I don't know why but my Mandriva (2008) has defined my single NIC as eth4. This seems to create problems for some network applications that expect eth0. Specifically, I have problems with updates because it tells me it is unable to start the network. Anyway, how do I redefine the interface so that it is eth0? I tried creating a ifcfg-eth0 in /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts but apparently it is not that simple. I guess a device entry needs to be created somewhere. TIA.

I'm not sure of the precise answer, but I believe it is udev that is creating the problem for you. So you might try doing an Internet search with terms like udev, configure, and ethernet.

Good luck.

Look for a file named something like /etc/udev/rules.d/70-persistent-net.rules. Since you have only one adapter, you should have only one line in this file, like:
, in which {address} should be the MAC of you card. If there are more entries in this file, delete them. I suggest you then restart your system a couple of times, to make sure the adapter stays eth0.

Here's a reference: http://reactivated.net/writing_udev_...#example-netif

FYI, I started messing with udev, due to a bug in my mobo/bios, which caused the kernel to detect a different MAC each time I booted, and consequently assigned a new ethernet device. If you encounter something similar, I can suggest a workaround.

That did it. Thanks.