mirror of https://github.com/tLDP/LDP
616 lines
24 KiB
Plaintext
616 lines
24 KiB
Plaintext
<!doctype article PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook V3.1//EN" [
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<!-- 1.1 Added Geocrawler.com to Mailing List Section.Convert to DocBook (HM) -->
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<!-- 1.2 Added "Introduction to Unix" to Unix section (HM) -->
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<article>
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<artheader>
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<title>Online Troubleshooting Resources : HOWTO</title>
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<mediaobject>
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<imageobject>
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<imagedata fileref="meghan1.jpg" align="left" format="jpg">
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</imageobject>
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<textobject>
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<phrase>Linux Documentation Project</phrase>
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</textobject>
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</mediaobject>
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<author>
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<firstname>Howard</firstname>
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<surname>Mann</surname>
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<authorblurb>
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<para>
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<ulink url="mailto:howardm@xmission.com">howardm@xmission.com</ulink>
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</para>
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</authorblurb>
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</author>
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<author>
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<firstname>Jean-Philippe</firstname>
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<surname>Guérard</surname>
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<authorblurb>
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<para>
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<ulink url="mailto:jean-philippe.guerard@laposte.net">jean-philippe.guerard@laposte.net</ulink>
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</para>
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</authorblurb>
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</author>
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<releaseinfo>v 1.4 March 4, 2002</releaseinfo>
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<abstract>
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<para>
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This document will direct Linux users to resources available on the Internet
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that provide access to a vast amount of Linux-related information useful in
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troubleshooting problems
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</para>
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</abstract>
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</artheader>
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<sect1 id="intro">
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<title>Introduction</title>
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<para>The traditional means of troubleshooting computer-related problems
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involves consulting user's manuals, books, friends - probably enticed with
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goodies - and, when all the former do not yield a solution, calling the
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technical support service of the vendor of the product in question. And, we all
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know pleasant and reliably efficacious the latter stratagem is. Unfortunately,
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this is the norm in the sphere of commercial proprietary products. </para>
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<para>In contradistinction, Linux, and related distributions, utilities and
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applications software, has largely been developed according to the <ulink
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url="http://www.opensource.org" >Open Source</ulink> model, wherein developers
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have used electronic communication over the Internet - typically in the form of
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publically-accessible Mailing Lists - to collaborate with their peers in
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the refinement of the associated source code. Such collaboration has
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also traditionally involved the online publication of user's manuals,
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lists of Frequently-Asked-Questions (FAQ's), knowledge bases, release
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notes, formal guides such as this document (HOWTO's) and tutorials. In
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addition, users often assist others through the forum of Usenet and
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other newsgroups and the posted messages are readily accessible in the
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form of searchable archives. These linux-related newsgroups are renowned
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for their high level of user participation. In significant measure,
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Linux may be considered a product of the Internet.</para>
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<para>Considered together, these resources enable access to a large,
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ever-expanding factual database, and my intent is to encourage and direct the
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reader to utilize these repositories when faced with an issue not addressed in
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the documentation that is included with each distribution of Linux. Linux
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veterans who assist newcomers through the forum of Usenet soon become aware of
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the frequency with which certain technical questions are repeatedly posted -
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questions the answers to which are readily available in one or more of the
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existent online repositories. So, to diminish the likelihood of being "flamed"
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in response to your posted question on Usenet or irc , read further!</para>
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<para>Armed with a browser, Linux users may rapidly become adept at
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troubleshooting their systems. The key is knowing how and where to look. My
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objective is to guide the user - particularly the Linux newbie - in this
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quest.</para>
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</sect1>
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<sect1 id="docupdates">
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<title>Document Updates</title>
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<para>The latest version of this document will always be available via the
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<emphasis>HOWTO index</emphasis> at the <ulink
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url="http://www.linuxdoc.org">Linux Documentation Project</ulink>
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The document will also be available in SGML, PS, PDF, and other
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formats at that website.
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</para>
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<sect2>
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<title>Copyright and License</title>
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<para>Copyright (c) 1999-2000 , by Howard Mann.
