trying to setup a network between two red hat machines (same version)

[estesflyer]

ok, I have network cards in each, and a crossover cable connecting them. I don't see the network cards blinking their lights, so what does that mean? I've never done networking before, so please go slow or don't use really technical terms (unless ya give an explanation of course)

Anyways, I am a newbie of newbie's to linux, and i've tried to read how-to's on linuxdoc.com But I couldn't understand them at all! Maybe I'm just dumb or something, but even so, have a will to learn, I just need a place that will speak in newbie terms, or so tospeak.

TIA

- Rusty - Rusty

 

[jeffycli]

First of all, you need to make sure the network cards that you installed in both linux boxes are functional. What I mean functional is that it is detected by linux and the driver is correctly installed.

The easiest way to verify this is to issue the following command in the command prompt of your either one linux box:

# ifconfig -a

you should see at least two interfaces from the output, one for loopback (with IP 127.0.0.1) and one for your network card. The IP of your network card may be various depending on the way you configure your network to get the IP, i.e. by DHCP (get IP from other computer, DHCP Server) or by manually configuration.

If you can't get the interface for your network card, you may need to know what chipsets of your networks are and get the appropriate driver for it. If your network cards are ISA, great care should be taken on issue of IRQ and I/O address. The one with PCI will get IRQ and I/O automatically.

Once you have verified that both network cards work, then you should make sure both the network cards in separate linux box have the IP within the same subnet. For example, the following range of IP are in the same subnet:

192.168.100.1 with subnet mask 255.255.255.0
192.168.100.2 with subnet mask 255.255.255.0
192.168.100.3 with subnet mask 255.255.255.0
192.168.100.4 with subnet mask 255.255.255.0
.
.
.
192.168.100.254 with subnet mask 255.255.255.0

After verified that your network cards are having IP within the same subnet, the communication is ready. You can test the connectivity by using PING.

For example:
Computer A's IP: 192.168.100.1
Comptuer B's IP: 192.168.100.2

I issue the following command in computer A

#ping 192.168.100.2

If everything is okay, you can see the reply messages.


Jeff Li

 

[estesflyer]

well, like i said previously, im very new to networking in general, let alone linux networking. So I have no idea how to configure all this stuff.

"you should see at least two interfaces from the output, one for loopback (with IP 127.0.0.1) and one for your network card" - ok, I know what the loopback address is, but the one for my network card, how do I get that setup? Or does it auto-matically configure it when I install linux?
I don't want internet, just SSH access from one to the other, or even telnet since both are not on a greater network or internet or anything.


sorry for my lack of understanding.

TIA - again!

- Rusty - Rusty