For more detailed installation instructions see Chapter 3, Installation Steps.

1.1.2 Installing openSUSE Leap #Edit source

Use these instructions if there is no existing Linux system on your machine, or if you want to replace an existing Linux system.

1.1.2.1 Booting the Installation System #Edit source

Insert a DVD or a bootable USB stick containing the installation image for openSUSE Leap, then reboot the computer to start the installation program. On machines with a traditional BIOS you will see the graphical boot screen shown below. On machines equipped with UEFI, a slightly different boot screen is used. Secure boot on UEFI machines is supported.

On BIOS machines, use F2 to change the language for the installer. A corresponding keyboard layout is chosen automatically. See Section 2.2.1, “The Boot Screen on Machines Equipped with Traditional BIOS” or Section 2.2.2, “The Boot Screen on Machines Equipped with UEFI” for more information about changing boot parameters. On UEFI machines adjust the language and keyboard settings in the next step.

Select Installation on the boot screen, then press Enter. This boots the system and loads the openSUSE Leap installer.

1.1.2.2 Language, Keyboard and License Agreement #Edit source

On systems with a traditional BIOS the Language and Keyboard Layout settings are initialized with the language you chose at the boot screen. If you did not change the default, or are using a UEFI machine it will be English (US). Change the settings here, if necessary. Use the Keyboard Test text box to test the layout.

Read the License Agreement. It is presented in the language you have chosen. Other License Translations are available. Proceed with Next.

1.1.2.3 Network Settings #Edit source

If the network can not be configured automatically, the Network Settings dialog opens. Choose a network interface from the list and configure it with Edit. Alternatively, Add an interface manually. See Section 3.4, “Network Settings” and Book “Reference”, Chapter 13 “Basic Networking”, Section 13.4 “Configuring a Network Connection with YaST” for more information. If you prefer to do an installation without network access, skip this step without making any changes and proceed with Next.

1.1.2.4 Online Repositories #Edit source

A system analysis is performed, where the installer probes for storage devices, and tries to find other installed systems. If a network connection with Internet access is available, you will be asked to activate the online repositories. Answer with Yes to proceed. In case you do not have Internet access, this step will be skipped.

The online repositories are official openSUSE package sources. They not only offer additional packages not included on the installation media, but also the update repositories containing security and bug fixes. Using the default selection is recommended. Add at least the Main Update Repository, because it makes sure the system is installed with the latest security patches.

You have the following choices:

• The Main Repository (OSS) contains open source software (OSS). Compared to the DVD installation media, it contains many additional software packages, among them many additional desktop systems.

• The Main Update Repository contains security updates and fixes for packages from the Main Repository (OSS) and the DVD installation media. Choosing this repository is recommended for all installation scenarios.

• The Main Repository (Non-OSS) contains packages with a proprietary software license. Choosing it is not required for installing a custom desktop system.

• Choosing Main Update Repository (Non-OSS) is recommended when also having chosen the Main Repository (Non-OSS). It contains the respective updates and security fixes.

• All other repositories are intended for experienced users and developers. Click on a repository name to get more information.

Confirm your selection with Next. Depending on your choice, you need to confirm one or more license agreements. Do so by choosing Next until you proceed to the System Role screen. Now choose Next to proceed.

1.1.2.5 System Role #Edit source

Choose a general software and system configuration with this step by selecting a desktop or server configuration.

For a desktop installation, choose between Desktop with KDE Plasma, Desktop with GNOME and Generic Desktop. KDE is slightly similar to Windows, GNOME offers an alternative, innovative environment. In case you prefer an alterntive to the KDE or GNOME desktops, choose Generic Desktop. You will be able to choose between the XFCE, LXDE, MATE and others later in the installation process by selecting Software in the Installation Settings dialog.

If setting up a server, you probably do not need a graphical user interface. Choose Server (Text Mode) in this case. Alternatively, set up a server system with a read-only root partition and transactional updates by choosing Transactional Server. This selection also is a prerequisite for setting up openSUSE Kubic. See https://kubic.opensuse.org/blog/2018-04-04-transactionalupdates/ for more information on transactional updates.

You can also manually choose the software configuration for your system. Select Custom and then Next to get to the Software Selection and System Tasks dialog. Choose one or more patterns for installation. By clicking Details, you can select individual packages.

Tip: Release Notes

From this point on, the Release Notes can be viewed from any screen during the installation process by selecting Release Notes.

1.1.2.6 Suggested Partitioning #Edit source

Define a partition setup for openSUSE Leap in this step. Review the partition setup proposed by the system. If necessary, change it. You have the following options:

Guided Setup

Starts a wizard which lets you refine the partitioning proposal. Options available here depend on your system setup. In case it contains more than a single hard disk, you may choose which disk(s) to use and where to place the root partition. If the disk(s) already contain partitions, decide whether to remove or resize them.

In subsequent steps you may also add LVM support and disk encryption. You can change the file system for the root partition and decide whether to have a separate home partition or not.

Expert Partitioner

Opens the Expert Partitioner described in Book “Reference”, Chapter 5 “Expert Partitioner”, Section 5.1 “Using the Expert Partitioner”. This gives you full control over the partitioning setup and lets you create a custom setup. This option is intended for experts.

Note: Separate Home Partition

The default proposal no longer suggests to create a separate partition for /home. The /home directory contains the user's data and personal configuration files. Placing it on a separate directory makes it easier to rebuild the system in the future, or allows to share it with different Linux installations on the same machine.

In case you want to change the proposal to create a separate partition for /home, choose Guided Setup and click Next until you reach the Filesystem Options screen. Check Propose Separate Home Partition. By default it will be formatted with XFS, but you can choose to use a different file system. Close the dialog by clicking Next again.

To accept the proposed setup without any changes, choose Next to proceed.

1.1.2.7 Clock and Time Zone #Edit source

Select the clock and time zone to use in your system. To manually adjust the time or to configure an NTP server for time synchronization, choose Other Settings. See Section 3.8, “Clock and Time Zone” for detailed information. Proceed with Next.

1.1.2.8 Local User #Edit source

To create a local user, type the first and last name in the User’s Full Name field, the login name in the Username field, and the password in the Password field.

The password should be at least eight characters long and should contain both uppercase and lowercase letters and numbers. The maximum length for passwords is 72 characters, and passwords are case-sensitive.

For security reasons it is also strongly recommended not to enable the Automatic Login. You should also not Use this Password for the System Administrator but rather provide a separate root password in the next installation step.

If you install on a system where a previous Linux installation was found, you may Import User Data from a Previous Installation. Click Choose User for a list of available user accounts. Select one or more user.

In an environment where users are centrally managed (for example by NIS or LDAP) you may want to skip the creation of local users. Select Skip User Creation in this case.

Proceed with Next.

1.1.2.9 Authentication for the System Administrator “root” #Edit source

Provide a password for the system administrator account (called the root user).

You should never forget the root password! After you entered it here, the password cannot be retrieved. See Section 3.10, “Authentication for the System Administrator “root”” for more information. Proceed with Next.

Tip: Passwords and Keyboard Layout

It is recommended to only use characters that are available on an English keyboard. In case of a system error or when you need to start your system in rescue mode a localized keyboard might not be available.

In case you would like to enable password-less authentication via SSH login, you can import a key via Import Public SSH Key. If you want to completely disable root login via password, upload a key only and do not provide a root password. A login as system administrator will only be possible via SSH using the respective keyin this case.

1.1.2.10 Installation Settings #Edit source

Use the Installation Settings screen to review and—if necessary—change several proposed installation settings. The current configuration is listed for each setting. To change it, click the headline. Some settings, such as firewall or SSH can directly be changed by clicking the respective links.

Tip: Remote System Access

Changes you can make in the Installation Settings, can also be made later at any time from the installed system. However, if you need remote access directly after the installation, you should adjust the Firewall and SSH settings by opening the SSH port and enabling the SSH server.

Booting

This section shows the boot loader configuration. Changing the defaults is only recommended if really needed. Refer to Book “Reference”, Chapter 12 “The Boot Loader GRUB 2” for details.

Software

The default scope of software includes the base system and X Window with the selected desktop. Clicking Software opens the Software Selection and System Tasks screen, where you can change the software selection by selecting or deselecting patterns. Each pattern contains several software packages needed for specific functions (for example, Web and LAMP server or a print server). For a more detailed selection based on software packages to install, select Details to switch to the YaST Software Manager. See Chapter 10, Installing or Removing Software for more information.

