The Linux Documentation Project (LDP) is working on developing good,
reliable documentation for the Linux operating system. The overall
goal of the LDP is to collaborate in taking care of all of the issues
of Linux documentation, ranging from online documentation (man pages,
HTML, and so on) to printed manuals covering topics such as
installing, using, and running Linux. Here is the Linux Documentation
Project Manifesto and
Copyright License for LDP works.
Translations of LDP works (languages other than
English) can be found on the "Non-English
Linux Info" links page.
A subset of Debian manuals are
now available.
Additional documentation (HOWTOs, FAQs, etc) can
be found here.
Older and unmaintained (but still pertinent)
guides can be found here.
Search the LDP documents from
our search page.
|
Current / Maintained Guides
|
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Advanced Bash-Scripting Guide
This document is both a tutorial and a reference on shell scripting
with Bash. It assumes no previous knowledge of scripting or
programming, but progresses rapidly toward an intermediate/advanced
level of instruction. The exercises and heavily-commented
examples invite active reader participation. Still, it is a work in
progress. The intention is to add much supplementary material in
future updates to this document, as it evolves into a comprehensive
book that matches or surpasses any of the shell scripting manuals in
print.
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Linux on the Road
Linux with Laptops, Notebooks, PDAs, Mobile Phones and Other Portable Devices
Though there are laptop, notebook, PDA and mobile phone related HOWTOs
available already, this guide contains a concise survey of documents
related to mobile computer devices. Also Linux features, such as
installation methods for laptops, notebooks and PDAs as well as
configurations for different (network) environments are described.
Although there are some caveats, Linux is a better choice for mobile
computer devices than most other operating systems. Because it supports
numerous installation methods, works in many heterogenoues environments
and needs smaller resources.
-
Windows+OpenSolaris+CentOS Installation Guide
Explains how three different operating systems can be installed and
configured on a single hard disk. The reader may choose from: Microsoft
Windows NT/2K/XP + OpenSolaris 2008.11 + CentOS 5.2. Only x86 & x86-compatible
architecture multi-booting is discussed and GNU GRUB is the boot loader of choice.
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Bash Guide for Beginners
| version: |
1.11 |
| author: |
Machtelt Garrels,
<tille>
|
| last update: |
Dec 2008 |
| ISBN: |
0-9744339-4-2 |
| available formats: |
- HTML (read online)
- HTML
(read online, single file, 530k)
- HTML
(tarred and gzipped package, 514K)
- PDF (1.2M)
- PostScript (1.0M)
- text (110k)
- PluckerDB (165k)
|
The Bash Guide for Beginners gets you started with Bash scripting and
bridges the gap between the Bash HOWTO and the Advanced Bash Scripting
Guide. Everybody who wants to make life easier on themselves, power users
and sysadmins alike, can benefit from reading this practical course. The
guide contains lots of examples and exercises at the end of each chapter,
demonstrating the theory and helping you practice. Bash is available on
a wide variety of UNIX, Linux, MS Windows and other systems.
-
Introduction to Linux - A Hands on Guide
| version: |
1.27 |
| author: |
Machtelt Garrels,
<tille> |
| last update: |
Jun 2008 |
| ISBN: |
1596821124 |
| available formats: |
- HTML
(read online)
- HTML
(read online, single file, 800k)
- HTML
(tarred and gzipped package, 1.1M)
- PDF (1.6M)
- PostScript (1.4M)
- text (187k)
- PluckerDB (254k)
|
This guide was created as an overview of the Linux Operating System,
geared toward new users as an exploration tour and getting started
guide, with exercises at the end of each chapter. For more advanced
trainees it can be a desktop reference, and a collection of the base
knowledge needed to proceed with system and network administration.
This book contains many real life examples derived from the author's
experience as a Linux system and network administrator, trainer and
consultant. We hope these examples will help you to get a better
understanding of the Linux system and that you feel encouraged to try
out things on your own.
-
GNU/Linux Command-Line Tools Summary
This document is an attempt to provide a summary of useful command-line
tools available to a GNU/Linux based operating system, the tools listed
are designed to benefit the majority of users and have being chosen at
the authors discretion. This document is not a comprehensive list of every
existent tool available to a GNU/Linux based system, nor does it have in-depth
explanations of how things work. It is a summary which can be used to learn
about and how to use many of the tools available to a GNU/Linux-based
operating system.
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LDP Author Guide
This guide describes the process of submitting and publishing a document with
The Linux Documentation Project (TLDP). It includes information about the tools,
toolchains and formats used by TLDP. The document's primary audience is new TLDP
authors, but it also contains information for seasoned documentation authors.
