Network Interface Configuration Tools (Part 2):

To use the Red Hat Network Configuration tool to enter the same network interface configuration that we created earlier with the ifconfig command; select Programs from the Start menu, System from the Programs menu, and Network Configuration from the System menu. In the Network Configuration window, select the Devices tab. On the Devices tab, highlight the eth0 device, and click Edit. In the Ethernet Device window, select the Protocols tab. On the Protocols tab, highlight TCP/IP, and click Edit.

The interface in the figure has already been configured. The fields and values are self-explanatory. Less the broadcast address, this is essentially the same configuration entered previously using the ifconfig command. Whether or not this is an easier way to enter the configuration values is a matter of personal opinion. In all Linux distributions, the designers of the configuration tools make some decisions about what is needed, where it should be defined, and how the interface should look. One of the great things about Linux is that if you disagree with the tool design, or if you want to do something differently, you can go directly to the commands that the tools really use to get the job done.

So far in this chapter, we have configured TCP/IP only on an Ethernet interface. This might lead you to believe that a Linux system requires TCP/IP and an Ethernet interface in order to communicate with other systems. That's not true. A Linux system can communicate without TCP/ IP, and it can be configured to run TCP/IP without an Ethernet interface. The next section looks at both capabilities.