Default Systemd Target

If you have chosen to install a desktop system, the system boots into the graphical target, with network, multiuser and display manager support. If you have not installed a desktop, the system boots into a login shell (Text Mode).

System

View detailed hardware information by clicking System. In the resulting screen you can also change Kernel Settings—see Section 3.11.7, “System” for more information.

Security

The CPU Mitigations refer to kernel boot command line parameters for software mitigations that have been deployed to prevent CPU side-channel attacks. Click the highlighted entry to choose a different option. For details, see Book “Reference”, Chapter 12 “The Boot Loader GRUB 2” CPU Mitigations.

By default, the Firewall is enabled with all network interfaces configured for the public zone. See Book “Security and Hardening Guide”, Chapter 25 “Masquerading and Firewalls”, Section 25.4 “firewalld” for configuration details.

The SSH service is disabled by default, its port (22) is closed. Therefore logging in from remote is not possible by default. Click enable and open to toggle these settings.

Network Configuration

Displays the current network configuration. Click Network Configuration to change the settings. For details, see Book “Reference”, Chapter 13 “Basic Networking”, Section 13.4 “Configuring a Network Connection with YaST”.

1.1.2.11 Start the Installation #Edit source

After you have finalized the system configuration on the Installation Settings screen, click Install. Depending on your software selection you may need to agree to license agreements before the installation confirmation screen pops up. Up to this point no changes have been made to your system. After you click Install a second time, the installation process starts.

1.1.2.12 The Installation Process #Edit source

During the installation, the progress is shown in detail on the Details tab. The openSUSE Leap Release Notes tab shows important information; reading them is recommended.

After the installation routine has finished, the computer is rebooted into the installed system. Log in and start YaST to fine-tune the system. If you are not using a graphical desktop or are working from remote, refer to Book “Reference”, Chapter 1 “YaST in Text Mode” for information on using YaST from a terminal.

The boot parameters are described in detail in Chapter 3, Installation Steps. Generally, selecting Installation starts the installation boot process.

If problems occur, use Installation—ACPI Disabled or Installation—Safe Settings. For more information about troubleshooting the installation process, refer to Chapter 4, Troubleshooting.

The menu bar at the bottom of the screen offers some advanced functionality needed in some setups. Using the function keys (F1 ... F12), you can specify additional options to pass to the installation routines without having to know the detailed syntax of these parameters (see Chapter 2, Boot Parameters). A detailed description of the available function keys is available in Section 2.2.1, “The Boot Screen on Machines Equipped with Traditional BIOS”.

This section describes changing the boot parameters for AMD64, Intel 64, and Arm AArch64.

2.2.1 The Boot Screen on Machines Equipped with Traditional BIOS #Edit source

The boot screen displays several options for the installation procedure. Boot from Hard Disk boots the installed system and is selected by default, because the CD is often left in the drive. Select one of the other options with the arrow keys and press Enter to boot it. The relevant options are:

Installation

The normal installation mode. All modern hardware functions are enabled. In case the installation fails, see F5Kernel for boot parameters that disable potentially problematic functions.

Upgrade

Perform a system upgrade. For more information refer to Chapter 13, Upgrading the System and System Changes.

More › Rescue System

Starts a minimal Linux system without a graphical user interface. For more information, see Section 17.5.2, “Using the Rescue System”. This option is not available on live CDs.

More › Boot Linux System

Boot a Linux system that is already installed. You will be asked from which partition to boot the system.

More › Check Installation Media

This option is only available when you install from media created from downloaded ISOs. In this case it is recommended to check the integrity of the installation medium. This option starts the installation system before automatically checking the media. In case the check was successful, the normal installation routine starts. If a corrupt media is detected, the installation routine aborts. Replace the broken medium and restart the installation process.

More › Memory Test

Tests your system RAM using repeated read and write cycles. Terminate the test by rebooting. For more information, see Section 4.4, “Boot Failure”.

Figure 2.1: The Boot Screen on Machines with a Traditional BIOS #

Use the function keys shown at the bottom of the screen to change the language, screen resolution, installation source or to add an additional driver from your hardware vendor:

F1Help

Get context-sensitive help for the active element of the boot screen. Use the arrow keys to navigate, Enter to follow a link, and Esc to leave the help screen.

F2Language

Select the display language and a corresponding keyboard layout for the installation. The default language is English (US).

F3Video Mode

Select various graphical display modes for the installation. By Default the video resolution is automatically determined using KMS (“Kernel Mode Setting”). If this setting does not work on your system, choose No KMS and, optionally, specify vga=ask on the boot command line to get prompted for the video resolution. Choose Text Mode if the graphical installation causes problems.

F4Source

Normally, the installation is performed from the inserted installation medium. Here, select other sources, like FTP or NFS servers. If the installation is deployed on a network with an SLP server, select an installation source available on the server with this option.

F5Kernel

If you encounter problems with the regular installation, this menu offers to disable a few potentially problematic functions. If your hardware does not support ACPI (advanced configuration and power interface) select No ACPI to install without ACPI support. No local APIC disables support for APIC (Advanced Programmable Interrupt Controllers) which may cause problems with some hardware. Safe Settings boots the system with the DMA mode (for CD/DVD-ROM drives) and power management functions disabled.

If you are not sure, try the following options first: Installation—ACPI Disabled or Installation—Safe Settings. Experts can also use the command line (Boot Options) to enter or change kernel parameters.

F6Driver

Press this key to notify the system that you have an optional driver update for openSUSE Leap. With File or URL, load drivers directly before the installation starts. If you select Yes, you are prompted to insert the update disk at the appropriate point in the installation process.

2.2.2 The Boot Screen on Machines Equipped with UEFI #Edit source

UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) is a new industry standard which replaces and extends the traditional BIOS. The latest UEFI implementations contain the “Secure Boot” extension, which prevents booting malicious code by only allowing signed boot loaders to be executed. See Book “Reference”, Chapter 14 “UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface)” for more information.

The boot manager GRUB 2, used to boot machines with a traditional BIOS, does not support UEFI, therefore GRUB 2 is replaced with GRUB 2 for EFI. If Secure Boot is enabled, YaST will automatically select GRUB 2 for EFI for installation. From an administrative and user perspective, both boot manager implementations behave the same and are called GRUB 2 in the following.

Tip: Using Additional Drivers with Secure Boot

When installing with Secure Boot enabled, you cannot load drivers that are not shipped with openSUSE Leap. This is also true of drivers shipped via SolidDriver, because their signing key is not trusted by default.

To load drivers not shipped with openSUSE Leap, do either of the following:

• Before the installation, add the needed keys to the firmware database via firmware/system management tools.

• Use a bootable ISO that will enroll the needed keys in the MOK list on the first boot.

For more information, see Book “Reference”, Chapter 14 “UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface)”, Section 14.1 “Secure Boot”.

The boot screen displays several options for the installation procedure. Change the selected option with the arrow keys and press Enter to boot it. The relevant options are:

Installation

The normal installation mode. All modern hardware functions are enabled. In case the installation fails, see F5Kernel for boot parameters that disable potentially problematic functions.

Upgrade

Perform a system upgrade. For more information refer to Chapter 13, Upgrading the System and System Changes.

More › Rescue System

Starts a minimal Linux system without a graphical user interface. For more information, see Section 17.5.2, “Using the Rescue System”. This option is not available on Live CDs.

More › Boot Linux System

Boot a Linux system that is already installed. You will be asked from which partition to boot the system.

More › Check Installation Media

This option is only available when you install from media created from downloaded ISOs. In this case it is recommended to check the integrity of the installation medium. This option starts the installation system before automatically checking the media. In case the check was successful, the normal installation routine starts. If a corrupt media is detected, the installation routine aborts.

