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Linux also has support for Amateur Radio, WAN internetworking (X25, Frame Relay, ATM), InfraRed and other wireless connections, but since these protocols usually require special hardware, we won't discuss them in this document.
10.2. Network configuration and information
10.2.1. Configuration of network interfaces
All the big, userfriendly Linux distributions come with various graphical tools, allowing for easy setup of the computer in a local network, for connecting it to an Internet Service Provider or for wireless access. These tools can be started up from the command line or from a menu:
• Ubuntu configuration is done selecting System->Administration->Networking.
• RedHat Linux comes with redhat-config-network, which has both a graphical and a text mode interface.
• Suse's YAST or YAST2 is an all-in-one configuration tool.
• Mandrake/Mandriva comes with a Network and Internet Configuration Wizard, which is preferably started up from Mandrake's Control Center.
• On Gnome systems: gnome-network-preferences.
• On KDE systems: knetworkconf.
Your system documentation provides plenty of advice and information about availability and use of tools. Information that you will need to provide:
• For connecting to the local network, for instance with your home computers, or at work: hostname, domainname and IP address. If you want to set up your own network, best do some more reading first. At work, this information is likely to be given to your computer automatically when you boot it up. When in doubt, it is better not to specify any information than making it up.
• For connecting to the Internet: username and password for your ISP, telephone number when using a modem. Your ISP usually automatically assigns you an IP address and all the other things necessary for your Internet applications to work.