I am trying to get a simple single server and workstation network together so that I can learn the basics using SuSe 8.1 All the info I can find uses other versions of Linux. The Suse manual is driving me insane......I don't want to give up and go back to Windows, but..... Can anybody help with a simple, this is how you do it?

What do you want the server to do? Decide what services you want to run and try to find info about how to run them.

1. Make sure both PCs have network cards configured for linux. SuSE must have some sort of admin tool for this, which also lets you set an IP number for each PC. Use say 192.168.1.1 and 192.168.1.2 (there is a reason for that, if you want to connect your network to the net at some point). Ignore all the DHCP, gateway, broadcast stuff.

2. Connect them with a 'crossover cable'. The common sort of ethernet cable connects a PC to a hub or switch, and is not the same thing.

3. Try to ping one from the other. e.g on 192.168.1.1 try

% ping 192.168.1.2

If you see something like

64 bytes from 192.168.1.2: icmp_seq=0 ttl=255 time=0.7 ms
etc etc

then you are networked!

If no luck, ask again for more detailed advice.