Setting up an NTL Cable Modem on Linux using an Ethernet Card

Setting up your cable modem using an Ethernet card is  exactly like setting up your computer to join a network that uses DHCP. Don't worry if that sounds a bit
confusing as in Linux networks that use DHCP are by far the easiest to setup.
 
I'm writing this guide mainly aimed at Red Hat  Linux/Fedora Core but many of the processes described here may well be the same for other Linux distributions.
 
In this guide I'm going to show you 3 different ways of setting up your cable modem. The first will be via a program called neat this runs in a GUI such as KDE or Gnome. Secondly I'll show you how to setup the cable modem using a program called netconfig this can be run either in a terminal window or at the command line and is useful if you aren't running a GUI. Finally I'll show you how to setup your cable modem manually by creating all the necessary configuration files that Linux needs to setup a network card.
 
Before starting plug your cable modem into your Ethernet card and switch it on.
 
 1.  Setting up an ntl cable modem using neat
 
When you installed Linux if you also installed KDE or Gnome the chances are a little program called neat was also installed.  neat is a graphical program that allows you to specify all the information needed to setup your network card.  To start neat either use the command neat in a terminal window or choose the option network which is located under system settings in the Red Hat menu.
 
neat will open on the Devices tab.  If you're lucky there will already be an entry highlighted in the Devices list usually this will be called eth0 you may also have eth1 if you have more than one Ethernet card.  If eth0 exists in the list skip to the next paragraph.  If your list is empty click the New option, then highlight Ethernet
connection and click forward.  If you are presented with just one option "Other Ethernet Card" this means either your network card is not installed correctly, not working or the device drivers aren't installed.  In this situation usually it is the latter, the only option here is to use an alternative internet connection and search the internet for some compatible drivers then once they're installed your card will appear in the list. Once you have an option other than "Other Ethernet Card" highlight it and click forward.  You'll now be asked to configure your network settings, you should leave this screen as defaults i.e. leave the dot next to "Automatically obtain an IP address with DHCP" leave the hostname box empty and click forward.  You'll will then be presented with the confirmation screen hit apply to go back to the main neat window.
 
Make sure that the box Profile is ticked then click Edit. Tick the box for "Activate device when computer starts" and click ok.  Next click on the DNS tab and add the
primary DNS server as 194.168.4.100 and the secondary DNS as 194.168.8.100.  Finally go back to the Devices tab and click Activate. Redhat will warn you that you have made changes and to activate the card the changes will need to be saved, click yes.  Redhat will then start the network and the status of the card should change to Active at this point close the window.
 
The network card is now setup.  It is a good idea to check that you have an IP address go to a terminal window and type ifconfig (you may need to type /sbin/ifconfig depending on how $PATH is setup) you should see an output
similar to below:
 
[root@localhost andrew]# ifconfig
eth0      Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr 00:30:BD:95:25:40
             inet addr:82.6.128.21  Bcast:82.6.128.255
             Mask:255.255.255.0
             UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1
             RX packets:317 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0  frame:0
             TX packets:373 errors:2 dropped:0 overruns:0  carrier:0 collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000 
             RX bytes:269123 (262.8 Kb)  TX bytes:45007 (43.9  Kb)
 
 lo        Link encap:Local Loopback inet addr:127.0.0.1  Mask:255.0.0.0
            UP LOOPBACK RUNNING  MTU:16436  Metric:1
            RX packets:109 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
            TX packets:109 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0 collisions:0 txqueuelen:0
            RX bytes:7244 (7.0 Kb)  TX bytes:7244 (7.0 Kb)
 
The inet addr under the eth0 heading is the IP address. If you don't have an IP address check the settings again, ensure your modem is plugged in and switched on or try restarting the network by typing /sbin/service network restart in a terminal window.  If you have an IP address that's it!  If you've already registered your cable modem with ntl you can open a web browser and you should be able
to browse the internet as normal. If you haven't yet registered open a web browser and go to https://autoreg.autoregister.net/start.html to register, until you register you will not be able to visit any other websites.
 
 
2.  Setting up an ntl cable modem using netconfig
 
If your not running a GUI such as KDE or Gnome, or neat doesn't seem to be installed you can setup your network card using netconfig.  netconfig is a program that can be run on the command line or in a terminal window.
To start netconfig type netconfig and hit enter.
 
You will be asked if you wish to setup networking, choose yes.  Use the spacebar to select the option "Use dynamic IP configuration (BOOTP/DHCP)" then tab down to Ok and hit enter.  netconfig should then exit.  The basic networking
files have then been setup you now need to setup your DNS information.
 
