GNU/Linux Network Configuration Adding IP to an interface
Example
An IP address to an interface could be obtained via DHCP or Static assignment
DHCP
If you are connected to a network with a DHCP server running, dhclient command can get an IP address for your interface
$ dhclient <interface>
or alternatively, you could make a change to the /etc/network/interfaces file for the interface to be brought up on boot and obtain DHCP IP
auto eth0
iface eth0 inet dhcp
Static configuration(Permanent Change) using /etc/network/interfaces file
If you want to statically configure the interface settings(permanent change), you could do so in the /etc/network/interfaces file.
Example:
auto eth0 # Bring up the interface on boot
iface eth0 inet static
address 10.10.70.10
netmask 255.255.0.0
gateway 10.10.1.1
dns-nameservers 10.10.1.20
dns-nameservers 10.10.1.30
These changes persist even after system reboot.
Static configuration(Temporary change) using ifconfig utility
A static IP address could be added to an interface using the ifconfig utility as follows
$ ifconfig <interface> <ip-address>/<mask> up
Example:
$ ifconfig eth0 10.10.50.100/16 up
