[TriLUG] Some Newbie Linux Questions

[Tarus Balog]

al johnson said:

> OK, I've got several possibilities, so many that perhaps a little
> explanation  on my part is required. While I don't have a high-speed
> internet connection,  I do have a very close friend who does. If I
> needed to use it, e.g. to update  my Linux system files, all I would
> have to do is give him a call and go over  to his home, plug in and do
> whatever I need to do. I update my Mac this very  same way. So what I
> suppose I need is a simple way to switch the eth0 out of  the boot
> sequence or just switch it off, and a simple way to switch it back  on
> whenever I need to do a lot of updates. That's why I wanted to know how
> to  get it switched back on.

It would help us to know what distro of Linux you are running. (grin)

For Redhat/Mandrake, editing the /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth0
file and setting onboot=no is your best bet. I do this since I have a
wireless ethernet card as eth1 which I primarily use at home. When I am on
the road and need the "wired" card, it is simple to turn on.

In the same directory you will see the "ifup" and "ifdown" scripts. Simply
run "ifup eth0" to turn it on, and "ifdown eth0" to turn it off. Both need
to be run as root.

-T


-- 
Tarus Balog
Consultant
Sortova Consulting Group, http://www.sortova.com
+1-919-696-7625
tarus at sortova.com