4.5. Activating and Managing Network Profiles

Mandriva Linux Control Center netprofiles application enables you to store different configuration sets for your machine, for example for different locations. This is especially useful for laptops that need different configurations for home, office, coffee shop, etc. The parameters that can be switched from one profile to another are:

Network Configuration

Activates different interfaces, with different configurations, for wireless-type connections, for example.

Services Configuration

Allows you to activate different services from one profile to another, for example a firewall at home and no firewall at the office (see Section 5.3, “Configuring Start-Up Services”).

4.5.1. Profile Handling

New profiles you want to create are based on the active one. All modifications are automatically recorded in the active profile.

Figure 4.13. The Network Profiles Interface

The Network Profiles Interface

Activate

Make the selected profile active.

New

Creates a new profile. Click on New. Enter name for new profile. A dialog pops up asking for the name of the new profile. This new profile is now activated. Configure needed information. You can choose a list of modules to configured for this new profile. Click on Avdanced. Check boxes to be used: Network connection settings, Firwall settings (using IPv6 or not), proxy settings and urpmi settings.

Delete

Deletes the currently selected profile without further prompts. Please note that a warning is shown if you try to delete the active profile, because it cannot be removed while it is in use.

The Default Profile.  This is the profile that is used at boot time. It cannot be deleted.

Example: Create a New Profile for Your Dial-Up Home Connection.  You come back home with your brand new laptop, which your system administrator configured so you can connect to your corporate network. You now want to configure the network to access the Internet from home with a dial-up connection.

  1. Create a new profile called “Home”.

  2. Reconfigure your network so that the modem, instead of the network card, is used to access the Internet (see Section 4.1, “Network and Internet Connection Management”).

  3. Connect to the Internet.

  4. When back at the office, switch back to the “default” profile.