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The Linux Kernel Module Programming Guide
| available versions: |
2.4 and 2.6 |
| authors: |
Peter Jay Salzman, Michael Burian, Ori Pomerantz |
| last update: |
May 2007 (kernel version 2.6)
Jul 2004 (kernel version 2.4)
|
available formats
(kernel version 2.6): |
- HTML (read online)
- HTML
(read online, single file, 214k)
- HTML
(tarred and gzipped package, 122k)
- PDF (539k)
- PluckerDB (155k)
- PostScript (497k)
- text (gzipped, 62k)
|
available formats
(kernel version 2.4): |
- HTML (read online)
- HTML
(read online, single file, 208k)
- HTML
(tarred and gzipped package, 114k)
- PDF (153k)
- PostScript (65k)
- text (gzipped, 57k)
|
A guide to programming Linux kernel modules.
-
The Linux System Administrators' Guide
This is the third book in the main LDP series, and assumes
knowledge of everything in the Installation and Users' Guides. It
will cover all of the aspects of keeping the system running,
handling user accounts, backups, configuration of the system,
installing and upgrading software, and more. Whereas some of
this information is in the Installation Guide (just to get the
system off the ground) this book should be much more complete.
Also visit the Linux System
Administrators Guide Homepage.
-
Pocket Linux Guide
The Pocket Linux Guide is for anyone interested in learning the
techniques of building a GNU/Linux system from source code. The guide
is structured as a project that builds a small diskette-based
GNU/Linux system called Pocket Linux. Each chapter explores a small
piece of the overall system explaining how it works, why it is needed
and how to build it. After completing the Pocket Linux project,
readers should possess an enhanced knowledge of what makes GNU/Linux
systems work as well as the confidence to explore larger, more
complex source-code-only projects.
-
Guide to Managing Media and Public Relations in the Linux Community
| version: |
1.1 |
| author: |
The Linux Professional Institute
Sheldon Rose
|
| last update: |
Apr 2005 |
| available formats: |
- HTML (read online)
- HTML
(read online, single file, 129k)
- HTML
(tarred and gzipped package, 52k)
- PDF (398k)
- PostScript (367k)
- text (113k)
- PluckerDB (62k)
|
This guide provides useful information on how to generate positive public
relations and news media coverage for Linux.
-
EVMS User Guide
| version: |
2.4.0 |
| authors: |
Christine Lorenz, IBM
Joy Goodreau, IBM
Kylie Smith, IBM |
| last update: |
September, 2004 |
| available formats: |
- HTML (read online)
- HTML
(read online, single file, 370k)
- HTML
(tarred and gzipped package, 205k)
- PDF (423k)
- PostScript (210k)
- text (290k)
- PluckerDB (142k)
|
This book is designed to address user's questions about Enterprise
Volume Management System (EVMS) and provide a context for using EVMS.
For additional information about EVMS or to ask questions specific
to your distribution, the EVMS
mailing lists are an excellent resource. You can view the list
archives or subscribe to the lists from the
EVMS Project web site.
-
Linux Dictionary
-
Linux Filesystem Hierarchy
This document outlines the set of requirements and guidelines for
file and directory placement under the Linux operating system
according to those of the FSSTND v2.3 final (January 29, 2004) and also
its actual implementation on an arbitrary system. It is meant to be
accessible to all members of the Linux community, be distribution
independent and is intended discuss the impact of the FSSTND and how
it has managed to increase the efficiency of support interoperability
of applications, system administration tools, development tools, and
scripts as well as greater uniformity of documentation for these
systems.
-
Custom Linux: A Porting Guide - Porting LinuxPPC to a Custom SBC
This guide describes a work in progress, to port Linux to a custom
PowerPC-based board. This means making
the operating system work on unfamiliar hardware. Anyone,
who is on the same track might benefit from
reading this paper, as it highlights the pitfalls and problematic
points along the way.
-
Linux From Scratch
Derived from the popular Linux-From-Scratch-HOWTO, this book
describes the process of creating your own Linux system from
scratch from an already installed Linux distribution, using nothing
but the sources of software that are needed.
More information can be found at
http://www.linuxfromscratch.org.
-
The Bugzilla Guide
| version: |
2.16.3 |
| author: |
Matthew P. Barnson,
<mbarnson@sisna.com>
|
| last update: |
April 2003 |
| available formats: |
- HTML (read
online)
- HTML
(tarred and gzipped package, 261k)
- PDF (465k)
|
This document is intended to be the comprehensive guide to the
installation, administration, maintenance, and use of the Bugzilla
bug-tracking system.
