Setting proxy for Software center and Synaptic package manger (Xubuntu)

The proxy for APT can be set in Xubuntu by following these steps:

• Open a Terminal
• Open the file /etc/apt/apt.conf in an editor by entering the command:
  $ sudo leafpad /etc/apt/apt.conf &
  Note: The file may not exist initially.
• Include the following lines in the file:
  
  Acquire::http::proxy "http://<proxy>:<port>/";
  Acquire::ftp::proxy "ftp://<proxy>:<port>/";
  Acquire::https::proxy "https://<proxy>:<port>/";
  
  Eg: Acquire::http::proxy "http://192.10.12.13:8080/";
• Save the file
• Reboot/ restart

Note:

• If you need authentication include "<username>:<password>@" before the proxyserver name.
  Eg: Acquire::http::proxy "http://<username>:<password>@<proxy>:<port>/";
  Acquire::http::proxy "name:password@http://192.10.12.13:8080/";
• The proxy for Synaptic package manager can also be set from its menu. 
• Leafpad is a text editor. You can use any text editor instead of it.
• Do not forget the ';' at the end of each line. 
• The '&' at the end of the command opens the file as a new process. If it is omitted the Terminal window will be locked until the file is closed.

Create multiple partitions during installation

Choose this option during install:

 Create a new partition table

Allocate the swap space in the first partition (This make it easier to resize the other partitions in case you want to do it after reinstall). The recommended swap space is two times the amount of RAM on your system (But from my experience, 1.5 times is more than enough).

 Allocate the root(/) partition. Make sure the mount point is specified as "/".

Allocate the other (data) partition. Specify a non-existing directory as the mount point. It will be created automatically and the partition will be mounted on this folder. Here I have chosen the mount point as "/d-drive".

 Check to see if the partition editor has been configured properly:

After completing the installation and rebooting the system, you have to set permissions to the folder that will be used to mount the partition. Follow these steps:

1. Open a Terminal window.
2. sudo su - Enter supervisor mode
3. chmod  777 /d-drive  - Give total access to all users for "/d-drive"
4. exit or <CTRL>D - Get out of supervisor mode
5. Close the terminal

Note:

• The swap (swap area) and root(/) partitions must be created.
• You can create any number of partitions the same way you created the "data" partition.
• I am using a Virtual machine for the screen shots. The hard drive space on your machine will vary.

Add/change keyboard shortcuts (Xubuntu)

• How to:
1. Open the Settings Manager (Applications->Settings->Xfce4 Settings Manager)
2. Search for Keyboard.
3. Select the [Application Shortcuts] tab.
4. The existing keyboard shortcuts can be found here. They can be changed.
5. Click the add button to add your own.
• My favourites: I have customized the shortcuts to act just like in Windows:
• Hide all windows and set focus to Desktop: (Windows + d)
• To open the file explorer: You can add a new command to open any folder:
          thunar folder_path
          Eg: thunar /home/myname/d-drive
  Note: thunar is the default file browser in Xubuntu

Superuser mode (SU)

• What is Superuser Mode?: In one word, it gives complete access to your system. A normal user has only limited privileges, but a superuser has no limits.
• How to enter Superuser mode?:
1. Open a Terminal window.
2. Type "sudo su" - This will prompt for the current user password and will give you administrative privileges for all commands entered here after on the terminal.
• Examples: (Enter the command in SU mode on the terminal window)
• Launch the browser in superuser mode to modify root files:
• Ubuntu: nautilus --browser <path>
  Eg: nautilus --browser /etc
• Xubuntu: thunar <path>
  Eg: thunar /etc
• Open a file in superuser mode:
• Ubuntu: gedit <filepath>
  Eg: gedit /etc/fstab
• Xubuntu: mousepad <filepath>
  Eg: mousepad /etc/fstab

Note:

• SU mode is not recommended if you have no idea what you are doing :-)
• You can use "sudo su" and enter supervisor mode instead of prefixing "sudo" to each command

Add/change keyboard shortcuts (Ubuntu)

• How to:
1. Navigate to System->Preferences->Keyboard Shortcuts.
2. The existing keyboard shortcuts can be found here. They can be changed.
3. Click the add button to add your own.
• My favourites: I have customized the shortcuts to act just like in Windows:
• Hide all windows and set focus to Desktop: (Windows + d)
• To open the file explorer: Although there is a default combination to open the home folder, you can add a new command to open any folder:
          nautilus --browser folder_path
          Eg: nautilus --browser /home/myname/d-drive
  Note: nautilus is the default file browser in Ubuntu

Mount a partition during startup

JUMP TO THE EXAMPLE if you are not interested in the details.

