Hack 17 Connect to the Internet

Knoppix comes with many different options to connect it to a network with dial-up, Ethernet, wireless, PPPoE, and other types of connections.

Before you can take advantage of the many Internet applications Knoppix has, you need to actually connect to the Internet. Knoppix comes with support for many different types of Internet and network connections, including dial-up, standard network connections you might find with DSL or Cable Internet services, ADSL/PPPOE connections, GPRS cell phone connections, ISDN, and wireless network connections. To configure these connection types, click K MenuKNOPPIXNetwork/Internet.

The most common type of Internet connection for broadband Internet users or computers inside a corporate network is through a standard network card. If this is the type of connection you use then you will find that when Knoppix boots, it automatically brings up the network and attempts to grab an IP address with DHCP.

If you do not automatically get an IP via DHCP, you must click K MenuKNOPPIXNetwork/InternetNetwork card configuration to launch a program that will ask you questions about your network connection. This configuration program will also let you enter a static IP address and other network information if your network does not use DHCP.

If your ISP assigned a username and password to use when you connect to your broadband Internet connection, then you must set up PPPoE before you can connect to the Internet. Click K MenuKNOPPIXNetwork/InternetADSL/PPPOE configuration. This application will attempt to detect PPPoE use on your network, and then enter your username and password to connect to the ISP. Once you finish the configuration application, you will be connected to the Internet.

If you have an 802.11b wireless card connected to your computer, Knoppix will attempt to automatically configure the wireless card and connect to the first wireless access point it sees when you boot. This will not work if you need to enter special settings, such as a WEP key, to connect to your wireless network. To get around this, click K MenuKNOPPIXNetwork/InternetWavelan configuration to launch a program that lets you enter some information about your wireless network. It is safe to stick to the defaults if you are unsure of what to enter into the fields you see.

For ISDN connections, run the included Red Hat ISDN configuration program with K MenuKNOPPIXNetwork/InternetISDN Connection. With this program, you can configure the settings for your ISDN hardware for your provider, and then connect to the network.

To successfully use a modem under Knoppix, it must either be an internal or external hardware modem (a modem that performs all its logic on the hardware itself), a PCMCIA modem, or a cell phone or PDA with Internet connectivity. As software modems (commonly called WinModems) are generally incompatible with each other and require special drivers to be written to work correctly under Linux, you probably will not be able to easily connect to the Internet using a software modem under Linux.

To configure your modem under Knoppix, you must tell Knoppix which device to point /dev/modem to. Click K MenuKNOPPIXNetwork/Internet/dev/modem connection setup to launch a configuration application, which asks you a series of questions about how your modem is connected to the computer. Next, click K MenuKNOPPIXNetwork/InternetModem Dialer to enter the phone number, username, and password for your dialup connection and connect.

If you are connecting with a GPRS connection on your cell phone, you must click K MenuKNOPPIXNetwork/InternetGPRS Connection to configure the connection. This program asks you to choose the type of GPRS connection you are using, and then attempts to make a connection.

As you can see, Knoppix puts many different options at your disposal for connecting to the Internet. Now that you are connected, the next hack explains how to view web sites, access your email, and chat with friends through Knoppix applications.