Configuring a Linux Computer for Networking in the Bio-Medical Physical Sciences Building

Note:
When a linux system is brought into the department, it should have certain settings for proper workstation use within the building. These instructions are not intended for portable computers (although if you are using a laptop here, feel free to follow these steps, but you're on your own outside of the building), only for workstations which have been assigned static IP addresses and hostnames.

1. Make sure that we know you'll be adding a new system and that you'll need an IP address. Do this by following the directions at http://support.pa.msu.edu/NewUsers/new-ip.html. Once you've received your address information, continue to configure your network settings.

2. On Ubuntu linux, edit /etc/network/interfaces. You'll see a section which looks like this:

auto eth0
iface eth0 inet static
address 35.9.68.34
netmask 255.248.0.0
gateway 35.8.2.3

3. You should use these same settings, except for the address line, which should be set to whatever address you've been assigned.

4. On Fedora, edit /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth0. You will see information similar to the Ubuntu configuration, but in this case you'll need to change the line starting with IPADDR= to one ending in your actual address.

5. Reboot, making sure to note any errors messages about your networking configuration. Try to access a few websites outside of MSU, check your e-mail, and attempt to access any NFS/SMB resources you may have within the building. If you have any problems, contact the computing staff.