1. Network and Internet Connection Management

[Tip]Tip

Before connecting to the Internet, you are encouraged to set up a firewall on your machine so as to avoid bad surprises such as intrusions on your system. You can set up a very simple, yet effective, firewall using DrakFirewall (please refer to Section 3, “Securing your Internet Access via DrakFirewall”, for more information).

Your Mandrakelinux system contains a tool which allows you to easily configure your network access, whether it be to the Internet or to a local network. To launch drakconnect, first open Mandrakelinux Control Center and select the Network & Internet section. Here, a few tools enable you to configure and maintain network connections. A view of the main interface is shown in Figure 4.1, “DrakConnect Tools”. We describe the Internet connection sharing tool in Section 2, “Internet Connection Sharing”.

Figure 4.1. DrakConnect Tools

DrakConnect Tools

1.1. New Connection

This tool allows you to set up a new network connection. drakconnect supports different types of Internet and network connections. The first step consists in choosing which type of connection you wish to configure. Always make sure you have all the information provided by your ISP or network administrator at hand.

1.1.1. Modem Connection

Select the Modem connection type and continue to the next step. A list of detected modems is shown. If the modem you wish to configure isn't automatically detected, select the Manual choice box and then the communications port the modem is connected to. The required packages will be installed.

You will then see a list of countries/ISPs;. If yours is listed select it and continue to the next step: some parameters (connection name, phone number to dial, and authentication scheme) will be automatically set. Verify them, add the missing ones and accept them. If yours is not listed, select the Unlisted - edit manually option, click on Next and fill the parameters with the settings provided by your ISP (see Figure 4.2, “Entering Dial-up Connection Parameters”).

Figure 4.2. Entering Dial-up Connection Parameters

Entering Dial-up Connection Parameters

All parameters should be obvious, except for the authentication type. The value in the Authentication pull-down depends on what your ISP supports: Script-based (an old type of authentication method based on “expect” and “send” types of chat between your system and your ISP); Terminal based (a terminal window will pop up when the connection is made and you will have to login interactively); PAP, CHAP, or PAP/CHAP (authentication information exchange protocols, CHAP is preferred because it is more secure, PAP/CHAP will automatically choose the supported one).

Then come the IP, DNS and gateway settings. Nowadays, most ISPs provide them automatically when a connection is made, so selecting the Automatic option on them is usually a safe bet. You will then be asked whether you wish to allow users to start the connection. The safest choice is No. Otherwise any user will be able to take the link down, therefore disconnecting every other user.

During the next step you will be asked whether to start the connection at boot time or not: it is probably safer and cheaper to choose No. Finally you will be asked to test the connection: we recommend you to do so to make sure all parameters are accurate. You can now control your Internet connection using the kppp remote access connection dialer through the main menu: Internet+Remote Access->KPPP.

1.1.2. LAN Connection

Select the LAN connection type and continue to the next step. Your NICs will be detected automatically; if you have more than one, you will have to select the one you wish to configure. You can also load a driver for your NIC manually.

Then, you will have to specify if the network parameters will be automatically set up (Automatic IP (BOOTP/DHCP)) or not (Manual configuration): fill the next steps with the parameters which your ISP or network administrator gave you.

[Tip]Tip

Check the Network Hotplugging box to have your network brought up and down automatically when you connect and disconnect the network cable. This is specially handy for laptop users.

If you configure the network with DHCP you can optionally provide the machine's hostname. Then you can supply the Zeroconf hostname: this is the name which will be assigned to the machine when the network link is not active (meaning the cable was disconnected when the network service was brought up).

Finally, the wizard will ask you to restart your network to activate the changes.

After the configuration is done, you can bring the network connection up or down as described in Section 1.4, “Monitoring Connections”. Please bear in mind that LAN connection types are set up to always be started at boot time.

[Tip]Tip

An applet will appear in the desktop's panel indicating that the connection is up () or down (). Right click on it to access a menu that will also let you control the connection's state as well as other parameters.

1.2. Internet Access

Figure 4.3. Configuring the Internet Access

Configuring the Internet Access

This tool allows you to specify Internet access parameters if they need to be modified after your initial configuration. Please bear in mind that these parameters are system-wide and apply to all interfaces. If needed, the gateway address may be modified as described in Section 1.3, “Managing Connections”.

1.3. Managing Connections

Figure 4.4. Manage Network Connections

Manage Network Connections

This tool permits you to modify network interface-specific parameters. Use the drop-down list at the top to select the interface you want to configure. The tabs allow you to change parameters and options according to the network interface type selected for configuration.

1.4. Monitoring Connections

Figure 4.5. Real-Time Network Connection Monitoring

Real-Time Network Connection Monitoring

This tool shows the network interfaces activity. You can specify some options for the traffic graphic and statistics: update interval, scale, etc (see Figure 4.5, “Real-Time Network Connection Monitoring”). It can also be used to control the status of the network connection, bringing it up or down using the button at the lower left.

1.5. Removing a Connection

This tool simply enables you to remove a network interface. Select the interface to be removed in the Net Device pull-down list.

[Warning]Warning

You will not be asked for confirmation. Once an interface is selected for removal, pressing the Next button deletes it at once.

1.6. Proxy Settings

This tool allows you to define the hostnames or IP addresses of proxies for the FTP and HTTP protocols your computer will use. Fill the fields with the required values and click OK.

A proxy is a server which retrieves information from the Internet on your behalf, keeping a local copy of the web pages which are most frequently requested. They are referred to as “caching proxies”, and optimize bandwidth usage. In some organizations, you cannot access the Internet directly. You must pass through a proxy which authenticates you before allowing you to connect to the Internet. This is usually combined with a firewall which only guarantees the proxy direct access to the Internet. They are referred to as “authentication proxies”. In corporate or business environments, proxies perform both caching and authentication functions for performance and security reasons.