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You should now have a login screen for your new Debian router. Go ahead and login with the user account you created. Before we continue, you should familiarize yourself with the Debian package management system, also known as Apt.
Debian "packages" are simply pre-compiled software programs designed to work with your Debian system. The easiest (although not only) way to install these packages is using the apt program, which comes preinstalled on the system. For the sake of simplicity, we'll be using Debian packages for the remainder of this tutorial.
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Alternative Alert! - Packages
The wonderful thing about open source software is not only is it free, but the source code is available for download by anyone who wants it. All of the programs featured here can be downloaded individually as source code rather than as Debian packages. Compiling programs by hand has several advantages, including greatly increased customizability, as well as improved performance. Compiling source also has several downsides: First, you need to know what you're doing to compile it in the first place. You also need to be willing to re-compile the source every time a security or bug fix update is released. Packages, on the other hand, can be installed and updated with a couple commands, and are maintained by dedicated members of the Debian community. For simplicity, we'll be using packages for this tutorial, but it in no way implies you can't or shouldn't compile your own program if you know how!
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First, we need to know how to update the local Apt cache. The Apt cache stores a local database of all available packages on your system. You should update it every time you work with Apt. To update it, run apt-get update from the command line:
Firewall:~# apt-get update
Now that your local cache is updated, the first thing you should do is update all the currently installed applications on your system. This is accomplished by running apt-get upgrade:
Firewall:~# apt-get upgrade
Apt will check if any of your installed programs are outdated. Say Y (yes) if it offers you any upgrades...never turn down upgrades!!
You should run apt-get update and apt-get upgrade REGULARLY. This keeps all installed packages on your system up to date. Failure to do so may leave your system vulnerable to security flaws. Your entire network could be compromised if your software is not up to date!
You'll also want to know how to locate new packages that you can install on your system. Exploring is good! To search for a package, use the apt-cache search command:
Firewall:~# apt-cache search [searchterm]
You can use the apt-cache show command to get details about a package:
Firewall:~# apt-cache show [appname]
To install a package, use apt-get install:
Firewall:~# apt-get install [appname]
To remove a package, use apt-get remove:
Firewall:~# apt-get remove [appname]
Finally, the aptitude program will give you a next text-based interface for searching, installing, and removing packages. If you're a menu-driven person, try it by running aptitude from the command line:
Firewall:~# aptitude
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Proceed to Step 4 - Interfaces |
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| Copyright © 2006 Matt LaPlante. All rights reserved. |
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