Ubuntu® Linux® Secrets

Chapter 14. Networking

Secrets in This Chapter

• Connecting to the Internet

• Configuring Your Workstation

• Using Networking Tools

• Firewalls

Accessing the Internet from Ubuntu can sometimes be tricky. If you have a home network that's connected to the Internet, it's possible that Ubuntu detected your network hardware and configured everything for you during installation. If so, that's great! If not, you'll have to do some tweaking to get things going. This chapter walks through the various configuration settings required for different types of network connectivity methods. After helping you get your network connection working, the chapter discusses a few network tools that Ubuntu provides. Finally, the chapter takes a look at a feature that no networked workstation should be without, a firewall.

Networking Basics

Before you try to get your Ubuntu workstation or server running on the Internet, it's a good idea to take a few minutes and familiarize yourself with the various ways you can connect to the Internet. This section walks through the basic things you'll need to know to get your system up and running on a network.

Internet Connection Types

These days there are several popular methods for getting onto the Internet, which include

• Dial-up connection with a modem

• Broadband connection using a digital subscriber line (DSL) modem

• Broadband connection using a cable modem

• Broadband connection using a wireless modem

The method you need to use depends on the Internet service provider (ISP) you contract ...