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370.

If your network supports \acronym{DHCP}, you may already be set up for online access. To check this, click on the NetworkManager icon. There should be a ``Wired Network'' heading in the menu that is displayed. If ``Auto eth$0$'' appears directly underneath, then your computer is currently connected and probably already set up correctly for \acronym{DHCP}. If ``disconnected'' appears in gray underneath the wired network section, look below to see if an option labeled ``Auto eth$0$'' appears in the list. If so, click on it to attempt to establish a wired connection.

373.

\marginnote{An Internet Protocol (\acronym{IP}) address is a numerical label assigned to devices on a computer network. It is the equivalent of phone numbers for your house and allows your computer to be uniquely identified so you can access the Internet and share files with others.} You should see a window showing details about your connection. If your \acronym{IP} address is displayed as 0.0.0.0 or starts with 169.254, then your computer was not successfully provided with an address through \acronym{DHCP}. If it shows another address, it is most likely that your connection was automatically configured correctly. To test out your Internet connection, you may want to open the \application{Firefox} web browser to try loading a web page. More information on using Firefox can be found later in this chapter.

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\marginnote{To access the \window{Connection Information} window, you will need to make sure that networking is enabled. Otherwise this option will be gray and you will not be able to select it through the right-click menu of the NetworkManager applet. To enable networking, right-click on the NetworkManager applet and select \button{Enable Networking} from the popup menu.} If you are still not online after following these steps, you may need to try setting up your Internet configuration manually, using a static \acronym{IP} address.

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An \textbf{\acronym{IP} address} is a unique address used for identifying your computer on the Internet. When connecting through \acronym{DHCP} this is likely to change at times. However, if your \acronym{ISP} has provided you with a static address then it will not. An \acronym{IP} address is always given in the form of four numbers separated by decimal points, for example, 192.168.0.2.

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The \textbf{network mask} tells your computer how large the network is that it belongs to. It takes the same form as an \acronym{IP} address, but is usually something like 255.255.255.0

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The \textbf{gateway} is the \acronym{IP} address at your \acronym{ISP}'s end. It helps your computer connect or ``talk'' with their network, which acts as a ``gateway'' between your computer and the Internet.

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\textbf{\acronym{DNS} servers} are one or more \acronym{IP} addresses of ``Domain Name System'' servers. These servers convert standard web addresses (like \url{http://www.ubuntu.com}) into \acronym{IP} addresses such as 91.189.94.156. This step allows your computer to ``find'' the correct web site when you type in the web address you wish to visit. A minimum of one \acronym{DNS} server is required, up to a maximum of three. The additional ones are used in case the first one fails.

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\marginnote{If you do not already have these settings, you will need to consult your network administrator or \acronym{ISP} customer support to receive them.} To manually configure a wired connection, right-click on the NetworkManager icon and select \menu{Edit Connections}. Make sure you are looking at the \button{Wired} tab inside the \window{Network Connections} window that is displayed.

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\advanced{A \acronym{MAC} address is a hardware address for your computer's network card, and entering it is sometimes important when using a cable modem connection or similar. If you know the \acronym{MAC} address of your network card, this can be entered in the appropriate text field in the \button{Wired} tab of the editing window.}

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\marginnote{To improve speed and reliability of your connection, try to move closer to your router or access point.} Ubuntu is usually able to detect any wireless networks that are available within range of your wireless card. To see a list of wireless networks, click on the NetworkManager icon. Under the ``Wireless Networks'' heading, you should see a list of available wireless networks. Each network will be shown with a name on the left, and a signal meter on the right. A signal meter looks like a series of bars \dash the more bars that are filled in, the stronger the connection will be.