Why SUSE?

SUSE is one of the many Linux distributions available for free

download on the Internet today. It is one of more complete and
mature distributions. It offers a huge package of programs for all
available facets of computing; you will not be dearly tempted to
download any extra programs. Most if not all of what you need will
be included alongside the operating system, a whooping total of
about 700 packages, including Open Office suite, Firefox browser,
GIMP graphics software, media players, cd/dvd-burning tools,
backup tools, games, and more more more. You can find the full list
on Novell site.

SUSE has a very good hardware compatibility. It is very intuitive

and will offer an almost painless migration from Windows. It also
comes in 32-bit and fully optimized 64-bit versions, allowing people
with 64-bit processors to take max. advantage of their computing
power.

what do we need to install SUSE?

1. A PC with Pentium CPU, a minimum of 256MB RAM and 6GB of
hard disk space.
2. SUSE 10.1 installations CDs (5) or DVD (1).
3. Some patience and spare time.
4. Optionally - a virtualization product like VMware Player or
Server.

SUSE is available for download as 5 CDs or 1 DVD. A live DVD also

exists, so if you are unsure, you can download this one first to trial
SUSE before you decide to install it. Trying the live DVD will also
give you a good indication how well your hardware is recognized.

If you are convinced that you have a computer with minimum

requirements to install SUSE and you wish to try this fabulous
operating system, you can find all the available downloads
at openSUSE.

Download the relevant .iso file(s) and burn it / them to CDs or DVD.
Make sure the checksums are correct.

On the next pages, I will provide a step-by-step instructions how to

install and properly configure SUSE Linux. For the purpose of this
guide, I have used VMware Server as the installation platform.

Indeed, if you are afraid to try SUSE for real, you can use
either VMware Player or VMware Server virtualization products and
install SUSE as a guest operating system without a risk of damage
to your working machine. After you master the concepts, you can
then proceed to install SUSE on physical rather than virtual
hardware.

If you have difficulties getting started with VMware Player, you may
want to read my article VMware Player - a great friend first.

VMware Server is a more powerful product than the VMware Player

and can also build virtual machines.

This article assumes that you are somewhat computer-literate and

that you are capable of installing any operating system by yourself,
like Windows 98 or Windows XP, for example. If you have doubts
about how to proceed from here, you might want to read Installing
Windows XP article first. This will give you a fair insight not only into
the basic of installing an operating system using a visual and textual
interface, it will also give you a notion about basic system
installation procedures like partitioning, network configuration,
users, language settings, and more.

In my setup, I will install SUSE 10.1 (latest stable version at the

time this article was written) from a DVD (rather than 5 CDs). The
DVD contains by default the Add-On CD that is not included in the
5-CD set; however, if you opt to install from CDs, you will be able to
select additional sources during the installation. I will install SUSE in
English, and accordingly all reference to names of menus, functions
or applications will be in English. The virtual PC will have 256MB
RAM and 8GB hard disk.

So, if you are ready, go to the next page.

At the end of this multi-page article, hopefully, you will have

learned:

1. How to setup and install SUSE Linux operating system.

2. How to configure your basic functionality in KDE desktop
environment.
3. How to configure graphic drivers and system update functions.
4. How to turn your SUSE machine into a router.
5. Optionally, how to use VMware Player and / or Server.

Furthermore, I will have dispelled the following myths:

1. That Linux operating systems are not intuitive or easy to use.

2. That Linux operating systems are meant for geeks.
3. That Linux operating systems have a messy and unhelpful
support.

Warning for the 56K dial-up users: For the purpose of better
readability, I will use full-size images rather than thumbnails that
link to images. This may cause some slowdown during the loading
of the pages.

Again, you do not have to really do any of this. You could just read
and practice the next time you really install from scratch. But I
suggest you try to follow the instructions and do it for yourself. You
will only benefit from it.
Beginning installation
Make sure you have everything ready - your PC and the installation
disk(s).

• If you are installing SUSE as a virtual machine, make sure

your VMware Player or Server are properly configured and that
you have the necessary .vmx and .vmdk files.
• If you are installing SUSE for real, make sure that you have
dedicated the necessary space on your hard disk for the
installation - it can be an existing partition or some free space.

