sendmail.

  • Adv-Routing-HOWTO, Linux 2. 4 Advanced Routing HOWTO

    Updated: May 2000. A very hands-on approach to iproute2, traffic shaping and a bit of netfilter.

  • AX25-HOWTO, Linux AX25-HOWTO, Amateur Radio

    Updated: October 1997. How to install and configure support for the AX. 25 packet radio protocol utilized by Amateur Radio Operators worldwide.

  • Beowulf-HOWTO, Beowulf HOWTO

    Updated: November 1998. Introduces the Beowulf Supercomputer architecture and provides background information on parallel programming, including links to other more specific documents.

  • Cable-Modem, Cable Modem Providers HOWTO

    Updated: June 2000. Answers basic questions on how to connect your Linux box to a cable modem or cable Internet provider.

  • Diald-HOWTO, Diald HOWTO

    Updated: April 2000. Shows some typical scenarios for easy start using Diald. Replaces the Diald mini-HOWTO.

  • Diskless-HOWTO, Diskless Nodes HOWTO for Linux

    Updated: April 2000. How to set up a diskless Linux box.

  • Diskless-root-NFS-HOWTO, Root over nfs clients & server HOWTO

    Updated: March 1999. How to setup a server and configure clients for diskless operation from a network.

  • DNS-HOWTO, DNS HOWTO

    Updated: February 1999. How to become a totally "small time" DNS admin.

  • Firewall-HOWTO, Firewall and Proxy Server HOWTO

    Updated: February 2000. Designed to describe the basics of firewall systems and give you some detail on setting up both a filtering and proxy firewall on a Linux-based system.

  • Intranet-Server-HOWTO, The Linux Intranet Server HOWTO

    Updated: August 1997. How to setup an Intranet using Linux as the server which binds Unix, Netware, NT and Windows together.

  • IP-Masquerade-HOWTO, Linux IP Masquerade HOWTO

    Updated: May 2000. How to enable the Linux IP Masquerade feature on a given Linux host.

  • IPCHAINS-HOWTO, Linux IPCHAINS HOWTO

    Updated: July 2000. How to obtain, install and configure the enhanced IP firewalling chains software for Linux, and some ideas on how you might use them.

  • IPX-HOWTO, Linux IPX HOWTO

    Updated: May 1998. How to obtain, install and configure various tools available for the Linux operating system that use the Linux kernel IPX protocol support.

  • Mail-Administrator-HOWTO, The Linux Electronic Mail Administrator HOWTO

    Updated: January 2000. Describes the setup, care and feeding of Electronic Mail (e-mail) under Linux. Primarily intended for administrators.

  • Mail-User-HOWTO, The Linux Mail User HOWTO

    Updated: May 1999. An introduction to the world of electronic mail (email) under Linux. Focuses on user-level issues and typical configurations for Linux home and small-business machines connected to the net via an ISP.

  • Majordomo-MajorCool-HOWTO, Majordomo and MajorCool HOWTO

    Updated: November 1999. Intended to guide a user through an installation of the Majordomo Mailing List Software and MajorCool (utility for managing Majordomo lists via a CGI script).

  • Multicast-HOWTO, Multicast over TCP/IP HOWTO

    Updated: March 1998. Tries to cover most aspects related to multicast over TCP/IP networks.

  • Mutt-GnuPG-PGP-HOWTO, Mutt-i, GnuPG and PGP HOWTO

    Updated: February 2000. Briefly explains how to configure Mutt-i, PGP and GnuPG in its different versions (2. 6. x, 5. x and GnuPG).

  • NC-HOWTO, Linux Netstation HOWTO

    Updated: June 2000. Describes how to hook up a IBM Netstation to your local network using a Linux box as server.

  • NCD-HOWTO, Linux NCD mini-HOWTO

    Updated: September 1999. Describes how to hook up a NCD ThinSTAR to your local network using a Linux box as server.

  • Net-HOWTO, Linux Networking HOWTO

    Updated: March 2000. Information about networking for Linux (relates only to version 4 of the Linux Networking Kernel or more specifically kernel releases 2.x and 2.2.x).

  • NET3-4-HOWTO, Linux Networking HOWTO (Previously the Net-3 Howto)

    Updated: August1999. Describes how to install and configure the Linux networking software and associated tools.

