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SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop (SLED 10) GNOME User Guide
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2.4 System

System settings include the following:

2.4.1 Configuring Search with Beagle Settings

Beagle is the search engine used on the SLED GNOME Desktop. By default, Beagle is configured to start automatically and index your home directory. If you want to change these settings, specify the number of results displayed after a search or change the Beagle privacy settings, click Computer > Control Center > System > Beagle Settings.

2.4.2 Configuring Date and Time

To change your date and time configuration, for example to change your time zone or the way the date and time are displayed, click Computer > Control Center > System > Date and Time. This opens the YaST Date and Time module, which requires root privileges. Enter the root password and follow the instructions on the YaST pages.

2.4.3 Configuring Network Proxies

The Network Proxy Configuration tool lets you configure how your system connects to the Internet. You can configure the desktop to connect to a proxy server and specify the details of the server. A proxy server is a server that intercepts requests to another server and fulfills the request itself, if it can. You can specify the Domain Name Service (DNS) name or the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the proxy server. A DNS name is a unique alphabetic identifier for a computer on a network. An IP address is a unique numeric identifier for a computer on a network.

Click Computer > Control Center > System > Network Proxies.

Figure 2-17 Network Proxy Configuration Dialog

The following table lists the Internet connection options that you can modify.

Table 2-8 Internet Connection Options

Option

Description

Direct Internet connection

Connects directly to the Internet, without a proxy server.

Manual proxy configuration

Connects to the Internet through a proxy server and lets you configure the proxy server manually.

HTTP proxy

The DNS name or IP address of the proxy server to use when you request a HTTP service. Specify the port number of the HTTP service on the proxy server in the Port box.

Secure HTTP proxy

The DNS name or IP address of the proxy server to use when you request a Secure HTTP service. Specify the port number of the Secure HTTP service on the proxy server in the Port box.

FTP proxy

The DNS name or IP address of the proxy server to use when you request an FTP service. Specify the port number of the FTP service on the proxy server in the Port box.

Socks host

The DNS name or IP address of the Socks host to use. Specify the port number for the Socks protocol on the proxy server in the Port spin box.

Automatic proxy configuration

Connects to the Internet through a proxy server and lets you configure the proxy server automatically.

Autoconfiguration URL

The URL that contains the information required to configure the proxy server automatically.

2.4.4 Configuring Power Management

This module lets you manage your system’s power-saving options. It is especially useful for extending the life of a laptop’s battery charge. However, several options also help to save electricity when using a computer that is plugged in to an electricity source.

Click Computer > Control Center > System > Power Management.

Specifying Sleep Mode Times

Sleep mode shuts down the computer when it is unused for a specified amount of time. Whether under battery or AC power, you can specify the amount of time that the computer remains unused before it is put to sleep.You can also put the computer’s display to sleep without shutting down the computer, saving the power required by the display.

Sleep mode is especially important when the computer is operating under battery power. Both the screen and the computer draw power from the battery, so you can save a significant amount of battery power by shutting down one or both. It is common to put the display to sleep after a shorter period of time. (The default is five minutes.) Then, if the computer remains unused for a further amount of time (default 20 minutes), it is also put to sleep.

To specify your computer’s sleep settings, open the Power Management module and click the Sleep tab. Then, specify the amount of time that should pass before the display and computer are put to sleep, for both AC power and battery power.

Setting Power Options

To set the type of sleep mode used by your computer and the action to take when the battery power reaches the critical level, open the Power Management module and click the Options tab.

There are two available types of sleep mode:

  • Standby

    Standby mode turns off power-consuming computer components such as the display and the hard drive without saving the contents of RAM. Any unsaved data is lost.

  • Hibernate

    Hibernate mode saves all contents of RAM to the hard disk before shutting off power to the system. When you start the system again, the saved data is put back into RAM, restoring your computer to the state it was in before it shut off. Hibernate requires an amount of free hard disk space equal to the amount of RAM installed on the computer.

Choose the type of sleep mode you prefer by selecting it from the menu. If you have sufficient free disk space, Hibernate is the better choice.

