There are many supported networking types on Linux. Most of them use different device names and the configuration files are spread over several locations in the file system. For a detailed overview of the aspects of manual network configuration, see Section 21.6, “Configuring a Network Connection Manually”.
During installation on a laptop (where NetworkManager is active by default) YaST configures all interfaces that have been detected. If NetworkManager is not active, only the first interface with link up (with a network cable connected) is automatically configured. Additional hardware can be configured any time on the installed system. The following sections describe the network configuration for all types of network connections supported by openSUSE.
To configure your wired or wireless network card in YaST, select +. After starting the module, YaST displays the dialog with four tabs: , , and .
The tab allows you to set general networking options such as the use of NetworkManager, IPv6 and general DHCP options. For more information, see Section 21.4.1.1, “Configuring Global Networking Options”.
The tab contains information about installed network interfaces and configurations. Any properly detected network card is listed with its name. You can manually configure new cards, remove or change their configuration in this dialog. If you want to manually configure a card that was not automatically detected, see Section 21.4.1.3, “Configuring an Undetected Network Card”. If you want to change the configuration of an already configured card, see Section 21.4.1.2, “Changing the Configuration of a Network Card”.
The tab allows to set the hostname of the machine and name the servers to be used. For more information, see Section 21.4.1.4, “Configuring Hostname and DNS”.
The tab is used for the configuration of routing. See Section 21.4.1.5, “Configuring Routing” for more information.
The tab of the YaST module allows you to set important global networking options, such as the use of NetworkManager, IPv6 and DHCP client options. These settings are applicable for all network interfaces.
In the choose the way network connections are managed. If you want a NetworkManager desktop applet to manage connections for all interfaces, choose . This option is well suited for switching between multiple wired and wireless networks. If you do not run a desktop environment (GNOME or KDE), or if your computer is a Xen server, virtual system, or provides network services such as DHCP or DNS in your network, use the . If NetworkManager is used, nm-applet should be used to configure network options and the , and tabs of the module are disabled. For more information on NetworkManager, see Chapter Using NetworkManager (↑Start-Up).
In the choose whether you want to use the IPv6 protocol. It is possible to use IPv6 together with IPv4. By default, IPv6 is activated. However, in networks not using IPv6 protocol, response times can be faster with IPv6 protocol disabled. If you want to disable IPv6, uncheck the option. This disables autoload of the kernel module for IPv6. This will be applied after reboot.
In the configure options for the DHCP client. The must be different for each DHCP client on a single network. If left empty, it defaults to the hardware address of the network interface. However, if you are running several virtual machines using the same network interface and, therefore, the same hardware address, specify a unique free-form identifier here.
The specifies a string used for the
hostname option field when dhcpcd sends messages to DHCP server. Some
DHCP servers update name server zones (forward and reverse records)
according to this hostname (Dynamic DNS). Also, some DHCP servers
require the option field to contain
a specific string in the DHCP messages from clients. Leave
AUTO to send the current hostname (that is the one
defined in /etc/HOSTNAME). Leave the option field
empty for not sending any hostname. If yo do not want to change the
default route according to the information from DHCP,
uncheck .
To change the configuration of a network card, select a card from the list of the detected cards in + in YaST and click . The dialog appears in which to adjust the card configuration using the , and tabs. For information about wireless card configuration, see Section 32.5, “Configuration with YaST”.
You can set the IP address of the network card or the way its IP address is determined in the tab of the dialog. Both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses are supported. The network card can have (which is useful for bonding devices), a (IPv4 or IPv6) or a assigned via or or both.
If using , select whether to use (for IPv4), (for IPv6) or .
If possible, the first network card with link that is available during the installation is automatically configured to use automatic address setup via DHCP. In case of laptop computers where NetworkManager is active by default, all network cards are configured.
DHCP should also be used if you are using a DSL line but with no static IP assigned by the ISP (Internet Service Provider). If you decide to use DHCP, configure the details in in the tab of the dialog of the YaST network card configuration module. If you have a virtual host setup where different hosts communicate through the same interface, an is necessary to distinguish them.
DHCP is a good choice for client configuration but it is not ideal for server configuration. To set a static IP address, proceed as follows:
Select a card from the list of detected cards in the tab of the YaST network card configuration module and click .
In the tab, choose .
Enter the . Both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses can be used. Enter the network mask in . If the IPv6 address is used, use for prefix length in format
/64.Optionally, you can enter a fully qualified for this address, which will be written to the
/etc/hostsconfiguration file.Click .