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</para>
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<para>Copyright (c) 2002 , by Jean-Philippe Guérard.
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</para>
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<para>
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Publication and distribution of this document is governed by the terms of the
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<ulink url="http://www.opencontent.org/openpub/">Open Publication
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License</ulink> , Draft version 0.4, June 8, 1999, or later.
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</para>
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</sect2>
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<sect2>
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<title>Feedback and Corrections</title>
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<para>I always welcome feedback and constructive criticism. You can
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reach me at <ulink url="mailto:jean-philippe.guerard@laposte.net">
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jean-philippe.guerard@laposte.net</ulink>. In particular, I wish to be
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notified about any errors in this document and resources you believe
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deserving of inclusion, but not presently covered herein. Because the
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assessment of the value of a particular resource is inherently
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subjective, I do not guarantee that I will include it, but I will
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certainly give any suggestion thoughtful consideration. In anticipation,
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Thanks.
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</para>
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</sect2>
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</sect1>
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<sect1 id="howtos">
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<title>HOWTOs and mini-HOWTOs</title>
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<para>HOWTOs are detailed reference documents on a specific subject,
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usually following a step-by-step approach. A HOWTO is a good document to
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help you discover a task or a topic you don't know. It will provide you
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with the basic steps and the major references.</para>
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<para>These documents are particularly useful when you decide to provide or
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access a new service with your Linux system, or when you embark on a technically
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complex project. For example, you may have the option of accessing the 'net with
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a DSL or Cable Modem service - excellent guides are available in the form of
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HOWTOs.</para>
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<para>Authors of these documents often include references and links to
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sites that they have found useful. You may find the information you need
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at one of these hyperlinked sites rather than in the HOWTO itself. For
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example, I found <ulink url="http://www.scyld.com/network/">Linux
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Network Drivers</ulink>, an interesting site for information about
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Network
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Interface Card drivers, in the Ethernet HOWTO.</para>
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<para>To find HOWTOs, the first place to go is the <ulink
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url="http://www.linuxdoc.org">Linux Documentation Project (LDP)</ulink>.
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The LDP includes a <ulink
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url="http://www.linuxdoc.org/HOWTO/HOWTO-INDEX/howtos.html">HOWTO
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Index Page</ulink> that I suggest you bookmark in your browser.</para>
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<para>These HOWTOs are written by Linux users and are periodically
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updated by the authors. Many authors provide the latest version at a
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personal website and a hyperlink to the latter is typically provided in
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the document. This version may be newer than the one available at the
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LDP website.</para>
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<para>Note also that other HOWTOs are available, the authors of which
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have not submitted them to the LDP. It is definitely worthwhile trying
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to find these using an Internet search engine as I describe in a
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subsequent section.</para>
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</sect1>
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<sect1 id="faqs">
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<title>Frequently-Asked-Questions (FAQs)</title>
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<para>Users of Internet Newsgroups and Mailing lists soon discovered
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that some basic questions were being asked over and over again.
