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Description: Candidates should be able to configure a network device to be able to connect to a local, wired or wireless, and a wide-area network. This objective includes being able to communicate between various subnets within a single network including both IPv4 and IPv6 networks.
Key Knowledge Areas:
- Utilities to configure and manipulate ethernet network interfaces
- Configuring basic access to wireless networks
Terms and Utilities:
- ip
- ifconfig
- route
- arp
- iw
- iwconfig
- iwlist
In this course we spend some time on Networking tools and review what we has learned. As more experienced we become, less time we spend on troubleshooting.But before that lets draw a big picture.
Network Configuration in Linux can be pretty confusing. In linux, Network setting can be done in different levels and each level has different tools.
here we mostly talk about run time configuration tools although some times we say where to save configs to make it persistence.
ifconfig (interface configuration) is a utility to configure, manage and query network interface parameters via command line interface or in a system configuration scripts.
The ifconfig command is used for displaying current network configuration information, setting up an ip address, netmask or broadcast address to an network interface, creating an alias for network interface, setting up hardware address and enable or disable network interfaces.
root@server1:~# ifconfig
ens33 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:0c:29:03:64:0d
inet addr:192.168.10.152 Bcast:192.168.10.255 Mask:255.255.255.0
inet6 addr: fe80::6650:e873:a8c5:ea55/64 Scope:Link
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:4583 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:2056 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
RX bytes:4402094 (4.4 MB) TX bytes:138013 (138.0 KB)
lo Link encap:Local Loopback
inet addr:127.0.0.1 Mask:255.0.0.0
inet6 addr: ::1/128 Scope:Host
UP LOOPBACK RUNNING MTU:65536 Metric:1
RX packets:255 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:255 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
RX bytes:19604 (19.6 KB) TX bytes:19604 (19.6 KB)
Now let have a review over ifconfig command family:
| ifconfig command | Description |
|---|---|
| ifconfig | Display all Active Network Interfaces. |
| ifconfig -a | Display all Network Interfaces (weather Enable or Disable) |
| ifconfig eth0 | Network Settings of specific Interface |
| ifconfig eth0 [up/down] | Enable or Disable a Network Interface |
| ifconfig eth0 192.168.10.63 | Assign an IP Address to Network Interface |
| ifconfig eth0 netmask 255.255.255.0 | Assign a Networkmask to Network Interface |
| ifconfig broadcast 192.168.10.255 | Assign a Broadcast to Network Interface |
| ifconfig eth0 192.168.10.63 netmask 255.255.255.0 | Set both IP Address and netmask at the |
| ifconfig eth0 hw ether AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF | Change the mac Address of Network Interface |
When we setup a system's network, we usually assign one IP address per network interface(NIC).This serves as the primary address.But in some situations we might require set multiple IP addresses on a machine. Good news is that we don not need one NIC per IP Address. Linux is capable of mapping multiple IP addresses to a single NIC by using IP aliasing
note that alias network address in same sub-net mask. For example, if your eth0 network ip address is 192.168.10.63, then alias ip address must be 192.168.10.64
root@server1:~# ifconfig ens33:0 192.168.10.153
root@server1:~# ifconfig ens33:0
ens33:0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:0c:29:03:64:0d
inet addr:192.168.10.153 Bcast:192.168.10.255 Mask:255.255.255.0
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
and to remove alias
root@server1:~# ifconfig ens33:0 down
root@server1:~# ifconfig ens33:0
ens33:0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:0c:29:03:64:0d
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
note that alias network address in same sub-net mask. For example, if your eth0 network ip address is 192.168.10.63, then alias ip address must be 192.168.10.64.
In normal mode, when a packet received by a network card, it verifies that the packet belongs to itself. If not, it drops the packet normally, but in the promiscuous mode is used to accept all the packets that flows through the network card.
root@server1:~# ifconfig ens33 promisc ### to enable promiscuous
root@server1:~# ifconfig ens33 -promisc ###to disable promiscuous
The mtu argument set the maximum transmission unit to an interface. The MTU allows us to set the limit size of packets that are transmitted on an interface. The MTU able to handle maximum number of octets to an interface in one single transaction. Not all network interfaces supports MTU settings.
