[Techtalk] I just installed debian etch 4.0

[Akkana Peck]

Mr. Hardy writes:
> simple step by step directions would be very helpful.
> 
> things I think I need to know: what is my host name? is it the
> name I gave my laptop during installation of my windows XP , which
> is where my Unix box is now located?
> 
> what is my domain name? is this the name I gave to my home network
> (in windows called group name)?

You don't actually need either of those to ssh into your Linux
machine from another machine. What you need is its IP address on
the local network.

Unfortunately, this may be different every time you boot. Ubuntu's
installer sets up the network to use a protocol called DHCP (Dynamic
Host Configuration Protocol), which means that when the machine
boots, it puts out a request on the network saying "Please, I'm a
machine that's just booting and I need someone to give me an
address." The server that answers that request might be your router
or cable modem or something (if you're at home) or might be a
dedicated server somewhere (if you're on a corporate network
somewhere).

On the Linux machine, you can probably find the current IP address with:

ifconfig eth0

then look for the line that says "inet addr" and take the four
number string (like 192.168.1.44 or something similar) right after
it: that's your IP address.

Then you can use that in place of a hostname:
telnet 192.168.1.44
ssh 192.168.1.44

Or if you're using an ssh program like putty, just put in the IP
address where it asks for a hostname.

You may be able to set up your linux machine with a permanent
address and a hostname that the other machine will see, but that
requires knowing something about your network and will probably
require some action from your network administrator.

	...Akkana