UNIX network configuration commands


Unfortunately syntax and options are not highly standardized between OSes; consult your documentation for details on options

ifconfig: configure network interface parameters
Allows setting the IP address and netmask associated with an interface and whether the interface is up (usable) or down (disabled)
route: modify routing table
Can be used to add or remove route table entries, or show routing table
netstat: network status information
Can be used to show active TCP connections, TCP and UDP server sockets, UNIX-domain socket status, and routing

Semi-standard commands:

ifconfig -a
show all available network interfaces and their status
ifconfig interface
show only information for a specified interface name
netstat -r or route (no arguments)
Show routing table status
netstat -rn or route -n
show status, but don't try to look up symbolic names
netstat -a
Show network connections including server sockets
netstat -an
Same, but don't look up symbolic names

Steve VanDevender
Last modified: Thu Jul 3 13:38:59 PDT 2003