To activate the configuration, click .
If you use the static address, the name servers and default gateway are not configured automatically. To configure name servers, proceed as described in Section 21.4.1.4, “Configuring Hostname and DNS”. To configure a gateway, proceed as described in Section 21.4.1.5, “Configuring Routing”.
One network device can have multiple IP addresses, called aliases.
![[Note]](admon/note.png) | Aliases Are a Compatibility Feature |
|---|---|
These so-called aliases resp. labels work with IPv4 only. With IPv6 they will be ignored. Using iproute2 network interfaces can have one or more addresses. | |
Using YaST to set an alias for your network card, proceed as follows:
Select a card from the list of detected cards in the tab of the YaST network card configuration module and click .
In the + tab, click .
Enter , , and . Do not include the interface name in the alias name.
Click .
Click .
To activate the configuration, click .
It is possible to change the device name of the network card when it is used. It is also possible to determine whether the network card should be identified by udev via its hardware (MAC) address or via the bus ID. The later option is preferable in large servers to ease hot swapping of cards. To set these options with YaST, proceed as follows:
Select a card from the list of detected cards in the tab of the YaST module and click .
Go to the tab. The current device name is shown in . Click .
Select whether udev should identify the card by its or . The current MAC address and bus ID of the card are shown in the dialog.
To change the device name, check the option and edit the name.
Click and .
To activate the configuration, click .
For some network cards, several kernel drivers may be available. If the card is already configured, YaST allows you to select a kernel driver to be used from a list of available suitable drivers. It is also possible to specify options for the kernel driver. To set these options with YaST, proceed as follows:
Select a card from the list of detected cards in the tab of the YaST Network Settings module and click .
Go to the tab.
Select the kernel driver to be used in . Enter any options for the selected driver in in the form
option=value. If more options are used, they should be space-separated.Click and .
To activate the configuration, click .
If you use the traditional method with ifup, you can configure your device to either start during boot, on cable connection, on card detection, manually or never. To change device start-up, proceed as follows:
In YaST select a card from the list of detected cards in + and click .
In the tab, select the desired entry from .
Choose to start the device during the system boot. With , the interface is watched for any existing physical connection. With , the interface is set as soon as available. It is similar to the option, and only differs in the fact that no error occurs if the interface is not present at boot time. Choose to control the interface manually with ifup. Choose to not start the device at all. The is similar to , but the interface does not shut down with the rcnetwork stop command. Use this if you use an nfs or iscsi root file system.
Click .
To activate the configuration, click .
Usually, only the system administrator can activate and deactivate network interfaces. If you want any user to be able to activate this interface via KInternet, select .
You can set a maximum transmission unit (MTU) for the interface. MTU refers to the largest allowed packet size in bytes. A higher MTU brings higher bandwidth efficiency. However, large packets can block up a slow interface for some time, increasing the lag for further packets.
In YaST select a card from the list of detected cards in + and click .
In the tab, select the desired entry from the list.
Click .
To activate the configuration, click .
Without having to enter the detailed firewall setup as described in Section “Configuring the Firewall with YaST” (Chapter 14, Masquerading and Firewalls, ↑Security Guide), you can determine the basic firewall setup for your device as part of the device setup. Proceed as follows:
Open the YaST + module. In the tab, select a card from the list of detected cards and click .
Enter the tab of the dialog.
Determine the firewall zone to which your interface should be assigned. The following options are available:
- Firewall Disabled
This option is available only if the firewall is disabled and the firewall does not run at all. Only use this option if your machine is part of a greater network that is protected by an outer firewall.
- Automatically Assign Zone
This option is available only if the firewall is enabled. The firewall is running and the interface is automatically assigned to a firewall zone. The zone which contains the keyword
anyor the external zone will be used for such an interface.- Internal Zone (Unprotected)
The firewall is running, but does not enforce any rules to protect this interface. Use this option if your machine is part of a greater network that is protected by an outer firewall. It is also useful for the interfaces connected to the internal network, when the machine has more network interfaces.
- Demilitarized Zone
A demilitarized zone is an additional line of defense in front of an internal network and the (hostile) Internet. Hosts assigned to this zone can be reached from the internal network and from the Internet, but cannot access the internal network.
- External Zone
The firewall is running on this interface and fully protects it against other—presumably hostile—network traffic. This is the default option.
Click .
Activate the configuration by clicking .
