Chapter 3: Connecting to the Internet
Overview
One of the first things most of us want to do after installing an operating system is to take it for a ride on the
Internet. Connecting to a network in general and to the Internet in particular has come a long way from the
days of manually setting up network cards and hacking modem dialup scripts. Red Hat Linux 9 offers a vastly
improved configuration interface while retaining the flexibility of allowing the users to roll up their sleeves
and dive into the configuration files should the need arise (rarely if ever). In this chapter we shall be looking
at the following aspects of connecting to the Internet:
Connecting to the Internet through an ISP •
Dealing with network devices, connections, and profiles •
Configuring and using the various software we need to access the Internet •
Considering the safety of our machine while connected to the Internet •
Contending with common problems related to connecting to the Internet •
Connecting to the Internet
Regardless of whether we plan to connect to the Internet using an analog modem, an xDSL 'broadband'
connection, Ethernet card, or any of a variety of other methods, we need to configure our system before that
connection can take place. Enter the Internet Configuration Wizard (Main Menu | System Tools | Internet
Configuration Wizard):