To begin the installation:

1. Place the SUSE installation DVD in the DVD-ROM tray.

2. Start the VMware Player / Server and open the SUSE .vmx file
(e.g. named suse.vmx).

With the (virtual) PC booting, hit Esc button to enter the BIOS
setup. Select option 3. CD-ROM Drive. Hit Enter to start booting
from CD.

Note: Although the boot option refers to CD-ROM, if you have a

physical DVD drive with a DVD disk inserted in it, VMware Player /
Server will treat it correctly.

After a few seconds, SUSE Linux DVD will boot and present you with
several options. SelectInstallation and press Enter.
The setup will probe your mouse and keyboard. Luckily, you

will have a full hardware compatibility. After a few

seconds, you will be prompted to choose the language

that you want to use. Select the desired Language and

click Next.
Next, you will be presented with the License Agreement.

After reading through, check mark the Yes, I Agree to the

License Agreement button and click Next to continue.

The installer will now conduct a System Analysis. It will

probe the remaining hardware for compatibility. You do

not need to do anything at this stage.

Following a successful hardware inspection, you will be

prompted to start the installation. Theoretically, if you

had a previous version of SUSE installed, you might want

to choose to Update. However, since our virtual hard disk

is empty, this option is grayed out.

Include Add-On Products from Separate Media refers to

other programs that you might want to include and are

NOT on the installation DVD. At this stage, we will install

only our 'basic' DVD. Leave the checkbox unmarked.

Select New Installation and click Next.

You will be prompted to select your Clock and Time Zone.

Make your choices and clickNext.

Now you need to choose between desktop environments

that you want to use. Personally, I prefer KDE. For

someone who has never used Linux, I feel KDE would be

a better choice for two reasons - it feels more Windows-

like and is absolutely dead-sexy. Not to be slighted,

GNOME is also very nice and user-friendly, and

eventually, it should come to personal taste.

Other desktops might not be included in the package and

you might be prompted for extra CD / DVDs. Leave the

other options for a next Linux install. In the meanwhile,

limit your choice between GNOME and KDE.

Select your desktop and click Next.

Installation Settings (Partitioning, boot loader,
expert options)
Installation Settings is the next stage. It is a very important stage.
Please pay special attention now.

You need to decide:

1. The layout of partitions to which SUSE will be installed.

2. The packages that you want to install.
3. The operating system language.

The last two options will be rather limited. You will, at this stage,
only install the basic DVD and use your preferred language that you
have chosen already.

However, the partitioning requires a more delicate approach.

Partitioning
This is probably the hardest part of the installation. Nevertheless,
although things may sound scary or confusing, everything should
work just fine if you carefully handle each step.

To understand Linux better, we should first make notice that Linux

uses a different notation than Windows. In Windows, you are used
to letters (C:\, E:\, G:\ etc). In Linux, partition names are a bit
different.

Here are some examples:

• If you have one IDE hard drive with 2 partitions, the partitions
will be marked hda1and hda2. hd stands for hard
drive, a stands for "first" (first letter of the alphabet, first
drive) and numbers 1 and 2 indicate the two partitions.
• If you have one SATA hard drive with 3 partitions, the
partitions will be marked sda1,sda2 and sda3.
 • If you have two IDE hard drives with 1 and 2 partitions,
respectively, they will be marked hda1, hdb1 and hdb2.

You should be aware of this when you perform an installation on a

computer that is already partially occupied with other operating
systems. This will also help you make an easy translation from
Windows letters to Linux letters. For instance, if you intend to
installSUSE on the G:\ partition, as seen in Windows, being
the fourth partition on your firstSATA hard drive, in Linux, during
the installation, this partition will be marked sda4.

Root and home partitions

SUSE Linux separates the system from the user. The root partition
(/) is used to install the system files. The home partition (/home) is
used exclusively for user files. This way, if you update your SUSE,
your personal files will remain untouched - this is very similar to
creating a data partition when you install Windows.

OK, now let's see what the Installer asks us to do at this point.
Overview

A default selection of partitioning has been made for me.

SUSE installer wants to create 3 partitions for me:

1. SWAP partition (/swap, a la page file In Windows), which will

be used by the system for various operations.
2. Root partition (/) that will be formatted with reiserfs file
system and used to install and boot the operating system.
3. Home partition (/home) that will be used as a sort of data
partition, formatted with reiserfs file system, too.
The three partitions will be created and mounted on my one and
only IDE hard drive. In my case, since I'm installing SUSE on an
empty (virtual) hard disk that was previously unpartitioned, the
default choice seems well enough for me.

