Step-1:
Do you want that small network status applet on your GNOME panel, which is similar to the Windows network status applet? If you are using a recent version of GNOME, the procedure is pretty simple.
Step-2:
Right click on your GNOME panel, and then select Add to Panel. Now scroll download until you find the Network Monitor applet, shown in the figure below:
Now select it, click on the Add button and you are done!
Other Helpful Resources:
http://www.gnome.org
http://fedora.redhat.com