Best way to manually copy all network settings from one computer to another?
 

My older computer running Linux Mint 17.3 Cinnamon has no problems connecting to the internet. It is a desktop computer with an external router/modem connected via an ethernet cable.

However I am unable to get any other computer to connect to the internet despite trying many things. Even the same computer running the same operating system as a live CD will not connect to the internet. I have also tried live CDs of Mint Mate, Mint Xfce, and Puppy Linux, without any success.

(This saga has been going on unsolved for three months - see https://www.linuxquestions.org/quest...em-4175661293/ )

I would like to switch to using a somewhat newer computer that has Linux Mate 19.2 Mate installed, except that I cannot get it to connect to the internet.

Question please: What is the best way to copy all the networking settings from my older computer (which does connect online) to my newer computer (which does not connect online)?

I do not know anything about networking. So I am hoping to be told, for example, a list of all the places where I can find network settings. If this simply involves just copying a file from one computer to another, then that would be great.

(I recall having similar problems getting online when I switched to Linux Mint from Windows, but it was not as bad as this time).

Thanks.

All that I will say is that your computer should use DHCP to connect via your router.
DHCP should be set up already on most distros.
Plug in your cable, then boot your computer, it should automatically connect, mine do.

And that is THE problem here.

Read some networking docs and that will solve this issue. Read the docs for your network appliance. We can't hold your hand every step. You are going to have to make some effort to learn some basics. And then you won't need any help on this anymore. Read Mint's docs.

http://www.linuxhomenetworking.com/
http://www.linuxhomenetworking.com/w..._to_Networking

Manual .pdf
https://help.vodafone.co.nz/app/answ...ail/a_id/18706
https://fairfaxhomeinspection.info/h...882-manual-70/

Mint
https://linuxmint.com/documentation.php

Not trying to be rude. This is what you need to solve this issue.

The whole problem is that it does not do that. It does not connect, despite everything I have tried.

Can anyone at least tell me where in the computer I can find all the relevant settings relating to networking or connecting to the internet?

Then I can go through them on the working and non-working computers and change the settings on the non-working computer to match those on the working computer? By copying them down with pen and paper if necessary.

Thanks.

Yes, in the config file/files for the network manager that you are using.

Have you read Mints docs yet?
https://linuxmint.com/documentation/...glish_18.0.pdf
https://linuxmint.com/documentation/...glish_18.0.odt

Do you understand basic networking yet?
Do you know what an IP address is, a subnet mask, a Domain name server(DNS), a route to the outside world. These are basics that you need to know to set your machine up. Or, set it to get everything from a DHCP server. But then the DHCP server will need to be set up right. That would usually be your ISP provided portal/router/modem.
If you don't know what those are...then stop, google those terms and read about them until you do understand.

There is also google
https://help.ubuntu.com/lts/servergu...iguration.html
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/NetworkAdmin
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Ne...NetworkManager
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ZeroConfNetworking
https://unix.stackexchange.com/quest...-in-linux-mint

You are either going to have to get a little info, from the links that you have been given, or get someone to do it for you, or do without.

Is your newer computer connection wired or wireless?
I'm reluctant to advise about Mint, as I don't use it.
Are you working at the command line, or with GUI tools?

At the command line, show us what ifconfig outputs on both the working and non-working computer.

Thank you scasey. Both older and newer connections are wired, only. Here is the output of ifconfig for the older computer that I am using to write this:

~ $ ifconfig
eth0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:13:72:e8:ba:7b
inet addr:192.168.1.3 Bcast:192.168.1.255 Mask:255.255.255.0
inet6 addr: fe80::213:72ff:fee8:ba7b/64 Scope:Link
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:5449282 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:4501004 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
RX bytes:7596379143 (7.5 GB) TX bytes:317589318 (317.5 MB)

lo Link encap:Local Loopback
inet addr:127.0.0.1 Mask:255.0.0.0
inet6 addr: ::1/128 Scope:Host
UP LOOPBACK RUNNING MTU:65536 Metric:1
RX packets:2133 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:2133 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:0
RX bytes:218176 (218.1 KB) TX bytes:218176 (218.1 KB)

I will have to set up the newer computer to get its ifconfig details - which I am too busy to do right now - but I may have done this already on another thread about exactly the same problem:

https://www.linuxquestions.org/quest...em-4175661293/

Thanks again.

Coping the settings is not the answer. A wired connection should just work once the cable is plugged in. Since it is not, that indicates a driver problem with the network device. What hardware are you using?

Scasey, here is the ifconfig result for the newer computer:

enp0s7: flags=4163<UP,BROADCAST,RUNNING,MULTICAST> mtu 1500
inet 192.168.1.4 netmask 255.255.255.0 broadcast 192.168.1.255
inet6 fe80::4365:2318:5a39:8f59 prefixlen 64 scopeid 0x20<link>
ether ---------- txqueuelen 1000 (Ethernet)
RX packets 10 bytes 1368 (1.3 KB)
RX errors 0 dropped 0 overruns 0 frame 0
TX packets 43 bytes 6108 (6.1 KB)
TX errors 0 dropped 0 overruns 0 carrier 0 collisions 0

lo: flags=73<UP,LOOPBACK,RUNNING> mtu 65536
inet 127.0.0.1 netmask 255.0.0.0
inet6 ::1 prefixlen 128 scopeid 0x10<host>
loop txqueuelen 1000 (Local Loopback)
RX packets 158 bytes 12708 (12.7 KB)
RX errors 0 dropped 0 overruns 0 frame 0
TX packets 158 bytes 12708 (12.7 KB)
TX errors 0 dropped 0 overruns 0 carrier 0 collisions 0

I removed the ether address in case it may be a security risk.

Both the older and newer computer are using the same wired-only modem and ethernet cable.

Uteck, the hardware is:

Older computer - Dell Dimension 5150 running Linux Mint 17.3 Rosa Cinnamon
Newer computer - Dell Inspiron 531 running Linux Mint 19.2 Tina Mate
Same modem via ethernet cable for both - Smartax mt882, same ISP.

Thanks.

I'm pretty sure uteck meant the ethernet device hardware inside the computer.

Looks like the OP also posted this question on the Mint forums.
Specs for the Dell 531 list NIC as a RealTek RTL8201N.
Found a post were someone said that cleaning the port got it working, so try a cotton swab with some rubbing alcohol to clean the contacts. But power it off first.

I eventually got things working by re-loading the modem/router config file that I had backed up years ago. I must have made various security settings so severe that it would not work with another computer.