Dude, you've struggled enough! LOL
Try FC2 or Mandy. Chances are they'll work right off the bat and then you can get
on with enjoying Linux, rather than fighting with it!

Try out this code.I don't know how far it'll be successful,depending on the current state of you system.This will work even if there is no ddns support:

# $Id: dhcpd.conf,v 1.4 2002/05/05 21:28:06 peloy Exp $
#

ddns-update-style none;

# option definitions common to all supported networks...
option domain-name "murifeldweg21.ch";
option domain-name-servers 62.2.17.60, 62.2.24.162, 62.2.17.61, 62.2.24.158;

default-lease-time 600;
max-lease-time 7200;

# If this DHCP server is the official DHCP server for the local
# network, the authoritative directive should be uncommented.
authoritative;

# Use this to send dhcp log messages to a different log file (you also
# have to hack syslog.conf to complete the redirection).
log-facility local7;

# No service will be given on this subnet, but declaring it helps the
# DHCP server to understand the network topology.

#subnet 10.152.187.0 netmask 255.255.255.0 {
#}

# This is a very basic subnet declaration.

#subnet 10.254.239.0 netmask 255.255.255.224 {
# range 10.254.239.10 10.254.239.20;
# option routers rtr-239-0-1.example.org, rtr-239-0-2.example.org;
#}

subnet 192.168.0.0 netmask 255.255.255.0 {
range 192.168.0.14 192.168.0.253;
option routers 192.168.0.1;
}

host debian-installer {
hardware ethernet 00:30:65:F9:48:44;
filename "/tftpboot/yaboot";
server-name "charon";
server-identifier 192.168.0.10;
next-server 192.168.0.10;
fixed-address 192.168.0.13;

option mac-version 0:0:0:0;
#This specifies the protocol version? and is always set to four nuls.

option mac-user-name "netboot";
#this specifies the user name which clients will use to log on to the server

option mac-password "abcdefg";
#this specifies the password which clients will use to log on to the server

option mac-nb-img d4:f0:10:7:2:24:2:6E:62:0:0:0:0:2:6:73:68:0:68:64:31;
#this specifies the path to the shared HD image. See section below on AFP paths.

option mac-apps-img d4:f0:10:7:2:24:2:6E:62:0:0:0:0:2:6:73:68:0:68:64:30;
#this specifies the path to the Applications HD image. I point this to a blank image. See below.

option mac-machine-name "NB-BML-FictLib-1533-IP19.153";
#specifies the machine name (as in File Sharing control panel)

option mac-client-nb-img d4:f0:10:7:2:24:2:6E:62:0:0:0:0:2:6:43:6C:0:31:35:33;
}

# This declaration allows BOOTP clients to get dynamic addresses,
# which we don't really recommend.

#subnet 10.254.239.32 netmask 255.255.255.224 {
# range dynamic-bootp 10.254.239.40 10.254.239.60;
# option broadcast-address 10.254.239.31;
# option routers rtr-239-32-1.example.org;
#}

# A slightly different configuration for an internal subnet.
#subnet 10.5.5.0 netmask 255.255.255.224 {
# range 10.5.5.26 10.5.5.30;
# option domain-name-servers ns1.internal.example.org;
# option domain-name "internal.example.org";
# option routers 10.5.5.1;
# option broadcast-address 10.5.5.31;
# default-lease-time 600;
# max-lease-time 7200;
#}

# Hosts which require special configuration options can be listed in
# host statements. If no address is specified, the address will be
# allocated dynamically (if possible), but the host-specific information
# will still come from the host declaration.

#host passacaglia {
# hardware ethernet 0:0:c0:5d:bd:95;
# filename "vmunix.passacaglia";
# server-name "toccata.fugue.com";
#}

# Fixed IP addresses can also be specified for hosts. These addresses
# should not also be listed as being available for dynamic assignment.
# Hosts for which fixed IP addresses have been specified can boot using
# BOOTP or DHCP. Hosts for which no fixed address is specified can only
# be booted with DHCP, unless there is an address range on the subnet
# to which a BOOTP client is connected which has the dynamic-bootp flag
# set.
#host fantasia {
# hardware ethernet 08:00:07:26:c0:a5;
# fixed-address fantasia.fugue.com;
#}

# You can declare a class of clients and then do address allocation
# based on that. The example below shows a case where all clients
# in a certain class get addresses on the 10.17.224/24 subnet, and all
# other clients get addresses on the 10.0.29/24 subnet.

