Introduction

Welcome to the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Step By Step Guide!

By now, you should have read the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Installation Guide and successfully installed Red Hat Enterprise Linux. This manual is designed to help new and intermediate Linux users navigate and perform common tasks. Keep in mind that Linux looks, feels, and performs differently from other operating systems you may have used. Forget about the conventions of other operating systems and, with an open mind, approach Red Hat Enterprise Linux as a new, interesting, and versatile alternative.

This manual is task-oriented. You will find useful tips, hints, warnings, and screen shots interspersed throughout. First, you will learn the basics of using Red Hat Enterprise Linux, such as customizing a desktop, configuring a printer, and getting online. Once the basics are covered, the tasks covered in this manual become progressively more advanced.

Most users choose to work within either the GNOME or KDE graphical desktop environments (other desktop environments are also available). The Red Hat Enterprise Linux Step By Step Guide focuses primarily on how to perform tasks in these two environments.

Topics discussed include:

After conquering the basics of your Red Hat Enterprise Linux system, you may need information on more advanced topics. You can find this information in the Red Hat Enterprise Linux System Administration Guide, the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Reference Guide, the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Introduction to System Administration, and the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Security Guide.

HTML, PDF, and RPM versions of the manuals are available on the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Documentation CD and online at http://www.redhat.com/docs/.

NoteNote
 

Although this manual reflects the most current information possible, read the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Release Notes for information that may not have been available prior to our documentation being finalized. They can be found on the Red Hat Enterprise Linux CD #1 and online at http://www.redhat.com/docs/.

1. Changes to This Manual

This manual was previously published under the title Red Hat Linux Getting Started Guide. It has been renamed and incorporated into the Red Hat Enterprise Linux documentation set. It has been modified to include new features in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 and reflect changes in documented procedures that are not supported in Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Changes to this manual include:

Getting Started With GNU Privacy Guard

This new chapter discusses sending and receiving secure email using GNU Privacy Guard (GPG). The chapter discusses the configuration and usage of GPG with an email client.

Diskettes and CD-ROMs

The section discussing X-CD-Roast was removed as it is no longer included in Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

Email Applications

The section discussing pine was removed as it is no longer included in Red Hat Enterprise Linux.