Is there a command to know what software is currently either handling/managing the network?

Shell Scripting & Linux Command Line
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Hello Friends

Is there a command in Linux in general to know what software is currently either handling or managing the Network of the OS? It mostly for a server environment

For the current moment for purposes to set a static ip for a server environment:

But assuming it if is unknown or for some reason it is changed due any of the following reasons:

  • The next release changed the tool (new technology)
  • It was changed manually to other technology for any reason (if it is possible)

Furthermore consider the scenario if the server is an old release and thus it could be working with an old release of the network software manager. Therefore the current technology either could not exist or was not applied yet

Thank You

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Hi Manuel,
That is quite an ask… there are many possible network management tools.
I doubt if there is a single command, but we may be able to develop a flowsheet of tests
Does anyone want to try?

Regards
Neville

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Hello Neville!

As usual thank you for the polite reply (and quick!)

In that case. Is there an official source in Linux where all the tools of that category are listed?

Thus would be possible test “each service” as sudo systemctl status <servicename>

Thanks

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Try apt-cache search network

The closest thing to a tool would be to search with ps ax <daemonname>
but
you need to know the daemonnames to search for.
Here are some

  • NetworkManager
  • connman
  • dhcpcd
  • netifrc
  • I dont know the name of the netplan daemon
  • ifupdown does not have a daemon
  • wikd

Can anyone add to this list?

Yes, I do not know systemd
but
some non systemd distros, like MX and Antix, have a gui where you can inspect services available and running… but it would miss those not installed… you need apt for that.

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Thanks for the reply

Is clear that exists a range or branches about these tools but few at the same time … of course it is subjective

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Did you see the bit I added to my last reply?

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The latest update … thanks …

I am assuming they have a similar or equivalent command as systemctl.

Just in case, in these 3 OS mentioned the systemctl command works fine.
Any distro based with Devuan is an exception

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Not necessarily - as I mentioned in another thread - sometimes Ubuntu will use Netplan YAML files for configuration - but point straight back at NetworkManager with : e.g. :

eth0:
  renderer: NetworkManager

This means - netplan has the configuration - but that config refers that straight back to NetworkManager…

One way to check if NetworkManager is running :

sudo systemctl status NetworkManager

I agree it’s a convoluted system and confusing…

Also - with Red Hat 9 (and maybe later versions of Fedora) - even on a headless server - they exclusively use NetworkManager with its ugly config files - previously Red Hat used simple, easy to manage, config files for each NIC e.g.
/etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcg-eth0
(also - same / similar on CentOS and Oracle Linux and probably other EL7 based RPM distros)

How easy is that? But no that’s too easy (sic) - now we’re (Red Hat) going to make you use ugly NetworkManager configurations - and probably force you to use “nmtui” to manage them - and - “nmtui” behaves VERY badly over virtual serial console (e.g. in AWS EC2) - so good luck with something as simple as cutting over from using DHCP to host assigned static IP addressing!

I once tried to edit / configure a NIC device setting on RHEL9 editing files in /etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/ and it didn’t work… What a mess! Why? It was SO SIMPLE BEFORE!

Before (e.g. RHEL7 and earlier - RHEL8 can do both - but not RHEL9!) :

DEVICE=eth0
BOOTPROTO=none
ONBOOT=yes
NETMASK=255.255.255.0
IPADDR=10.0.1.27
USERCTL=no

Now it’s (in /etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/ with some arbitrary dumb sounding file name like “Wired Connection Blah Blah.nmconnection” (with actual SPACES!) :

[connection]
id=Wired connection 10
uuid=8d1aa48d-fa5b-3e79-b2bb-ce9555f113be
type=ethernet
autoconnect-priority=-999
interface-name=eth0

[ethernet]

[ipv4]
address1=10.0.1.27/24
method=manual

[ipv6]
addr-gen-mode=stable-privacy
method=auto

[proxy]

(and this implies you know CIDR notation! I do kinda know CIDR, but sometimes have to break out ipcalc to figure something out)

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NM is too sophisticated for a home computer
I have tried a few options, and the one I like is dhcpcd… you can configure it in a single .conf file.
If you dont like that, go back to ifupdown… ie configure /etc/network/interfaces file.

My 2 cents on “Making Linux Simple Again”

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Thanks to all for the replies

Dan

Not necessarily - as I mentioned in another thread

Yes, I remember that … it is in todo list to reply all the other posts too. Time is very tight in these days

eth0:
renderer: NetworkManager

It is the reason about why I wrote the It was changed manually to other technology for any reason (if it is possible) sentence. And thanks for that very important point. I am going to take that approach.

I agree it’s a convoluted system and confusing…

+1.

