Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Administration Unleashed

Network Configuration 652FIGURE 2.10Default Graphical DesktopNetwork ConfigurationIf an Ethernet card was present during installation, the installation program allowed youto configure the device. This section explains how to modify the configuration afterinstallation. Even if you don’t need to modify the network settings, you can use the informationin this section to verify the settings are correct.NOTEBecause some servers do not have graphical desktops installed, this sectiondiscusses network configuration from the command line by modifying configurationfiles. If you have a graphical desktop and want to use a graphical application, go to theSystem menu on the top panel and select Administration, Network.Network Configuration FilesThe following configuration files exist for network configuration:. /etc/modprobe.conf file: Assigns a kernel module to each network device.. /etc/sysconfig/network file: Sets the hostname and whether the networking isenabled. IPv6 is enabled or disabled in this file.. /etc/hosts files: Lists hosts and their IP addresses for hostnames that can’t beresolved by the DNS servers such as systems on the local network.