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To provide an answer to these questions, and to avoid them
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being repeated continually, FAQs were developed, listing the most
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classical questions and their agreed answers.</para>
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<para>A list of FAQs is also a traditional accompaniment to
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Linux-related software. The FAQ is the first document to peruse when
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troubleshooting a particular application. It provides answers to typical
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questions, and is a good place to start troubleshooting a specific
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problem. In addition, FAQs exist for Linux distributions, window
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managers, and the so-called desktop environments (KDE and
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Gnome).</para>
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<para>A FAQ is typically provided online by the developers of the
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product in question, and enterprising users sometimes host an
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<quote>unofficial</quote> FAQ as well. Search for the latter with an
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Internet search engine.</para>
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<para>For Linux newbies, I provide links to two FAQs that collectively
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address <emphasis>many</emphasis> of the questions posted to the Usenet
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newsgroups :</para>
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<itemizedlist>
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<listitem>
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<para><ulink url="http://www.fokus.gmd.de/linux/FAQ/Linux-FAQ/">The
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Linux FAQ</ulink>
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</para>
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</listitem>
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<listitem>
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<para><ulink url="http://www.tux.org/lkml/">The Linux Kernel mailing
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list FAQ</ulink></para>
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</listitem>
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</itemizedlist>
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</sect1>
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<sect1 id="onlinesupport">
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<title>Online Support Sections</title>
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<para>These sections are typically found at the websites of Linux
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distributions, and often contain a variety of helpful documents with information
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not easily encompassed within a FAQ. Look for sections with one or more of the
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following titles:</para>
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<itemizedlist>
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<listitem>
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<para>Installation Support</para>
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</listitem>
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<listitem><para>Knowledge or Solutions Databases</para>
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</listitem>
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<listitem><para>Tips and Tricks</para>
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</listitem>
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<listitem><para>Errata, Fixes and Updates</para>
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</listitem>
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<listitem><para>White Papers</para>
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</listitem>
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<listitem><para>Technical Guides</para>
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</listitem>
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<listitem><para>Hardware Guide or Compatibility List</para>
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</listitem>
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<listitem><para>Security Information</para>
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</listitem>
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<listitem><para>Bug Tracking System</para>
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</listitem>
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<listitem><para>Bug Database</para>
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</listitem>
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</itemizedlist>
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<para>Some websites provide a site search engine that will facilitate your quest
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for a solution.
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</para>
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<para>If you have a problem with a newly installed distribution, look here first
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as bugs and their fixes are typically posted here. You may find a detailed guide
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that will help you accomplish a task such as upgrading your kernel or the
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version of the X Window System you are using.
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</para>
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<para>I recommend you spend some time at the website of the distribution you are
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using, familiarizing yourself with what is available.
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</para>
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</sect1>
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<sect1 id="usenet">
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<title>Usenet Newsgroup Archives</title>
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<para>The ability to search for and retrieve information from archived posts
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to the linux-related (Usenet) newsgroups represents a powerful means of
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troubleshooting in Linux.</para>
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<para>Search engines permit one to search the archives by stipulating the forum,
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keywords, authors, dates, language and combinations thereof. Because the number
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of linux-related newsgroups is large, the likelihood of finding useful
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information is high.</para>
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<para>The main web site that currently provides access to Usenet
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archives using a search engine is <ulink
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url="http://groups.google.com">groups.google.com</ulink>. The most
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effective way to do a search is to use its <ulink
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url="http://groups.google.com/advanced_group_search">Advanced
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Groups Search page</ulink>.</para>
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<para>I would like to relate a brief anecdote to demonstrate the efficacy of
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this approach. The first time I attempted to build a kernel, I was presented
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with this error message when I invoked a <quote>make</quote> command:</para>
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<screen>make[1]: as86: Command not found make[1]: *** [bootsect.o] Error 127
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make[1]: Leaving directory `/usr/src/linux/arch/i386/boot' make: *** [zImage]
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Error 2</screen>
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<para>I had no idea what <emphasis>as86</emphasis> was, but I entered
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it as the keyword in the <emphasis>Subject</emphasis> field of the
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Advanced Groups Search page at groups.google.com, and was presented
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with a large number of posts from folks who had encountered the same
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problem. Respondents had provided the reason and solution: I did not
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have an assembler/linker necessary to create machine code, and the
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<emphasis>bin86</emphasis> package provided it. I downloaded and
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installed a RPM package of the latter and was on my way. This entire
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process took about 10 minutes (I do have an ADSL connection to the 'net
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!).</para>
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</sect1>
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<sect1 id="searchengines">
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<title>Internet Search Engines</title>
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<para>I frequently use a Search Engine to retrieve helpful or necessary
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information from the 'net. These engines catalogue pages from commercial,
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personal and academic websites, as well as Mailing Lists and the like.</para>
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<para>Of course, there are a large number of available Search Engines, and I
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suggest you try several before giving up on a particular quest. Research has
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shown that any one of them catalogues but a small portion of existent web pages.
