1 - 9 IT Essentials II v2.0 - Lab 10.1.2 Copyright  2002, Cisco Systems, Inc. Lab 10.1.2: Using the Linux GUI (X Window) Estimated Time: 25 minutes Objective In this lab, the student will learn to explore the basic features of the X Window and the KDE desktop environment. Equipment The following equipment is required for this exercise: • Computer with Linux Red Hat 7.2 (or greater) installed. Scenario The XYZ Company has just installed a server running Red Hat Linux 7.2. The company has asked the student to log in to the server with the administrative account. The server is configured with the KDE desktop environment. The task is to explore the basic features of the KDE GUI. Procedures Before beginning this lab, power on or reboot the Red Hat Linux server. Step 1: Starting an X Window Session This Linux system was setup to boot into the command line by default. Linux, however, can be configured to boot into the GUI by default. If the user is just booting up the system for the first time, then the user will need to login and supply the password as done in the previous lab. If already at the command prompt, type: startx The startx command will initialize an X Window session and start the KDE interface. Once the X Window session initializes, the KDE Welcome dialog box appears. The user will not have to log in to the GUI because a username and password were already supplied in order to authenticate the user in the CLI. Step 2: Navigating the KDE interface Once the system grants access, the desktop environment will be visible on the server. The installation of Red Hat 7.2 allows installation of the KDE desktop environment. Use the KDE as the default Graphical User Interface (GUI) for all users. Other desktop 2 - 9 IT Essentials II v2.0 - Lab 10.1.2 Copyright  2002, Cisco Systems, Inc. KDE control environments, such as GNOME, can also be configured and used with Linux. UNIX and Linux both rely on the X Window system to display the GUI. The X Window system is software that works with the system hardware and graphical applications including the window manager. The window manager is the software responsible for sizing, positioning, and rendering the graphical windows that programs run in. Windows include borders that can be dragged to resize and graphical buttons that can be clicked to minimize, maximize, restore, and close the window. Since Linux supports several window managers and each window manager can be customized, there is no one way a window will look or act. KDE, like most Unix/Linux GUIs, is designed to use a three-button mouse. The function of each button can be customized on a per-user basis. The following table describes the functions commonly associated with each mouse button: Mouse Button Function Left Use to select and drag items. Middle Used to paste text or to move things Right Used to bring up a menu for the selected object (when applicable). KDE is not a window manager. In fact, KDE can work with several different kinds of window managers. KDE is a desktop environment. A desktop environment is a combination of programs, applications, and applets that make up part of the GUI. KDE provides: • Graphical panels that can be used to start applications or display status • A graphical “desktop” that can be used to place applications, files, and menus • A standard set of desktop tools and applications • A set of conventions that enable applications to work together consistently The KDE desktop panel contains icons that start key applications or open menus. The panel contains icons that start key applications or open menus. It also contains a task bar that allows switching between running applications. The following icons typically appear on the panel: The KDE desktop environment can be configured to look and act in hundreds of different ways. Some of KDE’s key features can be configured using the KDE Control Center. 3 - 9 IT Essentials II v2.0 - Lab 10.1.2 Copyright  2002, Cisco Systems, Inc. To switch to another desktop environment go to the “K” at the lower left corner of the screen. Hold the mouse down until the menu pops up and find the run command. Click on the run command and type in: switchdesk After clicking Enter, a display of all of the available desktops that are installed will be seen. Read the popup box and click Cancel. 4 - 9 IT Essentials II v2.0 - Lab 10.1.2 Copyright  2002, Cisco Systems, Inc. Run the KDE Control Center now by clicking once on the icon on the panel. The KDE Control Center window will appear as shown: From the Control Center, the user can customize aspects of KDE’s appearance, including the desktop background, the window manager, and the panel. Before leaving the Control Center, click on the Look and Feel option under the Index tab. This will list many options for configuring the KDE desktop environment. The Look and Feel tool is the name of the window manager that KDE is working with. Remember, KDE can be configured to work with other window managers. There are many aspects of the window manager that can be configured here. For now, click on the Theme Manager icon under the Look and Feel menu and then select the Eclipse option from the list as shown: 5 - 9 IT Essentials II v2.0 - Lab 10.1.2 Copyright  2002, Cisco Systems, Inc. Click on the Apply button at the bottom of the Control Center window. The new frame style should appear on all open windows. This change is purely cosmetic and does not affect the way the operating system functions. 6 - 9 IT Essentials II v2.0 - Lab 10.1.2 Copyright  2002, Cisco Systems, Inc. To get back to the default KDE settings, reopen the KDE Control Center, click on the Look and Feel button, and then select Theme Manager. Select the Default setting and click Apply, and KDE will revert to its original settings. Click on the “X” at the top of window to close the Theme Manager. 7 - 9 IT Essentials II v2.0 - Lab 10.1.2 Copyright  2002, Cisco Systems, Inc. Step 3: Opening the Control Panel Next, click on the KDE start application button in the lower left hand corner of the screen. A menu will open. Find the system menu, and drag the mouse up to it. Once the mouse has been left there for a moment, a submenu will open up. Move the mouse up to the KDE Control Panel and click once. Once in the KDE Control Panel, click on the Hardware Browser icon. If asked for the root password, enter it in the KDE dialog box that will appear. 8 - 9 IT Essentials II v2.0 - Lab 10.1.2 Copyright  2002, Cisco Systems, Inc. Click through each item listed. In the space below briefly describe the disk information that is described under the Hard Drives section. To close the control panel click the “X” in the upper right corner of each window that is open. Step 4: Closing X Window and Shutting down the system To close out of the X Window session entirely, close all the applications that are open. Next, click the following three keys simultaneously: Ctrl + Alt + Backspace This will close X Window and bring the user back in the CLI. From the CLI, shut the computer off by using the shutdown command: shutdown –h now Or, as an alternative, reboot the computer: shutdown –r now Troubleshooting Configuring X for a particular system can be a challenging task. Many software components are required, including a window manager and several libraries. Problem: Cannot run X Window. 9 - 9 IT Essentials II v2.0 - Lab 10.1.2 Copyright  2002, Cisco Systems, Inc. Possible causes: • Because X configuration can be complicated, the user will have to consult websites and other documentation relevant to the software and the system being used. If in the CLI, try using the ALT-F7 key combination to switch to X. If X is not running, type startx at the shell prompt. Reflection 1. What types of applications require a GUI? _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ 2. Who is more likely to use a GUI, an end user or an administrator? Why? _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ 3. The CLI program Xconfigurator is useful in fixing and reconfiguring X Window problems. At a terminal window type in man Xconfigurator and read the online documentation. _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________ . 10.1.2: Using the Linux GUI (X Window) Estimated Time: 25 minutes Objective In this lab, the student will learn to explore the basic features of the X Window. the GUI by default. If the user is just booting up the system for the first time, then the user will need to login and supply the password as done in the