README for netbase
==================

 * ifup(8), ifdown(8), and interfaces(5)

Debian has traditionally used a free-form /bin/sh script called
/etc/init.d/network to configure networking (usually run from
/etc/rcS.d/S40netwok). This was created at a first install, and then
left to the admin to update as necessary.

From potato (Debian release 2.2) onwards, this is augmented by the ifup
and ifdown commands, and the configuration file /etc/network/interfaces,
which allow common networking configurations to be setup in a somewhat
simpler method, and to be forward compatible as the programs used to
configure networking get updated.

ifup -a is called from /etc/init.d/networking as part of the bootup
process.

 * /etc/network/options

This file allows you to configure some basic networking options easily.
They will be setup when /etc/init.d/networking is run as part of the
bootup process.

 * The new ip(8) command

Linux version 2.2 and above (when compiled with CONFIG_NETLINK) allow the
use of the new ip(8) suite of commands for configuring network interfaces.
These are not included in the netbase package, but instead are in the
iproute package.