6.6 Summary
Tunneling, iproute2, IPv6 . . . and token ring?!? This chapter started with a simple problem of deploying a Linux box as an interface between two LAN technologies to save some money. It then paid brief homage to a network configuration tool poised to supplant the venerable ifconfig and route and used that tool to make our token ring gateways a little spiffier. Next we let our paranoia get the best of us. And finally, the chapter ended with the future protocol of the Internet, the widespread deployment of which is who knows how far in the future. It serves to make a point about the flexibility of Linux as your networking toolI don't want to be burdened by having to switch between network operating systems to work with diNerent technology families. To be honest, sometimes I like to turn off my monitor and go outside (for a little while, anyway). If I had to learn the nuances and bugs of four or five diNerent vendors' toolsets and integrate them to work in concert with each other, I'd never get to go home. Does that mean I propose that the IT world should be Linux, Linux, everywhere? No, it's merely that I feel confident developing my skillsets for an environment that allows me to leverage them in the router, network server, and workstation worlds. Next up, we're going to start talking about an Internet access router in more depth (beyond the mention of SNAT in Chapter 4), including packet filtering.