# Bash: use vi editing
set -o vi

# aliases from my Unix days
alias l="ls -l"
alias lf="ls -CF"

# uncomment this after vim-enhanced is installed
#alias vi="vim"

# proxy variables for command line programs.
export http_proxy=proxy-server-id.company.com:8080
export https_proxy=$http_proxy
export no_proxy=localhost,.subnet1,.subnet2,10.0.0.0/8
unset ftp_proxy

# set tab space at 4 characters
set tabstop=4

# enable line numbering
set number

Manual proxy configuration: my-proxy-server.network  Port: 8080
SSL Proxy: my-proxy-server.network                   Port: 8080
FTP Proxy: (blank)                                   Port: 0
SOCKS host: (blank)                                  Port: 0

No proxy for: localhost, 127.0.0.1, .mynetwork, .labnetwork

Method: Manual
HTTP Proxy:  my-proxy-server.network  Port: 8080
HTTPS Proxy: my-proxy-server.network  Port: 8080
FTP Proxy:  (blank)                   Port: 0
Socks host: (blank)                   Port: 0

No proxy for: localhost, 127.0.0.1, .mynetwork, .labnetwork

[main]
proxy=https://proxy-server-id.company.com:8080/

# yum -y install yum-plugin-fastestmirror

# yum -y update

$ chmod u+x fedora-desktop-packages

Third-Party Applications

These commercial applications are provided directly from their vendors and require special steps to download and install.

Install Oracle VirtualBoxTop

VirtualBox has been my primary hypervisor for running Windows virtual machines.

1. Download Oracle VirtualBox.
2. Download a VirtualBox extension pack for USB support.

Install VirtualBox using yum:

# yum -y install ~/Downloads/VirtualBox

To complete the installation, run the VirtualBox application and install the license pack in File->Preferences->Extensions

I've used repositories for VirtualBox in the past, but recently found problems with their packages being tied to specific kernels. Periodic downloads from virtualbox.org is a simple way around this.

Install Adobe i386 repo for AcrobatTop

Install the official Adobe Acrobat Reader program to overcome small incompatabilities observed with the open source PDF readers.

1. Enable the Adobe Reader repository. (Click here and open with Software Install) or

# rpm -ivh https://linuxdownload.adobe.com/adobe-release/adobe-release-i386-1.0-1.noarch.rpm
# rpm --import /etc/pki/rpm-gpg/RPM-GPG-KEY-adobe-linux

2. Use yum to download and install Adobe Acrobat from the repository.

# yum -y install AdobeReader_enu

Install Adobe x86_64 repo for Flash PlayerTop

Install the Adobe x86_64 repo to enable easy access to flash player updates.

1. Enable the Adobe x86_64 repository. (Click here) or

# rpm -ivh https://linuxdownload.adobe.com/adobe-release/adobe-release-x86_64-1.0-1.noarch.rpm
# rpm --import /etc/pki/rpm-gpg/RPM-GPG-KEY-adobe-linux

2. Use yum to download and install the Adobe Flash plugin from the repository.

# yum -y install flash-plugin

3. Restart Firefox
4. Visit this page to verify flash is working

Install Google ApplicationsTop

1. Right click and save this link for the Google Signing Key or

# wget https://dl-ssl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub

2. Import the key into the rpm database

# rpm --import linux_signing_key.pub

3. Download the Chrome package (which also enables the chrome repository.)

# yum localinstall google-chrome-stable*

4. Download the Google Earth package

# yum localinstall google-earth*

Gnome Environmental Settings

These configuration changes can be made while the previous 'yum update' activity or 'packages' script activites are in progress.

The following activities can be performed interactively while other programs are being installed.

Run the System Settings program to make these changes:

1. Users Accounts: Set the user icon to an actual photo.
2. Background: Set the desktop background to something you like.
3. Online Accounts: Setup Google Online accounts for calendaring, gchat, etc.
4. Screen: Set/Disable screen lock.
5. Displays: Set display resolution
6. Keyboard: Set shortcuts
   1. Shortcuts/Windows/Lower all Windows - Menu Key
   2. Shortcuts/Launchers/Launch Termianl - Super-S
7. Network: Setup Wireless Access
8. Date&Time: Enable NTP and change to AM/PM

Run the Advanced System Settings (Gnome Tweak Tool) program to make these changes:

1. Fonts:
   1. Modify text scaling factor as needed
   2. Change default font, document font and window title font to Lucida Grande
   3. Change hinting and Antialiasing as needed (depends on the display in use)
2. Shell: Show date clock - ON
3. Shell: Arrangement of buttons on the titlebar: ALL
4. Window: Action on title bar doubleclick: Maximize Vertically
5. Window: Window focus mode: Mouse

System Environmental Settings

Set SELinux to PermissiveTop

The SELinux security system is included and enabled in "enforcing" mode by default in Fedora Linux. SELinux greatly restricts the operation of many programs unless the root user has explicitly configured them to be allowed. This is an excellent system for high security environments but is often a frustrating obstacle on personal workstations which do not require top security.

SELinux can be put into "permissive" mode which allows it to remain installed and enabled but causes it to warn the user in situations where it would normally restrict access. This is a simple change to make and allows users to learn more about SELinux while operating the system.

To put SELinux into permissive mode, etc the file /etc/selinux/config and replace "enforcing" with "permissive":

SELINUX=permissive

SELinux will be in permissive mode when the system is rebooted.

Configure FirewallTop

Leave the firewall enabled if you can and open ports as needed.

