configure NICs

Please describe a hypothetical RHEL Server that will have two new network interfaces installed:

1. A wired network card capable of gibabit connections.
2. A modern wireless network card.

Assume that both cards are in a RHEL server at IBM. Assume that Nick is a RHEL engineer at IBM, and he has been tasked with installing and configuring that NICs. Assume that the wired card will connect to a Linksys router at 192.168.15.1. Assume that Nick will have to give the wired NIC a static ip address of 192.168.15.2. Assume that the wireless NIC will connect to the SSID "IBM_wireless_network1" with a password "1980298quickconn#!", and assume that the wireless NIC should be set with a static ip address of 192.168.15.3. Please list and describe all of the steps that Nick will have to perform.

To install and configure the two new network interfaces (wired and wireless) in the hypothetical RHEL Server at IBM, Nick, the RHEL engineer, will need to follow these steps:

1. Physical Installation:

   • Open the server's case and insert the wired network card into an available PCI slot on the motherboard.
   • Insert the wireless network card into another available PCI slot.
   • Close the server's case and ensure that the network cards are securely connected.

2. Network Card Recognition:

   • Boot up the RHEL server and wait for it to complete the startup process.
   • Verify that the server recognizes the new network interfaces by running the following command:
   • $ lspci | grep Ethernet
     $ lspci | grep Network
   • This command will list the detected network cards, confirming their presence.
3. Network Configuration:
   • Identify the network device names assigned to the wired and wireless network cards. These names are typically in the form of ethX and wlanX, respectively. Use the following command to list the network devices:
   • $ ip link show
   • Create appropriate configuration files for the network interfaces:
     • For the wired network card (assuming it is assigned eth0):
     • $ sudo vi /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth0
   • Add the following content to the file:
     • TYPE=Ethernet
       BOOTPROTO=none
       NAME=eth0
       DEVICE=eth0
       ONBOOT=yes
       IPADDR=192.168.15.2
       NETMASK=255.255.255.0
       GATEWAY=192.168.15.1
   • For the wireless network card (assuming it is assigned wlan0):
   • $ sudo vi /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-wlan0
   • Add the following content to the file:
     • TYPE=Wireless
       BOOTPROTO=none
       NAME=wlan0
       DEVICE=wlan0
       ONBOOT=yes
       IPADDR=192.168.15.3
       NETMASK=255.255.255.0
       WIRELESS_MODE=Managed
       WIRELESS_ESSID=IBM_wireless_network1
       WIRELESS_KEY=1980298quickconn#!
4. Network Service Restart:
   • Restart the network service to apply the new configuration by running the following command:
   • $ sudo systemctl restart network
5. Verification:
   • Check the network interfaces to ensure they have been properly configured by running the following command:
   • $ ip addr show
     
   • This will display the assigned IP addresses and other network information for each interface.

Now, the RHEL server should have the wired network card (eth0) configured with a static IP address of 192.168.15.2 and the wireless network card (wlan0) connected to the "IBM_wireless_network1" network with a static IP address of 192.168.15.3.

Please note that the actual commands and file paths may vary based on the specific RHEL version and configuration. It's always recommended to consult the official RHEL documentation or the relevant IBM resources for detailed and up-to-date instructions specific to the server's environment.