some really basic networking questions

[Matthew Carpenter]

begin  "dep" <dep at linuxandmain.com>
(Sat, 13 Jul 2002 10:08:44 -0400)
> this is perhaps assisted in yast2's 
> insistence on changing everything back once it's been changed by 
> hand.

My sole hatred of SuSE-the only thing that remained on my crap list after the SuSE team learnt how to speek auf English (my impression of 6.0).
 
> 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 
> 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.
> 

Why are you specifying anything in /etc/hosts?  If you are running the system as a dynamically configured host (ie. DHCP), the DHCP daemon should make these changes for you.  Beyond that, I believe you are better off leaving your hostname and any nicknames on 127.0.0.1.  I believe that solves a lot of issues for dynamic chages and 'stuff'...  Unfortunately most DHCP clients will update /etc/hosts for you.
If ifconfig reports 192.168.0.4, /etc/hosts should be updated to have your hostname point to 192.168.0.4.  If you have manually entered your hostname as 192.168.0.6, remove that entry and try again.  Haveing your system misconfigured in /etc/hosts is enough to cause countless headaches, with X (it takes for ever to open new windows, etc..) and some server daemons don't like it either.

> 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.

Try turning off your DHCP daemon on the server running dhcpd and try obtaining an IP address.  If you get one, you are probably running dhcp on the dlink.

> 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?

No.  I do this all the time.... in fact, it works right well (granted, I run COLW on my laptops, and their scripts/configs are different than SuSE's).  What I find myself doing MORE often with my laptops is unplugging from one network, plugging into another network and popping out the card and popping it back in to obtain a new IP address.
> 
> as you have now seen demonstrated, what i know about networking could 
> be put on a postcard, with room for a pretty big picture.

Sorry I can't be more help about the SuSE-specific stuff.  My only attempt at SuSE80 on a laptop was my dad's Vaio....  GUI Lilo, then blank screen....  Not even able to install it.

-- 
Matthew Carpenter
matt at e-i-s.cc                          http://www.e-i-s.cc/

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