Linux From Scratch: Version 5.1-pre1
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# Installing Net-tools-1.60

The Net-tools package contains programs for basic networking.

    Approximate build time:  0.1 SBU
    Required disk space:     9.4 MB

Official download location for Net-tools (1.60):
http://www.tazenda.demon.co.uk/phil/net-tools/
And for the Net-tools Mii-Tool-Gcc33 Patch:
http://www.linuxfromscratch.org/patches/lfs/cvs/net-tools-1.60-miitool-gcc33-1.patch

For its installation Net-tools depends on: Bash, Binutils, Coreutils, GCC, Glibc, Make.

##

## Installation of Net-tools

If you don't know what to answer to all the questions asked during the make config phase below, then just accept the defaults. This will be just fine in the majority of cases. What you're asked here is a bunch of questions about which network protocols you've enabled in your kernel. The default answers will enable the tools from this package to work with the most common protocols: TCP, PPP, and several others. You still need to actually enable these protocols in the kernel -- what you do here is merely telling the package to include support for those protocols in its programs, but it's up to the kernel to make the protocols available.

First fix a small syntax problem in the sources of the mii-tool program:

    patch -Np1 -i ../net-tools-1.60-miitool-gcc33-1.patch

Now prepare Net-tools for compilation with:

    make config

If you intend to accept the default settings, you may skip the questions generated by make config by running `yes "" | make config` instead.

Compile the package:

    make

And install it:

    make update

##

## Contents of Net-tools

Installed programs: arp, dnsdomainname (link to hostname), domainname (link to hostname), hostname, ifconfig, nameif, netstat, nisdomainname (link to hostname), plipconfig, rarp, route, slattach and ypdomainname (link to hostname)

## Short descriptions

arp is used to manipulate the kernel's ARP cache, usually to add or delete an entry, or to dump the entire cache.

dnsdomainname reports the system's DNS domain name.

domainname reports or sets the system's NIS/YP domain name.

hostname reports or sets the name of the current host system.

ifconfig is the main utility for configuring network interfaces.

nameif names network interfaces based on MAC addresses.

netstat is used to report network connections, routing tables, and interface statistics..

nisdomainname does the same as domainname.

plipconfig is used to fine tune the PLIP device parameters, to improve its performance.

rarp is used to manipulate the kernel's RARP table.

route is used to manipulate the IP routing table.

slattach attaches a network interface to a serial line. This allows you to use normal terminal lines for point-to-point links to other computers.

ypdomainname does the same as domainname.

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