Automate network configurations with dispatcher scripts
Dispatcher
© Lead Image © Hannu Viitanen, 123RF.com
Use dispatcher scripts to mount a different network drive depending on the location or automatically start a VPN connection without lifting a finger.
Yesterday at a conference, today at a downtown office, tomorrow at a home office, the next day at an Internet cafe: Working life is no longer limited to a single desk. For many employees, a reliable Internet connection is all that is needed for a productive work day.
Although working from the road sounds simple, life on a laptop is often full of pitfalls and complications. On your home LAN, you will want to mount the file shares from your NAS, and on the open WiFi network of a cafe, you need a firewall to block all access. In the secure office, services that run locally are allowed to broadcast.
These different network-access use cases require continual adjustments. If a computer only connects to the network via a single wired Ethernet port, you can still mount a network drive via /etc/fstab, or you will want to use autofs if the desired server is not always connected to the network. But to start and stop services automatically depending on the situation, or to have certain configurations created automatically, you need an intelligent network manager.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Linux From Scratch Drops SysVinit Support
LFS will no longer support SysVinit.
-
LibreOffice 26.2 Now Available
With new features, improvements, and bug fixes, LibreOffice 26.2 delivers a modern, polished office suite without compromise.
-
Linux Kernel Project Releases Project Continuity Document
What happens to Linux when there's no Linus? It's a question many of us have asked over the years, and it seems it's also on the minds of the Linux kernel project.
-
Mecha Systems Introduces Linux Handheld
Mecha Systems has revealed its Mecha Comet, a new handheld computer powered by – you guessed it – Linux.
-
MX Linux 25.1 Features Dual Init System ISO
The latest release of MX Linux caters to lovers of two different init systems and even offers instructions on how to transition.
-
Photoshop on Linux?
A developer has patched Wine so that it'll run specific versions of Photoshop that depend on Adobe Creative Cloud.
-
Linux Mint 22.3 Now Available with New Tools
Linux Mint 22.3 has been released with a pair of new tools for system admins and some pretty cool new features.
-
New Linux Malware Targets Cloud-Based Linux Installations
VoidLink, a new Linux malware, should be of real concern because of its stealth and customization.
-
Say Goodbye to Middle-Mouse Paste
Both Gnome and Firefox have proposed getting rid of a long-time favorite Linux feature.
-
Manjaro 26.0 Primary Desktop Environments Default to Wayland
If you want to stick with X.Org, you'll be limited to the desktop environments you can choose.