You can also specify what your computer does when the battery reaches the critical level. The available options are:

  • Do Nothing

    The computer does not shut down or automatically go into any kind of power-saving mode.

  • Hibernate

    The computer saves the contents of RAM to the hard disk, then shuts down. When you turn the computer on again, the saved data is put back into RAM, restoring your computer to the state it was in before it shut off. Hibernate requires an amount of free hard disk space equal to the amount of RAM installed on the computer.

  • Shut Down

    The computer turns off without saving anything. All unsaved data is lost.

Choose the option you prefer by selecting it from the menu. If you have sufficient free disk space, Hibernate is the better choice.

Setting Advanced Power Options

The available advanced power options allow you to display how and when the Power icon displays, and at what point the battery is considered low or critical. Open the Power Management module, then click the Advanced tab to set these options.

You can specify whether the power icon is always or never displayed in the System Tray, or that it is present only when the battery is low, or when it is either charging or discharging.

You can also select the percentage of battery power remaining that is to be considered low or critical. Slide the slider for each option until the desired percentage is specified.

2.4.5 Setting Preferred Applications

The Preferred Applications module allows you to specify which applications to use for various common tasks:

To change any of these settings:

  1. Click Computer > Control Center > System > Preferred Applications.

  2. Click the tab for the type of application you want to set.

    The following list shows the options and default settings.

    • Web browser

      Default: Firefox

    • Mail reader

      Default: Evolution

    • FTP

      Default: Nautilus

    • News

      Default: Thunderbird

    • Terminal

      GNOME Terminal

  3. Select one of the available from the applications from the Choose menu or enter the command used to start the application.

  4. Click Close.

The changes take effect immediately.

2.4.6 Setting Session Sharing Preferences

The Remote Desktop preference tool enables you to share a GNOME desktop session between multiple users, and to set session-sharing preferences. To open this tool, click Computer > Control Center > System > Remote Desktop.

The table below shows the session sharing preferences that can be set with this tool. These settings have a direct impact on the security of your system.

Table 2-9 Session Sharing Preferences

Dialog Element

Description

Allow other users to view your desktop

Select this option to enable remote users to view your session. All keyboard, pointer, and clipboard events from the remote user are ignored.

Allow other users to control your desktop

Select this option to allow other users to access and control your session from a remote location.

Users can view your desktop using this command

Click on the highlighted text to send the system address to remote user by e-mail.

When a user tries to view or control your desktop

Select from the following security considerations when a user tries to view or control your desktop:

  • Ask you for confirmation

    Select this option if you want remote users to ask you for confirmation when they want to share your session. This option enables you to be aware when other users connect to your session. You can also decide what time is suitable for the remote user to connect to your session.

  • Require the user to enter this password

    Select this option to authenticate the remote user if authentication is used. This option provides an extra level of security.

Password

Enter the password that the remote user who wants to view or control your session must enter.

2.4.7 Managing Sessions

This module lets you manage your sessions. A session occurs between the time that you log in to the desktop environment and the time that you log out. You can set session preferences and specify which applications to start when you begin a session. You can configure sessions to save the state of applications and then restore the state when you start another session.

You can also use this preference tool to manage multiple sessions. For example, you might have a mobile session which starts applications you use most frequently when traveling, a demo session that starts applications used to present a demonstration or slide show to a customer, and a work session that uses a different set of applications when you are working in the office.

Click Computer > Control Center > System > Sessions.

This module consists of three tabbed pages:

  • Session Options: Lets you manage multiple sessions and set preferences for the current session.

  • Current Session: Lets you specify startup order values and select restart styles for the session-managed applications in your current session.

  • Startup Programs: Lets you specify non-session-managed startup applications, which start automatically when you start a session.

Setting Session Preferences

Use the Session Options tabbed page to manage multiple sessions and set preferences for the current session.

Figure 2-18 Sessions Dialog—Session Options Page

The following table lists the session options that you can modify.

