cannot connect to the Internet on fc4 - confirm

[Jared Hall]

Dear Fellow Fedora Fanatics

I'm new to Fedora and don't know my way around yet. 
I also just subscribed and I not sure my previous post made it into the list.

I cannot connect to the Internet on my fc4 laptop.  I can connect to
the dsl modem and play with the settings.  I know the connection works
because I have a machine running on the same line.  I'm sending this
email from that connection.

The connection problem occurred after I used the gui network setup
provided by gnome (Desktop -> System Settings -> Network).  I never
use gui's to set things up, and I never use gnome, but I couldn't for
the life of me find a file that controls the network interface.

All I was trying to do was switch from a static ip connection to DHCP
but gnome is making me deal with all these tabs and pop ups that I
haven't seen since windows. I was extremely confused by everything I
saw for the first 10 - 45 seconds.  It all happened so fast. I was
frantically moving between gui and terminal trying to figure out what
was where. I got no answers, and destroyed my computers ability to see
beyond the LAN.  It was sort of like taking lines from Yoda and giving
them to Jar Jar Binks on accident.  The pain!

When I was messing with the "gui network settings thing" I decided to
delete all of the existing connection definitions, and I set up a new
static connection (because I was working on a new network and wanted
to play server).  When the static IP didn't work I erased it, but I
think I might have been working from the wrong tab or something...
"That's a good reason to erase that," I thought.  At the same time I
was playing with the network files which I thought might have had
something to do with my lack of connectivity.  I looked at the history
of the files I edited in command prompt (I love command prompt) and
tried to change any alterations I had made back (I usually only
comment things out and then write my changes below). I think the gui
ate some of my comments.

All I wanted to see was /etc/network/interfaces in fc4 style.   I
don't think it should be in a gui's power to destroy perfectly good
configuration files.  I thought they were programmed to do things
perfectly.  I blame myself for not asking here first.

I'm not sure that my nameservers are listed properly in /etc/resolv.conf
I didn't make /etc/resolv.conf look like this. I think Gnome did it:
    search domain.actdsltmp
    nameserver 192.168.0.1
    nameserver 205.146.5.65

Should the search be looking for the name of the router? cause it isn't.
Should there only be one nameserver? ... like the router maybe?
Should one of the name servers be an outside network from god knows where?

My subnet mask should be 255.255.255.248 on the WAN. On the LAN
255.255.255.0 should work.  Let's say that I want to set up DHCP on my
Laptop.  I shouldn't have to specify the subnet, yet a connection
problem persists which usually indicates an inaccurate subnetmask.  I
have a LAN connection, but no WAN!  ARGH!
when I  "# /etc/init.d/network restart" it seems to take an
inordinately long time to Determine "IP information for eth0 ...
done."  The long pause comes after the quoted statement is echoed to
the screen.  I think it's my resolv.conf file, but what should I
change, it to?  I've become terrified of Fedora.  Please help!

Contentious in Corvallis
 PS
I wish I knew the name of a similar file to Debian's
"/etc/network/interfaces" on FC4.