# FreeBSD Handbook

The FreeBSD Documentation Project
February 1999
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The FreeBSD Documentation Project

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Welcome to FreeBSD! This handbook covers the installation and day to day use of FreeBSD &rel2.current;-RELEASE and FreeBSD &rel.current;-RELEASE. This manual is a work in progress and is the work of many individuals. Many sections do not yet exist and some of those that do exist need to be updated. If you are interested in helping with this project, send email to the &a.doc;. The latest version of this document is always available from the FreeBSD web site. It may also be downloaded in a variety of formats and compression options from the FreeBSD FTP server or one of the numerous mirror sites. If you would prefer to have a hard copy of the handbook, you can purchase one at the FreeBSD Mall. You may also want to search the handbook.

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## Getting Started

This part of the FreeBSD Handbook is for users and administrators who are new to FreeBSD. These chapters:

- Introduce you to FreeBSD.

- Guide you through the installation process.

- Teach you &unix; basics and fundamentals.

- Show you how to install the wealth of third party applications available for FreeBSD.

- Introduce you to X, the &unix; windowing system, and detail how to configure a desktop environment that makes you more productive.

We have tried to keep the number of forward references in the text to a minimum so that you can read this section of the Handbook from front to back with the minimum page flipping required.

## Common Tasks

Now that the basics have been covered, this part of the FreeBSD Handbook will discuss some frequently used features of FreeBSD. These chapters:

- Introduce you to popular and useful desktop applications: browsers, productivity tools, document viewers, etc.

- Introduce you to a number of multimedia tools available for FreeBSD.

- Explain the process of building a customized FreeBSD kernel, to enable extra functionality on your system.

- Describe the print system in detail, both for desktop and network-connected printer setups.

- Show you how to run Linux applications on your FreeBSD system.

Some of these chapters recommend that you do some prior reading, and this is noted in the synopsis at the beginning of each chapter.

## System Administration

The remaining chapters of the FreeBSD Handbook cover all aspects of FreeBSD system administration. Each chapter starts by describing what you will learn as a result of reading the chapter, and also details what you are expected to know before tackling the material.

These chapters are designed to be read when you need the information. You do not have to read them in any particular order, nor do you need to read all of them before you can begin using FreeBSD.

## Network Communication

FreeBSD is one of the most widely deployed operating systems for high performance network servers. The chapters in this part cover:

- Serial communication

- PPP and PPP over Ethernet

- Electronic Mail

- Running Network Servers

- Firewalls

- Other Advanced Networking Topics

These chapters are designed to be read when you need the information. You do not have to read them in any particular order, nor do you need to read all of them before you can begin using FreeBSD in a network environment.

## Appendices

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