There are usually so many documents telling you how to properly set up
every little part of your workstation that you probably have not read
them. Rather than even attempt to summarize those documents, we give
you here some general points to keep in mind. To start, we need
to state something which is so obvious it may not appear in any
technical manual: if you want to get your work done in a finite amount
of time, you must have all pieces for your workstation connected
together and working, and it should be working with consistent,
up-to-date hardware and software.
If this is not the
situation you find upon first sitting down to work at your
workstation, it is probably best to talk about it with
someone whose responsibility it is to manage your system (experienced
friends can help too, but they may have limited patience and free
time).
When starting up your system for the first time, logon as root and set root's password with the passwd command. If root already has a password and you forgot it or never knew it, you may be out of luck. If a former manager cannot tell you the password, you may need to ``boot'' your system (read it into memory from disk) using the system maintenance or installation diskettes or tape. Alternatively, you can ``break into'' the system by interrupting the boot process at the correct time. As vendors strive to make Unix more secure, these methods become less available and you may be forced to use the sure method of reloading your machine completely with the manufacturer's supplied Unix. In this latter case, you probably do need help (otherwise you would not be reading this chapter).
When setting up your workstation, you should change the passwords on all accounts that the Unix vendor may have supplied with the system. This is for your security if your machine will be on a network or otherwise open to the public. There will be ``hackers'' who know the passwords of these accounts. Be careful not to eliminate accounts as there are a number of standard accounts that must exist in order for the system to manage ownership and to access files. It is wise, therefore, to make sure that all of these accounts have nonstandard passwords (for example are not words appearing in a dictionary) or are ``locked'' so they cannot be logged into.
If you are both learning Unix and configuring your system (about like doing brain surgery while first learning biology), you may want to keep things simple by not launching the windowing environment (which we assume is the X Window System). In fact, it is a good idea to close down X Windows, sign on as root, and load from the console whenever you install a new program as part of your Unix system. Messages and important questions may appear on the console, and the windowing environment may hide the console from view. If your terminal is not the console, you will need to check the console periodically. Alternatively, when using X Windows you may give the xterm -C command to start a separate window in which console messages appear (see Chapter 4 for more details).
If you encounter problems with which none of your friends are able to help, you may find a solution by writing to one of the electronic bulletin boards or mailing to a support group. Many computer manufactures and software vendors have employees that regularly (but possibly unofficially) read the electronic news groups and are willing to help users with problems. Electronic mail has become the standard method for reporting problems to both vendors and local support groups.
Electronic mail is a great way to get help, but it will be of no use if the problem with your system makes mail inoperative. Even if your system comes with ``on-line'' documentation which can be read on your terminal, it is still important to have printed copies of the more basic manuals and of the phone numbers of your maintenance staff. Put them in a readily accessible system notebook for the occasions when your system is down or having troubles. It is also a good idea to print copies of any system files you modify in the course of configuring your system and place them in the system notebook. For example, keep a list of file systems, their sizes, and the IP addresses of the computers whose names you enter into your system (these terms will be explained soon).