Network Configuration

9.4 Network Configuration

The network configuration tool (netcfg) shown in Figure 59 is designed to allow easy manipulation of parameters such as IP address, gateway address, and network address, as well as name servers and /etc/hosts.

Figure 59: Network Configuration Panel

Network devices can be added, removed, configured, activated, deactivated and aliased. Ethernet, arcnet, token ring, pocket (ATP), PPP, SLIP, PLIP and loopback devices are supported. PPP/SLIP/PLIP support works well on most hardware, but some hardware setups may exhibit unpredictable behavior. When using the Network Configuration Tool click Save to write your changes to disk, to quit without making any changes select Quit.

9.4.1 Managing Names

The Names panel of the Network Configuration tool serves two primary purposes: setting the hostname and domain of the computer, and determining which name server will be used to look up other hosts on the network. The Network tool is not capable of configuring a machine as a nameserver. To edit a field or add information to a field simply click on the field with the left mouse button and type the new information.

Figure 60: Adding/Editing Hosts

9.4.2 Managing Hosts

In the Hosts management panel you have the ability to add, edit, or remove hosts from the /etc/hosts file. Adding or editing an entry involves identical actions. An edit dialog box will appear, simply type the new information and click Done when you are finished. See Figure 60 for an example.

9.4.3 Adding a Networking Interface

If you have added a networking interface to your machine since installing Red Hat Linux, or you didn't configure your ethernet card at install time, you can configure it with a few clicks of a mouse.

Please Note: You may need to configure kerneld to load a driver for the network interface you are adding (e.g., eth0); see Section 9.6 for more information.

Begin adding an interface by clicking on Interfaces in the main panel. This will bring up a window of configured devices with a row of available options, see figure 61.

Figure 61: Configured Interfaces

To add a device, first click the Add button then select the type of interface you want to configure from the box that appears (See Figure 62).

Figure 62: Choose Interface Type

Please Note: There is now a clone button available in netcfg. This button can be used to create a ``clone'' of an already-existing interface. By using clone interfaces, it is possible for a laptop to have one Ethernet interface defined for a work LAN, and a clone Ethernet device defined for a home LAN.

9.4.3.1 PPP Interface

Adding a PPP interface can be as simple as supplying the phone number, login name and password in the Create PPP Interface dialog shown in Figure 63. If you need to use PAP authentication for your PPP connection, choose Use PAP authentication. In many cases some degree of customization will be needed to establish a PPP connection. Choosing the Customize button will allow you to make changes to the hardware, communication, and networking settings for the PPP interface.

Figure 63: Create PPP Interface

9.4.3.2 SLIP Interface

In order to configure a SLIP interface you must first supply a phone number, login name, and password. This will supply the initial parameters for the chat script needed to establish a SLIP connection. When you choose Done, a dialog titled Edit SLIP Interface appears that enables you to further customize the hardware, communication and networking parameters for your SLIP interface.

9.4.3.3 PLIP Interface

To add a PLIP interface to your system you only have to supply the IP address, the remote IP address, and the Netmask. You can also select if you want to activate the interface at boot time.

9.4.3.4 Ethernet, Arcnet, Token Ring and Pocket Adaptor Interfaces

If you are adding an ethernet, arcnet, token ring or pocket adapter to your computer you will need to supply the following information:

Device: This is determined by netconfig based on the devices already configured.
IP Address: Enter an IP address for your network device.
Netmask: Enter the network mask for your network device.
The network and broadcast addresses are calculated automatically based on the IP address and netmask you enter.
Activate interface at boot time: If you want the device to be configured automatically when your machine boots select this by clicking on the box.
Allow any user to (de)activate interface: Check this if you want any user to be able to activate or deactivate the interface.
Interface configuration protocol: If you have a BOOTP or DHCP server on your network and would like to use it to configure the interface, choose the appropriate option; otherwise, choose none.

After providing the configuration information for your new device, click Done. The device should appear in your Interfaces list as an inactive device. (The active column should have a label of no). To activate the new device, first select it with a mouse click and then choose on the Activate button. If it does not come up properly, you may need to reconfigure it by choosing on Edit.

9.4.4 Managing Routes

In the Routes management screen you have the ability to add, edit, or remove static networking routes. Adding or editing an entry involves identical actions, just like the Hosts panel. An edit dialog box will appear, simply type the new information and click Done when you are finished. See figure 64 for an example.

Figure 64: Adding/Editing Routes