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It is worthwhile becoming very familiar with the operational details of at
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least one non-directory engine to maximize the efficiency and efficacy of your
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search efforts. You probably already have a favorite - I like
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<emphasis>Google.com</emphasis>, and will discuss it in a little more
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detail.</para>
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<sect2 id="google">
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<title>Google.com</title>
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<para>This engine has several novel features that are described in its
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<ulink url="http://www.google.com/why_use.html">Why use Google.com
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page</ulink>. In particular, the engine often returns the most useful
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pages first; in fact, I have often found that the first listed page
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contains the information I need. Because it caches web pages, it is
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relatively fast at displaying requested items. It has a so-called
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<emphasis>GoogleScout (TM)</emphasis> feature, activated by clicking on
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the "similar pages" links, that provides additional relevant links with
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each item returned.</para>
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<para>In addition, it has a specialized <ulink
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url="http://www.google.com/linux">Linux Search Engine</ulink> that I use as my
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primary Internet search tool. It searches the database of linux-related pages at
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Google.com further promoting search efficiency. Try it - I am confident
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you will bookmark it immediately.</para>
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</sect2>
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</sect1>
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<sect1 id="mailinglists">
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<title>Mailing List Archives</title>
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<para>As you might expect, there are a very large number of linux-related
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Mailing Lists that enable developers and users to communicate and collaborate on
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projects. These Lists cover every conceivable aspect of Linux, from the
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technical arcana of kernel development to the relatively unfocused discussion of
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issues at the newbie level. Subscribers to a particular Mailing List are
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generally very knowledgeable in the List's topic, and detailed and useful
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information is often retrievable. The communications are publically accessible
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through Internet search engines and in the form of online Mailing List Archives.
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You will typically see archived pages when you conduct a search using an
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Internet search engine.</para>
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<para>Not all Mailing Lists are associated with an online archive, but this is
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increasingly the case. Similarly, not all archives have an associated search
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engine.</para>
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<para>Initially, try locate the Mailing List Archive you are interested in by
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typing a keyword/s and "mailing list archive" in an Internet search
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engine.</para>
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<para>For a listing of linux-related Mailing Lists, peruse websites such as the
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<ulink url="http://www.linuxrx.com/Lists/Lists.perl">Linux Resource
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Exchange</ulink> and the <ulink url="http://www.linux.org/help/lists.html">Linux
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Online Mailing Lists</ulink></para>
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<para>A relatively new, excellent Mailing List resource is <ulink
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url="http://www.geocrawler.com">Geocrawler (The Knowledge Archive)</ulink>. This
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is a continuously updated, searchable archive of a large number of Lists that
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also allows one to register and subsequently post to any particular Mailing
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List. Its user interface is simple and its search function delivers messages
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very quickly. I highly recommend this site.</para>
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<para>You may also find Mailing List archives at the following locations
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:</para>
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<itemizedlist>
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<listitem><para>The website of the distribution of Linux you use.</para>
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</listitem>
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<listitem><para>The website of the Window Manager or Desktop
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Environment you use.</para></listitem>
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<listitem><para>The website dedicated to the application or project in
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question.</para></listitem>
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<listitem><para><ulink url="http://www.mail-archive.com/lists.html">The Mail
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Archive</ulink></para></listitem>
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<listitem><para><ulink url="http://www.uwsg.indiana.edu/hypermail/">Mailing List
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Archives</ulink></para></listitem>
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<!-- <listitem><para><ulink url="http://kernelnotes.org/lnxlists/">The -->
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<!-- Linux MailingList Archives</ulink></para></listitem> -->
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<listitem><para><ulink url="http://www.tux.org/hypermail/">Tux Mailing List
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Archives</ulink></para></listitem>
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</itemizedlist>
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<para>This is not a complete listing of archives and you may find additional
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sites with an Internet search engine. But, this should certainly get you
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going.</para>
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</sect1>
