Thread:Beagleboard talk:Terminal Shells/required linux modules

In order to use the ethernet-over-USB connection to connect to 192.168.7.2 your kernel must have the rndis_host module (Drivers / Network device support / USB Network Adapters / Host for RNDIS and ActiveSync devices). While most canned linux distributions include this module, trimmed-down kernels can be lacking this. Without it, you'll never get the ethernet device you need.