Network interfaces are crucial components of any computer system, including those running macOS. They facilitate communication between your computer and other devices over a network. In this article, we'll explore how to manage network interfaces on macOS using built-in tools and commands.

Examples:

1. Viewing Network Interfaces:

   To view all network interfaces on a macOS system, you can use the ifconfig command in the Terminal. This command provides detailed information about each network interface, including its IP address, status, and other configurations.

   ifconfig

   This command will list all available network interfaces along with their current settings.

2. Enabling or Disabling a Network Interface:

   You can enable or disable a network interface using the ifconfig command. For example, to disable the Wi-Fi interface (usually named en0), you can use the following command:

   sudo ifconfig en0 down

   To enable it again, use:

   sudo ifconfig en0 up

3. Configuring a Static IP Address:

   To set a static IP address on a network interface, you can use the networksetup command. For example, to set a static IP address on the Wi-Fi interface, you can use:

   sudo networksetup -setmanual Wi-Fi 192.168.1.100 255.255.255.0 192.168.1.1

   This command sets the IP address to 192.168.1.100, the subnet mask to 255.255.255.0, and the router (gateway) to 192.168.1.1.

4. Renewing a DHCP Lease:

   If your network interface is configured to use DHCP, you might need to renew the lease to obtain a new IP address. You can do this with the ipconfig command:

   sudo ipconfig set en0 DHCP

   This command will renew the DHCP lease for the en0 interface.

5. Checking Network Interface Status:

   To quickly check the status of a specific network interface, you can use:

   ifconfig en0 | grep status

   This command will show whether the interface is active or inactive.