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<sect1 id="usersmanuals">
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<title>Online User's Manuals</title>
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<para>Some of the major Linux distributions, Window Managers and Desktop
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Environments publish their user's manual online. If the entire manual is not
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online, installation and configuration guides are typically found at the
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relevant website. This also applies to major applications like the
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<emphasis>Gimp</emphasis> (GNU Image Manipulation Program).</para>
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<para>So, for those users who do not have the printed manual, a wealth of
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installation and configuration guidance is generally available online.</para>
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</sect1>
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<sect1 id="unixrefs">
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<title>Online Unix References and Tutorials</title>
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<para>As Linux is a Unix-like operating system, a general familiarity with
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fundamental Unix concepts such as the Unix directory hierarchy and file
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permissions is essential. Fortunately, there are many Unix tutorials online that
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collectively cover everything a user might need to know to use Linux. I suggest
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you bookmark the following as an online reference library:</para>
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<itemizedlist>
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<listitem><para><ulink
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url="http://www.tru64unix.compaq.com/docs/base_doc/DOCUMENTATION/V40D_HTML/APS2HDTE/TITLETXT.HTM"
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>The Command and Shell User's guide</ulink> from Digital Equipment
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Corporation is an excellent guide to the Unix Operating System. Bookmark
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the <emphasis>Index Page</emphasis> linked there as an online
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reference.</para></listitem>
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<listitem><para><ulink
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url="http://www.ucs.ed.ac.uk/~unixhelp/servers.html">UNIXhelp</ulink> is
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mirrored on many servers around the world. It is a useful resource for
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newbies.</para></listitem>
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<listitem><para><ulink
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url="http://wks.uts.ohio-state.edu/unix_course/intro-1.html">Introduction to
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Unix</ulink> also contains a useful <ulink
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url="http://wks.uts.ohio-state.edu/unix_course/intro-137.html#HEADING137-0">Unix
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Command Summary</ulink> page with brief, but useful, explanations of commonly
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used Unix commands.</para></listitem>
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<listitem><para><ulink
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url="http://people.msoe.edu/~taylor/4ltrwrd/">Unix is a Four Letter
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Word...</ulink> is another resource suitable for newbies.</para>
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</listitem>
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<!-- <listitem><para><ulink -->
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<!-- url="http://netizen.com.au/services/training/">Unix -->
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<!-- Tools</ulink> contains useful descriptions of utilities, such -->
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<!-- as <emphasis>tar</emphasis>, that are commonly used in daily -->
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<!-- work.</para></listitem> -->
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</itemizedlist>
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</sect1>
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<!-- <sect1 id="kernel"> -->
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<!-- <title>Linux Kernel Resources</title> -->
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<!-- <para>If you would like current information about the Linux -->
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<!-- kernel, <ulink -->
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<!-- url="http://www.kernelnotes.org">Kernelnotes.org</ulink> -->
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<!-- is the site you should visit. At this site, you can find out -->
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<!-- information about the stable and development versions of the -->
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<!-- kernel, as well as information about upgrading the -->
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<!-- kernel. It has links to unofficial patches and drivers, and -->
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<!-- much more.</para> -->
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<!-- </sect1> -->
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<sect1 id="miscresources">
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<title>Miscellaneous Resources</title>
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<para>In this section, I provide a number of links to websites that I have
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found useful while learning to use Linux. This is an eclectic collection, but
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keep these handy.</para>
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<sect2 id="Xwindow">
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<title>Release Notes and Available Documentation related to the XFree86
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X Window Server</title>
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<para>This documentation accompanies each version of XFree86, and is
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available at the <ulink url="http://www.xfree86.org/">XFree86 website</ulink>.
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Whenever you have trouble with your X environment, peruse the notes applicable
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to your videocard and chipset. These typically provide details about the
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configuration of the X Window System relative to your card, and will
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enumerate any "options" you have to include in the<filename>
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XF86Config</filename> file that governs X.</para>
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</sect2>
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<sect2 id="texinfo">
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<title>GNU Texinfo pages</title>
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<para>A great collection of pages is available at the <ulink
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url="http://www.geek-girl.com/unix.html#texinfo">Geek Girl.com website</ulink>.
