Relevant package versions:
Inetutils 1.8
Iproute2 2.6.37
Net-tools 1.6
dhcp 3.0.6
Linux Kernel 2.6.X

So my issue is that my linux build is on a usb stick and that this usb stick isn't meant to be permanently tied to any one computer. This makes me believe that it will have to configure itself to whatever the new network card is each time. I have no experience in networking and so I am totally clueless as to what to do here. I'm only wanting to connect to DHCP networks (broadband/cable) that could possibly have a proxy firewall of somesort

I don't use a distro that normally would do this for me.

How would I go about getting my system to dynamically configure itself to a network card, or am I going the wrong approach?

I have defined my own hostname for the stick in /etc/sysconfig/network

I am supposed to make an /etc/hosts file but I'm stuck on how to fill it out as the FQDN would change from network to network right?

And then a /etc/sysconfig/network-devices folder is supposed to be filled with rules for eth0, eth1, ethN...but how would I determine my IP for the card/for the network to put here for the different eth devices.