As root type vi /etc/resolv.conf and hit enter. You maybe presented with a blank page or there maybe some lines entered.  Press the Insert key on your keyboard then delete anything that is entered then enter the following 3 lines:

search ntlworld.com
nameserver 194.168.4.100
nameserver 194.168.8.100

Now press the Esc key on your keyboard then type :wq! and hit enter. DNS is now setup, your almost ready to go but before you try to use your cable modem you need to restart the network service and check you have an IP address, to
do this as root type /sbin/service network restart and hit enter. To check that you have an IP address type ifconfig (you may need to type /sbin/ifconfig depending on how $PATH is setup) you should see an output similer to below:

[root@localhost andrew]# ifconfig
eth0      Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr 00:30:BD:95:25:40 inet addr:82.6.128.21  Bcast:82.6.128.255
              Mask:255.255.255.0
              UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1
              RX packets:317 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
             TX packets:373 errors:2 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0 collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
             RX bytes:269123 (262.8 Kb)  TX bytes:45007 (43.9Kb)
 
lo        Link encap:Local Loopback inet addr:127.0.0.1  Mask:255.0.0.0 
           UP LOOPBACK RUNNING  MTU:16436  Metric:1
           RX packets:109 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
           TX packets:109 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0 collisions:0 txqueuelen:0
           RX bytes:7244 (7.0 Kb)  TX bytes:7244 (7.0 Kb)

The inet addr under the eth0 heading is the IP address. If you don't have an IP address check the settings again, ensure your modem is plugged in and switched on or try restarting the network by typing /sbin/service network restart in a terminal window, if it still isn't working the drivers for the network card are probably not installed use a different internet connection and look for
some compatible drivers on the internet.  If you have an IP address that's it!  If you've already registered your cable modem with ntl your ready to go.  If you haven't yet registered you will need to need to enter a GUI such as
KDE or Gnome then open a web browser and go to https://autoreg.autoregister.net/start.html,
until you register you will not be able to visit any other websites.
 
3.  Setting up an ntl cable modem manually
 
So what happens if neat and netconfig aren't installed? Even though this scenario is very unlikely I've included this section to enable you to setup your network card the way it was done before these two useful programs where created - by creating all the configuration files manually. Even though this is more difficult than using neat or netconfig it is still relatively easy.

First off in a terminal window as root type vi /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth0 and hit enter. This will open the file ifcfg-eth0 in vi, the file will
probably be blank. Press the Insert key on your keyboard and add the following 3 lines

DEVICE=eth0
ONBOOT=yes
BOOTPROTO=dhcp

Press the Esc key on your keyboard then type :wq! and hit enter.

Next we need to setup the DNS configuration type vi /etc/resolv.conf and hit enter. You maybe presented with a blank page or there maybe some lines entered, press the insert key on your keyboard then delete anything that is
entered then add the following 3 lines:

search ntlworld.com
nameserver 194.168.4.100
nameserver 194.168.8.100


Now press Esc on your keyboard then type :wq! and hit enter. The network card is now setup to use your cable modem, but before you try to use it you need to restart the network service and check you have an IP address, to do this as root type /sbin/service network restart and hit enter. To check that you have an IP address type ifconfig (you may need to type /sbin/ifconfig depending on how
$PATH is setup) you should see an output similer to below:

[root@localhost andrew]# ifconfig
eth0      Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr 00:30:BD:95:25:40 inet addr:82.6.128.21  Bcast:82.6.128.255 Mask:255.255.255.0
             UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST  MTU:1500 Metric:1
             RX packets:317 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0 
             TX packets:373 errors:2 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0 collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
             RX bytes:269123 (262.8 Kb)  TX bytes:45007 (43.9Kb)
 
lo        Link encap:Local Loopback
          inet addr:127.0.0.1  Mask:255.0.0.0
          UP LOOPBACK RUNNING  MTU:16436  Metric:1
          RX packets:109 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:109 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0 collisions:0 txqueuelen:0
          RX bytes:7244 (7.0 Kb)  TX bytes:7244 (7.0 Kb)

The inet addr under the eth0 heading is the IP address. If you don't have an IP address check the settings again, ensure your modem is plugged in and switched on or try restarting the network by typing /sbin/service network restart in a terminal window, if it still isn't working the drivers for the network card are probably not installed use a different internet connection and look for
some compatible drivers on the internet. If you have an IP address that's it!  If you've already registered your cable modem with ntl your ready to go.  If you haven't yet registered you will need to need to register by opening a
web browser and going to https://autoreg.autoregister.net/start.html,
until you register you will not be able to visit any other websites.

A few terms used in this guide:
DHCP - Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol - This is used
to automatically assign you networking information such as your IP address.

GUI - Graphical User Interface - An interface on your computer that allows you to "point and click" in Windows the interface is called Explorer, Linux has many different user interfaces KDE, Gnome, Enlightenment and Twm are a
few.

DNS - Domain Name System - This is used to translate addresses such as www.ntlworld.com into IP addresses such as 62.253.162.30

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