Gentoo Archives: gentoo-user

From: Randy Barlow <randy@×××××××××××××××××.com>
To: gentoo-user@l.g.o
Subject: [gentoo-user] Another Network Management Utility: netctl
Date: Thu, 19 Dec 2013 16:24:02
Message-Id: 1387470222.21016.46.camel@where.rdu.redhat.com
1 Heyo!
2
3 I saw some of the recent threads about NetworkManager and other
4 alternatives, and I wanted to share about one I tried and have liked so
5 far: netctl[0]. It is specifically designed for systemd by ArchLinux, so
6 if you are using a different init system, sorry for the noise in your
7 inbox :)
8
9 It has very nice and easy to use config files that you can generate to
10 describe your network interfaces and their configs. For example, I have
11 an internal bridge interface that I configure like this:
12
13 Description="br0"
14 Interface=br0
15 Connection=bridge
16 BindsToInterfaces=(enp4s0)
17 IP=static
18 IP6=static
19 Address=('192.168.25.1/24')
20 Address6=('1234:567:8:9ab::c/64 nodad')
21 SkipForwardingDelay=yes
22
23 Once you've defined your interface files (one config per interface), you
24 simply type:
25
26 # netctl enable <file/interface name>
27
28 This ends up generating the appropriate systemd unit files for you and
29 enabling them. It's so easy and intuitive, so I thought it would be
30 worth sharing with the other systemd users out there. I have a slightly
31 "different than normal" network config[1], and I found it to be
32 difficult to figure out how to do what I wanted with NetworkManager. I'm
33 confident that it is possible with NM, but it was taking me too long to
34 learn how to do it, and during my searching I learned about netctl and
35 it looked easier to me.
36
37 Only downside so far is that it is still masked[2], so if you don't like
38 running unstable packages you'll have to wait.
39
40 [0] https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/netctl
41 [1] It's not that complicated, but I've got a tunnelbroker.net virtual
42 interface, a DHCP'd WAN interface, and a bridge interface with a few
43 virtual nics and one real nic attached. I never really got it all
44 working with NM, though I can't remember for sure which pieces were
45 difficult (probably the tunnel?)
46 [2] https://packages.gentoo.org/package/net-misc/netctl
47
48 --
49 Randy Barlow

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