#class "foo" {
# match if substring (option vendor-class-identifier, 0, 4) = "SUNW";
#}

#shared-network 224-29 {
# subnet 10.17.224.0 netmask 255.255.255.0 {
# option routers rtr-224.example.org;
# }
# subnet 10.0.29.0 netmask 255.255.255.0 {
# option routers rtr-29.example.org;
# }
# pool {
# allow members of "foo";
# range 10.17.224.10 10.17.224.250;
# }
# pool {
# deny members of "foo";
# range 10.0.29.10 10.0.29.230;
# }
#}

Holy Mother of GOD,
What did you just throw at me?
I only understood about a fifth of what you showed me.
Would you care to make that a little bit more simple?
Maybe if you could simplify the commands needed within a terminal window to make that work.
I understand enough of the need to redirect neccesary resources to allow the use of DHCP and
mimic and or emulate a MAC address by means of routing signals to appropiate channels within
the device handling communications.
Your explanation is not an easy map to follow for fixing my issue, perhaps I will solve the
equations over time as of now, I can not easily follow your diagram.

Could you explain more simply?

I haven't configured DHCP. Here is a google search that might help

http://www.google.com/linux?hl=en&lr...=Google+Search

P.S. To the people who all they can suggest is try another distro. What do you do when a person has a ton of problems in the distro you recommend? Tell them to try another one? All distro's have their fair share of problems and need to be configured. Even Mandrake and Fedora.

I've been following this thread for a while and I have to get my oar in now. I did the lazy thing that all and sundry seem to be suggesting, starting off with one distro and switching to another. I ended up with Mandrake 10 and so far, so good. In fact, it's better than that, it's amazingly stable after the second installation. I've also been tring to find a distro that works on my old laptop (Dell Latitude XPi 300). Problem is, I'm have been blinkered by the Microshaft way of thinking for so long. It starts, it runs but the X server is having problems. What I failed to appreciate (I'm not that bright) is that just because the X server is having a problem the underlying system is as happy as Larry!
Lazy way out, as I mentioned before, was to search around for another distro that worked out of the box. As a result, I have probably got the county's finest collection of Linux distros on CD. And none of them work. S**t!. No matter, I'll try another one with the help of my DSL connection, a large spindle of CDR's and lots of sick-leave from my employer post-surgery.
And then along comes Darthtux like a super-hero. In one line of post #94 he says it all and makes me realise how much time I've wasted (not to mention shiny plastic spinny things). So it's back to the laptop with freshly-girded loins and much praise for those with the persevere mind-set.
To all the nay-sayers: Did you ever install Windows out of the box and get up and running immediately without installing drivers, third party software etc. Ever get into .dll hell with 3.1.1? What flavour of windows did you consider installing then?

Is your problem specific to just configuring the DHCP server,or whether you have a problem with your ISP.Çoz to give a more simplistic solution for the code I presented would require me to know what exactly is the current state and configs of your system.I can then try to simulate it on a spare Debian machine that I've got.It'll be even more helpful if you can provide eror logs.You can send me a mail at talk_to_a_genius@yahoo.com.
If you want to just configure the DHCP,then the instructions provided in the link sent by darthtux is a good one.But since you are using Woody,and I must say it is not the easiest step-in into the linux world,(apologies to darthtux),it can be a bit tricky.
If you installed Woody from cd,insert it and as root,type
apt-get install dhcp-client.I'm sure due to your system state,it might not be as simple.if you get an error saying : "No broadcast interfaces found - exiting. or Make sure to set CONFIG_PACKET=y and CONFIG_FILTER=y in your kernel configuration!" or something similar,you might need to recompile your kernel.
You said your ISP allows only one specific MAC-add.You could try proxying and masquerading(although it can be very cumbersome).In general you might use proxies for those protocols that support it, and for inbound connections; while letting systems fall back on IP masquerading other work .There are means by which you can do this,but you might need to change user policies.
Provide a little bit more info on you config and settings,and I might be able to help.

wolfy

i think you need a linux distro that's designed with the newbie in mind and has most of it's kinks already worked out. ofcourse it helps greatly if you have 1/2 decent hardware to work with. something too old or too new won't help. the beauty of linux is that it tends to like the mainstream hardware and hardware thats been around for 2 to 3 years. the beauty of that is that you can always get an excellent deal on hardware of last years vintage. so, if you are determined to have an excellent linux install and you don't have a good hardware platform, a trip down to your local "used" computer store is certainly worth considering. remember, always buy last years greatest, linux just seems to have all the latest drivers ready for the big names in hardware thats at least 2 to 3 years old.

