Thanks for replying guys, here's the output of lspci:
00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corp. 82845 845 (Brookdale) Chipset Host Bridge (rev 11)
00:01.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corp. 82845 845 (Brookdale) Chipset AGP Bridge (rev 11)
00:1d.0 USB Controller: Intel Corp. 82801DB USB (Hub #1) (rev 01)
00:1d.1 USB Controller: Intel Corp. 82801DB USB (Hub #2) (rev 01)
00:1d.2 USB Controller: Intel Corp. 82801DB USB (Hub #3) (rev 01)
00:1d.7 USB Controller: Intel Corp. 82801DB USB EHCI Controller (rev 01)
00:1e.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corp. 82801BA/CA/DB PCI Bridge (rev 81)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corp. 82801DB ISA Bridge (LPC) (rev 01)
00:1f.1 IDE interface: Intel Corp. 82801DB ICH4 IDE (rev 01)
00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corp. 82801DB SMBus (rev 01)
00:1f.5 Multimedia audio controller: Intel Corp. 82801DB AC'97 Audio (rev 01)
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: nVidia Corporation NV11 [GeForce2 MX/MX 400] (rev b2)
02:00.0 FireWire (IEEE 1394): Texas Instruments TSB43AB23 IEEE-1394a-2000 Controller (PHY/Link)
02:01.0 Communication controller: Conexant HSF 56k Data/Fax/Voice/Spkp Modem (rev 01)
02:02.0 Ethernet controller: Davicom Semiconductor, Inc. Ethernet 100/10 MBit (rev 31)
To your query why do i need to start samba. I use a desktop with winxp/RH9 and my wife used a laptop with winxp. Often my wife uses the desktop to store her files (on winxp) and I generally like to work in RH9 with mounted winxp drive. Thats the reason i've to start Samba so that my wife can wirelessly connect to my desktop and access her winxp files.
Here's the output of
ifconfig
eth0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:08:A1:1D:A4
1
inet addr:172.16.1.34 Bcast:172.16.255.255 Mask:255.255.0.0
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:959 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:837 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:100
RX bytes:319655 (312.1 Kb) TX bytes:112360 (109.7 Kb)
Interrupt:9 Base address:0xd800
lo Link encap:Local Loopback
inet addr:127.0.0.1 Mask:255.0.0.0
UP LOOPBACK RUNNING MTU:16436 Metric:1
RX packets:7045 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:7045 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:0
RX bytes:481116 (469.8 Kb) TX bytes:481116 (469.8 Kb)
Here's the output of
iwconfig
lo no wireless extensions.
eth0 no wireless extensions.
I use a 2Wire (
www.2wire.com) dsl wireless router that was bundled with SBCYahoo DSL signup. I emailed the support to find out if i can configure the modem (just like windows) to work with linux. Here's the reply from 2Wire support:
_________________________
the homeportal (name of my ethernet wireless router) is not designed to work in linux, however there are known workarounds. If you are using an ethernet connection (which I am), you can connect to the homeportal using redhat-control-network and configuring eth0 with dhcp. If you are using a 2Wire wireless pc card (that my wife doesnt use on her laptop), you can use the orinico_cs driver and wireless-tools in linux to configure the card.
_________________________
As indicated in support email, i have configured the eth0 with automatic dhcp assignment and I dont think i need to worry about 2Wire PC card since my wife's laptop has inbuilt intel LAN2100 pro wireless card.
Thanks for your replies...I am waiting for more info.