However, it is possible that you might want to change the

partitioning.

• If you have a single hard disk with another operating system

already installed, you might want to change the default choice
and place SUSE on a partition of your choice.
• If you have several hard disk that are empty, partially empty
or have other operating systems, you might want to change
the choice and place SUSE on a disk and a partition of your
own choosing.

Here is an example to make things clearer:

Let's say I have a 100GB SATA hard drive with Windows installed on
the primary (first) partition. The Windows partition is 40GB large.
Additionally, I have 2 more partitions, lettered D:\ and E:\, 40GB
and 20GB large, respectively.

SUSE installer will ask me to repartition sda1 (in other

words, shrink the Windowspartition) and create the three Linux
partitions in the allocated free space. I do not like this choice. I
want to install SUSE on my E:\ drive.

When making the manual changes, I should remember the Linux

notation - E:\ drive is thethird partition on my one and
only SATA hard drive - therefore, it will be marked sda3. OK, so this
is where I want to install SUSE.
Expert options

Under expert options, you will be able to:

• Repartition and resize your hard drives.

• Decide the type and the location of the boot loader.

Boot loader

SUSE needs to know which partition to boot from. For this reason,
SUSE uses the GRUB boot loader. Unlike the Windows boot loader,
which always installs into the Master Boot Record (MBR), the 1st
sector on the hard drive, GRUB can be installed on any partition.

SUSE installer is smart and will make the right choice of the hard
drive where to install the boot loader. I strongly suggest people with
little Linux experience to refrain from using the Expert Options,
because they might inadvertently mess things up.

Nevertheless, here are some basic concepts that you should be

aware of:

Some older BIOSes are limited to reading only the first 1024 sectors
of a hard disk. In this case, if you install the boot loader above the
1024th sector (on one of the partitions), you will not be able to boot
your Linux. This means that you might have to consider on
which partition to place the boot loader (< 1024th sector). Or
alternatively, create a small separate boot partition.

Without going into too many technical details, the GRUB boot loader
consists of stages. Stage 1 is written to the MBR, appended to the
existing information contained there. Stage 2 usually resides on the
root partition of the Linux distribution.

This means that the boot loader might be overwritten any time you
write new information to the Master Boot Record. If you're using
only SUSE on your machine, this will not bother you. However, if
you intend to run SUSE in, let's say, a dual-boot configuration with
Windows, this might have implications:

• If you use Windows Recovery Console to fix the Master Boot

Record for some reason or reinstall Windows, you will destroy
the GRUB boot loader.
• If you use imaging backup software capable of reading and
writing MBR, when restoring a partition, you might destroy the
GRUB boot loader.

Your best choice is to let the installer figure it out. You will be able
to move it to another partition later on, once SUSE is installed
(inside SUSE control center called YaST).

For more information about GRUB, please visit GNU GRUB site and
refer to the GNU GRUB Manual 0.97.

Other options

There are other expert options to consider, too - encryption, RAID

configuration etc. If you know what these are and how and why to
use them, you probably do not need this guide.

To change the default settings, click Change > Partitioning /

Software / Language.

If you have chosen to change the Partitioning, you will be presented

with a number of options. Select Create Custom Partition Setup and
click Next.

You will be asked to select the hard drive to partition.

Select Custom Partitioning (for experts) and click Next.
In the next step, under Expert Partitioner, you will be able to fully
configure your choices. You will be able to edit, delete or create
partitions of any size and format them with any which (available)
file system. If you have two hard disks in your computer, you will
be able to configure them to boot the operating system
simultaneously in a so-called RAID configuration.

You should not that note of your choices will be committed until you
click Finish. Furthermore, you will always be able to go back or even
start anew (with max. 5-10 min setback). At all times, a small
window to the left will display a help guide to explain what each of
the options mean. Feel free to explore but keep in mind that you
need to understand each of the steps you do. If this is your first
time ever installing Linux you should stick with the basic options or
at the very least only change the partitions to which you want to
install your system.