Figure 2.2: The Boot Screen on Machines with UEFI #

GRUB 2 for EFI on openSUSE Leap does not support a boot prompt or function keys for adding boot parameters. By default, the installation will be started with American English and the boot media as the installation source. A DHCP lookup will be performed to configure the network. To change these defaults or to add boot parameters you need to edit the respective boot entry. Highlight it using the arrow keys and press E. See the on-screen help for editing hints (note that only an English keyboard is available now). The Installation entry will look similar to the following:

setparams 'Installation'

   set gfxpayload=keep
   echo 'Loading kernel ...'
   linuxefi /boot/x86_64/loader/linux splash=silent
   echo 'Loading initial ramdisk ...'
   initrdefi /boot/x86_64/loader/initrd

Add space-separated parameters to the end of the line starting with linuxefi. To boot the edited entry, press F10. If you access the machine via serial console, press Esc–0. A complete list of parameters is available at http://en.opensuse.org/Linuxrc.

This section contains a selection of important boot parameters.

2.3.2 Configuring the Network Interface #Edit source

Important: Configuring the Network Interface

The settings discussed in this section apply only to the network interface used during installation. Configure additional network interfaces in the installed system by following the instructions given in Book “Reference”, Chapter 13 “Basic Networking”, Section 13.6 “Configuring a Network Connection Manually”.

The network will only be configured if it is required during the installation. To force the network to be configured, use the netsetup or ifcfg parameters.

netsetup=VALUE

netsetup=dhcp forces a configuration via DHCP. Set netsetup=-dhcp when configuring the network with the boot parameters hostip, gateway and nameserver. With the option netsetup=hostip,netmask,gateway,nameserver the installer asks for the network settings during boot.

ifcfg=INTERFACE[.VLAN]=[.try,]SETTINGS

INTERFACE can be * to match all interfaces or, for example, eth* to match all interfaces that start with eth. It is also possible to use MAC addresses as values.

Optionally, a VLAN can be set behind the interface name, separated by a period.

If SETTINGS is dhcp, all matching interfaces will be configured with DHCP. If you add the try option, configuration will stop once the installation repository can be reached via one of the configured interfaces.

Alternativey you use static configuration. With static parameters, only the first matching interface will be configured, unless you add the try option. This will configure all interfaces until the repository can be reached.

The syntax for the static configuration is:

ifcfg=*="IPS_NETMASK,GATEWAYS,NAMESERVERS,DOMAINS"

Each comma separated value can in turn contain a list of space character separated values. IPS_NETMASK is in the CIDR notation, for example 10.0.0.1/24. The quotes are only needed when using space character separated lists. Example with two name servers:

ifcfg=*="10.0.0.10/24,10.0.0.1,10.0.0.1 10.0.0.2,example.com"

Tip: Other Networking Parameters

The ifcfg boot parameter is very powerful and allows you to set almost all networking parameters. In addition to the parameters mentioned above, you can set values for all configuration options (comma separated) from /etc/sysconfig/network/ifcfg.template and /etc/sysconfig/network/config. The following example sets a custom MTU size on an interface otherwise configured via DHCP:

ifcfg=eth0=dhcp,MTU=1500

hostname=host.example.com

Enter the fully qualified host name.

domain=example.com

Domain search path for DNS. Allows you to use short host names instead of fully qualified ones.

hostip=192.168.1.2[/24]

Enter the IP address of the interface to configure. The IP can contain the subnet mask, for example hostip=192.168.1.2/24. This setting is only evaluated if the network is required during the installation.

gateway=192.168.1.3

Specify the gateway to use. This setting is only evaluated if the network is required during the installation.

nameserver=192.168.1.4

Specify the DNS server in charge. This setting is only evaluated if the network is required during the installation.

domain=example.com

Domain search path. This setting is only evaluated if the network is required during the installation.

To configure access to a local RMT or supportconfig server for the installation, you can specify boot parameters to set up these services during installation. The same applies if you need IPv6 support during the installation.

security=selinux selinux=1

self_update=1

self_update=https://updates.example.com/

QT_AUTO_SCREEN_SCALE_FACTOR=1

You can find more information about boot parameters in the openSUSE wiki at https://en.opensuse.org/SDB:Linuxrc#Parameter_Reference.

This section provides an overview of all installation steps. Each step contains a link to a more detailed description.

During the installation and upgrade process, YaST can update itself to solve bugs in the installer that were discovered after the release. This functionality is enabled by default; to disable it, set the boot parameter self_update to 0. For more information, see Section 2.4.4, “Enabling the Installer Self-Update”.

Important: Quarterly Media Update: Self-Update Disabled

The installer self-update is only available if you use the GM images of the Unified Installer and Packages ISOs. If you install from the ISOs published as quarterly update (they can be identified by the string QU in the name), the installer cannot update itself, because this feature has been disabled in the update media.

Important: Networking during Self-Update

To download installer updates, YaST needs network access. By default, it tries to use DHCP on all network interfaces. If there is a DHCP server in the network, it will work automatically.

If you need a static IP setup, you can use the ifcfg boot argument. For more details, see the linuxrc documentation at https://en.opensuse.org/Linuxrc.

Tip: Language Selection

The installer self-update is executed before the language selection step. This means that progress and errors which happen during this process are displayed in English by default.

To use another language for this part of the installer, use the language boot parameter if available for your architecture, for example, language=de_DE. On machines equipped with a traditional BIOS, alternatively, press F2 in the boot menu and select the language from the list.

Although this feature was designed to run without user intervention, it is worth knowing how it works. If you are not interested, you can jump directly to Section 3.3, “ Language, Keyboard, and License Agreement ” and skip the rest of this section.

3.2.1 Self-Update Process #Edit source

The process can be broken down into two different parts:

1. Determine the update repository location.

2. Download and apply the updates to the installation system.

3.2.1.1 Determining the Update Repository Location #Edit source

Installer Self-Updates are distributed as regular RPM packages via a dedicated repository, so the first step is to find out the repository URL.

Important: Installer Self-Update Repository Only

No matter which of the following options you use, only the installer self-update repository URL is expected, for example:

self_update=https://www.example.com/my_installer_updates/

Do not supply any other repository URL—for example the URL of the software update repository.

YaST will try the following sources of information:

1. The self_update boot parameter. (For more details, see Section 2.4.4, “Enabling the Installer Self-Update”.) If you specify a URL, it will take precedence over any other method.

2. The /general/self_update_url profile element in case you are using AutoYaST.

3. If none of the previous attempts worked, the fallback URL (defined in the installation media) will be used.

3.2.1.2 Downloading and Applying the Updates #Edit source

When the updates repository is determined, YaST will check whether an update is available. If so, all the updates will be downloaded and applied to the installation system.

Finally, YaST will be restarted to load the new version and the welcome screen will be shown. If no updates were available, the installation will continue without restarting YaST.

Note: Update Integrity

Update signatures will be checked to ensure integrity and authorship. If a signature is missing or invalid, you will be asked whether you want to apply the update.

3.2.1.3 Temporary Self-Update Add-on Repository #Edit source

Some packages distributed in the self-update repository provide additional data for the installer, like the installation defaults, system role definitions and similar. If the installer finds such packages in the self-update repository, a local temporary repository is created, to which those packages are copied. They are used during the installation process, but at the end of the installation, the temporary local repository is removed. Its packages are not installed onto the target system.

This additional repository is not displayed in the list of add-on products, but during installation it may still be visible as SelfUpdate0 repository in the package management.

3.2.2 Custom Self-Update Repositories #Edit source

YaST can use a user-defined repository instead of the official one by specifying a URL through the self_update boot parameter. However, the following points should be considered:

• Only HTTP/HTTPS and FTP repositories are supported.

• Only RPM-MD repositories are supported (required by RMT).

• Packages are not installed in the usual way: They are uncompressed only and no scripts are executed.

• No dependency checks are performed. Packages are installed in alphabetical order.

• Files from the packages override the files from the original installation media. This means that the update packages might not need to contain all files, only files that have changed. Unchanged files are omitted to save memory and download bandwidth.

Note: Only One Repository

Currently, it is not possible to use more than one repository as source for installer self-updates.

Figure 3.1: Language, Keyboard, and License Agreement #

The Language and Keyboard Layout settings are initialized with the language you chose on the boot screen. If you did not change the default, it will be English (US). Change the settings here, if necessary.

Changing the language will automatically preselect a corresponding keyboard layout. Override this proposal by selecting a different keyboard layout from the drop-down box. Use the Keyboard Test text box to test the layout. The language selected here is also used to assume a time zone for the system clock. This setting can be modified later in the installed system as described in Chapter 6, Changing Language and Country Settings with YaST.