Run the Firewall (GUI application) to make these changes:

1. SSH - inbound shell access
2. HTTP & HTTPS - allows serving web pages
3. SAMBA & SAMBA CLIENT - allows serving files via CIFS (primarily to Windows VMs)

Fonts

Install Custom FontsTop

The following commercial fonts are installed by copying several individual font directories into /usr/share/fonts. Note: I don't make these fonts available, Sorry.

1. Myriad Pro
2. Lucida Grande
3. HP Simplified - Corporate use only.

[maxwell@elite ~]$ ls /usr/share/fonts
abattis-cantarell  default        msttcore            wine-ms-sans-serif-fonts
AdobeGaramond      dejavu         opensymbol          wine-small-fonts
AdobeMinion        hp             stix                wine-symbol-fonts
AdobeMisc          liberation     vlgothic            wine-system-fonts
AdobeMyriadPro     Lucida         wine-courier-fonts
AppleGaramond      MicroFontPack  wine-marlett-fonts

Install Microsoft FontsTop

Having standard Windows fonts helps websites designed for Windows look accurate and helps with importing Microsoft Office documents.

Download this archive and place the contents in /usr/share/fonts

Please do not link directly to this file!

Set Minimum Fonts Size in Firefox Top

Set the minimum font size in firefox to between 14 and 16 points to make it easier to view small text on high resolution displays (especially laptops.)

Run Firefox. Go to Edit -> Preferences -> Content -> Fonts & Colors -> Advanced and configure what works best for you.

Special Installs

Install Oracle Java Top

OpenJDK works very well as a replacement for Oracle Java but there are some instances where problems can be seen. My attempts to run 3 or more HP iLO3 remote consoles simultaneously exhibit problems with OpenJDK but not with Oracle's JRE, so I use install Oracle and use that.

Navigate to the following link with Firefox and download the 64-bit JRE rpm file of the most recent version of Java.

Oracle JavaSE download page

Choose to have it open with the software installer and install it, or as root, use the rpm command to install the downloaded rpm file. Adjust this command for the filename you've downloaded.

# rpm -ivh jre-7u11-linux-x64.rpm

Next, use the alternatives command to tell Fedora to use Oracle Java instead of OpenJDK:

# /usr/sbin/alternatives --install /usr/bin/java java /usr/java/default/bin/java 20000

Then, install the Java plugin for Firefox:

# /usr/sbin/alternatives --install /usr/lib64/mozilla/plugins/libjavaplugin.so \
libjavaplugin.so.x86_64 /usr/java/default/lib/amd64/libnpjp2.so 20000

Restart Firefox and go to this page to verify Java is installed and working in your browser:

Download and install HP Virtual Rooms client for Linux Top

This client allows me to share my desktop at work.

Configure Applications

Configure Firefox Plug-ins) Top

Install the following Firefox plug-ins for a better firefox experience:

1. Video Download Helper - Allows downloading web videos for offline viewing.
2. Download Status Bar - Monitor downloads via statusbar strip instead of separate window.
3. Flashblock - Hide Flash advertisements that waste laptop CPU cycles.

Configure conserver client (corporate) Top

I install a Conserver client that can access a conserver server. The conserver system uses a central server to monitor production systems serial port output and brokers access from simultaneous clients. I only need the client on my Fedora systems. This was downloaded earlier and needs

Create a /etc/conserver/console.conf with the following information:

default config for console
config * {
     master  my-conserver.company.com;
     port    3109;
}

Configure Pidgin Chat client Top

Pidgin provides me with a single chat client to all the accounts I use at home and work:

1. Google Chat
2. IRC
3. Microsoft Office Communicator/Lync

Run Pidgin, then use Accounts -> Manage Accounts to set these up individually through Pidgin's user interface.

OR, copy a previously created $HOME/.purple directory into the new home directory and see if Pidgin uses the old settings.

Configure OpenVPN client (corporate) Top

OpenVPN is used to access a variety of secure networks in my life. Configuration is simple:

1. Copy the existing openvpn.conf configuration file and cert key file to /etc/openvpn
2. Launch openvpn to verify

Configure Samba Top

Samba provides network file sharing services to Windows clients. A Samba server running on a host enables Windows virtual machines to access the host's files.

First, set a samba password for your user:

$ smbpasswd -a
New SMB password: ********
Retype new SMB password: *******

Next, edit /etc/samba/smb.conf and make the following changes:

1. Set the workgroup name
2. Set the server string
3. Allow Samba traffic on selected interfaces including VirtualBox and KVM host only networks
4. Set security to simple user passwords on the host
5. Configure access to users home directories via Samba
6. Configure access to specific directories on the host (outside of users' homes)

[global]
workgroup = MY-SERVER-NAME-GROUP
server string = My Fedora Samba Server
interfaces = lo eth0 192.168.122.0/24 192.168.56.0/24
security = user

Remove eth0 from above if you wish to ONLY share files with the virtual machines on your host and not with other computers on your network.

[homes]
comment = Home Directories
browseable = no
writeable = yes

[music]
comment = Music share
path = /media/music/
browseable = yes
writeable = yes
valid users = maxwell

[vmxfer]
comment = Virtual Machine Transfer folder
path = /home/maxwell/vmxfer
browseable = yes
writeable = yes
valid users = maxwell

As root, use systemctl to configure the system to start samba upon boot and issue two commands to start the services immediately for use.

# Configure the services to start

# systemctl enable smb
# systemctl enable nmb

# Start the services

# systemctl start smb
# systemctl start nmb

Configure VirtualBox Top

1. Add 'maxwell' to the vboxusers group.
2. Install an extensions pack. Download it here then use Virtualbox -> Preferences -> Extensions to install it.
3. Restore any virtual machine images to the $HOME/VirtualBox directory.
4. Run each VM and verify proper operation
5. Test access to host files via Samba