Sounds like a lot of mess, but it is not. Here are some practical
examples:

Hardware Operating What should I

system(s) choose?
1 hard disk, empty / SUSE only Default
1 partition
1 hard disk, 2 + SUSE & Windows Install Windows first on primary partition
partitions Install SUSE on other partition
Install boot loader by default

OLD BIOS:
Install SUSE root on a partition that begins
before the 1024th sector; install boot
loader on that partition (or lower)

2 + hard disks, 1 SUSE only Default

partition each

2 + hard disks, SUSE & Windows Install Windows first on primary partition of
multiple partitions the FIRST hard disk
Install SUSE on any other partition of the
FIRST or SECOND hard disk
Install boot loader on the FIRST hard disk

OLD BIOS:
If you install SUSE on the FIRST hard
disk, install SUSE root on a partition that
begins before the 1024th sector; install
boot loader on that partition (or lower)
If you install SUSE on the the SECOND
hard disk, use defaults - install boot loader
on the FIRST hard disk

Note: If you have more than one physical hard disk and install SUSE
on the second, third or any other than the first hard disk, you will
have two choices regarding the GRUB:

1. Place it on the same hard disk.

2. Place it on the first hard disk.
If you choose option 1, you will have to change the boot order of
the hard disks in the BIOS. The second option will allow you to boot
natively.

As a general rule, if you have a machine that will dual-boot or multi-

boot SUSE alongside other operating systems, always install
Windows operating systems first (from older to newer) and then
install SUSE. Windows will always write to the Master Boot Record,
while SUSE will keep the MBR intact.

Furthermore, in case you decide to make your own choice, you

should mind these recommendations:

• SWAP partitions should be sufficiently large to allow the

system to work quickly; it should be at least equal in size to
your RAM or larger; 1.5x and 2x RAM is often recommended.
• Root partition will need around at least 2-3GB to install the
entire package. In the future, you will probably want to add
extra programs, so it would be wise to leave some extra
space.
• Home partition can be of any size.
• Boot partition should be around 100MB.

In my case, I have ONE hard disk that was empty (or at most had
ONE - primary - partition). Therefore, I will use the DEFAULT
settings chosen for me by the installer.

Therefore, under Installation Settings > Overview, I will use the

suggested setup and clickAccept to proceed.
Now, you will asked to accept the separate license agreements for
some third-party software, namely AdobeICCProfiles and
Macromedia Flash Player. If you disagree, these packages will not
be installed. These packages are not included with the 5 CD set.
Completing installation (copying files)
You will be asked once again to confirm that all of the selections you
have made are correct and that you want to proceed with the
install. Click Install to begin the installation.
The installation with start with the formatting of the partitions.
Next, the package installation will begin. Depending on the
computing power of your PC, this may take 10-40 minutes. On a PC
with a 64-bit processor and 2GB RAM, this stage of a 64-bit SUSE
installation took only about 10 minutes.
If you are interested, click the Details tab to see how the installation
progresses.
After some time, the basic installation will complete.

Once the package installation is finished, the system will reboot (the
one time during the entire procedure).
The GRUB boot menu will load and present you will boot options. At
this stage, we want to boot the first option - SUSE Linux 10.1.
Either highlight your choice (using arrow keys) and press Enter or
wait for the default counter (8 seconds) to time out.

If you had Windows installed alongside SUSE (or vice versa), you
would see Windows as one of the options in the list. Generally, the
boot loader will place SUSE topmost and Windows below it.
The operating system will load. For some time, you will see a screen
filled with textual input - also called verbose mode. Do not be
alarmed. Let the system boot up to the next stage of the
installation.
Completing installation - cont. (root password,
network, users)
After the system loads, you will enter the configuration phase of the
installation. First, you will need choose
the Hostname and Domain names. This is somewhat similar to
Windows computer name and workgroup. If you are unsure what to
choose, you may use the default. You can also refer to
the Help button for more information.
The next stage will be to choose the password for the root (super-
user or administrator) account. You should select a very strong
password. A very strong password is one that contains both
lowercase and uppercase letters, numbers and symbols and is not
based on dictionary words, for example this is a STRONG password:
eD213^krePg9%.

If you like, you may also refer to Expert Options. Under Expert
Options, you will be to choose what type of encryption you would
like to use to secure your password. If you are unsure what to do,
just use the default options.

