Linux, Tips, Tricks & Hacks (2015) [Vol. 02 Rev..

164 Pages·2012·44.25 MB·English

Ubuntu Linux Mint Fedora FREE
(cid:23)(cid:3) (cid:23)(cid:3) (cid:23) TUTORIALS,
8GB SOFTWARE
& DISTROS FOR
ALL READERS
Volume 2
Unlock the potential of open source operating systems
Transform
your system
with essential
software
Discover
incredible
distros
Over
600
C ust o m is e
y o ur Lin u x
experie n c e essential
hints and
tips inside

Welcome to
Linux
The revised second volume of Linux Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks is packed full of
comprehensive features and step-by-step tutorials to help you get the most out of your
Linux system. We start by looking at building your own distros, so you can have a
system that works your way in no time. Whether you’re using your Linux setup as a
development platform, an entertainment system or even as an educational tool there’s
a distro to be built that’s suited to your needs. The Tips section that follows includes
guides to help you build, create and enhance your system – while our Tricks section
features tutorials on some of the most useful free and open-source applications around
and how they can improve your system. After the advanced customisation and
tweaking tutorials found in the Hacks section, we review some of the best distros and
apps that adhere to the FOSS philosophy.

Linux
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Linux Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks Volume 2 Revised Edition © 2015 Imagine Publishing Ltd
ISBN 978-1910 439 791
Part of the
bookazine series
Contents
62
Tricks
62 Network
wirelessly
with wicd
66 Manage your system 90 Edit videos in Kdenlive
with Webmin
70 Synchronise your fi les
92 Build your own private
with Unison
cloud with ownCloud
74 Make a small
96 Design exciting
business database
presentations
with LibreOffi ce
with Hovercraft
78 Create and save
100 Set up a wireless
data with a
access point with a
MongoDB database
Raspberry Pi
82 Maintain and manage
“Find the best
all of your machines
Feature
with Puppet
distros for
86 Visualise
08Build your own distros directory your needs”
Create your own customised structures with
distro and have it your way Graphviz
48
Tips
18 Get started with 40 Host your own
system administration webmail server
24 Test your network’s 44 Deploy Fedora
security over a network
28 Protect your 48 Make your own DEB
network and RPM packages
32 Confi gure a secure 52 Dual-boot from an
virtual private network external hard drive
36 Build your own 54 Run Linux on an
pro-grade fi rewall Android device

6 Linux Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks
Hacks
104 Turbocharge
your cloud Apps
110 Speed up Linux
with Openbox
114 Bypass restrictive fi rewalls 136 openSUSE 146 Ubuntu 153 SpiderOak
using SSH tunnelling 13.1 RC 1 14.04 LTS
118 Create a custom build
138 Linux Mint 16 RC 148 Geany 154 Openshot
of Gentoo
122 Create a custom Linux
140 Tails 1.2 149Eclipse 155 Kdenlive
kernel to optimise
performance
126 Resize your disks on the fl y 142 Fedora 19 150 wattOS R8 156 Clementine
with LVM Schrödinger’s Cat
130 Scrape Wikipedia with 144 LXLE 14.04 152 Dropbox 157 Banshee
Beautiful Soup

Linux Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks 7
Build your own distros
Discover the different methods available for creating
your own customised distro and have everything
working your way in no time
There a few reasons why you might want to build your
own distribution. You might want to build a custom install
CD to match the policy of your organisation. For example,
a GNOME desktop with Chrome as the web browser might
be the standard desktop where you work. That touches
on another motivation for wanting to create a customised
installer: sometimes the creator of the distribution
makes a decision that you simply don't like. Canonical's
decision to switch to its own UI, Unity, ranks amongst its
most controversial decisions. However, by using some
of the methods that we explore here, you could create a
distribution that is standard Ubuntu, but with a traditional
desktop that you are more comfortable with.
There are other, niche reasons for wanting to build your
own distribution. You might need to put something small
and lightweight together for an older computer. You might
need to build a live media ISO that you are able to carry
around with you and to bring your favourite set of tools to
bear when you need them.
The methods of creating a custom distribution
are varied, but they can be divided into two main
categories: you can modify a running distribution and
then distribute it, or you can modify the installation
ISO (called 'remixing') so that it installs your modifi ed
distribution in the way you have specifi ed. We're going to
take a look at four approaches.

