Network Setup
Overview
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Understanding IP Addresses
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Getting IP Addresses for Your Network
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Using Supernets or CIDR
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Learning about IPv6
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Routing TCP/IP Packets
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Understanding the Domain Name System (DNS)
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Performing Client/Server Communications with TCP/IP
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Learning How xinetd Works
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Understanding the xinetd Configuration Files
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Starting Standalone Servers
UNIX and networking go hand in hand; TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/ Internet Protocol) networking is practically synonymous with UNIX. As a UNIX clone, Linux includes extensive built-in networking capabilities. In particular, Linux supports TCP/IP networking over several physical interfaces, such as Ethernet cards, serial ports, and parallel ports.
Typically, you use an Ethernet network for your local area network (LAN)-at your office or even your home (if you happen to have several systems at home). TCP/IP networking over the serial port enables you to connect to other networks by dialing out over a modem. Linux supports both Serial Line Internet Protocol (SLIP) and Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP).
This chapter focuses on Linux's support for Ethernet and TCP/IP. The chapter starts with a discussion of networking in general and TCP/IP in particular, then it covers the physical setup of an Ethernet LAN, including information about specific brands of Ethernet cards. Finally, the chapter describes how to set up a TCP/IP network on a Linux system.
| Cross Ref |
Although much of this applies to TCP/IP over the serial line, this chapter does not dwell on the specific details of dial-up networking; that topic is the focus of Chapter 13. That chapter also describes how to connect to the Internet using cable modem and DSL as well as how to configure a wireless Ethernet LAN in CentOS Linux. Laptops often use PCMCIA cards (also called PC cards) for networking. Appendix F describes the PC cards that Linux supports. |