Managing Linux NetworkManager

NetworkManager is a versatile tool for managing network interfaces and connections on Linux. It is part of the default installation. Depending on your requirements, you can start, stop, enable, and disable it.

Linux uses the systemctl command to manage services. It supports many options. Some important options are the following.

Let's use the above options to manage the NetworkManager service.

Viewing or checking the current state of the NetworkManager service

The following command prints the current state of NetworkManager.

#systemctl status NetworkManager

If the output shows 'Active: active (running)', the service is up and running.

If the output shows 'Active: inactive (dead)', the service is down and not running.

Stopping the NetworkManager service

The following command stops the NetworkManager service.

#systemctl stop NetworkManager

Starting the NetworkManager service

The following command starts the NetworkManager service.

#systemctl start NetworkManager

Enabling the NetworkManager service

The following command enables the NetworkManager service at boot time.

#systemctl enable NetworkManager

Disabling the NetworkManager

The following command disables the NetworkManager service at boot time.

#systemctl disable NetworkManager

Conclusion

NetworkManager is the default interface and connection management service on Linux. It automatically detects and assigns configurations to interfaces. You can use the systemctl command to check its current state and start, stop, enable, and disable it at the boot time. Understanding how to manage NetworkManager effectively ensures smoother network operations and adaptability to various network environments, making it a fundamental component of Linux administration.