-
Linux Kernel 2.4 Internals
| author: |
Tigran Aivazian,
<tigran@veritas.com>
|
| last update: |
August 2002 |
| available formats: |
- HTML (read online)
- HTML
(tarred and gzipped package, 80k)
- PDF (256k)
|
An introduction to the Linux 2.4 kernel. The author is working as
senior Linux kernel engineer at VERITAS Software Ltd and wrote this
book for the purpose of supporting the short training course/lectures
he gave on this subject, internally at VERITAS.
-
Securing & Optimizing Linux: The Ultimate Solution
Mastering security with Linux and getting the maximum out
of your system have never been easier. Securing & Optimizing Linux:
The Ultimate Solution (v2.0) has been written and achieved with
tightening security to an incomparable level in mind. One of
its main features is the easy path from
beginning to end in a smooth manner, step by step for beginners
as well as for experts.
More information (and updates) available from:
http://www.openna.com/products/books.php.
older version:
Securing and Optimizing Linux Red Hat Edition - A Hands on Guide
-
Emacspeak User's Guide
| version: |
1.3 |
| author: |
Jennifer Jobst,
<jobst@us.ibm.com>
|
| last update: |
July 2002 |
| available formats: |
- HTML (read online)
- HTML
(tarred and gzipped package, 23k)
- PDF (89k)
|
This document helps Emacspeak users become familiar with Emacs as
an audio desktop and provides tutorials on many common tasks and
the Emacs applications available to perform those tasks.
-
The Linux Cookbook: Tips and Techniques for Everyday Use
Removed at the author's request.
-
The Linux Network Administrator's Guide, Second Edition
| version: |
1.1 |
| authors: |
Olaf Kirch and Terry Dawson |
| last update: |
March 2000 |
| ISBN: |
1-56592-400-2 |
| available formats: |
- HTML (read online)
- HTML (tarred
and gzipped package, 690k)
- PDF (1.5MB)
|
This book was written to provide a single reference for network
administration in a Linux environment. Beginners and experienced
users alike should find the information they need to cover nearly all
important administration activities required to manage a Linux
network configuration. The possible range of topics to cover is
nearly limitless, so of course it has been impossible to include
everything there is to say on all subjects. We've tried to cover the
most important and common ones. We've found that beginners to Linux
networking, even those with no prior exposure to Unix-like operating
systems, have found this book good enough to help them successfully
get their Linux network configurations up and running and get them
ready to learn more.
-
Linux Administrator's Security Guide
Removed at the request of the author (book is now more
"dynamic"). Please access
the Linux Administrator's Security Guide at the
following location:
http://www.seifried.org/lasg/
-
Linux System Administration Made Easy
| version: |
1.06 |
| author: |
Steve Frampton |
| last update: |
November 1999 |
| available formats: |
- HTML
(read online)
- HTML
(tarred and gzipped package, 99k)
- other
: PDF, PostScript, text, and SGML source
|
The Linux Administration Made Easy (LAME) guide attempts to
describe day-to-day administration and maintenance issues commonly
faced by Linux system administrators.
This book can be purchased from bookstores,
more information can be found
here.
|
Older / Unmaintained (but still pertinent) Guides
|
-
The Linux Network Administrators' Guide
This guide supplements the System Administrators' Guide and cover
all of the diverse issues of networking under Linux, from UUCP to
serial connections to TCP/IP. Many Linux users won't have access
to such a network, so this information is in a separate manual.
It contains an intro to TCP/IP and UUCP (for those who have never
used such networks before, lots of background information),
TCP/IP, UUCP, SLIP, and DNS configuration, configuration of mail
systems such as sendmail and Smail, setting up NNTP and news, and
NFS.
-
The Linux Programmer's Guide
| version: |
0.4 |
| authors: |
B. Scott
Burkett, Sven Goldt, John D. Harper, Sven van der Meer and Matt Welsh
|
| last update: |
March 1996 |
| available formats: |
- PDF (recommended format)
- HTML (read online)
- HTML
(tarred and gzipped package, 140k)
- other
: DVI, LaTeX source, PDF and PostScript.
- Example source
code is also available.
- various
(non-English) translations
|
The Linux Programmer's Guide is meant to do what the name implies
-- It is to help Linux programmers understand the peculiarities
of Linux. By its nature, this also means that it should be useful
when porting programs from other operating systems to Linux.
Therefore, this guide must describe the system calls and the
major kernel changes which have effects on older programs like
serial I/O and networking.
