Online Troubleshooting Resources HOWTO
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1. DejaClassic option and then choose Save Settings You may also be interested in using the DejaSearch utility available at http homemade hypermart net dejasearch that will print out the retrieved posts in one HTML file for your perusal By using this you will not have to page back and forth in your browser 5 2 Searchlinux com CNET Linux Help This is a relatively new site with many of the same features as deja com It has basic and advanced search options The latter does not have as many options as the Power Search feature at deja com It has a nice one click option whereby one may view one s own posts and associated replies It is found at http www searchlinux com 6 Internet Search Engines I frequently use a Search Engine to retrieve helpful or necessary information from the net These engines catalogue pages from commercial personal and academic websites as well as Mailing Lists and the like Of course there are a large number of available Search Engines and I suggest you try several before giving up on a particular quest Research has shown that any one of them catalogues but a small portion of existent web pages It is worthwhile becoming very familiar with the operational details of at least one non directory engine to maximize the efficiency and efficacy of your search efforts You probably already have a favorite I like Google com and will discuss it in a little more detail 6 1 Google com Th2. archived pages when you conduct a search using an Internet search engine Not all Mailing Lists are associated with an online archive but this is increasingly the case Similarly not all archives have an associated search engine Initially try locate the Mailing List Archive you are interested in by typing a keyword s and mailing list archive in an Internet search engine For a listing of linux related Mailing Lists peruse websites such as the Linux Resource Exchange at http www linuxrx com Lists Lists perl and the Linux Online Mailing Lists at http www linux org help lists html You may also find Mailing List archives at the following locations 1 The website of the distribution of Linux you use 2 The website s of the Window Manager and or Desktop Environment you use 3 The website dedicated to the application or project in question 4 The Mail Archive at http www mail archive com lists html 5 Mailing List Archives at http www uwsg indiana edu hypermail 6 Linux Mailing List Archives at http kernelnotes org Inxlists 7 Tux Mailing List Archives at http www tux org hypermail This is not a complete listing of archives and you may find additional sites with an Internet search engine But this should certainly get you going 8 Online User s Manuals Some of the major Linux distributions and Window Managers Desktop Environments publish their user s manual online If the entire manual is not onli
3. I found Linux Network Drivers the primary site for information about Network Interface Card drivers in the Ethernet HOWTO 3 Erequently Asked Questions FAQ s A list of FAQ s is a traditional accompaniment to Linux related applications utilities and the like An FAQ is typically provided online by the developer s of the product in question and enterprising users sometimes host an unofficial FAQ as well Search for the latter with an Internet search engine The FAQ is the first document to peruse when troubleshooting a particular application In addition FAQ s exist for Linux distributions window managers and the so called desktop environments KDE and Gnome For Linux newbies I provide links to three FAQ s that collectively address many of the questions posted to the Usenet newsgroups 1 The Linux FAQ at http www fokus gmd de linux FAO Linux FAQ html 2 The XFree86 X Window System FAQ at http www xfree86 org FAQ 3 The Linux Kernel mailing list FAQ at http www tux org Ikml 4 Online Support Sections These sections are typically found at the websites of Linux distributions and often contain a variety of helpful documents with information not easily encompassed within a FAQ Look for sections with one or more of the following titles e Installation Support e Knowledge or Solutions Databases e Tips and Tricks e Errata Fixes and Updates e White Papers e Technical Guides e Hardware Guide or Co
4. Online Troubleshooting Resources HOWTO Online Troubleshooting Resources HOWTO Table of Contents Online Troubleshooting Resources HOWTO cceccsissessvsasesnssovseovsarssussvnestessvveseveesevesvarseavvarssassnevenevsnsventves 1 Howard Mann howatdim mission CONT ee 1 LME 12 eR 1a Naas cane OE ER AENA A EEE OE OE EREN ATERA OOI ET AT eas ada RER E OI NEUERE CHEN 1 ZEHNTE amni aR ON T OS E 1 3 Freouvenih A ked Ouestions i FAO S ae 1 4 Inline SUP POEL Ser MS aise cacti vines aay een a Ua A 1 S kenel Newastann Archives nee 1 B Inlemmet Bere EN each 1 LMule List AONE uni r EE N NOE se EE S rE S TE E O TETES 2 BEN IS ENTE rer ee SaceNI RA wie be NIRA Nk eee om E LaReRE RD 2 DC pial tTa TOn x rise ee ada ei ee eae a ee 2 1 Mise an Bi Teso nn 2 Ti Conc udine Commens una 2 Lats en sare ss saa ea E Gases RE A OE a a E E AE 2 Li DESIBEREU THE een As A E AA 3 LZ Copre i ana e nana a 3 1 3 Feedback and Correc ONE ea ee 3 2 HOWTOS and min HOWTOE re 3 3 Freguently Asked Onestionst FADEN anne een 4 Inne SUpport SERIE eek 4 S Usenet Newest ATEMIS ecrini a A A awa aecenttice 5 SL HOS re E E COA L T E A EEE A E E A E A A T 5 3 2 Searchin com CNET Linux Help aa 6 G mietiet Sear Eisen eek 6 EE EEO EE T i a E E A E E E E E A A EE E 6 EET T A E RE E A A AEN I E INEO SAAE E E A ERA OEE ERUIRIEROREREELENTEN 7 Snine Ters Mana ori een 7 I ale Unis teile en a a 8 U Daa ee rm dS Respnreet aussah 8 10 1 Release Notes and Available Documentatio
