In the past months I was able to handle a LAMP server, this is my second time to handle a UNIX based web server but this time its a lot different because I will will be the one to install and configure the web server.  Our System administrator was the one who installed the latest version of slackware which is 13.1 on the machine, so all I need to do is have the web server up and running.

Our system administrator did include the x packages when he installed slackware and this caused me a problem in running PHP because it gave me several errors in GD support.  The error I get was,

I was able to solve the problem with the following steps taken and was based from a linux forum I really loved.
Download the packages by entering the following commands,

After downloading the files I installed them using pkgtool and select install packages from current directory and by there it will display the packages downloaded. Here is a sample of how to install it using pkgtool,

After installing the packages restart your apache and PHP GD support should be working. To check type this command,

Knowing a Linux distro is one asset of a network administrator, since then I seemed to be a die hard fan of knowing Linux.  The first linux distro I used was Red Hat and from the first time I saw it I was so amazed and at the same time surprised that such operating system exist.  By then I was a great fan of linux but sad to say I seldomly use the operating system because most of the tools used in school and work is windows based, though it can be ran through wine but running it in windows is different.

Lately, my friends and colleagues installed a transparent proxy used for filtering sites accessed within the network.  They explained to me how the proxy functions and it was a very big interest to me especially that linux was involved.

This was also a coincidence that in the previous week I was able to download the latest version of Slackware Linux v13.O.  I tried to install it but facing it in text based is something new to me because the previous flavors of linux I used comes with a graphical user interface making it easy for me to install and configure stuff. 

So the first step I made was finding an ebook for slackware and I got lucky that surfing deeper in the net I found version 2 of Slackware.  Since the resources is so scarce I decided to upload the ebook here and have an easy download for it to help also others and have them a reference.  So if this is also your first time to start with Linux Slackware, let us journey together in finding the power of Linux Slackware in Network administration.  Hoping that we can share ideas on how to improve communication a lot safer and a lot faster.  Below is the link where you can download the ebook.

Download Slacware Ebook V2.O

File types are like embedded signatures, telling the operating system that this type of file can be opened by this  software or program and also to  associate with it properly.  A  file extension is one or several letters at the end of a filename. Usually three or four letters,  Filename extensions usually follow a period (dot) and indicate the type of information stored in the file.  One good example is “Warcraft III.exe” the .exe file extension this means that Warcraft III is an executable program file.  “.exe” file extensions are sometimes dangerous to open especially when you don’t know the file.  If you have files such as “.exe”, better not open it because some of this types are viruses and this can surely ruin your entire operating system especially for Microsoft Windows.

To show hide your file extension for windows is just go and open My Computer then click Tools menu and click Folder Options and click the View tab.  You should have the same as the image below:

If you want to show file extensions then you can always check the box and click apply.  Conversely, you can uncheck it if you dont want to see the file extension.

One disadvantage of this for most users is that when you rename the file and the extension is remoced the file will no longer work.  One example is that when you have a “example.doc” which is a MS Word File  and rename it to “myproject” the file will not work unless you write the file extension.  Renaming it back to “myproject.doc” will rename the file and will work on .doc editing software.