to set mtu:
root@server1:~# ifconfig ens33
ens33 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:0c:29:03:64:0d
inet addr:192.168.10.152 Bcast:192.168.10.255 Mask:255.255.255.0
inet6 addr: fe80::6650:e873:a8c5:ea55/64 Scope:Link
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:489 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:1113 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
RX bytes:56725 (56.7 KB) TX bytes:86720 (86.7 KB)
root@server1:~# ifconfig ens33 mtu 1600
root@server1:~# ifconfig ens33 | grep mtu
root@server1:~# ifconfig ens33 | grep -i mtu
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1600 Metric:1
As we said ifconfig is deprecated and it is replaced with ip command. ip command can show, manipulate routing, devices, policy routing and tunnels.
root@server1:~# ip
Usage: ip [ OPTIONS ] OBJECT { COMMAND | help }
ip [ -force ] -batch filename
where OBJECT := { link | address | addrlabel | route | rule | neighbor | ntable |
tunnel | tuntap | maddress | mroute | mrule | monitor | xfrm |
netns | l2tp | fou | tcp_metrics | token | netconf }
OPTIONS := { -V[ersion] | -s[tatistics] | -d[etails] | -r[esolve] |
-h[uman-readable] | -iec |
-f[amily] { inet | inet6 | ipx | dnet | mpls | bridge | link } |
-4 | -6 | -I | -D | -B | -0 |
-l[oops] { maximum-addr-flush-attempts } | -br[ief] |
-o[neline] | -t[imestamp] | -ts[hort] | -b[atch] [filename] |
-rc[vbuf] [size] | -n[etns] name | -a[ll] | -c[olor]}
| ip command | Description |
|---|---|
| ip addr show | Display deep information about all Network Interfaces |
| ip a show eth0 | Network Settings of specific Network Interface |
| ip link set eth0 [up/down] | Disable / Enbale Network interface |
| ip addr add 192.168.10.63/24 dev eth0 | Assign IP Address to specific Network Interface |
| ip addr del 192.168.10.63/24 dev eth0 | Remove IP Address |
| ip addr add broadcast 192.168.10.255 dev eth0 | Add Broadcast Address to the Network Interface |
| ip link set mtu 1500 dev eth0 AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF | Set mac Address of Network Interface |
| ip link set mtu 1500 dev eth0 | Set MTU of Network Device |
ip addr add 192.168.10.64/24 dev eth0 label eth0:1
ip addr del 192.168.10.64/24 dev eth0 label eth0:1
Plaese note that if we use ip addr add command to add alias, ifconfig doesn't show any thing because it doesn't know how to deal with it.
ip link set eth0 promisc on
ip link set eth0 promisc off
ip link set dev eth0 mtu 1600
Do not Forget all chnages that we have made are not persistence, To make it persistence modify /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth0 in RedHat or edit /etc/network/interfaces in debian based systems.
route command shows and manipulate ip routing table.
root@server1:~# route --help
Usage: route [-nNvee] [-FC] [<AF>] List kernel routing tables
route [-v] [-FC] {add|del|flush} ... Modify routing table for AF.
route {-h|--help} [<AF>] Detailed usage syntax for specified AF.
route {-V|--version} Display version/author and exit.
-v, --verbose be verbose
-n, --numeric don't resolve names
-e, --extend display other/more information
-F, --fib display Forwarding Information Base (default)
-C, --cache display routing cache instead of FIB
<AF>=Use '-A <af>' or '--<af>'; default: inet
List of possible address families (which support routing):
inet (DARPA Internet) inet6 (IPv6) ax25 (AMPR AX.25)
netrom (AMPR NET/ROM) ipx (Novell IPX) ddp (Appletalk DDP)
x25 (CCITT X.25)
root@server1:~# route
Kernel IP routing table
Destination Gateway Genmask Flags Metric Ref Use Iface
default 192.168.10.2 0.0.0.0 UG 100 0 0 ens33
link-local * 255.255.0.0 U 1000 0 0 ens33
192.168.10.0 * 255.255.255.0 U 100 0 0 ens33
By default route command displays the host name in its output. We can request it to display the numerical IP address using -n option:
root@server1:~# route -n
Kernel IP routing table
Destination Gateway Genmask Flags Metric Ref Use Iface
0.0.0.0 192.168.10.2 0.0.0.0 UG 100 0 0 ens33
169.254.0.0 0.0.0.0 255.255.0.0 U 1000 0 0 ens33
192.168.10.0 0.0.0.0 255.255.255.0 U 100 0 0 ens33
There are two more commands to see routing table:
root@server1:~# netstat -rn
Kernel IP routing table
Destination Gateway Genmask Flags MSS Window irtt Iface
0.0.0.0 192.168.10.2 0.0.0.0 UG 0 0 0 ens33
169.254.0.0 0.0.0.0 255.255.0.0 U 0 0 0 ens33
192.168.10.0 0.0.0.0 255.255.255.0 U 0 0 0 ens33
root@server1:~# ip route show
default via 192.168.10.2 dev ens33 proto static metric 100
169.254.0.0/16 dev ens33 scope link metric 1000
192.168.10.0/24 dev ens33 proto kernel scope link src 192.168.10.152 metric 100
Some other commands:
| route command | Description |
|---|---|
| route add default gw 192.168.10.2 | Add Default Gateway, use "del" to Delete |
| route add -net 192.168.10.0/24 gw 192.168.10.2 dev eth0 | Add Route, use "del" for Deleting , "dev" can be ommited |
| ip route add 192.168.10.0/24 via 192.168.10.2 | using "ip" command, use "del" for deleting |
To make route setting persistence, We need to edit /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/route-eth0 file to define static routes for eth0 interface. In Debian based systems we need to edit /etc/network/interfaces file.
