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  1. Introduction
  2. About Linux
  3. Installation and getting started
  4. Logging in and out
  5. Basic Linux Commands
  6. Linux Files and File Permissions
  7. Linux Directory Structure
  8. Finding Files
  9. Linux Help
  10. Setting Time
  11. Devices
  12. Tips
  13. Accessing Other Filesystems
  14. Accessing Removable Media
  15. Making and Managing Filesystems
  16. Emergency Filesystems and Procedures
  17. LILO and Runlevels
  18. Init
  19. Environment, Shell Selection, and Startu
  20. Linux Kernel
  21. Package Installation and Printing
  22. Configuration, Logging and CRON
  23. Keys and Terminal Configuration
  24. Sound Configuration
  25. Managing Users
  26. Passwords
  27. Process Control
  28. Configuration and Diagnostic Tools
  29. Overall Configuration
  30. Using PAM
  31. Basic Network Setup
  32. Tools and Terms
  33. Novell and Printing
  34. Inetd Services
  35. Xinetd Services
  36. Other Network Services
  37. FTP and Telnet
  38. Samba
  39. Identd (auth)
  40. X Configuration
  41. X Use
  42. Using X Remotely
  43. X Documentation
  44. DNS
  45. DHCP and BOOTP
  46. Apache
  47. NFS
  48. PPP
  49. Mail
  50. Routing
  51. IP Masquerading
  52. Proxy Servers and ipchains
  53. UUCP
  54. News
  55. NIS
  56. Network Security
  57. Secure Shell
  58. Text Processing
  59. Shell Programming
  60. Emacs
  61. VI
  62. Recommended Reading
  63. Credits

Linux Network Tools and Terms

Linux Networking Tools

arpAddress resolution protocol Type "arp -a" to display entries in the arp cache.
ifconfigA command line tool used to configure a network interface. There is a man page available for this program.
ifdownShuts down a network interface
ifupStarts a network interface such as eth0 or ppp0
ipchainsA tool used to administer firewall rules.
netconfThe Redhat GUI network configuration tool.
netconfigAnother network configuration tool which is usually run when the system is installed. Netconf is better.
netstatType "netstat -rn" to see the routing table. Type "netstat-in" to see the interface info.
nslookupUsed to test DNS configuration by querying DNS servers.
pingA network tool used to sent ICMP test packets to other hosts to determine if they can respond or are reachable.
ripqueryA tool to query some routers for their routing table.
routeTyping "route -n" will show the routing table
tcpdumpA network sniffer tool used to dump headers of packets on a network interface.
traceroute Sends data to a remote host to a port that doesn't exist with a TTL field at 1,2,etc to get the intermediate hosts to send back their addresses reporting errors. The destination will report an unreachable port error sending its address.

Networking terms
  • ARP - Address resolution protocol. Used to translate hardware addresses (ethernet ports) and IP addresses and vice versa. Uses broadcast messages for resolution.
  • BOOTP - A protocol used to allow client computers to get their IP address from a BOOTP server. DHCP supercedes, though does not replace this protocol.
  • DHCP - Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol, allows clients to get their IP addresses from a DHCP server. This system "leases" IP addresses to clients for limited periods of time. If the client has not used their IP address within the lease time, the IP address is free fro re-assignment.
  • ICMP - Internet Control Message Protocol. Part of the IP layer. Communicates error messages and other messages that require attention.
  • IGMP - Internet Group Management Protocol. Protocol used to manage multicasting through routers.
  • IP - Three kinds of IP addresses are unicast, broadcast and multicast.
  • MBONE - Used to refer to a network that supports multicasting.
  • NIS - Network information service, is a name service created by Sun Microsystems.
  • NFS - Network file sharing, allows two Unix style computers to mount and access part or all of a file system on a remote computer.
  • OSPF - Open Shortest Path First dynamic routing protocol intended as a replacement for RIP.
  • PPP - Point to point protocol is a serial protocol commonly used to connect using a modem to the internet
  • RARP - Reverse ARP, used for clients to determine their IP addresses.
  • RIP - Routing Information Protocol, used by almost all TCP/IP implementation to perform dynamic routing.
  • RPC - Remote procedure call is a set of function calls used by a client program to call functions in a remote server program.
  • SLIP - Serial line internet protocol
  • SMTP - Simple mail transport protocol, commonly uset as the mail message transport protocol.
  • SNMP - Simple network management protocol.
  • UDP - User Datagram Protocol, a transport layer protocol
  • UUCP - Unix to Unix copy is a protocol that allows Unix computers to exchange files.