that being said, check out the following: www.linuxiso.org

there you'll see a host of distros to download from. right now however, i would either recommend for you:

mandrake 9.1 (http://ftp.unicamp.br/pub/linux/iso/mandrake/9.1/)
redhat 9.1 (linuxiso.org)
slackware 9.1 (linuxiso.org)

further, if you go with mandrake, a good place to get your updates is ftp.cslab.vt.edu (you'll understand when you get into the mandrake control center).

also, jetblackz is a damn good way to set up any linux:

http://jetblackz.freesite.org/

he currently does not have the step-by-step for mandrake 9.1, but follow the doc for 10.0, it's very similiar. further, if you can afford $11 U.S. per month, buy into the mandrake club and download mandrake 10 if you like. it should work however i had problems with an earlier release.

however the three distros that i have mentioned i have had a lot of expereince with and can vouche that if your hardware is anyway 1/2 decent, you'll have a much better time of it!

you can take my word on it

- perry

perry@cplusplus.org

ps.
let me know how you make out

I agree with darthtux in that every distro has its "quirks" and you just need to learn to deal with them; my first linux distro was (and still is since I have only been getting it on with linux for about 2 months now) Slackware 9.1. I have also delt alot with older redhat distributions (7.3, 9.0) and SuSe (8.0 and 9.0) and I can say that they all are actually very similar ..... once you get down to the nitty gritty of it. The most important thing is to find one distro and learn it well, no MATTER which distro it is, after learning how one works its prittty easy to move on to the next one.... becuase you only need to apply what you have already learned.
In example if you know how to set up your hardware in XFree86 by editing the .conf file on a RedHat Machine... you now know how to set it up on a SuSe machine or a Slackware machine..... beuase they all use XFree86... and the configuration files are identical.

The most importaint thing that is needed with learning how to work with linux is a pencil and a notebook (I perfer Mead Compositional notebooks with Quad rule graphing paper ... becuase I am a super dork )
Why a notebook? becuase I am willing to bet that you might have taken notes on what your supposed to do, or printed out many different faqs contiaining information about what you should do to fix a given problem, but I think that you probally are trying to deal with TOO MUCH information at once. This is where the notebook comes in.

Tackle each problem with your linux distro as it comes and WRITE DOWN exactly what you did to fix it; also whie your at it you might want to write down what you did that didn't work as well, that way you wont try the same thing twice.

If your looking for the answer to some problem and you find a bit of information which seems interesting or might be helpful later WRITE IT DOWN TOO. Keeo the noteboook near your computer; its a great thing becuase not only will it keep you from asking the same question twice it will also allow you to really build your skills with your computer and linux in a structured manner.

Do one thing at a time..... one general theme of this thread is that many issues seem to be mixed together in a heap of overinformation..... tackle one thing then move on to the next. What defines one thing... well that is up to you, but "I wanna get my computer running perfect in linux!" is definatly not one thing. I cannot even begin to count the number of times that I have seen people hit problems in everything from computers to math classes becuase they tried to bite off more then anyone could chew. Make a goal and try to achieve it in a day or two ... someting like "Today I am going to get my printer to work". Though this thread has helped you structure goals a bit..... I can almoost guarentee the lack of goals and the presence of the "I am going to get everytyhing working at once" attitude was what caused your fustration to begin with.

Get a book. Although there are plenty of free sources of information on the internet and people in the community are always willing to help (which is one of the greatest strengths of linux!!) sometimes nothing beats having a hard copy right infront of your face full of facts and tidbits about linux. The Complete guide to Linux is a great book and its only 19.95 retail, its a condensed version of a collection of other linux books which can greatly help you in getting ofer the initial learning problems with everything from configuring xwindows, to getting samba (a windows netowrking daemon) up and running. That is the book they have at my work and its helped me out more then once. Also you don't even have to get a new book on linux.....older books are almost just as good since linux has not undergone DRASTIC changes in the way it works in quite a few years.

Asides from a book the internet is a GREAT place for information and even emotional support (hah)..... this forum is proof of this fact. some other good websites are:

www.disrtoreview.com information on almost every sinlge distribution of linux which is openly avaible
www.icewalkers.com linux software information and reviews
www.google.com USE the GROUP search feature! it searches forums like this one ALL over the internet..... and if you have a question you can be almost possitive that someone else has asked it too ... and maby its already been answered.

