[ale] Documentation Process wuz: static ip network configuration

[Leam Hall]

Hey Phil,

I have have a documentation process you might be interested in:

1. Do something, and take notes assuming the reader knows most of what I know but not this thing.
2. Undo what I did and follow my notes exactly. Usually lots of issues to fix.
3. Work with someone else, we both have a copy of my notes. They follow them, I mark up what didn't make sense to them and then go fix it.
4. Repeat #3 with others, fixing it a little more each time.
5. Sending it to some relevant list for critique, as long as it's not a company owned document.

Everything I write is perfectly suited for someone who thinks exactly like me. Fortunately, most people don't, so I have to consider everything I write to be eternally in draft state. There's always room for improvement.

I hand write the original notes, and the improvements, because I'm constantly forgetting how I did something last year, or last week. Or yesterday, sometimes...  Doing the documentation like this has helped me at work and at home.

A funny (at least to me) story about this. I'm sitting in a room at a large company, one whole wall is glass and looks into the cube farm. A lady walks by, sees me, and doubles back to the door and comes into the room. She is a wonderful person, and has that stereotypical Italian American exuberance. She's visibly excited that I'm back to work there, and said her team was still using the manual I wrote for them.

I was interviewing for a job, and yes, I got the job.  :D

Leam


-- 
Linux Software Engineer   (reuel.net/career)
Scribe: The Domici War    (domiciwar.net)
Coding Ne'er-do-well      (github.com/LeamHall)

Between "can" and "can't" is a gap of "I don't know", a place of discovery. For the passionate, much of "can't" falls into "yet". -- lh

Practice allows options and foresight. -- lh



On 1/8/25 13:27, Phil Smith via Ale wrote:
> 
> Thanks, Russell:
> 
> I plan to attend Sunday meetings to observe all of the techie people . I used to be one, and its been 8 years since I've been out of the mix: I'm 74 now and can't remember how to do anything!
> 
> Phil SMith
> 
> 
> 
> On Wednesday, January 8th, 2025 at 10:49 AM, Russell L. Carter via Ale <ale at ale.org> wrote:
> 
>>
>>
>> Thanks for the info, I had no idea.
>>
>> I've seen several alt net configuration
>> systems come and go (GUI driven, maybe?) and didn't know Ubuntu
>> went that way. Yet another reason to stick with Debian ;-)
>>
>> Ah, for my mobile system Ima gonna fess up and say I manually swap
>> /etc/resolv.conf, on account of I'm too lazy. I even do that
>> when I've got Tailscale up. The point is I don't have to think
>> about it, since my config is as ruthlessly stupid as I can make
>> it. And it works.
>>
>> I strongly agree everyone needing help should support ALE-NW video
>> meetings, though I hate doing such things. I suppose it's the way
>> it has to done.
>>
>> ArchWiki is still a valuable resource for many things Linux, of
>> course.
>>
>> Thanks!
>> Russell
>>
>> On 1/8/25 10:34 AM, DJPfulio--- via Ale wrote:
>>
>>> Russell, Ubuntu hasn't used the "interface" file for over 5 yrs, perhaps
>>> since 2017. Ubuntu uses netplan.yaml files for non-GUI setups. Humans
>>> modifying YAML pretty much sucks, but that's Ubuntu thinking they need
>>> to change things that aren't broke yet again.
>>>
>>> https://netplan.io/ has examples and the 2 commands to generate and
>>> apply netplan changes.
>>>
>>> I don't know anything about the Ubuntu GUI methods for networking.
>>>
>>> Of course, if someone wants hands-on help, they should join the every
>>> Sunday ALE-NW video meeting. A few Ubuntu users attend. We have most
>>> popular distros represented most weeks.
>>>
>>> On 1/8/25 10:24, Russell L. Carter via Ale wrote:
>>>
>>>> First, ditch the GUI. Gazing in that direction is the reason
>>>> you don't already know how to do it.
>>>>
>>>> I have maintained a small herd of pet debian systems for
>>>> decades with nothing more complicated than this snippet in
>>>> /etc/network/interfaces(5):
>>>>
>>>> # The motherboard primary network interface
>>>> allow-hotplug enp5s0
>>>> iface enp5s0 inet static
>>>> address 10.0.10.10/24
>>>> gateway 10.0.10.102
>>>>
>>>> Multihomed works as expected and dhcp is even simpler. Nowadays
>>>> you use ip(8) for all things network related. You want to make
>>>> friends with the fabulous ArchWiki for details.
>>>>
>>>> All the best,
>>>> Russell
>>>
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>>
>>
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