| |
This document is organized top-down. The first sections include
informative material, and it can be skipped if you are not interested;
what follows is a generic discussion of networking issues, and you
must ensure you understand this before proceeding to more specific
parts. The ``technology specific'' information is grouped into
three main sections: Ethernet and IP-related information, technologies
pertaining to widespread PC hardware, and seldom-used technologies. The suggested path through this document is as follows: - Read the generic sections:
These sections apply to almost every technology described in
subsequent sections, and they are very important for you to understand.
I expect many of the readers will be confident with this material. - Consider your network:
You should know how your network is (or will be)
designed, and you should also be familiar with
exactly what hardware and technology types you will be implementing. - If you are directly connected to a LAN or the Internet,
please refer to the ``Ethernet and IP'' section:
This section describes basic Ethernet configurations, and it describes
the various features that Linux offers for IP networking (ie: firewalling,
advanced routing, etc). - If you are interested in low-cost local
networks or dial-up connections, please refer to the next section
This section describes the widespread technologies used on personal
workstations (ie: PLIP, PPP, SLIP, and ISDN). - Please refer to the technology-specific sections
that are related to your requirements:
Your needs may differ from IP and/or other common
hardware This final section covers details specific to both
non-IP protocols and to peculiar communication hardware. - Do the configuration work:
You should actually try to
configure your network. Take careful note of
any existing problems - Look for further help:
If you experience problems that this document does not
help you to resolve, then you should refer to the sections
related to "Help" and "Where to report bugs". - Have fun!
Networking is fun! Enjoy it!
|
