.: Advanced Linux Networking :.

Although the Linux kernel lies at the heart of any Linux system and controls all network access, the process of configuring a Linux computer to use a network involves more than the kernel. This chapter covers three popular methods of network connection: the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), static IP addresses, and the Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP). DHCP and PPP are used to automatically assign an IP address and set other configuration information, but in different contexts. Static IP addresses, by contrast, require that you set up the details manually. In each of these cases, there are a handful of tools with which you must be familiar if you're to get your system working. Before using any of these methods of network configuration, you must load appropriate network drivers. This topic therefore begins this chapter.