Oh well I hope this wan't too long of a post...... sometimes I am kinda long winded... well I guess actually most of the time.

hernia and KaptinKABOOM, great posts!!

It is true that if you learn how to do things the command line way on one distro you'll be able to take that knowledge and work on any. There are differences in where distros put some files and what files they use. But someone can figure that out with a look at the distros documentation in no time.

As you said later in your post, write down what you do. That can't be emphasized enough. Keep track of what you do. One thing I do, is backup my configuration files to a designated folder in my home directory. One *before* I make changes as org.filename (also keep a copy in the original directory) and one of the current file where changes have been made. You might even end with with several backup files. Then I back up the directory of config files that is in my home directory to CD and the web (Yahoo Briefcase and web page space are two good places).

It's good for people to try different distros to see how they work and what *they* like personally. But when someone encounters a problem some people just tell them to switch distros which I think at least 99% of the time is the wrong answer. Look at the distro specific forums here at LQ. People on all distros have problems. All types of problems. So the vast majority of the time telling people to switch I consider spreading misinformation and not helpful.

Debian is good, Mandrake is good, Slackware is good, Fedora is good, on and on and on. Telling people a distro is bad when you haven't spent time with it -- not good. And then if you have spent tiem with it, it might just be bad for you and not for other people.

Very Impressive posts, Thank you very much.

I understand all to well now!, that with Linux it's easy to get in over your head if you try to do much at one time. As KaptinKABOOM & Darthtux have said Keeping notes is a great Idea. I have been doing that from day one. Even so much as pre-planning what I want to do based on the documentation I've already read. I am curious to the reason why so many people recommended different distro's though. So what did I do? Last night I downloaded and burned Fedora Core 2. I just want to see what all the hype is about to changing distro's. This post has been monumentally helpful and inspiring to me and I can guarantee the knowledge I've learned here will help no matter what distro I finally settle with.

For everyone that has taken the time to help me along technically and emotionally
I thank you all deeply.

Before I continue with Debian I am going to see how FC2 works, and if I like it or not.

I look forward to hearing form all of you either on this thread or somewhere else on the site.

NOW it's time to roll up my sleeves pour another cup a coffee and start into FC2.

Wish me luck

Great camaraderie fellows.Keep it up.The forum needs it.Hope you are successful with Fedora.(although I didn't expect you to give up after all that you'd experienced.Waiting to hear from you again.

Greetings everybody

Fedora Core 2 results:

Impressive! Very user friendly GUI installer, excellent probing/auto detecting and with the knowledge I gained from my debian experience the install was a fantastic success.

KDE works beautifully also FC2 supports the dual processors I have in the box.
I think I know now why Gnome was flakey and KDE wouldn't work in Debian.
During install of debian (the keneral module step) the video card was not properly recognized.
Although it would work, it was flakey. I think with "Jens" recommendation of a new installer for debian that problem could be solved.

FC2 having the ability to support my dual processors saves me from having to rebuild the debian kernel to allow support for the second processor.

By the way I didn't give up on debian, I am taking a break from it to learn more about linux before I try it again. With FC2 seeming so stable I'll be able to get very familiar with linux in no time at all.

ONLY ONE PROBLEM!!!

Internet... As per my previous posts about problems with MAC address and my broadband provider. I was able to verify with [ ifconfig ] that I changed the MAC address. But I still can't activate network device eth0.
Errors at startup:
determining IP information for eth0 [FAILS]
also smartd also [FAILS]
Errors trying to activate network device:
After changing the MAC address the first thing is says interface eth0 not found then it trys to determine IP info. for eth0 but that FAILS returning [cannot activate network device eth0]
Perhaps I need to add something somewhere to tell it during startup what MAC address I want it to use.

Even without Internet the system seems good enough for me to get knee deep into Linux.
I would however appreciate soom help configuring the box for internet use.

Thanks

Best bet would be to start a new thread in the fedora or networking forums.

NO! Stay away from RH Fedora. It's stronger and better then RH9, but still in it's instability stage. Have him hit Mandrake or RH version 9. They are classified as stable and tested versions.

There should be a section in your XF86Config file that looks like this (or similiar):
You want to add the Modeline string to get a standard resolution of 1024x768 at 75hz: