Restarting the network interface using command lines in Linux is a straight-forward procedure. While the GUI (Graphical User Interface) for Linus network configuration is more graphical and visually appealing, it may actually make restarting the network interface much longer.

In operating systems such as Linux, the command line operations generally accomplish the task faster than the GUI interface. Restarting the network interface by using command lines will require certain user privileges, as well as designation as the system's root user, or via the Sudo. There are separate commands to restart the network services and to restart a particular network interface.

Linux: Restarting the Network Interface Using Command Lines

The process of setting up a network can be quite lengthy, especially if you need to verify that your DHCP server is correctly assigning its IP addresses. A quicker way of restarting the network interface would be to use command lines.

These commands should be executed as root or via sudo. The following commands are specific to debian (Ubuntu or Xandros).

Stop the network interface eth0:

ifdown eth0

Start the network interface eth0:

ifup eth0

Don't confuse with the following command, which restarts all the networks services :

/etc/init.d/networking restart

To see your various network interfaces, use the command:

/sbin/ifconfig -a

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