Creating an adhoc host with Ubuntu | Ubuntu Geek

Creating an adhoc host with Ubuntu | Ubuntu Geek

Have you ever needed to wirelessly network a Windows PC’s directly to a Ubuntu machine? In other words, you lack a router, switch, or other networking mechanism, each PC has a wireless device and you need to trade a file or play a network game? Read on.

Ubuntu’s NetworkManager 0.7.0 contains the necessary features for creating an Ubuntu adhoc network host.

In Ubuntu:

• Left click on the NetworkManager icon and select Create New Wireless Network

• Specify an adhoc network name, i.e. UbuntuAdhoc
• Select your favorite security method (this example specifies None)
• Click the Create button

As of Ubuntu 8.10, NetworkManager pretends to connect to the newly created UbuntuAdhoc wireless network but inevitably fails and the NetworkManager defaults back to the last successful network connection. See below to rectify.

Editing Network Connections:

• Click on the NetworkManager icon, select Edit Connections.
• Select the Wireless tab, select the UbuntuAdhoc network and click the edit button.

Editing the UbuntAhoc network:

• Click the Connect automatically check-box
• On the Wireless tab, ensure the mode is set to Ad-hoc

• Select the Ipv4 Settings tab
• Select the Manual method in the drop down
• Click the Add button and enter a local IP address, Netmask and Gateway, i.e. 192.255.0.1, 255.255.255.0, and 1.1.1.1 respectively.
• Leave DNS Servers and Search Domains blank

• Click OK.

Connecting your Ubuntu session to the new adhoc Network:

• Left click on the NetworkManager icon and select Connect to Hidden Wireless Network…
• Select UbuntuAdhoc on the connection dropdown and click Connect.
• Voila, your Ubuntu session should be connected to itself. Hover over NetworkManager icon, and you should see the yellow message: Wireless network connection to ‘UbuntuAdhoc‘ (0%).

Note: the NetworkManager bars will appear empty since the network adapter technically is not connected to any network. These bars remain empty even when another computer joins the network. Regardless, the connection will work fine.