Chapter 15: Setting Up a Local Area Network

Overview

In This Chapter

• Understanding local area networks

• Setting up a wired Ethernet LAN

• Setting up a wireless LAN

• Troubleshooting your LAN

In the home or in a small business, Fedora and RHEL can help you connect to other Linux, Windows, and Macintosh computers so that you can share your computing equipment (files, printers, and devices). Add a connection to the Internet and routing among multiple LANs (described in Chapter 16), and Fedora or RHEL can serve as a focal point for network computing in a larger enterprise.

This chapter helps you set up your own local area network (LAN). The procedures described here provide a foundation for sharing the computing resources in your home or organization. In particular, the chapter describes how to use Ethernet cards, wiring, and protocols to connect computers. It then tells you specifically how to configure your Fedora or RHEL computer so that it can communicate with other computers.