Your card may not be detected correctly. In this case, the card is not included in the list of detected cards. If you are sure that your system includes a driver for your card, you can configure it manually. You can also configure special network device types, such as bridge, bond, TUN or TAP. To configure an undetected network card (or a special device) proceed as follows:
In the ++ dialog in YaST click .
In the dialog, set the of the interface from the available options and . If the network card is a PCMCIA or USB device, activate the respective check box and exit this dialog with . Otherwise, you can define the kernel to be used for the card and its , if necessary.
Click .
Configure any needed options, such as the IP address, device activation or firewall zone for the interface in the , , and tabs. For more information about the configuration options, see Section 21.4.1.2, “Changing the Configuration of a Network Card”.
If you selected as the device type of the interface, configure the wireless connection in the next dialog.
Click .
To activate the new network configuration, click .
If you did not change the network configuration during installation and the wired card was already available, a hostname was automatically generated for your computer and DHCP was activated. The same applies to the name service information your host needs to integrate into a network environment. If DHCP is used for network address setup, the list of domain name servers is automatically filled with the appropriate data. If a static setup is preferred, set these values manually.
To change the name of your computer and adjust the name server search list, proceed as follows:
Go to the + tab in the module in YaST.
Enter the and, if needed, the . The domain is especially important if the machine is a mail server. Note that the hostname is global and applies to all set network interfaces.
If you are using DHCP to get an IP address, the hostname of your computer will be automatically set by the DHCP. You may want to disable this behavior if you connect to different networks, because they may assign different hostnames and changing the hostname at runtime may confuse the graphical desktop. To disable using DHCP to get an IP address uncheck .
If you are using DHCP to get an IP address, your hostname will be written to
/etc/hostsby default and be resolvable as a127.0.0.2IP address. To disable this uncheck but note that your hostname will not be resolvable without an active network.In , select the way the DNS configuration (name servers, search list, the content of the
/etc/resolv.conffile) is modified.If the option is selected, the configuration is handled by the netconfig script which merges the data defined statically (with YaST or in the configuration files) with data obtained dynamically (from the DHCP client or NetworkManager). This default policy is sufficient in most cases.
If the option is selected, netconfig is not allowed to modify the
/etc/resolv.conffile. However, this file can be edited manually.If the option is selected, a string defining the merge policy should be specified. The string consists of a comma-separated list of interface names to be considered a valid source of settings. Except for complete interface names, basic wildcards to match multiple interfaces are allowed, as well. For example,
eth* ppp?will first target all eth and then all ppp0-ppp9 interfaces. There are two special policy values that indicate how to apply the static settings defined in the/etc/sysconfig/network/configfile:STATICThe static settings have to be merged together with the dynamic settings.
STATIC_FALLBACKThe static settings are used only when no dynamic configuration is avalaible.
For more information, see the man 8 netconfig.
Enter the and fill in the list. Name servers must be specified by IP addresses, such as 192.168.1.116, not by hostnames. Names specified in the tab are domain names used for resolving hostnames without a specified domain. If more than one is used, separate domains with commas or white space.
To activate the configuration, click .
To make your machine communicate with other machines and other networks, routing information must be given to make network traffic take the correct path. If DHCP is used, this information is automatically provided. If a static setup is used, this data must be added manually.
In YaST go to +.
Enter the IP address of the (IPv4 and IPv6 if necessary). The default gateway matches every possible destination, but if any other entry exists that matches the required address, use this instead of the default route.
More entries can be entered in the . Enter the network IP address, IP address and the . Select the through which the traffic to the defined network will be routed (the minus sign stands for any device). To omit any of these values, use the minus sign
-. To enter a default gateway into the table, usedefaultin the field.If more default routes are used, it is possible to specify the metric option to determine which route has a higher priority. To specify the metric option, enter
- metricin . The route with the highest metric is used as default. If the network device is disconnected, its route will be removed and the next one will be used. However, the current kernel does not use metric in static routing, only routing daemons like multipathd do.numberIf the system is a router, enable the option in the .
To activate the configuration, click .
In the YaST Control Center, access the modem configuration under +. If your modem was not automatically detected, go to the tab and open the dialog for manual configuration by clicking . Enter the interface to which the modem is connected under .
![[Tip]](admon/tip.png) | CDMA and GPRS Modems |
|---|---|
Configure supported CDMA and GPRS modems with the YaST module just as you would configure regular modems. | |
If you are behind a private branch exchange (PBX), you may need to enter a dial prefix. This is often a zero. Consult the instructions that came with the PBX to find out. Also select whether to use tone or pulse dialing, whether the speaker should be on and whether the modem should wait until it detects a dial tone. The last option should not be enabled if the modem is connected to an exchange.
