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nmcli: NetworkManager Command-Line Interface

Summary

nmcli is a powerful command-line tool for controlling NetworkManager, allowing you to manage network connections, devices, and settings directly from the terminal.

Introduction

nmcli (NetworkManager Command-Line Interface) is a command-line tool used for controlling NetworkManager, a system network service that manages network devices and connections on Linux systems. nmcli provides a way to create, modify, activate, and deactivate network connections, as well as manage network devices and monitor their status. It's especially useful in scripts and when a graphical interface is not available.

Use case and Examples

Displaying Network Connections

nmcli connection show
This command lists all available network connections, including their name, UUID, type, and device.

Activating a Network Connection

nmcli connection up "My Wired Connection"
This command activates the network connection named "My Wired Connection". Replace "My Wired Connection" with the actual name of your connection.

Deactivating a Network Connection

nmcli connection down "My Wired Connection"
This command deactivates the network connection named "My Wired Connection". Replace "My Wired Connection" with the actual name of your connection.

Connecting to a Wi-Fi Network

nmcli device wifi connect "MyWiFiNetwork" password "MyWiFiPassword"
This command connects to the Wi-Fi network named "MyWiFiNetwork" using the provided password "MyWiFiPassword". Replace with your actual network name and password.

Creating a New Wired Connection

nmcli connection add type ethernet con-name "NewWiredConnection" ifname eth0
This command creates a new wired connection named "NewWiredConnection" on the ethernet interface "eth0". Replace eth0 with your interface. You can then configure IP settings using nmcli connection modify.

Commonly used flags

Flag Description Example
connection show Displays network connections nmcli connection show
device status Shows the status of network devices nmcli device status
connection up Activates a network connection nmcli connection up "My Connection"
connection down Deactivates a network connection nmcli connection down "My Connection"
device wifi list Lists available Wi-Fi networks nmcli device wifi list
device wifi connect Connects to a Wi-Fi network nmcli device wifi connect "MyWiFi" password "password"
connection modify Modifies an existing connection nmcli connection modify "My Connection" ipv4.addresses 192.168.1.100/24
connection delete Deletes a network connection nmcli connection delete "My Connection"


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