• Enter superuser mode:
1. Open a Terminal window.
2. Type "sudo su" - This will give you administrative privileges for all commands entered here after.
•  Determine which partition you want to mount:
1. Type "fdisk -l" - This will show the available partitions.
2. Make a note of the partition name (Something like /dev/sdxx)

               Eg: /dev/sda

• Create a mount directory and test if you can mount the partition: 
1. Type "mkdir dir-name" to create a new directory.]
2. Type the command:
               mount -t fs-type device-name dir-name
   Where,
           fs-type: File system type (ext2, ext3, ext4, ntfs, vfat, etc.)
           device-name: Device name (/dev/sdxx), displayed by "fdisk -l"
           dir-name: The new directory created above
3. Check if the partition is mounted using the "df"  command. If it is mounted you will see the partition and the directory name in the list.

               Eg: mkdir /home/myname/d-drive
                      mount -t ntfs /dev/sda6 /home/myname/d-drive
                      df

• Unmount the partiton:
•  Type the command:
              umount dir-name
  Where,
          dir-name: Mount directory

               Eg: umount /home/myname/d-drive

• Modify "/etc/fstab"
1. Type "gedit /etc/fstab &" to open /etc/fstab in an editor (On Xubuntu: "mousepad /etc/fstab &"). The "&" runs this as a new process in the background.
2. Add an entry in this format:
         device-name dir-name fs-type rw 0 0
   Where,
           device-name: Device name (/dev/sdxx), displayed by "fdisk -l"
           dir-name: Mount directory
           fs-type: File system type (ext2, ext3, ext4, ntfs, etc.)        
3. Save the file, but don't close it.
4. Go back to the terminal and type "mount -a". This will mount the partition. 
5. Check if the partition is mounted using the "df"  command. If it is mounted you will see the partition and the directory name in the list. If you don't see it, then something is wrong, undo the changes in the file and try again)
6. Close the file     

               Eg: gedit /etc/fstab &

                      Add

                                 /dev/sda6 /home/myname/d-drive ntfs rw 0 0
                      Save the file
                      Go back to the terminal and type:
                                 mount -a
                                 df

• Grant read/write access to all users:
•  Type the command:
              chmod 777 dir-name
  Where,
          dir-name: Mount directory

               Eg: chmod 777 /home/myname/d-drive

                     

• Exit from superuser mode:
1. Enter "exit" or press <CTRL>D.
2. Close the terminal window.

• Reboot

EXAMPLE:
To mount /dev/sda6 on a directory "d-drive" under "/home/myname/":

1. Open a Terminal window.
2. sudo su - Enter supervisor mode.
3. fdisk -l - Make sure the partition /dev/sda6 exists
4. mkdir /home/myname/d-drive - Create the mount directory
5. mount -t <fstype> /dev/sda6 /home/myname/d-drive - Mount the partition (the -t <fstype> is optional and depends on the file system type)
   Eg:
       To mount ext4: mount -t ext4 /dev/sda6 /home/myname/d-drive
       To mount ntfs: mount -t ntfs /dev/sda6 /home/myname/d-drive
6. df - Check if the partition is successfully mounted
7. umount /home/myname/d-drive - Unmount the partition
8. df - Check if the partition is successfully unmounted
9. gedit /etc/fstab & - Edit /etc/fstab (On Xubuntu: mousepad /etc/fstab &)
10. /dev/sda6 /home/myname/d-drive <fstype> rw 0 0 - Add this entry (<fstype> is the file system type)
    Eg:
        In case of ext4: /dev/sda6 /home/myname/d-drive ext4 rw 0 0
        In case of ntfs: /dev/sda6 /home/myname/d-drive ntfs rw 0 0
    
    
11. mount -a - Mount all partitions listed in /etc/fstab
    
12. df - Check if the partition is successfully mounted
13. Close /etc/fstab
14. chmod 777  /home/myname/d-drive - Give read/write/execute permissions for all users
15. exit or <CTRL>D - Get out of supervisor mode
16. Close the terminal
17. Reboot/ restart
    The partition will be mounted on the directory /home/myname/d-drive. You can access the partition by using this path.

The best part - Live CD

The best part about Ubuntu is that you can use a live CD to check it out.

• What's a live CD?: Well, it lets you run the OS without actually installing it. All data is stored on RAM and so any changes made in the OS will be temporary. The OS will run slower than when installed due to CD speed constraints.
• How to create a Ubuntu live CD: Download the Ubuntu OS ISO image and burn it using any CD writer software.
• Running from the Live CD: Make sure you have set "Boot from CD" under BIOS and off you go.
• Pros:
• Lets you determine if the OS is really meant for you without actually installing it.
• Comes in handy when you have a system crash - You can recover all files.
• You can determine if the OS runs smoothly on your PC.
• Don't like the OS? No hassle uninstalling it. Just shutdown and remove the CD.
• Cons:
• The actual execution speed of the OS can't be determined.
• Once the image is burnt, the CD can't be used for other purposes unless it a RW CD
• Alternatives to burning a CD:
• Install a virtual machine, mount the ISO image and run the OS.
• Create a Bootable USB drive and run the OS.

Note: You can use a DVD instead of a CD.