Read the license agreement. It is presented in the language you have. Translations are available via the License Language drop-down box. Proceed with Next if you agree to the terms and conditions. If you do not agree, click Abort to terminate the installation.

After booting into the installation, the installation routine is set up. During this setup, an attempt to configure at least one network interface with DHCP is made. In case this attempt has failed, the Network Settings dialog launches now.

Figure 3.2: Network Settings #

Choose a network interface from the list and click Edit to change its settings. Use the tabs to configure DNS and routing. See Book “Reference”, Chapter 13 “Basic Networking”, Section 13.4 “Configuring a Network Connection with YaST” for more details.

In case DHCP was successfully configured during installation setup, you can also access this dialog by clicking Network Configuration at the the Installation Settings step. It lets you change the automatically provided settings.

Note: Network Configuration with Boot Parameters

If at least one network interface has been configured via boot parameters (see Section 2.3.2, “Configuring the Network Interface”), automatic DHCP configuration is disabled and the boot parameter configuration is imported and used.

Tip: Accessing Network Storage or Local RAID

To access a SAN or a local RAID during the installation, you can use the libstorage command line client for this purpose:

1. Switch to a console with Ctrl–Alt–F2.

2. Install the libstoragemgmt extension by running extend libstoragemgmt.

3. Now you have access to the lsmcli command. For more information, run lsmcli --help.

4. To return to the installer, press Alt–F7

Supported are Netapp Ontap, all SMI-S compatible SAN providers, and LSI MegaRAID.

A system analysis is performed, where the installer probes for storage devices, and tries to find other installed systems. If a network connection with Internet access is available, you will be asked to activate the online repositories. Answer with Yes to proceed. In case you do not have Internet access, this step will be skipped.

The online repositories are official openSUSE package sources. They not only offer additional packages not included on the installation media, but also the update repositories containing security and bug fixes. Using the default selection is recommended. Add at least the Main Update Repository, because it makes sure the system is installed with the latest security patches.

You have the following choices:

Confirm your selection with Next. Depending on your choice, you need to confirm one or more license agreements. Do so by choosing Next until you proceed to the System Role screen. Now choose Next to proceed.

openSUSE Leap supports a broad range of features. To simplify the installation, the installer offers predefined use cases which adjust the system to be installed so it is tailored for the selected scenario.

Figure 3.3: System Role #

Choose the System Role that meets your requirements best. The availability of system roles depends on your selection of modules and extensions. Therefore, the dialog is omitted under the following conditions:

With the default selection, the following system roles are available:

In this dialog, select your region and time zone. Both are preselected according to the installation language.

Figure 3.5: Clock and Time Zone #

To change the preselected values, either use the map or the drop-down boxes for Region and Time Zone. When using the map, point the cursor at the rough direction of your region and left-click to zoom. Now choose your country or region by left-clicking. Right-click to return to the world map.

To set up the clock, choose whether the Hardware Clock is Set to UTC. If you run another operating system on your machine, such as Microsoft Windows, it is likely your system uses local time instead. If you run Linux on your machine, set the hardware clock to UTC and have the switch from standard time to daylight saving time performed automatically.

Important: Set the Hardware Clock to UTC

The switch from standard time to daylight saving time (and vice versa) can only be performed automatically when the hardware clock (CMOS clock) is set to UTC. This also applies if you use automatic time synchronization with NTP, because automatic synchronization will only be performed if the time difference between the hardware and system clock is less than 15 minutes.

Since a wrong system time can cause serious problems (missed backups, dropped mail messages, mount failures on remote file systems, etc.), it is strongly recommended to always set the hardware clock to UTC.

If a network is already configured, you can configure time synchronization with an NTP server. Click Other Settings to either alter the NTP settings or to Manually set the time. See Book “Reference”, Chapter 18 “Time Synchronization with NTP” for more information on configuring the NTP service. When finished, click Accept to continue the installation.

If running without NTP configured, consider setting SYSTOHC=no (sysconfig variable) to avoid saving unsynchronized time into the hardware clock.

Create a local user in this step.

Figure 3.6: Create New User #

After entering the first name and last name, either accept the proposal or specify a new User name that will be used to log in. Only use lowercase letters (a-z), digits (0-9) and the characters . (dot), - (hyphen) and _ (underscore). Special characters, umlauts and accented characters are not allowed.

Finally, enter a password for the user. Re-enter it for confirmation (to ensure that you did not type something else by mistake). To provide effective security, a password should be at least six characters long and consist of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and special characters (7-bit ASCII). Umlauts or accented characters are not allowed. Passwords you enter are checked for weakness. When entering a password that is easy to guess (such as a dictionary word or a name) you will see a warning. It is a good security practice to use strong passwords.

Important: User Name and Password

Remember both your user name and the password because they are needed each time you log in to the system.

If you install openSUSE Leap on a machine with one or more existing Linux installations, YaST allows you to import user data such as user names and passwords. Select Import User Data from a Previous Installation and then Choose Users for import.

If you do not want to configure any local users (for example when setting up a client on a network with centralized user authentication), skip this step by choosing Next and confirming the warning. Network user authentication can be configured at any time later in the installed system; refer to Chapter 5, Managing Users with YaST for instructions.

Two additional options are available:

Warning: Automatic Login

With the automatic login enabled, the system boots straight into your desktop with no authentication. If you store sensitive data on your system, you should not enable this option if the computer can also be accessed by others.

In an environment where users are centrally managed (for example by NIS or LDAP) you should skip the creation of local users. Select Skip User Creation in this case.

If you have not chosen Use this Password for System Administrator in the previous step, you will be prompted to enter a password for the System Administrator root or provide a public SSH key. Otherwise this configuration step is skipped.

Figure 3.7: Authentication for the System Administrator root #

root is the name of the superuser, or the administrator of the system. Unlike regular users, root has unlimited rights to change the system configuration, install programs, and set up new hardware. If users forget their passwords or have other problems with the system, root can help. The root account should only be used for system administration, maintenance, and repair. Logging in as root for daily work is rather risky: a single mistake could lead to irretrievable loss of system files.

For verification purposes, the password for root must be entered twice. Do not forget the root password. After having been entered, this password cannot be retrieved.

Tip: Passwords and Keyboard Layout

It is recommended to only use characters that are available on an English keyboard. In case of a system error or when you need to start your system in rescue mode a localized keyboard might not be available.

The root password can be changed any time later in the installed system. To do so run YaST and start Security and Users › User and Group Management.

Important: The root User

The user root has all the permissions needed to make changes to the system. To carry out such tasks, the root password is required. You cannot carry out any administrative tasks without this password.

In some situations it is preferred to access the system remotely via SSH using a public key. This screen allows you to select a public key from a medium.

The following procedure describes how to add a public SSH key from a USB stick. It works the same way with CD/DVD-ROM or from an existing partition. Proceed as follows:

After the installation is finished, you can log in through SSH using the provided public SSH key.

On the last step before the real installation takes place, you can alter installation settings suggested by the installer. To modify the suggestions, click the respective headline. After having made changes to a particular setting, you are always returned to the Installation Settings window, which is updated accordingly.

If you have added an SSH key for your root as mentioned in Procedure 3.1, make sure to open the SSH port in the Firewall and SSH settings.

Figure 3.8: Installation Settings #

3.11.1 Software #Edit source

openSUSE Leap contains several software patterns for various application purposes. The available choice of patterns and packages depends on your selection of modules and extensions.

Click Software to open the Software Selection and System Tasks screen where you can modify the pattern selection according to your needs. Select a pattern from the list and see a description in the right-hand part of the window.

Each pattern contains several software packages needed for specific functions (for example Multimedia or Office software). If you chose Generic Desktop in the System Role dialog choose a desktop environment from the list of available Graphical Environments. For a more detailed selection based on software packages to install, select Details to switch to the YaST Software Manager.

Figure 3.9: Software Selection and System Tasks #

You can also install additional software packages or remove software packages from your system at any later time with the YaST Software Manager. For more information, refer to Chapter 10, Installing or Removing Software.

By default, openSUSE Leap uses the Wayland display server protocol.

Tip: Adding Secondary Languages

The language you selected with the first step of the installation will be used as the primary (default) language for the system. You can add secondary languages from within the Software dialog by choosing Details › View › Languages.