  • Networking-Overview-HOWTO, The Linux Networking Overview HOWTO

    Updated: July 2000. Overview of the networking capabilities of the Linux Operating System; provides pointers for further information and implementation details.

  • NFS-HOWTO, NFS HOWTO

    Updated: October 1999. How to set up NFS clients and servers.

  • NIS-HOWTO, The Linux NIS(YP)/NYS/NIS+ HOWTO

    Updated: March 1999. How to configure Linux as NIS(YP) or NIS+ client and how to install as a NIS server.


4.4. Other Languages

This section includes HOWTOs on topics such as using Linux if you are Chinese or Dutch.

  • Chinese-HOWTO, Chinese HOWTO

    Updated: June 1998. Demonstrates how to implement Chinese on Linux system, including those common problems encountered while using Chinese, the ways to obtain, and shows how to install and setup a variety of different Chinese software.

  • Cyrillic-HOWTO, The Linux Cyrillic HOWTO

    Updated: January 1998. How to set up your Linux box to typeset, view and print the documents in the Russian language.

  • Danish-HOWTO, The Linux Danish/International HOWTO

    Updated: March 2000. How to configure Linux and various Linux applications for Danish locale standards such as keyboard, font, paper-size etc.

  • Esperanto-HOWTO, Linux-Esperanto-HOWTO

    Updated: August 1999.

  • Finnish-HOWTO, Finnish HOWTO

    Updated: February 1996. How to "finlandize" Linux - Finnish keyboard mapping, time zone, 8-bit clean settings for applications, etc. (written in Finnish).

  • German-HOWTO, German HOWTO

    Updated: March 1997. Addresses Linux localization issues specific to German users (written in German).

  • Hebrew-HOWTO, The Hebrew HOWTO

    Updated: September 1995. How to configure your Linux machine to use Hebrew characters on X-Windows and Virtual Consoles.

  • Hellenic-HOWTO, Hellenic HOWTO

    Updated: August 1997. Addresses Linux localization issues specific to Greek users (written in Hellenic).

  • Serbian-HOWTO, Serbian HOWTO

    Updated: November 1998. Addresses Linux localization issues specific to Serbian users (written in Serbian).

  • Slovenian-HOWTO, Slovenian HOWTO

    Updated: February 1999. Addresses Linux localization issues specific to Slovenian users (written in Slovenian).

  • Spanish-HOWTO, Spanish Linux HOWTO

    Updated: August 1996. Contains information on Linux in the Spanish environment, for developing software with Spanish support or how to get in touch with the Linux community in Spain (written in Spanish).

  • Thai-HOWTO, The Linux Thai HOWTO

    Updated: August 1998. How to use Thai language with Linux. This will cover setting Thai fonts, Thai keyboard and some Thai applications.

  • Turkish-HOWTO, Turkish HOWTO

    Updated: September 1999. Addresses Linux localization issues specific to Turkish users (written in Turkish).


4.5. Programming HOWTOs

This section includes HOWTOs on topics such as C++ programming and Perl programming.

  • AI-Alife-HOWTO, Linux AI & Alife HOWTO

    Updated: June 2000. Information about, and links to, various AI related software libraries, applications, etc. that work on the Linux platform.

  • Assembly-HOWTO, Linux Assembly HOWTO

    Updated: June 2000. How to program in assembly language using FREE programming tools, focusing on development for or from the Linux Operating System on IA-32 (i386) platform.

  • Bash-Prog-Intro-HOWTO, BASH Programming - Introduction HOWTO

    Updated: June 2000. This article intends to help you to start programming basic-to-intermediate shell scripts.

  • C++Programming-HOWTO, C++ Programming HOWTO

    Updated: July 2000. Discusses methods to avoid memory problems in C++ and also will help you to program properly in C++ language. Applies to all operating sytems.

  • C-C++Beautifier-HOWTO, C-C++ Beautifier HOWTO

    Updated: July 2000. Helps you to format (beautify) C/C++ programs so that they are more readable and conform to your site coding standards. Applies to all operating sytems.

  • CVS-RCS-HOWTO, CVS-RCS HOWTO for Linux (Source Code Control System)

    Updated: July 2000. A "practical guide" to very quickly setup a CVS/RCS source code control system.