Table 2-10 Session Preferences for Current Session

Option

Description

Show Splash Screen on Login

Displays a splash screen when you start a session.

Prompt on Logout

Displays a confirmation dialog when you end a session.

Automatically Save Changes to Session

Automatically saves the current state of your session. The session manager saves the session-managed applications that are open and the settings associated with the session-managed applications. The next time you start a session, the applications start automatically with the saved settings.

If you do not select this option, the Logout Confirmation dialog displays a Save Current Setup option when you end your session.

Sessions

Lets you manage multiple sessions in the desktop, as follows:

  • To create a new session, click Add. The Add a New Session dialog is displayed, letting you specify a name for your session.
  • To change the name of a session, select the session and then click Edit. The Edit Session Name dialog is displayed, letting you specify a new name for your session.
  • To delete a session, select the session and then click Delete.

Setting Session Properties

Use the Current Session tabbed page to specify startup order values and to choose restart styles for the session-managed applications in your current session.

Figure 2-19 Sessions Dialog—Current Session Page

The following table lists the session properties that you can configure.

Table 2-11 Session Properties for Session-Managed Applications

Option

Description

Order

Specifies the order in which the session manager starts session-managed startup applications. The session manager starts applications with lower order values first. The default value is 50.

To set the startup order of an application, select the application in the table. Use the Order box to specify the startup order value.

Style

Determines the restart style of an application. To select a restart style for an application, select the application in the table and then select one of the following styles:

  • Normal: Starts automatically when you start a session. Use the kill command to terminate applications with this restart style during a session.

  • Restart: Restarts automatically when you close or terminate the application. Select this style for an application if it must run continuously during your session. To terminate an application with this restart style, select the application in the table and then click Remove.

  • Trash: Does not start when you start a session.

  • Settings: Starts automatically when you start a session. Applications with this style usually have a low startup order and store your configuration settings for GNOME and session-managed applications.

Remove

Deletes the selected application from the list. The application is removed from the session manager and closed. Applications that you delete are not started the next time you start a session.

Apply

Applies changes made to the startup order and the restart style.

Configuring Startup Applications

Use the Startup Programs tabbed page to specify non-session-managed startup applications.

Figure 2-20 Sessions Dialog—Startup Programs Page

Startup applications are applications that start automatically when you begin a session. You specify the commands that run these applications and the commands execute automatically when you log in.

You can also start session-managed applications automatically. For more information, see Setting Session Preferences.

To add a startup application, click Add. The Add Startup Program dialog is displayed. Specify the command to start the application in the Startup Command field. If you specify more than one startup application, use the Order box to specify the startup order of the each application.

To edit a startup application, select the startup application and then click Edit. The Edit Startup Program dialog is displayed. Modify the command and the startup order for the startup application.

To delete a startup application, select the startup application and then click Delete.

2.4.8 Setting Sound Preferences

The Sound Preference tool lets you control when the sound server starts. You can also specify which sounds to play when particular events occur.

Click Computer > Control Center > System > Sound.

Setting General Sound Preferences

Use the Sounds tab to specify when to launch the sound server. You can also enable sound event functions.

Figure 2-21 Sound Preferences Dialog—General Page

Click Enable software sound mixing (ESD) to start the sound server when you start a session. When the sound server is active, the desktop can play sounds.

Click Play system sounds to play sounds when particular events occur in the desktop.

Finally, select the sound to play at each of the specified events.

Setting System Beep Preferences

Some applications play a beep sound to indicate a keyboard input error. Use the System Beep tab to set preferences for the system beep.

Figure 2-22 Sound Preferences Dialog—System Beep Page

2.4.9 Managing Users and Groups

Use the User Management tool to manage users and groups, including user and group names, group membership, password and password encryption, and other options.

Click Computer > Control Center > System > User Management. The User Management tool opens the User and Group Administration module in YaST.

NOTE:Root privileges are required to manage users and groups.

Follow the directions in YaST for information on changing settings.

SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop (SLED 10) GNOME User Guide
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  Published Courtesy of Novell, Inc. Design by Interspire