BSD Unix® Toolbox: 1000+ Commands for FreeBSD®, OpenBSD, and NetBSD®

Chapter 11. Managing Network Connections

IN THIS CHAPTER

Get network statistics

Starting network devices with ifconfig

Managing wireless cards

Checking DNS name resolution with dig, host, and hostname

Check connectivity with ping and arping

Trace connections with traceroute and route

Watch the network with netstat, tcpdump, and nmap

Connecting to a network from a BSD system is often as easy as attaching your computer's network interface card to your ISP's hardware (such as a DSL or cable modem) and rebooting. However, if your network interface doesn't come up or requires some manual intervention, there are many commands available for configuring network interfaces, checking network connections, and setting up special routing.

This chapter covers many useful commands for configuring and working with your network interface cards (NICs), such as sysinstall and ifconfig. In particular, it covers ways of configuring wired Ethernet, wireless Ethernet, and modem network hardware. The chapter describes commands such as netstat, dig, and ping for getting information about your network when your hardware is connected and network interfaces are in place.

Configuring Network Interfaces Using sysinstall

When you first install your FreeBSD system, the installer lets you configure any wired Ethernet cards attached to your computer, with the use of a DHCP server detected on your network. Alternatively, you can set a static IP address, along with your hostname and IP addresses for your gateway machine and ...