  • DB2-HOWTO, DB2 Version 7.1 for Linux HOWTO

    Updated: July 2000. Explicit instructions on installing DB2 Universal Database Version 7.1 for Linux on the following Intel x86-based distributions: Caldera OpenLinux 2.4, Debian, Red Hat Linux 6.2, SuSE Linux 6.2 and 6.3, and TurboLinux 6.0.

  • Enterprise-Java-for-Linux-HOWTO, Enterprise Java for Linux HOWTO

    Updated: January 1999. How to set up an Enterprise Java environment on Linux including a JDK, a Web server, supporting Java servlets, accessing a database via JDBC, and supporting Enterprise Java Beans (EJBs).

  • GCC-HOWTO, The Linux GCC HOWTO

    Updated: May 1999. Covers how to set up the GNU C compiler and development libraries under Linux; gives an overview of compiling, linking, running and debugging programs under it.

  • Glibc2-HOWTO, Glibc 2 HOWTO

    Updated: June 1998. Covers installing and using the GNU C Library version 2 (libc6) on Linux systems.

  • IngresII-HOWTO, Ingres II HOWTO

    Updated: June 2000. Helps install the Ingres II Relational Database Management System on Linux.

  • IO-Port-Programming, Linux I/O port programming mini-HOWTO

    Updated: December 1997. Describes programming hardware I/O ports and waiting for small periods of time in user-mode Linux programs running on the Intel x86 architecture.

  • Java-CGI-HOWTO, Java CGI HOWTO

    Updated: December 1998. Explains how to set up your server to allow CGI programs written in Java and how to use Java to write CGI programs.

  • Kerneld, The Linux kerneld mini-HOWTO

    Updated: May 2000. Explains how you can use the kerneld function in the Linux kernels.

  • Oracle-7-HOWTO, Oracle 7 Database HOWTO

    Updated: August 1998. A guide to installing and configuring the Oracle 7 Database Server on a Linux system.

  • Oracle-8-HOWTO, Oracle (8) for Linux Installation HOWTO

    Updated: June 2000. A guide to installing and configuring the Oracle 8i Enterprise Edition for Linux.

  • Parallel-Processing-HOWTO, Linux Parallel Processing HOWTO

    Updated: January 1998. Discusses the four basic approaches to parallel processing that are available to Linux users: SMP Linux systems, clusters of networked Linux systems, parallel execution using multimedia instructions (i.e., MMX), and attached (parallel) processors hosted by a Linux system.

  • PHP-HOWTO, PHP HOWTO

    Updated: May 2000. How to develop PHP programs and also to migrate all the Windows 95 GUI applications to powerful PHP + HTML + DHTML + XML + Java applets + Javascript. Applies to all the operating sytems where PHP is ported.

  • PostgreSQL-HOWTO, Database-SQL-RDBMS HOWTO for Linux (PostgreSQL Object Relational Database System)

    Updated: July 2000. A "practical guide" to very quickly setup a SQL Database engine and front end tools on a Unix system.

  • Program-Library-HOWTO, Program Library HOWTO

    Updated: April 2000. This HOWTO for programmers discusses how to create and use program libraries on Linux. This includes static libraries, shared libraries, and dynamically loaded libraries.

  • Programming-Languages, Programming Languages mini-HOWTO

    Updated: January 2000. A brief comparison of major programming languages for Linux and major libraries for creating graphical user interfaces (GUIs) under Linux.

  • RCS, The RCS mini-HOWTO

    Updated: August 1997. Covers basic installation and usage of RCS, the GNU Revision Control System, under Linux.

  • RPM-HOWTO, RPM HOWTO - RPM at Idle

    Updated: November 1999. RPM is the RPM Package Manager. It is an open packaging system available for anyone to use. It allows users to take source code for new software and package it into source and binary form such that binaries can be easily installed and tracked and source can be rebuilt easily. It also maintains a database of all packages and their files that can be used for verifying packages and querying for information about files and/or packages.

  • SCSI-Programming-HOWTO, The Linux SCSI programming HOWTO

    Updated: May 1996. Deals with programming the Linux generic SCSI interface.