Do not forget your root password! Engraft it onto your forehead, if

needed, but do not lose it. If you forget or lose the root password,
you will not be able to retrieve it and your system will be pretty
much useless.

After this, your network will be configured. You will have to wait a
few moments for each component to be probed.
Again, you will be able to change individual options. During the
installation, you may continue with the default settings. You will be
able to set each individual component later. You might want to keep
the firewall enabled. Furthermore, if you see a list of devices
under Network Interfaces, this means your network card has been
successfully recognized by the system. Once satisfied with all of the
choices, click Next to continue.
The installer will then save your network settings.
You will be able to test your Internet connection now. If you are
installing SUSE in VMware Player with NAT enabled or on a PC that
connects to the Internet through another computer, a local network
or a router, you might want to test the connection. If you have not
yet contacted an Internet Service Provider (ISP) or have doubts
about the functionality of your network, you can safely skip this step
and do it later.

If you have several network cards in your machine, you might want
to decide which one to use to establish the Internet connection.
Click Change Device to choose the appropriate card. After that,
check mark the desired option and click Next to continue.
If you test your connection (with success), you will see the following
screen:
Next, you will be asked to configure your online updates. If you do
not have a working Internet connection, leave this step for later. If
you have tested your connection successfully, you might want to
use the Configure Now (Recommended) option. The installer will
define the Update Server and configure the Update Service. You will
be able to perform a system update at this stage. This can take up
to several hours, depending on your connection speed and server
load. You will be able to add extra sources for updates (repositories)
once SUSE is fully installed.
After the network settings, you will be asked to configure your user
name. As a home user, select Local (/etc/passwd); you should not
bother with the other three options. Click Nextto continue.
Much like in Windows, it is time to choose your user name. You can
configure several users at this stage, but you should best leave that
for later on. You should enter a Full Name(real or invented),
a Username (in small letters) and some sort of Password. You can
choose a weaker password that the root.

Suggestion button will create a username suggestion based on your

full name. Automatic Login means you will not be prompted to enter
your credentials when booting. User Management allows you to add
more users. Leave that option for later.
First login
The system configuration will be written now, based on your input.
Once this step is completed, you will be able to read the Release
Notes - all about what the new version 10.1 offers.
Once again, the installer will make a thorough examination of your
hardware. You will be able to skip this step and configure each
component later, but you should let the system commit the
changes.

Most likely, you will have a sound card detected. The graphic card
and monitor drivers will probably not be installed yet. You will have
to do it later. Until then, you will enjoy only the basic VESA adapter
at 60Hz refresh rate and no 3D acceleration. Then again, this might
be enough for you.

Once you accept, the configuration will be committed.

And that's it, basically! You have completed the installation.
You have partitioned your hard disks, installed the packages,
configured your user name, password, network, and other
hardware. The entire procedure should have taken you about 40-50
minutes at most.

When you click Finish, you will log in into your desktop.
If you have chosen the super-handsome KDE desktop, it will start
loading.
Just before you hit the desktop, you will be able to register your
product. If you do not have an Internet connection or wish to do it
later, postpone this step for later.
When installing in VMware Player / Server, you might be told that
your monitor geometry is not configured properly. You will be
prompted to set your screen. This is virtually identical to setting
your display in Windows. Since this procedure will be invoked only if
you have a graphic card installed, I will not post screenshots to
avoid confusion. If you are using a virtualization product, you will
most likely have the generic graphic drivers installed. If you are
installing for real on physical hardware, you will need to configure
your graphic drivers alone - see later in this manual.

And that's it! We're in! Welcome to the most handsome Linux ever.
Basic configurations
SUSE 10.1 may take a little time getting used to. However, all in all,
it is not that different from Windows and rather simple to master.

Layout
KDE desktop is really really really good looking (I must credit Ben
Stiller with this one, from Zoolander).
In the middle, you will have a background wallpaper with icon
shortcuts sprinkled over it. In the left bottom corner, you will have
the K Menu, which is pretty much identical to Windows Start Menu
and a number of 'quick launch' shortcuts, including the command
line terminal called Konsole, the Home folder, SUSE Help Center,
Konqueror web browser and file manager, Kontact personal
manager, and two desktop icons. In the right bottom corner, you
will have a sort of System Tray, with time and date display,
clipboard tool, organizer tool, search tool, power save tool, volume
control, and software updater.

