plipconfig

plipconfig device [hwaddress] [protocoladdress] [protocolmask] [pointtopointaddress] [windowsize]

device
    The name of the PLIP interface (e.g., plip0).

hwaddress
    The hardware address (MAC address) of the interface. This is often not required for PLIP.

protocoladdress
    The IP address to assign to the interface.

protocolmask
    The netmask for the IP address (e.g., 255.255.255.0).

pointtopointaddress
    The IP address of the remote host for a point-to-point connection.

windowsize
    The window size for PLIP data transfer. Defaults to 7 if not specified.

The plipconfig command is a Linux utility used to configure network interfaces using the Parallel Line Internet Protocol (PLIP).

PLIP allows networking between two computers directly connected via their parallel ports. plipconfig allows setting the device name, hardware address, protocol address, protocol mask, point-to-point protocol address, and window size for a PLIP interface. It is primarily useful in older systems or embedded devices where network cards might be unavailable or impractical. It configures the PLIP interface with the specified parameters, enabling communication between the machines. It is important to note that PLIP is significantly slower than Ethernet or Wi-Fi and is rarely used in modern networks.

PLIP is very slow compared to modern network technologies and is rarely used.
It requires a direct parallel port connection between two computers.
Its usefulness is limited to older systems lacking Ethernet capabilities.

To configure the plip0 interface with the IP address 192.168.0.1, netmask 255.255.255.0, and point-to-point address 192.168.0.2, you would use:
plipconfig plip0 192.168.0.1 255.255.255.0 192.168.0.2

PLIP emerged as a simple way to network computers lacking Ethernet. plipconfig was created to manage the configuration of these PLIP interfaces. Its usage peaked in the mid-1990s with the widespread adoption of PCs but has declined sharply with the ubiquity of Ethernet and Wi-Fi.

ifconfig(8), route(8), ip(8)