-
The Linux Users' Guide
| version: |
beta-1 |
| author: |
Larry Greenfield |
| last update: |
December 1996 |
| available formats: |
- other
: DVI, PDF (gzipped / zipped), PostScript (gzipped / zipped), and
LaTeX source
- various
(non-English) translations
|
This book covers all of the user-end aspects of Linux, from
sitting down at the first login session to using complex tools
such as gcc, emacs, and so on. It assumes no previous Unix
experience, so not only will it serve as an introduction to
Linux, but to Unix in general as well. This manual won't cover
system administrator tasks (i.e. anything that needs to be done
as root) - it's for the J. Random User who has a working Linux
system sitting in front of them.
-
The Linux Kernel Hackers' Guide
| version: |
not available |
| author: |
Michael K. Johnson |
| last update: |
August 1998 |
| available formats: |
- HTML
(read online)
- HTML
(tarred and gzipped package, 468k)
|
This is an older, archived instance; complete with discussion threads
(no posting or replying however).
-
Installation and Getting Started Guide
| version: |
3.2 |
| authors: |
Matt Welsh and others |
| last update: |
March 1998 |
| available formats: |
- HTML (read online)
- HTML
(tarred and gzipped package, 836k)
|
This book is for personal computer users who want to install and
use Linux. The book assumes that you have basic knowledge about
personal computers and operating systems like MS-DOS, but no
previous knowledge of Linux or UNIX.
-
The Linux Kernel
| version: |
0.8-3 |
| author: |
David A. Rusling |
| last update: |
January 1998 |
| available formats: |
- HTML (read online)
- HTML
(tarred and gzipped package, 376k)
|
The kernel is at the heart of the operating system. This book is a guide
to how the kernel fits together, how it works; a tour of the kernel.
Below is a table of translated guides that are available from
pub/Linux/docs/ldp-archived/.
Additional translations of LDP works and translated
documentation not listed here may be found on the
"Non-English Linux Info" page.
|
de |
en |
es |
fr |
it |
ja |
pl |
pt |
ru |
sl |
|
Kernel Hackers Guide
| |
en
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Network Guide
|
|
en
|
es
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Programmers Guide
|
|
en
|
es
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
System Administration Guide
|
|
en
|
es
|
fr
|
it
|
|
|
pt
|
|
|
|
Users Guide
|
|
en
|
es
|
|
it
|
|
|
|
|
|
- legend:
-
de = German, en = English, es = Spanish, fr = French, it = Italian,
ja = Japanese,
pl = Polish, pt = Portuguese, ru = Russian, sl = Slovenian
|
Debian Manuals and Guides
(updated nightly)
|
"An important part of any operating system is documentation, the
technical manuals that describe the operation and use of programs. As
part of its efforts to create a high-quality free operating system, the
Debian Project is making every effort to provide all of its users with
proper documentation in an easily accessible form."
-- from Debian Documentation home page
|
Additional Guides of Interest
|
-
Linux Palm Developer's Quick Start Guide
| version: |
1.0 |
| author(s): |
Jim Weller
|
| last update: |
February 2001 |
| available formats: |
- HTML (read online)
- PDF (72K)
|
This guide is intended to help those new to palm programming get
started. It assumes a fair knowledge of linux and gnu tools. It takes you
from clueless to able to compile a HelloWorld type application.
-
TrinityOS: A Guide to Configuring Your Linux Server
for Performance, Security, and Managability
| author(s): |
David A. Ranch
|
| available formats: |
- Various formats available from another
website
|
TrinityOS and its associated archive scripts guide the Linux user in
a step-by-step fashion using a common example throughout to configure
over 50+ Internet services. The main focus of TrinityOS is to do this
in a secure fashion while keeping both performance and managability
in mind. The documents also guide the user in other advanced topics
such as aquiring their own Internet domain(s), moving DNS servers,
confirming if you've been hacked, fighting SPAM email, and fixing
various Linux file system, partition, LILO, and data recovery
problems.
-
VideoLAN Quickstart
| author(s): |
the VideoLAN project
|
| last update: |
September 2003 |
| available formats: |
- HTML (read online)
- tarred/gzipped (106K)
- PDF (440K)
- text
(8.5M)
|
This document describes how to start using VideoLAN quickly.
-
VLC (VideoLAN Client) User Guide
| author(s): |
the VideoLAN project
|
| last update: |
September 2003 |
| available formats: |
- HTML (read online)
- tarred/gzipped (118K)
- PDF (506K)
- text
|
This document is the complete user guide of VLC, the VideoLAN Client.
-
VLS (VideoLAN Server) User Guide
| author(s): |
the VideoLAN project
|
| last update: |
September 2003 |
| available formats: |
- HTML (read online)
- tarred/gzipped (123K)
- PDF (471K)
- text
|
This document is the complete user guide of VLS, the VideoLAN Server.
|
