1 Introduction.

Contents of this section

This is the Linux NET-2-HOWTO. This document is a complete rewrite of the earlier NET-FAQ, and of the subsequent NET-2-HOWTO versions 1.0+, for the new NET-2 and NET-3 tcp/ip networking code for Linux kernels 1.0 and above.

1.1 Changes from the previous release.

Additions:
        References to WaveLAN and EQL options.
        reference to Streams project.

Corrections/Updates:
        General modernisation.
        Corrected reference to SPX being available.
        Updated PLIP section finally, thanks Niibe.
        Added additional Token Ring information.
        Added additional ISDN information.

1.2 A brief development history of Linux Networking.

Ross Biro <biro@yggdrasil.com> wrote the original kernel based networking code for Linux. He used ethernet drivers written by Donald Becker <becker@cesdis1.gsfc.nasa.gov>, a slip driver written by Laurence Culhane <loz@holmes.demon.co.uk>, and a D-Link driver by Bj0rn Ekwall <bj0rn@blox.se>.

The further development of the Linux networking code was later taken up by Fred van Kempen <waltje@hacktic.nl>, who took Ross's code and produced the NET-2 release of network code. NET-2 went through a number of revisions until release NET-2d, when Alan Cox <iialan@iifeak.swan.ac.uk> took Fred's NET-2d code and set about debugging the code with the aim of producing a stable and working release of code for incorporation into the standard kernel releases. This code was called NET-2D(ebugged), and has been incorporated into the standard kernel releases since some time before Linux vers 1.0 was released.

PPP support was added by Michael Callahan, <callahan@maths.ox.ac.uk> and Al Longyear, <longyear@netcom.com>, originally as patches to the kernel, and in later releases as part of the standard kernel distribution.

With the release of Linux vers 1.0, Linus made a decision to continue supporting Alan's code as the standard network kernel code.

The latest revision of the code, NET-3, appears in kernel releases 1.1.5 and later, and is essentially the same code, but with many fixes, corrections and enhancements.

Alan has added such features as IPX and AX.25 modules. Florian La Roche, <flla@stud.uni-sb.de> has produced an updated distribution of network applications.

NIIBE Yutaka has enhanced the PLIP driver.

Jonathan Naylor has taken up development work on the AX.25 code and has added many features.

Many other people have made contributions by way of bug fixes, ports of applications and by writing device drivers.

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