5. e keyword in the SUBJECT field of the Power Search utility at deja com see below and was presented with a large number of posts from folks who had encountered the same problem Respondents had provided the reason and solution I did not have an assembler linker necessary to create machine code and the bin86 package provided it I downloaded and installed a RPM package of the latter and was on my way This entire process took about 10 minutes I do have an ADSL connection to the net There are two websites that provide access to Usenet archives using a search engine as described in the following sections 5 1 Power Search at deja com This is the pre eminent site for all things Usenet and the Power Search utility is at http www deja com home_ps shtml Spend some time at this site learning how to use the search engine effectively including an appreciation of the Search Language nuances In particular note the value of using the wildcard symbol You will be repaid time and again for your efforts I typically enter the following for a routine search 5 Usenet Newsgroup Archives 5 Online Troubleshooting Resources HOWTO LANGUAGE English SUBJECT try different keywords thinking of a subject line you would use for a post FORU linux or comp os linux There is another nice interface to the Power Search utility at http www exit109 com jeremy news deja html Customize this page to your liking I like the
6. ide to Personal Computers e 10 7 Gary s Encyclopedia 11 Concluding Comments 1 Introduction The traditional means of troubleshooting computer related problems involves consulting user s manuals books friends probably enticed with goodies and when all the former do not yield a solution calling the technical support service of the vendor of the product in question And we all know pleasant and reliably efficacious the latter stratagem is Unfortunately this is the norm in the sphere of commercial proprietary products In contradistinction Linux and related distributions utilities and applications software has largely been developed according to the Open Source model wherein developers have used electronic communication over the Internet typically in the form of publically accessible Mailing Lists to collaborate with their peers in the refinement of the associated source code Such collaboration has also traditionally involved the online publication of user s manuals lists of Frequently Asked Questions FAQ s knowledge bases release notes formal guides such as this document HOWTO s and tutorials In addition users often assist others through the forum of Usenet and other newsgroups and the posted messages are readily accessible in the form of searchable archives These linux related newsgroups are renowned for their high level of user participation In significant measure Linux may be considered a product of the In
7. in your browser to find links in a particular category Peruse this website to appreciate what it has to offer 10 3 GNU Software and Manuals 9 Online Troubleshooting Resources HOWTO 11 Concluding Comments If you are a Linux newbie you may want to create a Troubleshooting folder in your browser s bookmark list into which you put the hyperlinks I have included in this document as well as those pertinent to the distribution of Linux and the Window Manager Desktop Environment you use As you use these links you will quickly become adept at troubleshooting online Cheers and happy searching 11 Concluding Comments 10
8. is engine has several novel features that are described at http www google com why_use html In particular the engine often returns the most useful pages first in fact I have often found that the first listed page contains the information I need Because it caches web pages it is relatively fast at displaying requested items It has a so called GoogleScout TM feature that provides additional relevant links with each item returned In addition it has a specialized Linux search engine at http www google com linux that I use as my primary Internet search tool It searches the database of linux related pages at Google com further promoting search efficiency Try it I am confident you will bookmark it immediately 5 2 Searchlinux com CNET Linux Help 6 Online Troubleshooting Resources HOWTO 7 Mailing List Archives As you might expect there are a very large number of linux related Mailing Lists that enable developers and users to communicate and collaborate on projects These Lists cover every conceivable aspect of Linux from the technical arcana of kernel development to the relatively unfocused discussion of issues at the newbie level Subscribers to a particular Mailing List are generally very knowledgeable in the List s topic and detailed and useful information is often retrievable The communications are publically accessible through Internet search engines and in the form of online Mailing List Archives You will typically see
