Slackware networking and printing issuse

Hallofo · 10-01-2012, 05:11 PM

Hi all, first post, so be gentle if I'm asking the wrong question in the wrong place.

I am somewhat "semi-n00b" with Linux; I know my way around the command prompt, and have build my own Ubuntu LAMP server for fun. These issues have me stumped though.

Here is the situation:

- Existing Slackware server (12.something I think), it looks like KDE might have been installed, but if it was, it's not coming up.

- Network connectivity to the local subnet only, no joy pinging google via DNS name or IP.

- I cannot nuke/pave, there are expensive custom applications that cannot be re installed due to licensing issues.

- CUPS might solve mt issues, but with no GUI to manage it from, I'm still stuck

- IPTABLES is installed, but I disabled the start-up. This used to be a DMZ/Web/File/Etc.. server, now it just hosts a single app inside an existing firewall.

- The previous tech was a die-hard tinker. If it could be changed, he did it. With no documentation. Over the course of several years. Unfortunately for all involved, he recently passed away, making asking questions rather difficult.

The desired end-state is this:

- Remote management via SSH
- Local printing to a USB Dot-Matrix printer
- Solid backups

Thanks in advance! I know there are many things I need to add, I'm just not sure what they are. So fire away with your questions and I'll do my best to answer.

frankbell · 10-01-2012, 08:53 PM

Have you tried invoking X from the command line with the command startx? That is the default Slackware way of starting X.

You could also post the output of ifconfig -a, making sure to enclose in in "code" tags, which become available when you click "Go Advanced" down there at the bottom of the Quick Reply window, and telling us more about your network connection the to internet. The "code" tags make the pasted content much easier to read.

Here's a link to the Slackbook's section on networking in Slackware: http://www.slackbook.org/html/book.h...-CONFIGURATION

It's a little old, but still basically accurate.

padeen · 10-02-2012, 04:39 AM

If you have network connectivity but no internet, it could either be a firewall or a gateway problem.

What is the output of the following:

Code:

ifconfig
route
ip -4 route show
iptables -L
cat /etc/resolv.conf
and, if you have IPv6, the equivalents for that protocol:
ip -6 route show
ip6tables -L

Then we can see if the machine doesn't know where the gateway is, or perhaps the gateway is blocking it.

Re printing, setting up CUPS is pretty straightforward on a local network. What's the issue with it?

elesmod · 10-02-2012, 07:06 AM

If you can't get into a desktop environment, you can configure CUPS in a text browser.

Code:

lynx http://localhost:631

or

Code:

links http://localhost:631

Hallofo · 10-02-2012, 12:20 PM

Thanks everyone for the insight, here is my code output:

ifconfig for eth1 (the connected interface)

Code:

eth1      Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr 00:26:18:58:23:ca
          inet addr:192.168.1.50  Bcast:192.168.1.255  Mask:255.255.255.0
          inet6 addr: fe80::226:18ff:fe58:23ca/64 Scope:Link
          UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1
          RX packets:3915 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:9986 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
          RX bytes:297898 (290.9 KiB)  TX bytes:1560437 (1.4 MiB)
          Interrupt:17

Route

Code:

Destination     Gateway         Genmask         Flags Metric Ref    Use Ifa
64.183.70.209   *               255.255.255.255 UH    0      0        0 eth0
64.183.70.208   *               255.255.255.248  U     0      0        0 eth0
192.168.1.0       *               255.255.255.0      U     0      0        0 eth1
loopback           *               255.0.0.0              U     0      0        0 lo

ip -4 route show

Code:

64.183.70.209 dev eth0  scope link
64.183.70.208/29 dev eth0  proto kernel  scope link  src 64.183.70.210
192.168.1.0/24 dev eth1  proto kernel  scope link  src 192.168.1.50
127.0.0.0/8 dev lo  scope link

iptables -L

Code:

hain INPUT (policy ACCEPT)
target     prot opt source               destination

Chain FORWARD (policy ACCEPT)
target     prot opt source               destination

Chain OUTPUT (policy ACCEPT)
target     prot opt source               destination

cat /etc/resolv.conf

Code:

search VCOMS.net

ip -6 route show

Code:

fe80::/64 dev eth0  proto kernel  metric 256  mtu 1500 advmss 1440 hoplimit 0
fe80::/64 dev eth1  proto kernel  metric 256  mtu 1500 advmss 1440 hoplimit 0
ff00::/8 dev eth0  metric 256  mtu 1500 advmss 1440 hoplimit 0
ff00::/8 dev eth1  metric 256  mtu 1500 advmss 1440 hoplimit 0

ip6tables -L

Code:

Chain INPUT (policy ACCEPT)
target     prot opt source               destination

Chain FORWARD (policy ACCEPT)
target     prot opt source               destination

Chain OUTPUT (policy ACCEPT)
target     prot opt source               destination

Thanks all again for the help, hopefully there is a simple "ah HA" thing that I missed.

Elesmod: going to try this now.

frankbell · 10-02-2012, 08:37 PM

The gateway configuration doesn't look right to me. In my system, it's 192.168.1.1 rather than 192.168.1.0.

Code:

$ cat /etc/network/interfaces
# This file describes the network interfaces available on your system                                                       
# and how to activate them. For more information, see interfaces(5).                                                        
                                                                                                                            
# The loopback network interface
auto lo
iface lo inet loopback

# The primary network interface
allow-hotplug eth0
iface eth0 inet static
address 192.168.1.5
netmask 255.255.255.0
gateway 192.168.1.1

auto eth0
#

Hallofo · 10-03-2012, 11:57 AM

Well, with your help I was able to figure out a couple issues.

Frankbell: the gateway was correct, I have it coded in the /etc/rc.d/rc.inet1 file. The routing table below just lists the network 192.168.1.x as 192.168.1.0. Good eye though, because that's what got me thinking about routing.

The problem with access to any (other than local) networks was that the old routing table was still being loaded - I commented all that out and added a new default route to the Gateway at 192.168.1.1 and bam, online!

Of course, Murphy showed up and the client's DSL router started taking a poop a few minutes later. Seriously, maybe 10 minutes after I get all this figured out and online, his router starts going down. I can ping it for a few seconds, then it goes down. Just up and down, not a solid "broken". He has called the ISP and they are sending out a tech today. Until then, I can't work on the printer. Grrrrr.

Side though: I don't think I could have caused the network issue with a new default route. I've never run into that in my experience or training (I'm a CCNA, among other things). Hmmm. Food for thought at least.