3.11.2 Booting #Edit source

The installer proposes a boot configuration for your system. Other operating systems found on your computer, such as Microsoft Windows or other Linux installations, will automatically be detected and added to the boot loader. However, openSUSE Leap will be booted by default. Normally, you can leave these settings unchanged. If you need a custom setup, modify the proposal according to your needs. For information, see Book “Reference”, Chapter 12 “The Boot Loader GRUB 2”, Section 12.3 “Configuring the Boot Loader with YaST”.

Important: Software RAID 1

Booting a configuration where /boot resides on a software RAID 1 device is supported, but it requires to install the boot loader into the MBR (Boot Loader Location › Boot from Master Boot Record). Having /boot on software RAID devices with a level other than RAID 1 is not supported.

3.11.3 Security #Edit source

The CPU Mitigations refer to kernel boot command line parameters for software mitigations that have been deployed to prevent CPU side-channel attacks. Click the selected entry to choose a different option. For details, see Book “Reference”, Chapter 12 “The Boot Loader GRUB 2” CPU Mitigations.

By default firewalld is enabled on all configured network interfaces. To globally disable the firewall for this computer, click Disable (not recommended).

Note: Firewall Settings

If the firewall is activated, all interfaces are configured to be in the “External Zone”, where all ports are closed by default, ensuring maximum security. The only port you can open during the installation is port 22 (SSH), to allow remote access. All other services requiring network access (such as FTP, Samba, Web server, etc.) will only work after having adjusted the firewall settings. Refer to Book “Security and Hardening Guide”, Chapter 25 “Masquerading and Firewalls” for more information.

To enable remote access via the secure shell (SSH), make sure the SSH service is enabled and the SSH port is open.

Tip: Existing SSH Host Keys

If you install openSUSE Leap on a machine with existing Linux installations, the installation routine imports an SSH host key. It chooses the host key with the most recent access time by default.

If you are performing a remote administration over VNC, you can also specify whether the machine should be accessible via VNC after the installation. Note that enabling VNC also requires you to set the Default systemd Target to graphical.

After configuring all installation settings, click Install in the Installation Settings window to start the installation. Some software may require a license confirmation. If your software selection includes such software, license confirmation dialogs are displayed. Click Accept to install the software package. When not agreeing to the license, click I Disagree and the software package will not be installed. In the dialog that follows, confirm with Install again.

The installation usually takes between 15 and 30 minutes, depending on the system performance and the selected software scope. After having prepared the hard disk and having saved and restored the user settings, the software installation starts. Choose Details to switch to the installation log or Release Notes to read important up-to-date information that was not available when the manuals were printed.

After the software installation has completed, the system reboots into the new installation where you can log in. To customize the system configuration or to install additional software packages, start YaST.

If you encounter any problems using the openSUSE Leap installation media, check the integrity of your installation media. Boot from the media and chooseMore › Check Installation Media from the boot menu. A minimal system boots and lets you choose which device to check. Select the respective device and confirm with OK to perform the check.

In a running system, start YaST and choose Software › Media Check. Insert the medium and click Start Check. Checking may take several minutes.

If errors are detected during the check, do not use this medium for installation. Media problems may, for example, occur when having burned the medium on DVD yourself. Burning the media at a low speed (4x) helps to avoid problems.

If your computer cannot boot from USB or DVD drive, there are several alternatives. This is also an option if your drive is not supported by openSUSE Leap.

One reason a machine does not boot the installation media can be an incorrect boot sequence setting in BIOS. The BIOS boot sequence must have USB flash drive or DVD drive set as the first entry for booting. Otherwise the machine would try to boot from another medium, typically the hard disk. Guidance for changing the firmware boot sequence can be found in the documentation provided with your mainboard, or in the following paragraphs.

The BIOS is the software that enables the very basic functions of a computer. Motherboard vendors provide a BIOS specifically made for their hardware. Normally, the BIOS setup can only be accessed at a specific time—when the machine is booting. During this initialization phase, the machine performs several diagnostic hardware tests. One of them is a memory check, indicated by a memory counter. When the counter appears, look for a line, usually below the counter or somewhere at the bottom, mentioning the key to press to access the BIOS setup. Usually the key to press is one of Del, F1, or Esc. Press this key until the BIOS setup screen appears.

Regardless of what language and keyboard layout your final installation will be using, most BIOS configurations use the US keyboard layout as shown in the following figure:

Figure 4.1: US Keyboard Layout #

Some hardware types, mainly very old or very recent ones, fail to boot. Reasons can be missing support for hardware in the installation kernel or drivers causing problems on some specific hardware.

If your system fails to install using the standard Installation mode from the first installation boot screen, try the following:

If this fails, proceed as above, but choose Safe Settings instead. This option disables ACPI and DMA support. Most hardware will boot with this option.

If both of these options fail, use the boot parameters prompt to pass any additional parameters needed to support this type of hardware to the installation kernel. For more information about the parameters available as boot parameters, refer to the kernel documentation located in /usr/src/linux/Documentation/kernel-parameters.txt.

Tip: Obtaining Kernel Documentation

Install the kernel-source package to view the kernel documentation.

There are other ACPI-related kernel parameters that can be entered at the boot prompt prior to booting for installation:

When you have determined the right parameter combination, YaST automatically writes them to the boot loader configuration to make sure that the system boots properly next time.

If inexplicable errors occur when the kernel is loaded or during the installation, select Memory Test in the boot menu to check the memory. If Memory Test returns an error, it is usually a hardware error.

After you insert the medium into your drive and reboot your machine, the installation screen comes up, but after you select Installation, the graphical installer does not start.

There are several ways to deal with this situation:

You inserted the medium into the drive, the BIOS routines are finished, but the system does not start with the graphical boot screen. Instead it launches a very minimalist text-based interface. This may happen on any machine not providing sufficient graphics memory for rendering a graphical boot screen.

Although the text boot screen looks minimalist, it provides nearly the same functionality as the graphical one:

To administer users or groups, start YaST and click Security and Users › User and Group Management. Alternatively, start the User and Group Administration dialog directly by running sudo yast2 users & from a command line.

Figure 5.1: YaST User and Group Administration #

Every user is assigned a system-wide user ID (UID). Apart from the users which can log in to your machine, there are also several system users for internal use only. Each user is assigned to one or more groups. Similar to system users, there are also system groups for internal use.

Depending on the set of users you choose to view and modify with, the dialog (local users, network users, system users), the main window shows several tabs. These allow you to execute the following tasks:

For user and group management, the dialog provides similar functionality. You can easily switch between the user and group administration view by choosing the appropriate tab at the top of the dialog.

Filter options allow you to define the set of users or groups you want to modify: On the Users or Group tab, click Set Filter to view and edit users or groups. They are listed according to certain categories, such as Local Users or LDAP Users, if applicable. With Set Filter › Customize Filter you can also set up and use a custom filter.

Depending on the filter you choose, not all of the following options and functions will be available from the dialog.

YaST offers to create, modify, delete or temporarily disable user accounts. Do not modify user accounts unless you are an experienced user or administrator.

Note: Changing User IDs of Existing Users

File ownership is bound to the user ID, not to the user name. After a user ID change, the files in the user's home directory are automatically adjusted to reflect this change. However, after an ID change, the user no longer owns the files they created elsewhere in the file system unless the file ownership for those files are manually modified.

In the following, learn how to set up default user accounts. For further options, refer to Section 5.3, “Additional Options for User Accounts”.

Tip: Matching User IDs

It is useful to match the (local) user ID to the ID in the network. For example, a new (local) user on a laptop should be integrated into a network environment with the same user ID. This ensures that the file ownership of the files the user creates “offline” is the same as if they had created them directly on the network.

In addition to the settings for a default user account, openSUSE® Leap offers further options. For example, options to enforce password policies, use encrypted home directories or define disk quotas for users and groups.

5.3.1 Automatic Login and Passwordless Login #Edit source

If you use the GNOME desktop environment you can configure Auto Login for a certain user and Passwordless Login for all users. Auto login causes a user to become automatically logged in to the desktop environment on boot. This functionality can only be activated for one user at a time. Login without password allows all users to log in to the system after they have entered their user name in the login manager.