9. mpatibility List e Security Information Some websites provide a site search engine that will facilitate your quest for a solution 3 Frequentiy Asked Questions FAQ s 4 Online Troubleshooting Resources HOWTO If you have a problem with a newly installed distribution look here first as bugs and their fixes are typically posted here You may find a detailed guide that will help you accomplish a task such as upgrading your kernel or the version of the XFree86 X Window System you are using I recommend you spend some time at the website familiarizing yourself with what is available 5 Usenet Newsgroup Archives The ability to search for and retrieve information from archived posts to the linux related Usenet newsgroups represents a powerful means of troubleshooting in Linux Search engines permit one to search the archives by stipulating the forum keywords authors dates language and combinations thereof Because the number of linux related newsgroups is large the likelihood of finding useful information is high I would like to relate a brief anecdote to demonstrate the efficacy of this approach The first time I attempted to build a kernel I was presented with this error message when I invoked a make command make 1 as86 Command not found make l bootsect o Error 127 make 1 Leaving directory usr src linux arch i386 boot make zImage Error 2 I had no idea what as86 was but I entered it as th
10. n related to the XFree86 X Window Server 8 OZONU TB keller ee 8 103 GNU So w re and Knaus 9 TAI NSSSAry of Liniz related Eee 9 10 5 An online dictionary of computer and technology terms urs20ssssenssnennsnennnneennnnennnsennnenen 9 10 6 A detailed Guide to Personal Orie eneaneasieaneeeneie ATN 9 II EB ENTE naar 9 Cone uding Dome ee 10 Online Troubleshooting Resources HOWTO Howard Mann howardm xmission com v0 5 18 September 1999 This document will direct Linux users to resources available on the Internet that provide access to a vast amount of Linux related information useful in troubleshooting problems 1 Introduction e 1 1 Document updates e 1 2 Copyright and License e 1 3 Feedback and Corrections 2 HOWTO s and mini HOWTO 3 Frequently Asked Questions FAQ s 4 Online Support Sections 5 Usenet Newsgroup Archives e 5 1 Power Search at deja com e 5 2 Searchlinux com CNET Linux Help 6 Intern rch Engin e 6 1 Google com Online Troubleshooting Resources HOWTO Online Troubleshooting Resources HOWTO 7 Mailing List Archives 8 Online User s Manuals 9 Online Unix Tutorials 10 Miscellaneous Resources e 10 1 Release Notes and Available Documentation related to the XFree86 X Window Server e 10 2 GNU Texinfo pages e 10 3 GNU Software and Manuals e 10 4 Glossary of Linux related terms e 10 5 An online dictionary of computer and technology terms e 10 6 A detailed Gu
11. ne installation and configuration guides are typically found at the relevant website This also applies to major applications like the Gimp GNU Image Manipulation Program So for those users who do not have the printed manual a wealth of installation and configuration guidance is generally available online 7 Mailing List Archives Online Troubleshooting Resources HOWTO 9 Online Unix Tutorials As Linux is a Unix like operating system a general familiarity with fundamental Unix concepts such as the Unix directory hierarchy and file permissions is essential Fortunately there are many Unix tutorials online that collectively cover everything a user might need to know to use Linux I suggest you bookmark the following as an online reference library 1 A large well organized reference at http www dicamp univ trieste it du96 unix TOC html 2 Unixhelp at http www ucs ed ac uk unixhelp servers html 3 Unix is a Four Letter Word at http www linuxbox com taylor 4ltrwrd title html 10 Miscellaneous Resources In this section I provide a number of links to websites that I have found useful while learning to use Linux This is an eclectic collection but keep these handy 10 1 Release Notes and Available Documentation related to the XFree86 X Window Server This documentation accompanies each version of XFree86 and is available at http www xfree86 org Whenever you have trouble with your X environment peruse the note