Under , set the baud rate and the modem initialization strings. Only change these settings if your modem was not detected automatically or if it requires special settings for data transmission to work. This is mainly the case with ISDN terminal adapters. Leave this dialog by clicking . To delegate control over the modem to the normal user without root permissions, activate . In this way, a user without administrator permissions can activate or deactivate an interface. Under , specify a regular expression. The in KInternet, which can be modified by the normal user, must match this regular expression. If this field is left empty, the user cannot set a different without administrator permissions.
In the next dialog, select the ISP. To choose from a predefined list of ISPs operating in your country, select . Alternatively, click to open a dialog in which to provide the data for your ISP. This includes a name for the dial-up connection and ISP as well as the login and password provided by your ISP. Enable to be prompted for the password each time you connect.
In the last dialog, specify additional connection options:
If you enable , set at least one name server. Use this feature only if your Internet connection is inexpensive, because there are programs that periodically request data from the Internet.
This option is enabled by default, with the effect that the name server address is updated each time you connect to the Internet.
If the provider does not transmit its domain name server after connecting, disable this option and enter the DNS data manually.
If this options is enabled, the connection is automatically reestablished after failure.
This option disables the detection of any prompts from the dial-up server. If the connection build-up is slow or does not work at all, try this option.
Selecting this option activates the firewall and sets the interface as external. This way, you are protected from outside attacks for the duration of your Internet connection.
With this option, specify a period of network inactivity after which the modem disconnects automatically.
This opens the address configuration dialog. If your ISP does not assign a dynamic IP address to your host, disable then enter your host's local IP address and the remote IP address. Ask your ISP for this information. Leave enabled and close the dialog by selecting .
Selecting returns to the original dialog, which displays a summary of the modem configuration. Close this dialog with .
Use this module to configure one or several ISDN cards for your system. If YaST did not detect your ISDN card, click on in the tab and manually select your card. Multiple interfaces are possible, but several ISPs can be configured for one interface. In the subsequent dialogs, set the ISDN options necessary for the proper functioning of the card.
In the next dialog, shown in Figure 21.5, “ISDN Configuration”, select the protocol to use. The default is , but for older or larger exchanges, select . If you are in the US, select . Select your country in the relevant field. The corresponding country code then appears in the field next to it. Finally, provide your and the if necessary. If you do not want to log all your ISDN traffic, uncheck the option.
defines how the ISDN interface should
be started: causes the ISDN driver to be
initialized each time the system boots.
requires you to load the ISDN driver as root with the command
rcisdn start. , used for
PCMCIA or USB devices, loads the driver after the device is plugged in.
When finished with these settings, select .
In the next dialog, specify the interface type for your ISDN card and add
ISPs to an existing interface. Interfaces may be either the
SyncPPP or the RawIP
type, but most ISPs operate in the SyncPPP mode,
which is described below.
The number to enter for depends on your particular setup:
- ISDN Card Directly Connected to Phone Outlet
A standard ISDN line provides three phone numbers (called multiple subscriber numbers, or MSNs). If the subscriber asked for more, there may be up to 10. One of these MSNs must be entered here, but without your area code. If you enter the wrong number, your phone operator automatically falls back to the first MSN assigned to your ISDN line.
- ISDN Card Connected to a Private Branch Exchange
Again, the configuration may vary depending on the equipment installed:
Smaller private branch exchanges (PBX) built for home purposes mostly use the Euro-ISDN (EDSS1) protocol for internal calls. These exchanges have an internal S0 bus and use internal numbers for the equipment connected to them.
Use one of the internal numbers as your MSN. You should be able to use at least one of the exchange's MSNs that have been enabled for direct outward dialing. If this does not work, try a single zero. For further information, consult the documentation delivered with your phone exchange.
Larger phone exchanges designed for businesses normally use the 1TR6 protocol for internal calls. Their MSN is called EAZ and usually corresponds to the direct-dial number. For the configuration under Linux, it should be sufficient to enter the last digit of the EAZ. As a last resort, try each of the digits from 1 to 9.