To be honest. I thought that in this point of time in Linux should exists a command should indicate what is the tool handling/managing the network itself

Also - with Red Hat 9 (and maybe later versions of Fedora) - even on a headless server - they exclusively use NetworkManager with its ugly config files

I’ve configured 3 instances through VirtualBox of Fedora Server 41 with NetworkManager through the nmcli command in peace. No specific file was used. So I am assuming there is a special scenario (perhaps more) where a file should be edited.

so good luck with something as simple as cutting over from using DHCP to host assigned static IP addressing!

I did configure the static IP in peace with the nmcli command and zero problems. And again in 3 different instances. That’s why I am playing with Debian and Ubuntu to work with NetworkManager too

About Red Hat consider the following link. It is valuable and you can select the version. Current and latest release is 9

Now it’s (in /etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/

I remember that path directory, each file located there represents a connection. And for each file, its content is a consequence of the nmcli connection command.

with some arbitrary dumb sounding file name like “Wired Connection Blah Blah.nmconnection ” (with actual SPACES!) :

I remember that file being generated in Debian 12 Desktop in a direct installation and even through VirtualBox. Wondered why that name resolution.

Do you know you can change the name of the connection? If I am not wrong with the nmcli connection modify ... command and later use the nmcli connection down ... and nmcli connection up ... commands.

(and this implies you know CIDR notation! I do kinda know CIDR, but sometimes have to break out ipcalc to figure something out)

Again the content of the files being each one a connection is a direct consequence of the nmcli execution. I only use the file(s) to see and understand better what was generated.

Even if you can edit manually the files use the nmcli command because any attempt of the command with invalid data is immediately reported

Neville

NM is too sophisticated for a home computer

I like its command syntax and the help argument is well done for each command too. device, connection etc.

you can configure it in a single .conf file.

Do you mean the files located in the other directories (.d) available within the /etc/NetworkManager directory?

Thanks to all

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No. I mean dhcpcd has a single config file /etc/dhcpcd.conf and every interface can be configured there. You edit the file…there is no gui, and nothing like nmcli. They are unnecessary layers of complication.

To use dhcpcd you disable NM and make sure the daemon dhcpcd is enabled.

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Thanks for the explanation

I am going to see how portable it is among some distributions.

Thank You

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There is also the ifupdown system… the original Unix system… it is portable even to BSD…
To configure it you edit /etc/network/interfaces
There is a frontend dhcpcd-ui which I have never used.

With either dhcpcd or ifupdown, if you have wireless interfaces you also have to edit /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf

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Thanks for the feedback

FYI since Ubuntu 18.04 the /etc/network/interfaces file does not exist anymore, it was replaced by Netplan

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I think you could always install the package. I think the Debian repo would always have the package.

You make your own choice. I am just telling you what is available. You dont have to use complicated network managers, but you can if that is your preference.

Most DE’s also have a Settings → Advanced Networking gui and you can usually get what you want with that, without even knowing what is underneath it.

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I think you could always install the package

Pls could you tell me what package should be installed to work with the /etc/network/interfaces file?

I think the Debian repo would always have the package.

Yes, It is correct. I confirmed that

You make your own choice. I am just telling you what is available. You dont have to use complicated network managers, but you can if that is your preference.

Agree, but I am doing some experiments for many distro through VirtualBox. Therefore all is working in isolated environments.

Most DE’s also have a Settings → Advanced Networking gui and you can usually get what you want with that, wuthout evdn knowing what is underneath it.

Yes, but remember I am working with a Server environment

Just in case

The following command was valuable:

systemctl list-unit-files | grep net

Credits to mrmazda at other network:

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I think the package is called ifupdown. I will check.
Yes that is it

This looks like a reasonable help doc

https://techdocs.akamai.com/cloud-computing/docs/network-configuration-using-ifupdown

I never considered inxi
It seems useful.

OK. You want the CLI tools.

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Thanks for the reply and information

BTW, the key command was: systemctl list-unit-files | grep net

The inxi -S command show some stats of the OS itself, no about networking

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dhcpcd is the main network config on Raspbian (Debian from Raspberry Pi Foundation) 9 “stretch” - with Debian 10, 11 and 12 - they’ve switched over to default to NetworkManager… This is a backwards step IMHO… but this instance of Raspbian stretch is my only system using dhcpcd (that acronym is VERY confusing!) - and I always ended up scratch my head trying to figure where or how it’s configured.

All this Pi3 running “stretch” does is stream free-to-air TV from a tuner via the TVHeadEnd daemon service…

All of this stuff making things LESS SIMPLE is so annoying! I do agree with @nevj that SystemD is a retrograde step - but I use it all the time and it’s the default for ALL the Linux servers I manage for my job - doesn’t mean I like it…

Same goes for network configuration - why MAKE IT MORE COMPLEX???

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I agree.
So far, all attempts to make network config easier have failed. They make it worse.

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