12. rors in this document and resources deserving of mention but not presently covered herein In anticipation Thanks 2 HOWTO s and mini HOWTO s These documents are associated with the Linux Documentation Project There is an Index page that I suggest you bookmark in your browser These HOWTO s are written by Linux users and are periodically updated by the authors Many authors provide the latest version at a personal website and a hyperlink to the latter is typically provided in the document This version may be newer than that available at the LDP website The document may be published online before its inclusion into the LDP database Note also that other HOWTO s are available the authors of which have not submitted them to the LDP It is definitely worthwhile trying to find these using an Internet search engine as I describe in a subsequent section These documents are particularly useful when you decide to provide or access a new service with your Linux system or when you embark on a technically complex project For example you may have the option of 1 1 Document updates Online Troubleshooting Resources HOWTO accessing the net with an ADSL or Cable Modem service excellent guides are available in the form of HOWTO s In addition authors often include references and links to sites that they have found useful You may find the information you need at one of these hyperlinked sites rather than in the HOWTO itself For example
13. s applicable to your videocard chipset These typically provide details about the configuration of the X window system relative to your card and will enumerate any options you have to include in the XF8 6Config file that governs X 10 2 GNU Texinfo pages A great collection of pages is available at http www geek girl com unix html texinfo Included are links to pages on the following e Bash The Bourne again shell e Configure used when compiling programs from source code e G the GNU C compiler Gecce the C compiler e Libe the GNU C library e Make a program for directing recompilation Note that some of these are included in the docs that come with Linux distributions In general these are detailed technical documents of particular interest to developers However if like me you are not a programmer you may peruse the introductory sections of these documents to get insight for example into those configureand make commands you use when installing applications from source code 9 Online Unix Tutorials Online Troubleshooting Resources HOWTO 10 3 GNU Software and Manuals Many important programs that are frequently utilized by the Linux user are GNU utilities for example the tar archive and gzip compression programs Descriptions of these programs are located at http www gnu org software software html DescriptionsOfGNUSoftware and online manuals for many of these are found at h
14. ternet Considered together these resources enable access to a large ever expanding factual database and my intent is to encourage and direct the reader to utilize these repositories when faced with an issue not addressed in the documentation that is included with each distribution of Linux Linux veterans who assist newcomers through the forum of Usenet soon become aware of the frequency with which certain technical questions are 7 Mailing List Archives 2 Online Troubleshooting Resources HOWTO repeatedly posted questions the answers to which are readily available in one or more of the existent online repositories So to diminish the likelihood of being flamed in response to your posted question on Usenet or irc read further Armed with a browser Linux users may rapidly become adept at troubleshooting their systems The key is knowing how and where to look My objective is to guide the user particularly the Linux newbie in this quest 1 1 Document updates The latest version of this document will always be available at http www newbielinux com my website for Linux newbies 1 2 Copyright and License Copyright c 1999 by Howard Mann This document is governed by the provisions of the LDP Copying License the terms of which are detailed here http www linuxdoc org copyright html 1 3 Feedback and Corrections I always welcome feedback and constructive criticism In particular I wish to be notified about any er
15. ttp www gnu org manual manual html These manuals typically provide a lot more information than is found in the corresponding man page on your system For example compare the man page and online manual for the tar utility 10 4 Glossary of Linux related terms This online guide at http www firstlinux com guide has a nice collection of terms and definitions sorted alphabetically Go here if you encounter a term that you have not seen before or do not understand 10 5 An online dictionary of computer and technology terms The Webopedia website at http www pcwebopedia com consists of a large online dictionary of computer related terms and a search engine that provides links to documents that discuss each item in more detail For example I used this site to learn the differences between ISA and PCI buses 10 6 A detailed Guide to Personal Computers The Topic Index to this voluminous hardware guide at http www PCguide com topic html will give you a great idea of the contents of this website I used it quite frequently when first installing Linux and configuring the X Window System I learnt a lot about videocards and monitors including the concepts of screen resolution color depth etc useful when troubleshooting X display problems 10 7 Gary s Encyclopedia Gary Momarison s website at http members aa net swear pedia index html contains a very large number of sorted Linux related links You may use the find function
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