8 Linux Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks
Build your own distros
Tip
Remastersys
The 'Start the installer
directly' option on the
GRUB menu is more
Remastersys is a tool that extracts the dependable than
confi guration from a running Ubuntu or installing via the live
Debian installation and then turns this into CD option
an installable ISO image. This means that you
carry out the customisation using the standard
tools that you normally use, such as the package
management system and GUI confi guration
tools. When you have everything set up the way
you want it, you can clone the system and deploy
it. Additionally, you can use Remastersys to
make a clone of a working system.
Fetch Remastersys Pros
You can use the
The development status of Remastersys is standard tools
currently in transition. At time of writing, the to confi gure a
distribution
best policy is to visit the Remastersys website
and to cut and paste the repository details from Cons
there. For example, if you are using Ubuntu Needs the
expertise to
13.10, download the GPG key and add it from the carry out the
command line with: customisations,
doesn't work on
wget -O - http://www.remastersys.com/
all distros, has an
ubuntu/remastersys.gpg.key uncertain future
sudo apt-key add remastersys.gpg.key
then add… (cid:81) Booting from the installation ISO
deb http://www.remastersys.com/ubuntu The future of the GUI portion of the
precise main
…to the end of /etc/apt/sources.lst by invoking a project seems less certain
text editor as root.
Following that, type sudo apt-get install
remastersys remastersys-gui in order to settings will be copied to /etc/skel/. In other
install Remastersys and its GUI. words, these are the settings that will become the
The future of
defaults for all new users on the new system. If
Using Remastersys you skip this stage, new users will simply have the Remastersys
When you have the installation set up the way default settings for the distribution.
you want it, launch Remastersys by typing sudo Finally, build the installation ISO simply by
remastersys-gui. The fi rst option we need to clicking on the Distribution button on the main
The long-time developer of Remastersys
visit is the customisation page which is reached menu page. The ISO is deposited into the /home/
recently decided to give up development.
by clicking on the Customise button. From here, remastersys/ folder. Use networking to transfer
Fortunately, he has chosen to release the
you can change branding options such as the the ISO fi le to the outside of the VM. We usually
source code so that other developers can
various splash images. From within this page, install Filezilla and transfer to a local FTP server.
take up the mantle. The future of the GUI
click on Copy Settings. This takes you to a further You can now boot the ISO on the target machine
portion of the project seems less certain,
page on which you can select the user whose and carry out a regular Ubuntu installation.
but Remastersys is also fully functional
from the command line. For the moment,
the binaries of Remastersys are still freely
available from the developer's web site
(www.remastersys.com).
The situation is constantly in fl ux,
so search around for the latest forks.
The System Imager project, which uses
Remastersys, is a good source of up-to-
date information, and can be found here:
http://system-imaging.blogspot.co.uk.
(cid:81) Copying the skeleton information for new users (cid:81) Building the ISO

Linux Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks 9
Build your own distros
SUSE Studio
SUSE Studio allows you to build a customised
Pros
SUSE Linux installation using a web interface.
Could hardly
Although it's easy to use, that doesn't mean it be easier to
has compromised on options. use, sharing of
appliances is built
Initially, you choose a base template such into the site
as KDE Desktop or Server. From this point, you
begin the confi guration properly. The fi rst tab is Cons
labelled Software, which is where you choose Build speed varies,
you might hit a wall
software packages with an interface that is with really complex
categorised and searchable. customisations
(cid:81) Waiting for the Tip
ISO to build You can upload RPMs
that aren't in the
standard repos using
the software page
(cid:81) Adding in some custom branding
Example deployment:
relate to the latest version of SUSE Linux. Scroll
Business desktop
down to the bottom of the window to choose
Here we're going to put together an example your architecture and then give your appliance
appliance. In this case, the appliance will be a a meaningful name. Click OK, and after a short
business desktop that based around GNOME. delay, we can start honing the appliance to match
We'll add a few customisations as we go along, our own requirements.
and we want to fi nish up with an installable ISO
that we can use for deployment. Start customising
Begin by setting up an account on the SUSE As this is a business desktop, let's add
Studio website (http://susestudio.com). You do LibreOffi ce to it. To do this, select the Software
this by following the 'Sign In Or Create An Account' tab and type the word 'libre' into the search box.
link on the front page, and it is possible to use one The search is real-time, so you should soon be
of your existing social networking accounts such presented with a list of matches. Note that they (cid:81) Selecting software packages to begin
as Facebook or OpenID if you prefer. are sorted by popularity and the package called customising the desktop
Once you have an account, click on 'Create LibreOffi ce should be at the top of the list. Click
New Appliance...'. On the next screen, choose the the '+add' button to add this package. For a big
GNOME Desktop base template, making sure software suite such as LibreOffi ce, it may take
that you are selecting from the templates that a few moments for the interface to register all
of the needed dependencies. Add Firefox too.
You are able Staying in the Software tab for moment, it's worth
noting that you are able to add extra repositories
to add extra and even custom RPM packages.
We'll select the localisation options next.
repositories and Proceed to the Confi guration tab and select
the General sub-tab. In here, select English
(UK) as the language and keyboard layout and
even custom
Europe and United Kingdom as the region and
time zone respectively. Note that you could
RPM packages also have selected Ask on fi rst boot for any of
these options as well. (cid:81) Booting from the installation ISO

10 Linux Tips, Tricks, Apps & Hacks