In computer networks computers talk to each other with their physical addresses in fact. Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) is used to convert ip address to the physical address.
How dose it work ? When an incoming packet destined for a host machine on a LAN arrives at a gateway, the gateway asks the ARP program to find a physical host or MAC address that matches the IP address. The ARP program looks in the ARP cache and, if it finds the address, provides it so that the packet can be converted to the right packet length and format and sent to the machine. If no entry is found for the IP address, ARP broadcasts a request packet in a special format to all the machines on the LAN to see if one machine knows that it has that IP address associated with it. A machine that recognizes the IP address as its own returns a reply so indicating. ARP updates the ARP cache for future reference and then sends the packet to the MAC address that replied.
root@server1:~# arp --help
Usage:
arp [-vn] [<HW>] [-i <if>] [-a] [<hostname>] <-Display ARP cache
arp [-v] [-i <if>] -d <host> [pub] <-Delete ARP entry
arp [-vnD] [<HW>] [-i <if>] -f [<filename>] <-Add entry from file
arp [-v] [<HW>] [-i <if>] -s <host> <hwaddr> [temp] <-Add entry
arp [-v] [<HW>] [-i <if>] -Ds <host> <if> [netmask <nm>] pub <-''-
-a display (all) hosts in alternative (BSD) style
-s, --set set a new ARP entry
-d, --delete delete a specified entry
-v, --verbose be verbose
-n, --numeric don't resolve names
-i, --device specify network interface (e.g. eth0)
-D, --use-device read <hwaddr> from given device
-A, -p, --protocol specify protocol family
-f, --file read new entries from file or from /etc/ethers
<HW>=Use '-H <hw>' to specify hardware address type. Default: ether
List of possible hardware types (which support ARP):
ash (Ash) ether (Ethernet) ax25 (AMPR AX.25)
netrom (AMPR NET/ROM) rose (AMPR ROSE) arcnet (ARCnet)
dlci (Frame Relay DLCI) fddi (Fiber Distributed Data Interface) hippi (HIPPI)
irda (IrLAP) x25 (generic X.25) eui64 (Generic EUI-64)
root@server1:~# arp -a
? (192.168.10.2) at 00:50:56:fb:49:80 [ether] on ens33
? (192.168.10.254) at 00:50:56:e5:83:09 [ether] on ens33
root@server1:~# ping 192.168.10.151
PING 192.168.10.151 (192.168.10.151) 56(84) bytes of data.
64 bytes from 192.168.10.151: icmp_seq=1 ttl=64 time=0.704 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.10.151: icmp_seq=2 ttl=64 time=1.47 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.10.151: icmp_seq=3 ttl=64 time=1.28 ms
^C
--- 192.168.10.151 ping statistics ---
3 packets transmitted, 3 received, 0% packet loss, time 2029ms
rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 0.704/1.156/1.475/0.328 ms
root@server1:~# arp -a
? (192.168.10.2) at 00:50:56:fb:49:80 [ether] on ens33
? (192.168.10.254) at 00:50:56:e5:83:09 [ether] on ens33
? (192.168.10.151) at 00:0c:29:40:b1:ca [ether] on ens33
some usefull switches:
| arp command switches | Description |
|---|---|
| -a | Print All contents of ARP Table |
| -v | Verbose |
| -d 00:0c:29:40:b1:ca | Delete mac address from ARP Table |
| arp -s 192.168.10.151 00:0c:29:40:b1:ca | Add a new Entry to ARP Table |
arp is replace byip n command.
