Linux Bible, 9th Edition

Administering Networking

IN THIS CHAPTER

Automatically connecting Linux to a network

Using NetworkManager for simple network connectivity

Configuring networking from the command line

Working with network configuration files

Configuring routing, DHCP, DNS, and other networking infrastructure features for the enterprise

Connecting a single desktop system or laptop to a network, particularly one that connects to the Internet, has become so easy that I felt I could put off a full chapter on Linux networking until now. If you are trying to connect your Fedora, RHEL, Ubuntu, or other Linux desktop system to the Internet, here's what you can try, given an available wired or wireless network interface:

• Wired network—If your home or office has a wired Ethernet port that provides a path to the Internet and your computer has an Ethernet port, use an Ethernet cable to connect the two ports. After you turn on your computer, boot up Linux and log in. Clicking the NetworkManager icon on the desktop should show you that you are connected to the Internet or allow you to connect with a single click.
• Wireless network—For a wireless computer running Linux, log in and click the NetworkManager icon on the desktop. From the list of wireless networks that appear, select the one you want and, when prompted, enter the password required. Each time you log in from that computer from the same location, it ...