Connecting to the Internet

I have installed Redhat 9 and receive a "Bringing up interface eth0" failure at set-up. I am using a 3Com NIC. When I go into Network Configuration it asks for a Primary DNS, Secondary DNS, Tertiary DNS, Search Path, etc.

Can anyone help me with the necessary requirements for making a successfull connection to the internet? It is somewhat confusing when I get to the network config window. I can obtain the information and already have some of it, but I just don't know exactly how to translate Linux's terms to my ISP's.

The RH Linux installation guide states, "To change your network configuration after you have completed the installation, use the Network Administration Tool. Type the redhat-config-network command in a shell prompt to launch the Network Administration Tool." I do not know where the "shell prompt" is accessed. I have been trying to do this in, I think it is System settings (like Linux's version of Windows "Control Panel"). If I should be doing this at a shell prompt, how do I get there?

Thanks in advance,

One Confused Penguin
rounder

the shell prompt is your terminal.. should look something like:

Code:

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user@localbox.localdomain ~/$

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or something rather similar...

most broadband ISPs us DHCP to configure dynamic IP addresses... try typing

Code:

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dhcpd

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at the prompt and see what happens... i discovered with redhat 6, i think it was, what DCHP was.... or was it an early mandrake? i forget.. oh, well... c'est la vie, no?

Thanks for your reply lordnothing.

rounder wrote:
"If I should be doing this at a shell prompt, how do I get there?"

I don't know when or where to type your suggested commands...
Terminal. I take it, refers to my PC. I know of the boot prompt and how to get there. WHen linux boots I am at the GUI. There are about three Icons on the desktop and a number of them don below on the taskbar.

start a terminal... that is the command prompt... either that or press ctrl-alt-f1 to switch to a text login that will drop you to a shell prompt.. then press alt-f7 to get back to the gui

Quote:

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Originally Posted by lordnothing

start a terminal... that is the command prompt... either that or press ctrl-alt-f1 to switch to a text login that will drop you to a shell prompt.. then press alt-f7 to get back to the gui

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Its called a shell.

"either that or press ctrl-alt-f1 to switch to a text login that will drop you to a shell prompt.." I can do this when I am in the GUI? And at this time I can enter the "redhat-config-network command " and enter the appropriate information?

"then press alt-f7 to get back to the gui". At this point the network will be cofigured or will I need a reboot?

I apologize for my ignorance, but Linux is total "Chinese" to me. I hope to change that though. : )

so i went brain dead for a moment and forgot the name of the shell... after staring at gentoo linux all day, my brain is a little spent... i've been trying to get my configurations right which is something i've never done by hand before... hell, i can't even get gnome to start from the shell prompt without starting GDM... :evil:

I have the ISP and the NIC (eth0) configured, but I cannot get the eth0 to activate. I get this message when RH9 loads the GUI: "Cannot look up Internet address for Centurytel (my ISP). This will prevent GNOME from operating correctly. It may be possible to correct this problem by adding centurytel to the file '/etc/hosts'." When I go to that file I am not able to edit. I am accessing it through the GUI.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance,
rounder

from the shell prompt type:

Code:

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su -c '<text editor> /etc/hosts'

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(replace <text editor> with the command to open whatever text editor you use (nano, pico, vim, etc.) it will ask you for your root password and then allow you to edit the file with root permissions.. then replace the "localhost" entry with the name that gnome is trying to find.. should get rid of that message and not kill any functionality...
and if someone has a more well-informed way of fixing the error, i'd be interested in knowing it, seeing as how that's how i've fixed the problem on my box..

There is a warning above the contents of the file that states: "DO not delete this line, it will prevent network devices from connecting", or something like that. You believe that removing the localhost name and inserting "Centurytel" is the fix?