Its good to know that all Network Switches has some thing like MAC Address table to work.
Linux has great tools for working with wireless connections, iw is a new configuration utility for wireless devices which supports all new drivers that have been added to the kernel recently. iw is still under development. The old tool is iwconfig which is deprecated but still exist.
| iw command | iwconfig command | description |
|---|---|---|
| iw dev wlp1s0 link | iwconfig wlp1s0 | Getting info about Wir interface |
| iwlist wlp1s0 scan | - | Getting List of Avaialble SSIDs |
| iw wlp1s0 connect BB | iwconfig wlp1s0 essid BB | Connecting to an Open Network |
Lets see what we have in our box:
root@blackbird:~# ifconfig
enp0s31f6 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 50:7b:9d:8e:56:04
UP BROADCAST MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
RX bytes:0 (0.0 B) TX bytes:0 (0.0 B)
Interrupt:16 Memory:f2300000-f2320000
wlp1s0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr e0:94:67:97:3e:2f
UP BROADCAST MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:12025 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:11422 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
RX bytes:13907076 (13.9 MB) TX bytes:2207427 (2.2 MB)
Before starting, we stop NetworkManager service, otherwise it doesn't let us work:
root@blackbird:~# systemctl stop NetworkManager
And lets start:
root@blackbird:~# iwconfig wlp1s0
wlp1s0 IEEE 802.11 ESSID:off/any
Mode:Managed Access Point: Not-Associated Tx-Power=22 dBm
Retry short limit:7 RTS thr:off Fragment thr:off
Encryption key:off
Power Management:on
root@blackbird:~# iwlist wlp1s0 scan | grep -i essid
ESSID:"BB"
ESSID:"Infra-AP"
ESSID:"MobileBank"
ESSID:"SKYPE"
ESSID:"PORTAL-AP"
ESSID:"DIRECT-88-HP M252 LaserJet"
ESSID:"TP-LINK_M7350_3369C3"
ESSID:"ADV_AP"
ESSID:"Irancell-4G-CA60-781163_1"
ESSID:"Infra-AP"
ESSID:"ADV_AP"
ESSID:"\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00"
ESSID:"Mi Phone"
ESSID:"TP-LINK_6EA880"
ESSID:"Irancell-3G-4G-MF910"
ESSID:"Tramontina-Pars"
ESSID:"Galaxys"
ESSID:"Irancell-4G-CA60-781163_2"
ESSID:"Tramontina_5GHz"
ESSID:"Mabna1"
root@blackbird:~# iwconfig wlp1s0 essid BB
root@blackbird:~# iwconfig wlp1s0
wlp1s0 IEEE 802.11 ESSID:"BB"
Mode:Managed Frequency:2.437 GHz Access Point: CC:9F:7A:E4:76:4D
Bit Rate=72.2 Mb/s Tx-Power=22 dBm
Retry short limit:7 RTS thr:off Fragment thr:off
Encryption key:off
Power Management:on
Link Quality=70/70 Signal level=-31 dBm
Rx invalid nwid:0 Rx invalid crypt:0 Rx invalid frag:0
Tx excessive retries:0 Invalid misc:0 Missed beacon:0
root@blackbird:~# ifconfig wlp1s0
wlp1s0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr e0:94:67:97:3e:2f
inet addr:192.168.43.196 Bcast:192.168.43.255 Mask:255.255.255.0
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:4028 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:4338 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
RX bytes:2305108 (2.3 MB) TX bytes:738104 (738.1 KB)
every thing seems okey except IP Address, so lets try to get an ip address:
root@blackbird:~# dhclient wlp1s0root@blackbird:~# ifconfig wlp1s0
wlp1s0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr e0:94:67:97:3e:2f
inet addr:192.168.43.196 Bcast:192.168.43.255 Mask:255.255.255.0
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:5962 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:6250 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
RX bytes:4291225 (4.2 MB) TX bytes:1215085 (1.2 MB)
root@blackbird:~# ping 8.8.8.8
PING 8.8.8.8 (8.8.8.8) 56(84) bytes of data.
64 bytes from 8.8.8.8: icmp_seq=1 ttl=47 time=181 ms
64 bytes from 8.8.8.8: icmp_seq=2 ttl=47 time=180 ms
^C
--- 8.8.8.8 ping statistics ---
2 packets transmitted, 2 received, 0% packet loss, time 1001ms
rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 180.731/181.264/181.797/0.533 ms
and every thing is working.