ip-link

TLDR

Show all interfaces

$ ip link

Show specific interface

$ ip link show eth0

Bring interface up/down

$ sudo ip link set eth0 up

Set alias name

$ sudo ip link set eth0 alias "LAN Interface"

Change MAC address

$ sudo ip link set eth0 address ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff

Set MTU size

$ sudo ip link set eth0 mtu 9000

Set promiscuous mode

$ sudo ip link set eth0 promisc on

SYNOPSIS

ip link [command] [OPTIONS]

DESCRIPTION

ip link manages network device configuration including bringing interfaces up/down, setting MAC addresses, MTU, and creating virtual interfaces like bridges, bonds, and VLANs.

PARAMETERS

show [device]

Display interface information

set device

Modify interface properties

add

Create a virtual interface

delete

Remove a virtual interface

up/down

Bring interface up or down

address mac

Set MAC address

mtu bytes

Set Maximum Transmission Unit

alias name

Set interface description

promisc on|off

Enable/disable promiscuous mode

master bridge

Assign interface to a bridge

CAVEATS

Changing MAC address usually requires interface to be down first. Virtual interfaces persist only until reboot unless configured in network configuration files.

HISTORY

ip link is part of iproute2, replacing the deprecated ifconfig command.