Using these tools and performing basic functions is almost identical

to Windows environment. To emphasize this, here are a few
similarities:
Action Windows Linux
Start a program Start > Programs > web browser K Menu > Internet > Web
(web browser) browser > web browser

Start command line Start > Run > cmd K Menu > System >
Terminal > Konsole

Add shortcut on the Right-click > New > Shortcut Right-click > Create New >
desktop Link to application

Arrange / Sort icons Right-click > Arrange Icons By > Right-click > Icons > Sort
(e.g. by size) Size Icons > By Size

Change desktop Right-click > Properties > Desktop Right-click > Configure
background image > Background > choose wallpaper Desktop > Background >
Picture

Just try it! You can't get it wrong. One important tip - you do not
need to double-click in KDE environment. Single-click will do the
trick.

To get familiarized with the KDE desktop, An Introduction to KDE is

a great place to start.

By the way, you can have separate pictures for the two available
desktops simultaneously (in SUSE).

Basic functionality
YaST Control Center

YaST is roughly equivalent to the Windows Control Panel. It allows

you to configure your software, hardware, network, security, and
more. You will find YaST by clicking K Menu > System > YaST. To
be able to run YaST, you will will be prompted to enter the root
password you selected earlier.

YaST is very comprehensive and powerful and can take some time
setting up fully and properly. However, I will outline some of the
basic tasks you can easily do. As a former Windows user, you will
probably wonder how to perform system updates, deploy patches or
install new programs.

First, we need a working Internet connection.

Internet Connection

Go to YaST > Network Devices.

You may need to configure your network card(s) first, but you may
also start with setting up your connection (e.g. DSL).

Setting up a connection might not be the quickest or the simplest

task. If you have a broadband cable connection without VPN dialer,
you will most likely have an instant Internet access, provided your
network card is configured properly. If you use a VPN dialer, things
might get a little tricky.

Unfortunately, I cannot provide (too) accurate instructions. Different

protocols and service providers in different countries will have
require unique settings to work. You might have to contact your
provider to get the necessary information about how to setup your
connection. Some providers will have dedicated Linux support;
other might not. But either way, you will have to know the server
names or IP addresses through which you will connect to the
Internet.

Truth to be told, setting up a VPN dialer SUSE is very similar to

setting up a VPN dialer in Windows XP. In my personal experience,
on the several occasions I had to do this, network cards were
successfully configured by the system during the installation, both
in Windows and SUSE. I only had to create the dialers, using the
information provided by my ISP. If you can or have configured your
own VPN dialer in Windows, you will eventually succeed doing that
in SUSE. If you have never done it in Windows, this step might
prove a bit difficult for you at this stage.

If you need a good example where to start, I have written an article

called PPTP dialer in Linux - step-by-step tutorial, explaining how to
configure a PPTP dialer in SUSE (and Ubuntu). This article is aimed
at slightly more advanced Linux users, nevertheless it could be very
useful. Likewise, you might also want to try Using DSL with Linux.

In short, the steps required to have a working Internet connection:

• Make sure your network card is configured properly.

• Make sure your devices are configured properly.
• Make sure your ISP data is configured properly.
Once we have established the Internet connection, we need to tell
our SUSE where to look for when asked for updates.

Installation Source

To do this, under YaST, select Installation Source.

As you can see, the DVD you used to install the operating system is
already selected by default. You can always use this source to install
additional packages that are not included in the first installation run
or to reinstall programs that you may have removed. For example,
during a tweaking session, I removed Firefox browser but then
easily restored it by reinstalling it from the DVD.

Our DVD is a limited, static source, and we will probably need

external (Internet) sources to keep our system fully up to date. We
will have to add a source.

You can find a long list of highly useful information under Additional
YaST Package Repositories at the openSUSE site. Midway down the
page, you will find the External YaST Repositories. Each of the
sources will include the protocol (HTTP, FTP), server name and
server directories containing the packages. This is the information
that we need.

In my example, I will add the second source, Guru (Please refer to

the site above for details).

