Linuxconf

[Zildjian]

This is probably easy for someone - but apparently not me. I re-installed Red Hat 7.2 on a 486 machine that I have that I'm using to learn Linux. I know the NIC is supported because it worked before when one of my Linux friends bailed me out (3com 3C509TP). At the time I did not have Linuxconf installed - and we did a comparison of his machine against mine, and configured the files manually to get the machine on the network. Now after reinstalling, I can't seem to get the changes I've made in Linuxconf to "stick". I must be missing something, and I have done some serous research to find out. The only clue I have curently is to possibly configure tcp wrappers. (?) Before I get into all that - I figured I'd send a flare for help as my Linux mentor is currently out of town. When I make the changes in Linuxconf I get the following - and I do what it says --- "The state of the system is not in sync with the current/updated configurations. You are allowed to make it current, or continue with the current configurations. Here are the commands to execute:" Service apmd is not running (then it tells me the path to start it -- and does the same for the rest) Configuration file /etc/sysconfig/network have changed for xinet; Service lpd is not running; Service gpm is not running. -- Well they are running - but still when I run an ifconfig -- I get 127.0.0.1? Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[fancypiper]

:p Edit the config files yourself rather than using linuxconf :p

I have been suspicious about linuxconf and I notice that in RH7.3, it isn't on the 3(!) cds, so I guess they have stopped working on it.

I suggest that instead of installing bloatware such as RedHat, check out Gentoo (http://www.gentoo.org/), a build from scratch that sounds ideal for a learning machine. It has a system called portage which is the best dependency managing system I have seen. Aren't you sick and tired of RPM yet?

I am compiling for a slow box on my fast box just now and I plan on putting it on this box just as soon as I move the drive over to the slow machine and get it set up.

That way you will learn linux rather than RedHat administration!

So far, my P-II 333 mhz outspeeds my Celeron 850 mhz, so that should give you a hint.

I have learned more about Linux in one week of installing gentoo (I am taking my time, reading docs and understanding) than in 2 years of running RedHat.

[Zildjian]

Thanks for the tip(s) - but don't I have to make that change in about three different places. Also - you have a point about linuxconf - the documentation I've seen says that if you accept everything linuxconf will install by default - 100% chance it didn't. So maybe they are steering away from it. If I have another machine to play with, I may install gentoo - but for now I have to understand RH Linux to assist in administrating our network. --maybe I'd get there faster with Gentto as you've indicated. :eek:
Thanks

[fancypiper]

See if you can't configure it the linux way anyway, even if it is Red Hat. :D Linux is linux, you just have to find strange places for config files (Gentoo has a much simpler and logical /etc layout) and weird stuff in a distro as it's built for a wide variety of machines.

Look at 5.Configure installation networking (http://www.gentoo.org/doc/build.html) and try following that. Post error messages, etc if you don't understand. :confused:

[fancypiper]

I just remembered. netconf is the network configuration utility that RedHat uses now.

[Zildjian]

Hey - I checked out one of the many newbie links on your site - and was led to the right answer. I had to do insmod for my NIC (insmod 3c509.o). I then restarted the network service and I'm on! Thanks for your help! :D