Re: quick re-config for laptop needed

["Bill Rugolsky Jr." <rugolsky ead dsa com>]

On Fri, Oct 13, 2000 at 01:51:11PM +0000, dsavage@peaknet.net wrote:
> I use my laptop both at home and at work. I must use static IP addressing at
> each location, so DHCP is not a player. Is there an easy way to change
> configurations without going thru the hosts, resolv.conf, route, and linuxconf
> hassle?

You can create profiles with linuxconf, and then install that profile
when booting.


A feature of the kernel that is not well known is that
if you specify unrecognized kernel commandline options of the form x=y, they
are passed to init as environment variables.  This can be used early in
your startup scripts to configure the laptop.  By using the features of
a boot loader like LILO, you can just specify "home" or "work" at the boot
prompt and have everything done automatically.

>From the BootPrompt-HOWTO:


  2.5.  Setting Environment Variables.

  Anything of the form `foo=bar' that is not accepted as a setup
  function as described above is then interpreted as an environment
  variable to be set. An example would be to use TERM=vt100 or
  BOOT_IMAGE=vmlinuz.bak as a boot argument.  These environment
  variables are typically tested for in the initialization scripts to
  enable or disable a wide range of things.

Another way to find out where you are without DHCP is to use arping
(http://synscan.nss.nu/programs.php) to figure out which network, if any,
you are attached to.

Regards,

   Bill Rugolsky
   rugolsky@ead.dsa.com