Back in YaST, under Installation Source, click Add for a new source.
From the list of sources, select FTP. In the relevant fields in
the Server and Directory windows, enter the server name and the
directory path as stated for the particular server. Click OK to
complete.
YaST will try to contact the server and build a catalog of all the
available sources on it. If the attempt is successful, you will have
added another installation source to your list. You can repeat this
procedure with as many source as you like. Needless to say, you
should only use the sources that you trust.

After you have added the sources, you can update your system. You
have two choices:

• Online Update
• Software Management

Online Update will present you with updates to software packages

already installed;Software Management will allow you to install
additional packages. It will use the catalogs from indexed sources
and display all the available packages. You can also selectively
restrict your installation sources by using the search function to look
for specific packages (e.g. firefox, java).

The main difference between the two:

• Online Update will display what existing installed packages can

be upgraded.
• Software Management will allow you to manually specify
packages to check whether they are installed or to install
them.

Installed packages will be marked with a small check mark near

them. This means you do not need to try to install them again. To
install additional software, you will have to check-mark empty check
boxes. You can also select all. I do not recommend this. Selecting
all of the sources may result in huge downloads that could take
hours or even days complete. Furthermore, some of the packages
might be corrupted (it happens), and you may inadvertently break
down your system. You should install only what you feel you need.
By the way, this applies for any operating system. You do not
download 3-4GB of programs to your Windows desktop and try to
install all of them one after another, do you?

Example: Marked entries are already installed; unmarked entries

can be added.
After you have configured your installation sources, the Software
Updater (globe-like icon) in the "System Tray" will become active. It
will look for updates for existing installations and present you with
patches once in a while. Currently, my Software Updater has no
updates.
So what do we have so far?

We have a firewall, which we have enabled earlier on. We have a

working system and software updates. Internet connection works.
We can surf. For instance, here's my Firefox:
Graphic card drivers

At this stage, it might be the best choice to configure the graphic

card. SUSE will install its default VESA adapter that will limit you to
certain resolutions, 60Hz refresh rate and no 3D acceleration. If
you're using a TFT monitor and never play any games, you might
not need to bother. But if you have a nice expensive graphic card,
it's a waste not to empower it.
Nvidia drivers

The best way to learn how to do it is to refer to Nvidia installer

How-to for SUSE Linux users.

ATI drivers

The best way to learn how to do is to refer to Linux and Open

Source Blog >> SUSE 10.1: ATI Drivers Installation.

I have installed Nvidia graphic drivers in several SUSE versions at

least a dozen times without the slightest hitch. One of the most
pleasing aspects about SUSE is the robustness of the X Windows
System (the GUI framework) and the seamless integration of
graphic card drivers into the system.

You should refer to the SUSE version that applies to your operating
system, head to Nvidia / ATI site and download the package that
you need. And then, follow the instructions. This might not be very
simple, but it is not very difficult either.

You will have to have kernel-source, make and gcc packages

installed. Head to YaST > Software Management. Search for the
following packages. If installed, they will be check-marked. If not,
now it's a good time to install them. They will be included on the
DVD, so it won't take too much time.

Configuring your graphic card should not take more than 5-10
minutes.

Your operating system is pretty much ready. You have Internet with
firewall, update sources, graphics with 3D acceleration.
It's time for perks.

Turning your SUSE Linux machine into a router

You might want to use your SUSE Linux box as a gateway for
several other computers, running a variety of other operating
systems. This is very similar to the Internet Connection Sharing in
Windows.The best and simplest guide I have found is the NOVELL:
Cool Solutions: HOW-TO: Set Up a SUSE 10 Machine As a Router.

You should also refer to my article called Highly Useful Linux

commands & configurations; among many other things, sharing of
network resources (files, printers etc.) between Windows and Linux
and vice versa is explained in detail there.

AppArmor

AppArmor is an access control system that can be used to restrict

applications in their day to day use. The use of this software can
significantly reduce the exposure to vulnerabilities, especially from
unpatched zero-day web exploits. Although one's desire to use this
software in a home environment might be a bit of an overkill,
learning how to deploy AppArmor can be useful. I also believe that
AppArmor is not easy to master and requires a high level of
expertise.
Nevertheless, if you are keen into learning how to use AppArmor,
Novell offers a fairly thoroughly documented online guide, which can
also be downloaded in .pdf format.