Lesson 10

Troubleshooting TCP/IP connections can be difficult, but now you have a set of powerful tools to track down and fix errors. ping, netstat, and arp are useful tools for finding addressing problems, which arise most commonly when network parameters are entered incorrectly on a host. You can recheck and modify these settings to ensure proper operation using ifconfig. Check the man pages of each tool for more detailed information. When you need to connect a computer over a modem, use Red Hat's GUI tools to simplify configuration. You have seen many of the useful utilities Red Hat provides to make a productive Internet-enabled workstation.

Having completed this module, you should now be able to:

1. Describe the function of netstat, arp, and ifconfig
2. Use the ping command to troubleshoot connectivity problems
3. Use the ifconfig command to resolve TCP/IP problems
4. Use the arp -a command to resolve TCP/IP problems
5. Use the route command to set your default gateway
6. Configure a modem to create a new PPP connection
7. Use the Dialup Configuration Tool to configure a PPP connection
8. Use RP3 to activate a PPP connection

The following terms were introduced in this module:

1. Address Resolution Protocol: ARP is the method Ethernet computers use to assign IP addresses to Ethernet card addresses.
2. Dial-up: Refers to modem connections to ISPs usually using the PPP protocol.
3. Logical link: A type of file that is a reference to another real file.

The next module covers NIS client networking.

Before moving on to the next module, click the Quiz link below to check your understanding of TCP/IP and Linux networking.
TCP/IP Linux Networking - Quiz