How To: Manual Network Configuration without the need for Network Manager

[d_thrasher]

devo@devo-desktop:~$ ifconfig
ath1 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:18:E7:2E:60:50
inet6 addr: fe80::218:e7ff:fe2e:6050/64 Scope:Link
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:0
RX bytes:0 (0.0 b) TX bytes:0 (0.0 b)

eth0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:14:85:14:9F:FC
inet addr:192.168.1.44 Bcast:255.255.255.255 Mask:255.255.255.0
inet6 addr: fe80::214:85ff:fe14:9ffc/64 Scope:Link
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:22085 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:21338 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
RX bytes:14910385 (14.2 MB) TX bytes:3101423 (2.9 MB)
Interrupt:20 Base address:0xc800

lo Link encap:Local Loopback
inet addr:127.0.0.1 Mask:255.0.0.0
inet6 addr: ::1/128 Scope:Host
UP LOOPBACK RUNNING MTU:16436 Metric:1
RX packets:66 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:66 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:0
RX bytes:5176 (5.0 KB) TX bytes:5176 (5.0 KB)

wifi0 Link encap:UNSPEC HWaddr 00-18-E7-2E-60-50-00-00-00-00-00-00-00-00-00-00
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:65942 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:62139
TX packets:3557 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:199
RX bytes:5605636 (5.3 MB) TX bytes:180947 (176.7 KB)
Interrupt:21

[kevdog]

Did you bring the wired interface down prior to trying to bring up the wireless interface?

sudo ifconfig eth0 down
sudo ifconfig ath1 up

[d_thrasher]

yep

[Griff]

This is a great guide. Very nice work. I'll definitely be using this later to figure out a few issues of my own.

[Griff]

Kevdog. Thank you. This was so much easier than trying to find the right gui that worked. The last time I installed a *buntu on my laptop I struggled for a couple days trying to figure out why I couldn't connect to wireless networks and it ended up being a gui problem. Nice guide.=D>

[kevdog]

If you can do it from the command line, you dont ever have to worry what happens if suddenly network manager acts up (which it does), or if you take your laptop elsewhere and it cant connect through the GUI -- but it did at home. Again, the command line gives you the basic knowledge to get a connection when other methods are failing -- its a very reliable if not the ultimate fallback!!

[Griff]

I have no issues with establishing/maintaining connection on unprotected networks (like at school), but WEP just isn't working. The last step yields the following message, "No DHCPOFFERS received. No working leases in persistent database - sleeping."

Now I know the network is up because I can scan for it and see it with the pre installed gui. Any idea what's going on?

Thanks,
Griff

[kevdog]

64 or 128 bit wep?? Are you using hexidecimal or ascii? If hexidecimal did you set the key index correctly?? (man iwconfig gives examples how to do this)

[Griff]

It's 128 hex and I believe I did it correctly. I'll double check.

[Griff]

If hexidecimal did you set the key index correctly??

I'm not sure what you mean by index, but according to the man page all I should need to do is:

 sudo iwconfig eth0 key 11111111111111111111111111

right?

edit: I saw the entry about index but from what it says I don't think it applies to me