Warning: Security Risk

Enabling Auto Login or Passwordless Login on a machine that can be accessed by more than one person is a security risk. Without the need to authenticate, any user can gain access to your system and your data. If your system contains confidential data, do not use this functionality.

to activate auto login or login without password, access these functions in the YaST User and Group Administration with Expert Options › Login Settings.

When creating new local users, several default settings are used by YaST. These include, for example, the primary group and the secondary groups the user belongs to, or the access permissions of the user's home directory. You can change these default settings to meet your requirements:

Local users are assigned to several groups according to the default settings which you can access from the User and Group Administration dialog on the Defaults for New Users tab. In the following, learn how to modify an individual user's group assignment. If you need to change the default group assignments for new users, refer to Section 5.4, “Changing Default Settings for Local Users”.

With YaST you can also easily add, modify or delete groups.

To delete a group, it must not contain any group members. To delete a group, select it from the list and click Delete. Click OK to close the administration dialog and save the changes. Alternatively, to save all changes without exiting the User and Group Administration dialog, click Expert Options › Write Changes Now.

When your machine is connected to a network, you can change the authentication method. The following options are available:

To change the authentication method, proceed as follows:

By default, openSUSE Leap creates user names which cannot be deleted. These users are typically defined in the Linux Standard Base. The following list provides the common user names and their purpose:

Depending on how you use your desktop and whether you want to switch the entire system to another language or only the desktop environment itself, there are several ways to do this:

6.1.1 Modifying System Languages with YaST #Edit source

YaST knows two different language categories:

Primary Language

The primary language set in YaST applies to the entire system, including YaST and the desktop environment. This language is used whenever available unless you manually specify another language.

Secondary Languages

Install secondary languages to make your system multilingual. Languages installed as secondary languages can be selected manually for a specific situation. For example, use a secondary language to start an application in a certain language to do word processing in this language.

Before installing additional languages, determine which of them should be the default system language (primary language).

To access the YaST language module, start YaST and click System › Language. Alternatively, start the Languages dialog directly by running sudo yast2 language & from a command line.

Procedure 6.1: Installing Additional Languages #

When installing additional languages, YaST also allows you to set different locale settings for the user root, see Step 4. The option Locale Settings for User root determines how the locale variables (LC_*) in the file /etc/sysconfig/language are set for root. You can set them to the same locale as for normal users. Alternatively, you can keep it unaffected by any language changes, or only set the variable RC_LC_CTYPE to the same values as for the normal users. The RC_LC_CTYPE variable sets the localization for language-specific function calls.

1. To add languages in the YaST language module, select the Secondary Languages you want to install.

2. To make a language the default language, set it as Primary Language.

3. Additionally, adapt the keyboard to the new primary language and adjust the time zone, if appropriate.

   

   Tip: Advanced Settings

   For advanced keyboard or time zone settings, select Hardware › System Keyboard Layout or System › Date and Time in YaST to start the respective dialogs. For more information, refer to Section 7.1, “Setting Up Your System Keyboard Layout” and Section 6.2, “Changing the Country and Time Settings”.

4. To change language settings specific to the user root, click Details.

   1. Set Locale Settings for User root to the desired value. For more information, click Help.

   2. Decide if you want to Use UTF-8 Encoding for root or not.

5. If your locale was not included in the list of primary languages available, try specifying it with Detailed Locale Setting. However, some localization may be incomplete.

6. Confirm your changes in the dialogs with OK. If you have selected secondary languages, YaST installs the localized software packages for the additional languages.

The system is now multilingual. However, to start an application in a language other than the primary one, you need to set the desired language explicitly as explained in Section 6.1.3, “Switching Languages for Standard X and GNOME Applications”.

LANG=LANGUAGE application

Using the YaST date and time module, adjust your system date, clock and time zone information to the area you are working in. To access the YaST module, start YaST and click System › Date and Time. Alternatively, start the Clock and Time Zone dialog directly by running sudo yast2 timezone & from a command line.

First, select a general region, such as Europe. Choose an appropriate country that matches the one you are working in, for example, Germany.

Depending on which operating systems run on your workstation, adjust the hardware clock settings accordingly:

Important: Set the Hardware Clock to UTC

The switch from standard time to daylight saving time (and vice versa) can only be performed automatically when the hardware clock (CMOS clock) is set to UTC. This also applies if you use automatic time synchronization with NTP, because automatic synchronization will only be performed if the time difference between the hardware and system clock is less than 15 minutes.

Since a wrong system time can cause serious problems (missed backups, dropped mail messages, mount failures on remote file systems, etc.) it is strongly recommended to always set the hardware clock to UTC.

You can change the date and time manually or opt for synchronizing your machine against an NTP server, either permanently or only for adjusting your hardware clock.

The YaST System Keyboard Layout module lets you define the default keyboard layout for the system (also used for the console). Users can modify the keyboard layout in their individual X sessions, using the desktop's tools.

YaST detects most sound cards automatically and configures them with the appropriate values. To change the default settings, or to set up a sound card that could not be configured automatically, use the YaST sound module. There, you can also set up additional sound cards or switch their order.

To start the sound module, start YaST and click Hardware › Sound. Alternatively, start the Sound Configuration dialog directly by running yast2 sound & as user root from a command line. If the sound module is not available, install it using the sudo zypper install yast2-sound command.

The dialog shows all sound cards that were detected.

The volume and configuration of all sound cards are saved when you click OK and leave the YaST sound module. The mixer settings are saved to the file /etc/asound.state. The ALSA configuration data is appended to the end of the file /etc/modprobe.d/sound and written to /etc/sysconfig/sound.

YaST can be used to configure a local printer connected to your machine via USB and to set up printing with network printers. It is also possible to share printers over the network. Further information about printing (general information, technical details, and troubleshooting) is available in Chapter 8, Printer Operation.

In YaST, click Hardware › Printer to start the printer module. By default it opens in the Printer Configurations view, displaying a list of all printers that are available and configured. This is especially useful when having access to a lot of printers via the network. From here you can also Print a Test Page and configure printers.

Note: Starting CUPS

To print from your system, CUPS must be running. In case it is not running, you are asked to start it. Answer with Yes, or you cannot configure printing. In case CUPS is not started at boot time, you will also be asked to enable this feature. It is recommended to say Yes, otherwise CUPS would need to be started manually after each reboot.

7.3.2 Configuring Printing via the Network with YaST #Edit source

Network printers are not detected automatically. They must be configured manually using the YaST printer module. Depending on your network setup, you can print to a print server (CUPS, LPD, SMB, or IPX) or directly to a network printer (preferably via TCP). Access the configuration view for network printing by choosing Printing via Network from the left pane in the YaST printer module.

7.3.2.1 Using CUPS #Edit source

In a Linux environment CUPS is usually used to print via the network. The simplest setup is to only print via a single CUPS server which can directly be accessed by all clients. Printing via more than one CUPS server requires a running local CUPS daemon that communicates with the remote CUPS servers.

Important: Browsing Network Print Queues

CUPS servers announce their print queues over the network either via the traditional CUPS browsing protocol or via Bonjour/DNS-SD. Clients need to browse these lists, so users can select specific printers to send their print jobs to. To browse network print queues, the service cups-browsed provided by the package cups-filters-cups-browsed must run on all clients that print via CUPS servers. cups-browsed is started automatically when configuring network printing with YaST.

In case browsing does not work after having started cups-browsed, the CUPS server(s) probably announce the network print queues via Bonjour/DNS-SD. In this case you need to additionally install the package avahi and start the associated service with sudo systemctl start avahi-daemon on all clients.

Procedure 7.6: Printing via a Single CUPS Server #

1. Start the YaST printer module with Hardware › Printer.

2. From the left pane, launch the Print via Network screen.

3. Check Do All Your Printing Directly via One Single CUPS Server and specify the name or IP address of the server.

4. Click Test Server to make sure you have chosen the correct name or IP address.

5. Click OK to return to the Printer Configurations screen. All printers available via the CUPS server are now listed.

Procedure 7.7: Printing via Multiple CUPS Servers #

1. Start the YaST printer module with Hardware › Printer.

2. From the left pane, launch the Print via Network screen.

3. Check Accept Printer Announcements from CUPS Servers.

4. Under General Settings specify which servers to use. You may accept connections from all networks available or from specific hosts. If you choose the latter option, you need to specify the host names or IP addresses.

