Internet Protocol (IP) networking is now among the most common networking technologies in use today. The IP stack under linux is mature, robust and reliable. This chapter covers the basics of configuring a linux machine or multiple linux machines to join an IP network.

This chapter covers a quick overview of the locations of the networking control files on different distributions of linux. The remainder of the chapter is devoted to outlining the basics of IP networking with linux.

These basics are written in a more tutorial style than the remainder of the first part of the book. Reading and understanding IP addressing and routing information is a key skill to master when beginning with linux. Naturally, the next step is to alter the IP configuration of a machine. This chapter will introduce these two key skills in a tutorial style. Subsequent chapters will engage specific subtopics of linux networking in a more thorough and less tutorial manner.