For the connection to be terminated just before the next charge unit is due, enable . However, remember that may not work with every ISP. You can also enable channel bundling (multilink PPP) by selecting the corresponding option. Finally, you can enable the firewall for your link by selecting and . To enable the normal user without administrator permissions to activate or deactivate the interface, select the .
opens a dialog in which to implement more complex connection schemes which are not relevant for normal home users. Leave the dialog by selecting .
In the next dialog, configure IP address settings. If you have not been given a static IP by your provider, select . Otherwise, use the fields provided to enter your host's local IP address and the remote IP address according to the specifications of your ISP. If the interface should be the default route to the Internet, select . Each host can only have one interface configured as the default route. Leave this dialog by selecting .
The following dialog allows you to set your country and select an ISP. The ISPs included in the list are call-by-call providers only. If your ISP is not in the list, select . This opens the dialog in which to enter all the details for your ISP. When entering the phone number, do not include any blanks or commas among the digits. Finally, enter your login and the password as provided by the ISP. When finished, select .
To use on a stand-alone workstation,
specify the name server (DNS server) as well. Most ISPs support dynamic
DNS, which means the IP address of a name server is sent by the ISP each
time you connect. For a single workstation, however, you still need to
provide a placeholder address like
192.168.22.99. If your ISP
does not support dynamic DNS, specify the name server IP addresses of the
ISP. If desired, specify a time-out for the connection—the period
of network inactivity (in seconds) after which the connection should be
automatically terminated. Confirm your settings with
. YaST displays a summary of the configured
interfaces. To activate these settings, select .
In some countries it is quite common to access the Internet through the TV cable network. The TV cable subscriber usually gets a modem that is connected to the TV cable outlet on one side and to a computer network card on the other (using a 10Base-TG twisted pair cable). The cable modem then provides a dedicated Internet connection with a fixed IP address.
Depending on the instructions provided by your ISP, when configuring the network card either select or . Most providers today use DHCP. A static IP address often comes as part of a special business account.
For further information about the configuration of cable modems, read the Support Database article on the topic, which is available online at http://en.opensuse.org/SDB:Setting_Up_an_Internet_Connection_via_Cable_Modem_with_SuSE_Linux_8.0_or_Higher.
To configure your DSL device, select the module from the YaST section. This YaST module consists of several dialogs in which to set the parameters of DSL links based on one of the following protocols:
PPP over Ethernet (PPPoE)
PPP over ATM (PPPoATM)
CAPI for ADSL (Fritz Cards)
Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP)—Austria
In the tab of the dialog, you will find a list of installed DSL devices. To change the configuration of a DSL device, select it in the list and click . If you click , you can manually configure a new DSL device.
The configuration of a DSL connection based on PPPoE or PPTP requires
that the corresponding network card be set up in the correct way. If you
have not done so yet, first configure the card by selecting
(see
Section 21.4.1, “Configuring the Network Card with YaST”). In the case of a DSL
link, addresses may be assigned automatically but not via DHCP, which is
why you should not enable the option .
Instead, enter a static dummy address for the interface, such as
192.168.22.1. In
, enter
255.255.255.0. If you are
configuring a stand-alone workstation, leave empty.
| |
Values in and are only placeholders. They are only needed to initialize the network card and do not represent the DSL link as such. | |
In the first DSL configuration dialog (see
Figure 21.7, “DSL Configuration”), select the and the to which the DSL
modem is connected (in most cases, this is
eth0). Then use
to specify whether the DSL link should
be established during the boot process. Click to authorize the normal
user without root permissions to activate or deactivate the interface
with KInternet.
In the next dialog select your country and choose from a number of ISPs operating in it. The details of any subsequent dialogs of the DSL configuration depend on the options set so far, which is why they are only briefly mentioned in the following paragraphs. For details on the available options, read the detailed help available from the dialogs.
To use on a stand-alone workstation,
also specify the name server (DNS server). Most ISPs support dynamic
DNS—the IP address of a name server is sent by the ISP each time
you connect. For a single workstation, however, provide a placeholder
address like 192.168.22.99. If
your ISP does not support dynamic DNS, enter the name server IP address
provided by your ISP.
defines a period of network inactivity after which to terminate the connection automatically. A reasonable time-out value is between 60 and 300 seconds. If is disabled, it may be useful to set the time-out to zero to prevent automatic hang-up.
The configuration of T-DSL is very similar to the DSL setup. Just select as your provider and YaST opens the T-DSL configuration dialog. In this dialog, provide some additional information required for T-DSL—the line ID, the T-Online number, the user code and your password. All of these should be included in the information you received after subscribing to T-DSL.