5. Confirm by clicking OK and then Yes when asked to start a local CUPS server. After the server has started YaST will return to the Printer Configurations screen. Click Refresh list to see the printers detected so far. Click this button again, in case more printers are available.

7.3.2.2 Using Print Servers other than CUPS #Edit source

If your network offers print services via print servers other than CUPS, start the YaST printer module with Hardware › Printer and launch the Print via Network screen from the left pane. Start the Connection Wizard and choose the appropriate Connection Type. Ask your network administrator for details on configuring a network printer in your environment.

You can configure a USB or SCSI scanner with YaST. The sane-backends package contains hardware drivers and other essentials needed to use a scanner. If you own an HP All-In-One device, see Section 7.4.1, “Configuring an HP All-In-One Device”, instructions on how to configure a network scanner are available at Section 7.4.3, “Scanning over the Network”.

The user creates a print job. The print job consists of the data to print plus information for the spooler. This includes the name of the printer or the name of the print queue, and optionally, information for the filter, such as printer-specific options.

At least one dedicated print queue exists for every printer. The spooler holds the print job in the queue until the desired printer is ready to receive data. When the printer is ready, the spooler sends the data through the filter and back-end to the printer.

The filter converts the data generated by the application that is printing (usually PostScript or PDF, but also ASCII, JPEG, etc.) into printer-specific data (PostScript, PCL, ESC/P, etc.). The features of the printer are described in the PPD files. A PPD file contains printer-specific options with the parameters needed to enable them on the printer. The filter system makes sure that options selected by the user are enabled.

If you use a PostScript printer, the filter system converts the data into printer-specific PostScript. This does not require a printer driver. If you use a non-PostScript printer, the filter system converts the data into printer-specific data. This requires a printer driver suitable for your printer. The back-end receives the printer-specific data from the filter then passes it to the printer.

There are various possibilities for connecting a printer to the system. The configuration of CUPS does not distinguish between a local printer and a printer connected to the system over the network. For more information about the printer connection, read the article CUPS in a Nutshell at http://en.opensuse.org/SDB:CUPS_in_a_Nutshell.

Warning: Changing Cable Connections in a Running System

When connecting the printer to the machine, do not forget that only USB devices can be plugged in or unplugged during operation. To avoid damaging your system or printer, shut down the system before changing any connections that are not USB.

PPD (PostScript printer description) is the computer language that describes the properties, like resolution, and options, such as the availability of a duplex unit. These descriptions are required for using various printer options in CUPS. Without a PPD file, the print data would be forwarded to the printer in a “raw” state, which is usually not desired.

To configure a PostScript printer, the best approach is to get a suitable PPD file. Many PPD files are available in the packages manufacturer-PPDs and OpenPrintingPPDs-postscript. See Section 8.7.3, “PPD Files in Various Packages” and Section 8.8.2, “No Suitable PPD File Available for a PostScript Printer”.

New PPD files can be stored in the directory /usr/share/cups/model/ or added to the print system with YaST as described in Section 7.3.1.1, “Adding Drivers with YaST”. Subsequently, the PPD file can be selected during the printer setup.

Be careful if a printer manufacturer wants you to install entire software packages. This kind of installation may result in the loss of the support provided by openSUSE Leap. Also, print commands may work differently and the system may no longer be able to address devices of other manufacturers. For this reason, the installation of manufacturer software is not recommended.

A network printer can support various protocols, some even concurrently. Although most of the supported protocols are standardized, some manufacturers modify the standard. Manufacturers then provide drivers for only a few operating systems. Unfortunately, Linux drivers are rarely provided. The current situation is such that you cannot act on the assumption that every protocol works smoothly in Linux. Therefore, you may need to experiment with various options to achieve a functional configuration.

CUPS supports the socket, LPD, IPP and smb protocols.

The protocol supported by the printer must be determined before configuration. If the manufacturer does not provide the needed information, the command nmap (which comes with the nmap package) can be used to ascertain the protocol. nmap checks a host for open ports. For example:

tux > nmap -p 35,137-139,515,631,9100-10000 IP.OF.THE.PRINTER

CUPS can be configured with command line tools like lpinfo, lpadmin and lpoptions. You need a device URI consisting of a back-end, such as USB, and parameters. To determine valid device URIs on your system use the command lpinfo -v | grep ":/":

tux > sudo lpinfo -v | grep ":/"
direct usb://ACME/FunPrinter%20XL
network socket://192.168.2.253

With lpadmin the CUPS server administrator can add, remove or manage print queues. To add a print queue, use the following syntax:

tux > sudo lpadmin -p QUEUE -v DEVICE-URI -P PPD-FILE -E

Then the device (-v) is available as QUEUE (-p), using the specified PPD file (-P). This means that you must know the PPD file and the device URI to configure the printer manually.

Do not use -E as the first option. For all CUPS commands, -E as the first argument sets use of an encrypted connection. To enable the printer, -E must be used as shown in the following example:

tux > sudo lpadmin -p ps -v usb://ACME/FunPrinter%20XL -P \
/usr/share/cups/model/Postscript.ppd.gz -E

The following example configures a network printer:

tux > sudo lpadmin -p ps -v socket://192.168.2.202:9100/ -P \
/usr/share/cups/model/Postscript-level1.ppd.gz -E

For more options of lpadmin, see the man page of lpadmin(8).

During printer setup, certain options are set as default. These options can be modified for every print job (depending on the print tool used). Changing these default options with YaST is also possible. Using command line tools, set default options as follows:

When a normal user runs lpoptions, the settings are written to ~/.cups/lpoptions. However, root settings are written to /etc/cups/lpoptions.

To print from the command line, enter lp -d QUEUENAME FILENAME, substituting the corresponding names for QUEUENAME and FILENAME.

Some applications rely on the lp command for printing. In this case, enter the correct command in the application's print dialog, usually without specifying FILENAME, for example, lp -d QUEUENAME.

Several CUPS features have been adapted for openSUSE Leap. Some of the most important changes are covered here.

The following sections cover some of the most frequently encountered printer hardware and software problems and ways to solve or circumvent these problems. Among the topics covered are GDI printers, PPD files and port configuration. Common network printer problems, defective printouts, and queue handling are also addressed.

tux > cancel -h cups.example.com QUEUE-JOBNUMBER

Before you can use FUSE, you need to install the package fuse. Depending which file system you want to use, you need additional plug-ins available as separate packages. For an overview, see Section 9.5, “Available FUSE Plug-ins”.

Generally you do not need to configure FUSE. However, it is a good idea to create a directory where all your mount points are combined. For example, you can create a directory ~/mounts and insert your subdirectories for your different file systems there.

NTFS, the New Technology File System, is the default file system of Windows. Since under normal circumstances the unprivileged user cannot mount NTFS block devices using the external FUSE library, the process of mounting a Windows partition described below requires root privileges.

To unmount the resource, run fusermount -u MOUNT POINT.

SSH, the secure shell network protocol, can be used to exchange data between two computers using a secure channel. To establish an SSH connection through FUSE, proceed as follows:

To unmount the resource, run fusermount -u MOUNT POINT.

To look into an ISO image, you can mount it with the fuseiso package:

You can only read content from the ISO image, but you can not write back. To unmount the resource, use fusermount -u MOUNT POINT.

FUSE is dependent on plug-ins. The following table lists common plug-ins.

See the home page http://fuse.sourceforge.net of FUSE for more information.

The following terms are important for understanding installing and removing software in openSUSE Leap.

Start the software manager from the YaST Control Center by choosing Software › Software Management.

10.2.1 Searching Software #Edit source

The YaST software manager can install packages or patterns from all currently enabled repositories. It offers different views and filters to make it easier to find the software you are searching for. The Search view is the default view of the window. To change view, click View and select one of the following entries from the drop-down box. The selected view opens in a new tab.

Views for Searching Packages or Patterns #

Patterns

Lists all patterns available for installation on your system.

Package Groups

Lists all packages sorted by groups such as Graphics, Programming, or Security.

Languages

A filter to list all packages needed to add a new system language.

Repositories

A filter to list packages by repository. To select more than one repository, hold the Ctrl key while clicking repository names. The “pseudo repository” @System lists all packages currently installed.

Services

Shows which packages belong to a certain module or extension. Select an entry (for example, Basesystem or High Availability) to display a list of packages that belong to this module or extension.

