I currently have a Win98 box that also boots to Red Hat 7.1 on a separate drive. I recently got high speed internet access via a cable modem, which is working fine through Windows.

Can anyone tell me what I have to do to configure my NIC (eth0) so that I can start using the cable modem connection in Linux??

I was hoping I could just edit and add some values in the Linux netcfg tool, using the values setup in Windows (Control Panel -> Network-> Configuration -> TCP/IP (for my Nic) -> Properties). However, since the netcfg tool uses a different format and different jargon, I am a little lost.

Should it be this simple, or no??

Thanks

you need to compile a kernel module for your ethernet card

I believe the eth0 was detected and setup automatically when I installed the OS. It's showing up in the netcfg tool, I just don't know how to configure the settings (IP Address, Gateway, DNS, etc.)

Thanks

you set it up the same way you set it up for Windows. Usually its DHCP and you assign it the computer name they gave you.

just cd to /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ and edit your ifcfg-eth0 with your fav text editor and set the bootproto=dhcp and onboot=yes and youshould then be able to save the file and then run the command ifup eth0 and as long as your ISP providing the cable modem is using dhcp you should see it trying to obtain an ip if it works well to ifconfig -a and see what your ip info is under your eth0

I have tried what both of you suggested, but I whenever I attempt to activate the device (ifup eth0) I get-- "Determining IP information for eth0.... Operation failed."

I have a list of information from Charter@home that looks like this:

Device DNS:
Subdomain:
Equip IP Addr:
Deflt Gateway IP:
Subnet Mask:
Broadcast IP Add:
Modem Subnet Mask:
Modem Broadcast IP:
Primary DNS IP:
Secondary DNS IP:

The setup (with corresponding values from above) in Win98 looks like this:

In Settings -> Control Panel -> Network -> Configuration -> TCP/IP (for my NIC):

IP ADDRESS TAB
Specify an IP Address: is checked
IP Address: <Equip IP Addr>
Subnet Mask: <Subnetmask>

GATEWAY TAB
Installed Gateways: <Deflt Gateway IP>

DNS CONFIGURATION:
Enable DNS: is checked
Host: <Device DNS>
Domain: <Subdomain>
DNS Server Search Order: <Prmary DNS IP> <Secondary DNS IP>

All other tabs were left unchanged from the default settings.

In Settings -> Control Panel -> Network -> Identification:
Computer Name: <Device DNS>
Workgroup: @home (which only appears in this one place)

So can anyone tell me where these values belong in the netcfg tool in Linux? I have experimented endlessly it seems, but the eth0 device never seems to be able to determine the IP info.

Thanks.

when in win98 side of your dualboot after the machine boots up do you have to run any software to connect to the cable modem to get on the net? or does it get on the net automaticly? if it gets on automaticly and your linux install recognizes the nic it should work fine unless your isp has something special setup

No software is required to run the cable modem. You just have to plug it in, and have the network settings setup right. Also, I am not doing a dual boot. I installed Linux on a separate hard drive, and use a boot disk to boot to Linux.

When you say "if it gets on automaticly and your linux install recognizes the nic" do mean if Linux recognized the nic when I installed Linux, or are you asking if Linux is initializing the eth0 at boot properly?

The nic was recognized and installed when I installed the OS. It's a 3Com, and I have used it before in a Linux box without any problems. However, when I try to "activate at boot" it never works. I always get the same message -"Determining IP information for eth0.... Operation failed."

?????

have you tried maybe getting your DNS and Gateway while booted in windows while your connected using either ipconfig in NT or winipcfg in 9X to get the specific addresses of these while connected. Then try to add them in netcfg in linux enabling DHCP. Not sure on this one.. its been awhile since I messed with DHCP on a cable modem, as I usually used the static IP they gave me.. you might want to call your ISP, cause alot of the times @home gives you a option of a static ip as well which is way easier to setup.

also, have you tried looking at the documentation howto of DHCP found here: http://www.linuxdoc.org/HOWTO/mini/DHCP/index.html

just ran across this article on www.linux.com about @home connections that might be of help:
http://www.linux.com/learn/newsitem....id=1&aid=12537

Danobri:

I am also running RH7.1 with @home as the ISP; TimBeR was close with his suggestion to modify ifcfg-eth0; I needed one additional line in my setup:

DHCP_HOSTNAME=cc999999-a

where cc999999-a is the hostname that @home provides.
If your NIC is recognized and installed correctly, no other mods should be necessary.

If you're really curious, you can take a look at ifup and see where it substitutes this variable during execution.