  • Secure-Programs-HOWTO, Secure Programming for Linux and Unix HOWTO

    Updated: June 2000. Provides a set of design and implementation guidelines for writing secure programs for Linux and Unix systems.

  • Serial-Programming-HOWTO, The Linux Serial Programming HOWTO

    Updated: January 1998. How to program communications with devices over a serial port on a Linux box.

  • SMB-HOWTO, SMB HOWTO

    Updated: April 2000. How to use the Server Message Block (SMB) protocol, also called the Session Message Block, NetBIOS or LanManager protocol, with Linux using Samba.

  • Software-Building-HOWTO, Building and Installing Software Packages for Linux

    Updated: July 1999. A comprehensive guide to building and installing "generic" UNIX software distributions under Linux.

  • Software-Release-Practice-HOWTO, Software Release Practice HOWTO

    Updated: June 2000. Describes good release practices for Linux open-source projects.

  • TclTk-HOWTO, The Linux Tcl and Tk HOWTO

    Updated: November 1998. Describes the Linux approach to Tcl, a scripting language.

  • Vim-HOWTO, Vim Color Editor HOWTO (Vi Improved w/syntax color highlighting)

    Updated: July 2000. A guide to very quickly setup Vim color editor on Linux or Unix systems.

  • WWW-mSQL-HOWTO, A mSQL and perl Web Server HOWTO

    Updated: September 1997. How to build a SQL client/server database using WWW and HTML for the user interface.


Chapter 5. Single list of HOWTOs

The following Linux HOWTOs are currently available:


Chapter 6. Single list of mini-HOWTOs

The following Linux mini-HOWTOs are currently available:


Chapter 7. Special HOWTOs

The High Availability HOWTO, by Harald Milz <hm@seneca.muc.de> is available at http://metalab.unc.edu/pub/Linux/ALPHA/linux-ha/High-Availability-HOWTO.html. It is not included with the HOWTO collection because it relies on figures and cannot be distributed in all supported formats.


Chapter 8. Unmaintained HOWTOs

There are a number of unmaintained documents, which can be found at: http://metalab.unc.edu/pub/Linux/docs/HOWTO/unmaintained/.

These are kept around since old documentation is sometimes better than none. However, you should be aware that you are reading old documentation.

If the date tag is too old, please consider the HOWTO as unmaintained.

However, there are exceptions, such as old programs (for example UUCP HOWTO) or not-so-hot topics (for example AX-25 HOWTO).


Chapter 9. Writing and Submitting a HOWTO

If you are interested in writing or maintaining a HOWTO, please contact us FIRST!!! at ldp-discuss@lists.linuxdoc.org. If you want to maintain a unmaintained HOWTO, please try to contact the former author.

Consult the HOWTO-HOWTO for detailed information on writing and submitting a HOWTO.

Here are a few general guidelines that you should follow when writing a HOWTO:

After you have written the HOWTO, mail the SGML source to us at ldp-submit@lists.linuxdoc.org.

It is important that you go through us when submitting a HOWTO, as we maintain the archives and need to keep track of what HOWTOs are being written and who is doing what.

Please send the LDP periodic updates whenever appropriate.


Chapter 10. Copyright

Copyright (c) 1995 - 2000 by Tim Bynum. Copyright (c) 2000 by Guylhem Aznar / Greg Ferguson / Joshua Drake

Unless otherwise stated, Linux HOWTO documents are copyrighted by their respective authors. Linux HOWTO documents may be reproduced and distributed in whole or in part, in any medium physical or electronic, as long as this copyright notice is retained on all copies. Commercial redistribution is allowed and encouraged; however, the author would like to be notified of any such distributions.

All translations, derivative works, or aggregate works incorporating any Linux HOWTO documents must be covered under this copyright notice. That is, you may not produce a derivative work from a HOWTO and impose additional restrictions on its distribution. Exceptions to these rules may be granted under certain conditions; please contact the Linux HOWTO coordinator at the address given below.

In short, we wish to promote dissemination of this information through as many channels as possible. However, we do wish to retain copyright on the HOWTO documents, and would like to be notified of any plans to redistribute the HOWTOs.

If you have questions, please contact the Linux HOWTO coordinator, at linux-howto@metalab.unc.edu via email.