Baslinux mailing list

[ichi AT aggies.org]

Cory Hawkless wrote:
> 
> When i typed 'ifconfig' to see what was happening with 
> the network card setup i only had 'lo' and no 'eth0'??

It takes two steps (in BL2) to connect a computer to an
ethernet network.  First, you need to install the appropriate
module (driver) for the network card -- for that you use
the insmod command.  Second, you need to assign a valid
network address to the card -- for that you use dhcp
(if the network has a dhcp server) or ifconfig (if not).

> I have a netgear FA-310x and a Digital 2110 NIC
> (Either one...which ever is easiest to setup)

I am unfamiliar with those NICs.  I do not know which
module (driver) is appropriate.  Are either NE2000
compatible?  If so, use the ne2k-pci module (assuming
the NIC is PCI).
-------------------------
insmod 8390                  
insmod ne2k-pci             
ifconfig eth0 192.168.1.1  
-------------------------
The 8390 module is a helper module needed by ne2k-pci.
192.168.1.1 is just an example -- use an appropriate
address for your network.

If your network has a dhcp server, the above sequence
will look like this:
---------------
insmod 8390                  
insmod ne2k-pci             
dhcp  
---------------

Initially, you will need to do this setup manually.  However,
once it is working, you can put those lines in startup scripts 
where they will run automatically.  Modules are usually installed
in /etc/rc.d/rc.S.  Network configuration is usually done in 
/etc/rc.d/rc.inet1.

Cheers,
Steven