55 lines
2.9 KiB
Plaintext
55 lines
2.9 KiB
Plaintext
You can do network installations over 3 types of communications links:
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Serial port: SLIP / PPP
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Parallel port: PLIP (laplink cable)
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Ethernet: A standard ethernet controller (includes some PCMCIA).
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SLIP support is rather primitive and limited primarily to hard-wired
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links, such as a serial cable running between a laptop computer and
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another PC. The link must be hard-wired as the SLIP installation
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doesn't currently offer a dialing capability; that facility is provided
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with the PPP utility, which should be used in preference to SLIP
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whenever possible. When you choose a serial port device, you'll
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be given the option later to edit the slattach command before it's
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run on the serial line. It is expected that you'll run slattach
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(or some equivalent) on the other end of the link at this time and
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bring up the line. FreeBSD will then install itself over the link
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at speeds of up to 115.2K/baud (the recommended speed for a hardwired
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cable).
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If you're using a modem then PPP is almost certainly your only
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choice. Make sure that you have your service provider's information
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handy as you'll need to know it fairly early in the installation
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process. You will need to know, at the minimum, your service
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provider's IP address and possibly your own (though you can also leave
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it blank and allow PPP to negotiate it with your ISP). You will also
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need to know how to use the various "AT commands" to dial the ISP with
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your particular brand of modem as the PPP dialer provides only a very
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simple terminal emulator and has no "modem capabilities database".
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If a hard-wired connection to another FreeBSD (2.0R or later) machine
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is available, you might also consider installing over a "laplink"
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parallel port cable. The data rate over the parallel port is much
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higher than is what's typically possible over a serial line, with
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speeds of up to 50k/sec. not at all uncommon.
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Finally, for the fastest possible installation, an ethernet adaptor is
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always a good choice! FreeBSD supports most common PC ethernet cards,
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a table of required settings for which is provided in the FreeBSD
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Hardware Guide - see the Documentation menu on the boot floppy.
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If you are using one of the supported PCMCIA ethernet cards, also
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be sure that it's plugged in _before_ the laptop is powered on!
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FreeBSD does not, unfortunately, currently support "hot insertion"
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of PCMCIA cards.
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You will also need to know your IP address on the network, the the
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"netmask" value for your address class and the name of your machine.
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Your system administrator can tell you which values to use for your
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particular network setup. If you will be referring to other hosts by
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name rather than IP address, you'll also need a name server and
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possibly the address of a gateway (if you're using PPP, it's your
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provider's IP address) to use in talking to it. If you do not know
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the answers to all or or most of these questions, then you should
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really probably talk to your system administrator _first_ before
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trying this type of installation!
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