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Included are links to pages on the following: </para>
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<itemizedlist>
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<listitem><para><emphasis>Bash</emphasis> - The Bourne-again
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shell</para></listitem>
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<listitem><para><emphasis>Configure</emphasis> - used when compiling
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programs from source code</para></listitem>
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<listitem><para><emphasis>G++ </emphasis> - the GNU C++
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compiler</para></listitem>
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<listitem><para><emphasis>Gcc</emphasis> - the C compiler</para></listitem>
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<listitem><para><emphasis>Libc</emphasis> - the GNU C library</para></listitem>
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<listitem><para><emphasis>Make</emphasis> - a program for directing
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recompilation</para></listitem>
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</itemizedlist>
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<para>Note that some of these are included in the <quote>docs</quote> that come
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with Linux distributions. In general, these are detailed technical documents of
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particular interest to developers. However, if like me, you are not a
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programmer, you may peruse the introductory sections of these documents to get
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insight, for example, into those <Literal remap="tt">configure</Literal>and
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<Literal remap="tt">make</Literal> commands you use when installing applications
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from source code.</para>
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</sect2>
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<sect2 id="gnumanuals">
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<title>GNU Software and Manuals</title>
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<para>Many important programs that are frequently utilized by the Linux user are
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GNU utilities - for example, the <application>tar</application> (archive) and
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<application>gzip</application> (compression) programs. Descriptions of these
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programs are located at the <ulink
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url="http://www.gnu.org/software/software.html#DescriptionsOfGNUSoftware">GNU.org
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website</ulink> where many <ulink
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url="http://www.gnu.org/manual/manual.html">Online Manuals</ulink> may also be
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found.</para>
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<para>These manuals typically provide a lot more information than is found in
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the corresponding <application>man</application> page on your system. For
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example , compare the <application>man</application> page and online manual for
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the <application>tar</application> utility. </para>
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</sect2>
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<sect2 id="glossary">
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<title>Glossary of Linux-related terms</title>
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<para>The <ulink url="http://www.firstlinux.com/guide/">First Linux</ulink>
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online guide has a nice collection of terms and definitions, sorted
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alphabetically. Go here if you encounter a term that you have not seen before or
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do not understand.</para>
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</sect2>
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<sect2 id="webopedia">
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<title>An online dictionary of computer and technology terms</title>
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<para>The <ulink url="http://www.pcwebopedia.com/">PC Webopedia</ulink> consists
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of a large online dictionary of computer-related terms and a search engine that
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provides links to documents that discuss each item in more detail. For example,
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I used this site to learn the differences between <emphasis>ISA</emphasis> and
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<emphasis>PCI</emphasis> buses.</para>
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</sect2>
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<sect2 id="pcs">
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<title>A detailed Guide to Personal Computers</title>
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<para>The Topic Index to the voluminous hardware guide at <ulink
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url="http://www.PCguide.com/topic.html">PC guide.com</ulink> will give you a
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great idea of the contents of this website. I used it quite frequently when
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first installing Linux and configuring the X Window System. I learnt a lot about
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videocards and monitors, including the concepts of screen resolution, color
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depth etc., useful when troubleshooting X display problems.</para>
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</sect2>
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<!-- <sect2 id="encyclo"> -->
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<!-- <title>Gary's Encyclopedia</title> -->
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<!-- <para><ulink -->
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<!-- url="http://members.aa.net/~swear/pedia/index.html">Gary -->
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<!-- Momarison's website</ulink> contains a very large number of -->
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<!-- sorted Linux-related -->
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<!-- links. You may use the <quote>find</quote> function in your -->
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|
<!-- browser to find links in a particular category. Peruse this -->
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<!-- website to appreciate what it has to offer.</para> -->
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<!-- </sect2> -->
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</sect1>
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<sect1 id="conclusions">
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<title>Concluding Comments</title>
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<para>If you are a Linux newbie, you may want to create a
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<emphasis>Troubleshooting</emphasis> folder in your browser's bookmark list,
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into which you put the hyperlinks I have included in this document, as well as
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those pertinent to the distribution of Linux and the Window Manager
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|
or Desktop Environment you use. </para>
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<para>As you use these links, you will quickly become adept at troubleshooting
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online.</para>
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<para>Cheers and happy searching !</para>
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</sect1>
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</article>
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