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Complete Idiot's Guide to Linux
(Publisher: Macmillan Computer Publishing)
Author(s): Manuel Ricart
ISBN: 078971826x
Publication Date: 12/22/98

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Network Configuration Area

This area configures various network options, from your network card to services that you need to collaborate on a network. The basic subareas follow:

  Add a computer to the host table
  Configure network access
  Configure General Network Services

Host Table Configuration

This option allows you to view and manipulate the /etc/hosts file via an interface. It has commands to

  Display the current /etc/hosts file
  Add a new entry to the /etc/hosts file
  Delete an entry from the /etc/hosts file

The /etc/hosts file keeps track of computers on your network so that users can reference them by name instead of by their IP address. If your network is large, you will not use /etc/hosts; you will use a Domain Name System (DNS) system to provide the name-to-IP and IP-to-name translations. Without a translation service like that provided by the /etc/hosts file or DNS, you will need to know the IP address of every machine with which you want to communicate.

If you have a small network (a tiny area network, or TAN) for several PCs at home, you can use /etc/hosts to provide the name translation that your Linux box will need to be able to reach your other computers via TCP/IP. (Note that TAN is not a technical term, but I vote that it should be. Many homes are starting to have multiple computers wired together.)

Network Access Configuration

The Network Access Configuration area allows you to configure your Ethernet card and to enter router information.

It provides two options:

  Configure Network Card
  Enter Router

Information about your network should be added or modified using this component.

General Network Services Configuration

The General Network Services area allows you to configure your network cards, basic network services like DNS, NIS, and email.

It has three subareas:

  Configure Domain Name Service: This area allows you to define your DNS server.
  Configure NIS: This allows you to configure your workstation to use NIS (Network Information Services) as a client or as a server.
  Select a Mail Transfer Agent: This area allows you to configure your preferred mail transfer agent. Currently it only provides one option: sendmail.

Boot Manager Configuration

This area displays information about lilo (the Linux Loader). On systems with multiple partitions, this will allow you to configure the boot partition and other settings. You will learn about lilo in Chapter 24.


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