some really basic networking questions

[Net Llama!]

dep wrote:
> in an effort -- it may be a fantasy -- to create what amounts to p'n'p 
> networking, i decided to experiment with dhcp. my efforts have been, 
> thusfar, a dismal failure. this is perhaps assisted in yast2's 
> insistence on changing everything back once it's been changed by 
> hand.
> 
> what it comes down to is this: if i specify an IP address in 
> /etc/hosts (in this case, 192.168.0.6), it all seems to work, and 

/etc/hosts is nothing more than "BIND for dummies".  It really has 
nothing at all to do with DHCP functionality.

> ifconfig reports an address of 192.168.0.4, which is the next 
> available address, which is just fine. but if i don't provide that 
> address, i don't get the IP assignment at all.
> 
> now. i'm on a little home network that sits behind an internet 
> appliance (a d-link thing), which claims to function as a dhcp 
> server. i do not know how this figures into things, but i mention it 
> because it might.

I wouldn't be surprised if you have dualing DHCP servers here.  I think 
you need to either have the D-Link box stop doing it altogether, or be 
the only one that does it.

> the goal is for my wife to be able to use the machine on the network 
> here at home, also the network at her office, also through the 
> dataport things in hotel rooms when we're on the road.
> 
> finally, am i right that dhcp effectively eliminates the ability to 
> hotplug the pcmcia card and get instant network access, as with a 
> fixed IP, and instead requires the card to be in place at boot?

That's not been my experience.  If i pull one card, and then insert 
another (all on a DHCP network), the 2nd card grabs a new DHCP address 
automagically, and i'm ready to go.


-- 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
L. Friedman                       	       netllama at linux-sxs.org
Linux Step-by-step & TyGeMo: 		    http://netllama.ipfox.com

   8:25am  up 85 days, 15:11,  2 users,  load average: 0.42, 0.22, 0.30