Search

Lets you search for a package according to certain criteria. Enter a search term and press Enter. Refine your search by specifying where to Search In and by changing the Search Mode. For example, if you do not know the package name but only the name of the application that you are searching for, try including the package Description in the search process.

Installation Summary

If you have already selected packages for installation, update or removal, this view shows the changes that will be applied to your system when you click Accept. To filter for packages with a certain status in this view, activate or deactivate the respective check boxes. Press Shift–F1 for details on the status flags.

Tip: Finding Packages Not Belonging to an Active Repository

To list all packages that do not belong to an active repository, choose View › Repositories › @System and then choose Secondary Filter › Unmaintained Packages. This is useful, for example, if you have deleted a repository and want to make sure no packages from that repository remain installed.

10.2.2 Installing and Removing Packages or Patterns #Edit source

Certain packages are dependent on other packages, such as shared libraries. On the other hand, some packages cannot coexist with others on the system. If possible, YaST automatically resolves these dependencies or conflicts. If your choice results in a dependency conflict that cannot be automatically solved, you need to solve it manually as described in Section 10.2.4, “Package Dependencies”.

Note: Removal of Packages

When removing any packages, by default YaST only removes the selected packages. If you want YaST to also remove any other packages that become unneeded after removal of the specified package, select Options › Cleanup when deleting packages from the main menu.

1. Search for packages as described in Section 10.2.1, “Searching Software”.

2. The packages found are listed in the right pane. To install a package or remove it, right-click it and choose Install or Delete. If the relevant option is not available, check the package status indicated by the symbol in front of the package name—press Shift–F1 for help.

   

   Tip: Applying an Action to All Packages Listed

   To apply an action to all packages listed in the right pane, go to the main menu and choose an action from Package › All in This List.

3. To install a pattern, right-click the pattern name and choose Install.

4. It is not possible to remove a pattern. Instead, select the packages of a pattern you want to remove and mark them for removal.

5. To select more packages, repeat the steps mentioned above.

6. Before applying your changes, you can review or modify them by clicking View › Installation Summary. By default, all packages that will change status, are listed.

7. To revert the status for a package, right-click the package and select one of the following entries: Keep if the package was scheduled to be deleted or updated, or Do Not Install if it was scheduled for installation. To abandon all changes and quit the Software Manager, click Cancel and Abandon.

8. When you are finished, click Accept to apply your changes.

9. In case YaST found dependencies on other packages, a list of packages that have additionally been chosen for installation, update or removal is presented. Click Continue to accept them.

   After all selected packages are installed, updated or removed, the YaST Software Manager automatically terminates.

Note: Installing Source Packages

Installing source packages with YaST Software Manager is not possible at the moment. Use the command line tool zypper for this purpose. For more information, see Book “Reference”, Chapter 2 “Managing Software with Command Line Tools”, Section 2.1.3.5 “Installing or Downloading Source Packages”.

10.2.4 Package Dependencies #Edit source

Most packages are dependent on other packages. If a package, for example, uses a shared library, it is dependent on the package providing this library. On the other hand, some packages cannot coexist, causing a conflict (for example, you can only install one mail transfer agent: sendmail or postfix). When installing or removing software, the Software Manager makes sure no dependencies or conflicts remain unsolved to ensure system integrity.

In case there exists only one solution to resolve a dependency or a conflict, it is resolved automatically. Multiple solutions always cause a conflict which needs to be resolved manually. If solving a conflict involves a vendor or architecture change, it also needs to be solved manually. When clicking Accept to apply any changes in the Software Manager, you get an overview of all actions triggered by the automatic resolver which you need to confirm.

By default, dependencies are automatically checked. A check is performed every time you change a package status (for example, by marking a package for installation or removal). This is generally useful, but can become exhausting when manually resolving a dependency conflict. To disable this function, go to the main menu and deactivate Dependencies › Autocheck. Manually perform a dependency check with Dependencies › Check Now. A consistency check is always performed when you confirm your selection with Accept.

To review a package's dependencies, right-click it and choose Show Solver Information. A map showing the dependencies opens. Packages that are already installed are displayed in a green frame.

Note: Manually Solving Package Conflicts

Unless you are very experienced, follow the suggestions YaST makes when handling package conflicts, otherwise you may not be able to resolve them. Keep in mind that every change you make, potentially triggers other conflicts, so you can easily end up with a steadily increasing number of conflicts. In case this happens, Cancel the Software Manager, Abandon all your changes and start again.

Figure 10.1: Conflict Management of the Software Manager #

To install third-party software, add software repositories to your system. By default, the product repositories such as openSUSE Leap-DVD 15.2 and a matching update repository are automatically configured. Depending on the initially selected product, an additional repository containing translations, dictionaries, etc. might also be configured.

To manage repositories, start YaST and select Software › Software Repositories. The Configured Software Repositories dialog opens. Here, you can also manage subscriptions to so-called Services by changing the View at the right corner of the dialog to All Services. A Service in this context is a Repository Index Service (RIS) that can offer one or more software repositories. Such a Service can be changed dynamically by its administrator or vendor.

Each repository provides files describing content of the repository (package names, versions, etc.). These repository description files are downloaded to a local cache that is used by YaST. To ensure their integrity, software repositories can be signed with the GPG Key of the repository maintainer. Whenever you add a new repository, YaST offers the ability to import its key.

Warning: Trusting External Software Sources

Before adding external software repositories to your list of repositories, make sure this repository can be trusted. SUSE is not responsible for any problems arising from software installed from third-party software repositories.

SUSE offers a continuous stream of software security patches and updates for your product. They can be installed using tools available with your desktop or by running the YaST Online Update module. This section describes how to update the system from the GNOME desktop using the Package Updater.

Contrary to the YaST Online Update module, the GNOME Package Updater not only offers to install patches from the update repositories, but also new versions of packages that are already installed. (Patches fix security issues or malfunctions; the functionality and version number is usually not changed. New versions of a package increase the version number and usually add functionality or introduce major changes.)

Whenever new patches or package updates are available, GNOME shows a notification in the notification area or on the lock screen.

Figure 10.3: Update Notification on GNOME Desktop #

To configure the notification settings for the Package Updater, start GNOME Settings and choose Notifications › Package Updater.

In addition to the GNOME Package Updater, GNOME provides GNOME Software which has the following functionality:

In addition to this, GNOME Software provides screenshots, ratings and reviews for software.

Figure 10.4: GNOME Software—Updates View #

GNOME Software has the following differences to other tools provided on openSUSE Leap:

To install a new add-on, proceed as follows:

Some hardware needs binary-only drivers to function properly. If you have such hardware, refer to the release notes for more information about availability of binary drivers for your system. To read the release notes, open YaST and select Miscellaneous › Release Notes.

To open the YaST Online Update dialog, start YaST and select Software  › Online Update. Alternatively, start it from the command line with yast2 online_update.

The Online Update window consists of four sections.

Figure 12.1: YaST Online Update #

The Summary section on the left lists the available patches for openSUSE Leap. The patches are sorted by security relevance: security, recommended, and optional. You can change the view of the Summary section by selecting one of the following options from Show Patch Category:

Each list entry in the Summary section consists of a symbol and the patch name. For an overview of the possible symbols and their meaning, press Shift–F1. Actions required by Security and Recommended patches are automatically preset. These actions are Autoinstall, Autoupdate and Autodelete.

If you install an up-to-date package from a repository other than the update repository, the requirements of a patch for this package may be fulfilled with this installation. In this case a check mark is displayed in front of the patch summary. The patch will be visible in the list until you mark it for installation. This will in fact not install the patch (because the package already is up-to-date), but mark the patch as having been installed.

Select an entry in the Summary section to view a short Patch Description at the bottom left corner of the dialog. The upper right section lists the packages included in the selected patch (a patch can consist of several packages). Click an entry in the upper right section to view details about the respective package that is included in the patch.

The YaST Online Update dialog allows you to either install all available patches at once or manually select the desired patches. You may also revert patches that have been applied to the system.

By default, all new patches (except optional ones) that are currently available for your system are already marked for installation. They will be applied automatically once you click Accept or Apply. If one or multiple patches require a system reboot, you will be notified about this before the patch installation starts. You can then either decide to continue with the installation of the selected patches, skip the installation of all patches that need rebooting and install the rest, or go back to the manual patch selection.