dummy Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:00:00:00:00:00
BROADCAST NOARP MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:0

eth0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:02:B3:060:91
inet addr:192.168.1.100 Bcast:192.168.1.255 Mask:255.255.255.0
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:1560 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:1965 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:166 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:100
Interrupt:11 Base address:0x2000

lo Link encap:Local Loopback
inet addr:127.0.0.1 Mask:255.0.0.0
UP LOOPBACK RUNNING MTU:3924 Metric:1
RX packets:26 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:26 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:0


I am just curious about the dummy interface entry that is returned with ifconfig -a

Thanks in advance to whomever can answer my newbish question.

from kernel help:

config DUMMY
tristate "Dummy net driver support"
depends on NETDEVICES
---help---
This is essentially a bit-bucket device (i.e. traffic you send to
this device is consigned into oblivion) with a configurable IP
address. It is most commonly used in order to make your currently
inactive SLIP address seem like a real address for local programs.
If you use SLIP or PPP, you might want to say Y here. Since this
thing often comes in handy, the default is Y. It won't enlarge your
kernel either. What a deal. Read about it in the Network
Administrator's Guide, available from
<http://www.tldp.org/docs.html#guide>.

To compile this driver as a module, choose M here: the module
will be called dummy. If you want to use more than one dummy
device at a time, you need to compile this driver as a module.
Instead of 'dummy', the devices will then be called 'dummy0',
'dummy1' etc.