ifcfg

Additional Notes

ifcfg is a command-line tool from the Wicd network manager for configuring network interfaces. Wicd is a lightweight network manager that handles both wired and wireless connections. The ifcfg command provides direct control over interface settings.

It can be used to set IP addresses, netmasks, wireless parameters, and other interface configurations. The command interacts with Wicd's configuration files and can be used as an alternative to ifconfig or ip for Wicd-managed interfaces.

Syntax

ifcfg [options] interface [command]

Parameters

• interface: The network interface to configure (e.g., eth0, wlan0).
• command: The action to perform.

Common Commands

• up: Bring the interface up.
• down: Take the interface down.
• status: Show the current interface status.
• info: Show detailed interface information.
• wireless: Show wireless connection details.

Common Options

• -h, --help: Display help.
• -v, --verbose: Show detailed output.

Examples

ifcfg eth0 up

Bring the eth0 interface up.

ifcfg wlan0 down

Take the wlan0 interface down.

ifcfg eth0 status

Show the current status of eth0.

Practical Notes

• ifcfg is specific to the Wicd network manager. Modern systems use networkmanager and nmcli instead.
• For direct interface configuration without a network manager, use ip or ifconfig.
• Wicd has not been actively maintained in recent years; most distributions now ship with NetworkManager.
• To check if Wicd is installed, look for wicd-daemon or wicd-gtk packages.
• The command is not related to ifcfg-* files in /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ used by legacy Red Hat systems.