SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop Administration

1. SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop Administration Chapter 4 Administer Linux with YaST

2. Objectives • Objective 1—YaST Basics • Objective 2—Become Familiar with YaST Modules • Objective 3—Understand the Role of SuSEconfig SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop Administration

3. Objective 1—YaST Basics • YaST (Yet another Setup Tool) • Used to complete many configuration tasks as a SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop administrator • The YaST user interface can appear in two modes: • ncurses: text mode • Qt: fully graphical mode • In the graphical interface, you can control YaST with the mouse • You are asked to enter the root password • See Figure 4-1 SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop Administration

4. Objective 1—YaST Basics (continued) Figure 4-1 Enter root password SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop Administration

5. Objective 1—YaST Basics (continued) Figure 4-2 YaST graphical interface SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop Administration

6. Objective 1—YaST Basics (continued) • To start the ncurses interface of YaST, you can start a terminal emulation • Enter su - to get root permissions • After entering the root password, start YaST by entering yast • See Figure 4-3 • The ncurses interface is controlled with the keyboard • Except for the controls and the appearance • The graphical mode and the text mode of YaST are identical SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop Administration

7. Objective 1—YaST Basics (continued) Figure 4-3 YaST text mode SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop Administration

8. Objective 1—YaST Basics (continued) • You can list the available YaST modules with the yast -l command or yast –list • The main dialog of YaST is called the Yast Control Center • On the right side, you can access any YaST module available • When you finish making changes with a YaST module • YaST uses backend services such as SuSEconfig to implement the changes in the system SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop Administration

9. Objective 2—Become Familiar with YaST Modules • This objective will cover the following modules: • YaST Hardware Information Module • YaST Date and Time Module • YaST Language Module • YaST Keyboard Module SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop Administration

10. YaST Hardware Information Module • Used to gather information on the hardware available in the machine • Not used to change any settings • Invoked by selecting Computer > More Applications > System > YaST > Hardware Information • See Figure 4-4 • You can browse information by expanding the sections of the tree SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop Administration

11. Figure 4-4 YaST Hardware Information module SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop Administration

12. YaST Date and Time Module • Can be used to change the date and time, the time zone, and whether your hardware clock is adjusted to local time or UTC • Started by selecting Computer > More Applications > System > YaST > System > Date and Time • See Figure 4-5 SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop Administration

13. Figure 4-5 YaST Date and Time module SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop Administration

14. YaST Language Module • Changes the language settings in the virtual terminals and on the desktop • Started by selecting Computer > More Applications > System > YaST > Language • See Figure 4-6 • Change the Primary Language in the drop-down list in the upper part of the dialog • Adjust the time zone and keyboard settings according to your language choice • Possible to select secondary languages SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop Administration

15. Figure 4-6 YaST Language module SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop Administration

16. YaST Keyboard Module • Allows you to change the keyboard layout • Started by selecting Computer > More Applications > System > YaST > System > Keyboard Layout • See Figure 4-7 SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop Administration

17. Figure 4-7 YaST Keyboard module SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop Administration

18. Exercise 4-1: Get to Know YaST • In this exercise, you use the different user interfaces of YaST and start some YaST modules to do the following: • Start the graphical user interface of YaST • View the /proc/version file with the YaST System Log module • Set the time and date • View the /proc/version file with the ncurses user interface of YaST SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop Administration

19. Objective 3—Understand the Role of SuSEconfig • You can consider YaST as a front end to various other programs • Most of the time, YaST writes the configuration changes directly into the final configuration file • In other cases, the information you enter is first written to a file in the directory /etc/sysconfig/ • Before it is written into the final configuration file SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop Administration

20. Objective 3—Understand the Role of SuSEconfig (continued) • SuSEconfig • Tool used in SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop to configure the system • According to the variables that are set in the various files in /etc/sysconfig/ and its subdirectories • SuSEconfig acts as a back end for YaST • SuSEconfig uses the subsystem-specific scripts in /sbin/conf.d/ to configure the various subsystems SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop Administration

21. Summary • The main system configuration utility in SLES is YaST • By navigating to the Hardware Information module in YaST, you can view information about your computer hardware that is useful in troubleshooting hardware devices • YaST also contains modules that can be used to configure the time, date, language, and keyboard settings for your SUSE Linux system SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop Administration

22. Summary (continued) • YaST typically saves information to the /etc/sysconfig directory and uses SuSEconfig to configure the information on the system SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop Administration