NTFS support has been slow in coming to Linux. But new drivers are now available that enable you to read from, and even to write to, NTFS partitions, including removable media formatted with NTFS. We show you how.
Don’t waste unused CPU cycles — put them to work compiling software? Rod Smith shows you how to use distcc to harness the power of distributed computing to speed up your compile time.
One of Linux’s greatest strengths is that it’s easily customized. Although most distributions ship with a variety of standard tools for specific purposes (such as sendmail as a mail server or Vixie Cron to handle repeated jobs), alternative tools are readily available. You can rip out just about any component, either removing it entirely or replacing it with something else. Linux lets you remove or replace more components than most operating systems, allowing the savvy administrator to customize a Linux installation for specific purposes.
While cron is the classic standby to run routine tasks on a regular basis, it’s not quite as useful on systems (like laptops and desktops) that may not be powered on when the task is scheduled to run. Fortunately, Linux users have anacron to fill the gap left by cron.
A variety of causes — a forgotten root password, corrupted partition tables, or a corrupt filesystem — can lead to serious problems, up to and including an inability to boot the computer. When such problems occur, it’s time to reach for your first aid kit. Not prepared? Scrub in and learn how to handle the worst. Welcome to the Linux ER.
Start using the Pluggable Authentication Modules(PAM) system to manage login authentication. (You can also read http://www.linux-mag.com/2000-06/guru_01.html.)