3 Ways to Set a Static IP Address in RHEL 8

RHEL 8 (Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8) is a popular Linux-based operating system used by many organizations for their servers and workstations. In RHEL 8, IP (Internet Protocol) addresses can be set dynamically or statically. A dynamic IP address is assigned automatically by a DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server, while a static IP address is manually configured by user. In this article, we will discuss three ways to set a static IP address in RHEL 8.

Using Network Manager GUI

The Network Manager GUI is a graphical user interface that makes it easy to manage network settings, including setting a static IP address. Here are steps to follow −

• Step 1 − Open Network Manager GUI

Click on network icon in system tray (the icon that looks like two arrows pointing up and down). Then click on gear icon to open Network Manager settings.

• Step 2 − Select network interface

In Network Manager settings, select network interface that you want to set a static IP address for. This could be your Ethernet connection or a Wi-Fi connection.

• Step 3 − Click on IPv4 tab

Click on IPv4 tab in Network Manager settings to configure IPv4 settings for selected network interface.

• Step 4 − Select manual method

Under IPv4 tab, select "Manual" method for "Addresses" setting.

• Step 5 − Add static IP address

In "Addresses" section, click on "+" button to add a new IP address. Enter IP address, subnet mask, and gateway address for your network.

• Step 6 − Save changes

Click on "Apply" button to save changes and set static IP address for selected network interface.

Using nmcli Command Line Tool

The nmcli command line tool is a powerful way to manage network settings in RHEL 8. Here are steps to follow −

• Step 1 − Open a terminal window

Open a terminal window by pressing "Ctrl+Alt+T" or by clicking on terminal icon in system tray.

• Step 2 − List available network connections

Run following command to list available network connections −

nmcli connection show

This will show a list of available network connections on your system.

• Step 3 − Select network interface

Run following command to select network interface that you want to set a static IP address for −

nmcli connection modify <interface> ipv4.method manual

Replace "<interface>" with name of network interface that you want to configure. For example, if you want to configure your Ethernet connection, command would be −

nmcli connection modify eth0 ipv4.method manual

• Step 4 − Add static IP address

Run following command to add static IP address −

nmcli connection modify <interface> ipv4.addresses <ip_address>/<subnet_mask> <gateway_address>

Replace "<interface>" with name of network interface that you want to configure. Replace "<ip_address>" with static IP address that you want to set. Replace "<subnet_mask>" with subnet mask for your network. Replace "<gateway_address>" with gateway address for your network

For example, if you want to set IP address to "192.168.1.100", subnet mask to "255.255.255.0", and gateway address to "192.168.1.1", command would be −

nmcli connection modify eth0 ipv4.addresses 192.168.1.100/24 192.168.1.1

• Step 5 − Set DNS server

Run following command to set DNS server for network interface −

nmcli connection modify <interface> ipv4.dns <dns_server>

Replace "<interface>" with name of network interface that you want to configure. Replace "<dns_server>" with IP address of your DNS server.

For example, if your DNS server's IP address is "8.8.8.8", command would be −

nmcli connection modify eth0 ipv4.dns 8.8.8.8

• Step 6 − Save changes

Run following command to save changes −

nmcli connection up <interface>

Replace "<interface>" with name of network interface that you configured. For example, if you configured your Ethernet connection, command would be −

nmcli connection up eth0

Using Network-scripts Configuration Files

The network-scripts configuration files are a set of files that define network interface configurations in RHEL 8. Here are steps to follow −

• Step 1 − Open network-scripts directory

Open network-scripts directory by running following command −

cd /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/

• Step 2 − Edit network interface configuration file

Run following command to edit network interface configuration file −

sudo nano ifcfg-<interface>

Replace "<interface>" with name of network interface that you want to configure. For example, if you want to configure your Ethernet connection, command would be −

sudo nano ifcfg-eth0

• Step 3 − Set static IP address

Add following lines to configuration file −

BOOTPROTO=none
IPADDR=<ip_address>
NETMASK=<subnet_mask>
GATEWAY=<gateway_address>
DNS1=<dns_server>

Replace "<ip_address>" with static IP address that you want to set. Replace "<subnet_mask>" with subnet mask for your network. Replace "<gateway_address>" with gateway address for your network. Replace "<dns_server>" with IP address of your DNS server.

For example, if you want to set IP address to "192.168.1.100", subnet mask to "255.255.255.0", gateway address to "192.168.1.1", and DNS server to "8.8.8.8", configuration file would look like this −

BOOTPROTO=none
IPADDR=192.168.1.100
NETMASK=255.255.255.0
GATEWAY=192.168.1.1
DNS1=8.8.8.8

• Step 4 − Save changes

Save changes to configuration file and exit text editor.

• Step 5 − Restart network service

Run following command to restart network service −

sudo systemctl restart network

Conclusion

In this article, we have discussed three ways to set a static IP address in RHEL 8. Network Manager GUI provides an easy-to-use graphical interface for configuring network settings, while nmcli command line tool and network-scripts configuration files provide more advanced options for configuring network interfaces. By following steps outlined in this article, you can set a static IP address in RHEL 8 to ensure that your system has a consistent and reliable network connection.