Linux: Networking for Your Office

Web Supplement
by Rod Smith, rodsmith@rodsbooks.com

Revision History:

• 1/7/2000: Changes to DSL and Netatalk pages
• 4/5/2000: Minor expansions to PPPoE discussion on DSL page, and discussion of problems with some NICs under Netatalk on the Netatalk page
• 5/31/2000: Discussion of some printing problems under Netatalk, and an expansion of the discussion of the NIC problems under Netatalk.
• 6/10/2001: Added some information on USB DSL modems and PPPoE using external routers to the DSL page.

About the Book

My second Linux book, Linux: Networking for Your Office (hereafter L:NfYO), ISBN 0672317923, is published by Sams and is available now. You can order it at Fatbrain.com, Amazon.com, or you can read more about it and other books you might find interesting. L:NfYO covers many of the small office/home office (SOHO) networking tasks at which Linux has proven its worth. The book's main focus is on file and printer sharing using NFS, lpd, Samba, and Netatalk. Additional topics include IP masquerading, PPP connections, and security. Although it's marketed towards businesses, L:NfYO covers the topics you're most likely to want covered when setting up a small home network with Linux at its centerpiece, so home users shouldn't be scared off by the title.

Here's a list of the book's chapters:

Part I: Networking Principles
1. Networking Hardware
2. Understanding TCP/IP
3. Networking Services
4. Intranets and the Internet
   
   Part II: Configuring Linux Networking
5. Basic Linux Configuration
6. Compiling a Kernel for Networking
7. Setting Ethernet Options
8. Using PPP for Dialup Connections
   
   Part III: File Sharing
9. Basic Principles of File Sharing
10. NFS: Sharing Files with Other UNIXes
11. Samba: Sharing Files with DOS, Windows, and OS/2
12. Netatalk: Sharing Files with Macintoshes
13. Using Linux to Back Up Client Machines
    
    Part IV: Printer Sharing
14. Preparing to Share a Printer
15. Sharing Printers with Other UNIXes
16. Samba: Sharing Printers with DOS, Windows, and OS/2
17. Netatalk: Sharing Printers with Macintoshes
    
    Part V: Remote Access
18. Using ssh or telnet to Log on Remotely
19. Using VNC or an X Server to Run X Programs Remotely
    
    Part VI: Linking Your Intranet to the Internet
20. One IP Address, Many Computers: IP Masquerading
21. Configuring a Firewall
    
    Part VII: Final Considerations
22. Designing a Computer as a Linux Server
23. System Administration
24. Maintaining a Secure System

The book also includes a CD with Red Hat Linux 6.0, Linux networking utilities, and networking tools for both Windows and MacOS. The tools on this CD will help you build an intranet around your Linux server. Note that, although the book comes with Red Hat Linux, L:NfYO will be helpful to you even if you run another Linux distribution. Although I describe how to perform some tasks using Red Hat's linuxconf tool, I always provide alternative methods to perform those tasks that can be used with other distributions.

Errata and Updates

The Linux world moves quickly, so aspects of my book which were accurate and complete at the time I wrote them have become inaccurate or incomplete, even by the book's release date. There may also be a few outright errors lurking in the text, although I've made every attempt to spot these before publication. This is where you'll find information on both types of item.

• Red Hat Linux 6.1
• Using DSL connections
• A Netatalk update

I am making every attempt to keep these web pages viewable from any web browser. Of course, not all browsers support all features used by these pages, but I've tried to make such items harmless to these browsers. These pages have been checked using weblint, as well as with a variety of browsers. If you encounter a problem accessing these pages from your browser, please notify me.

Copyright © 1999, 2000 by Rod Smith, rodsmith@rodsbooks.com

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