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ipconfig

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ipconfig
Developer(s)Microsoft, ReactOS Contributors, Apple Inc.
Operating systemMicrosoft Windows, ReactOS, macOS
TypeCommand
LicenseMicrosoft Windows: Proprietary commercial software
ReactOS: GNU General Public License

In computing, ipconfig (internet protocol configuration) is a console application of some operating systems that displays all current TCP/IP network configuration values and refresh Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) and Domain Name System (DNS) settings.[1]

Implementations

The command is available in Microsoft Windows, ReactOS, and in Apple macOS. The ReactOS version was developed by Ged Murphy and is licensed under the GPL.[2]

Microsoft Windows, ReactOS

The ipconfig command supports the command-line switch /all. This results in more detailed information than ipconfig alone.

An important additional feature of ipconfig is to force refreshing of the DHCP IP address of the host computer to request a different IP address. This is done using two commands in sequence. First, ipconfig /release is executed to force the client to immediately give up its lease by sending the server a DHCP release notification which updates the server's status information and marks the old client's IP address as "available". Then, the command ipconfig /renew is executed to request a new IP address.[3][4] Where a computer is connected to a cable or DSL modem, it may have to be plugged directly into the modem network port to bypass the router, before using ipconfig /release and turning off the power for a period of time, to ensure that the old IP address is taken by another computer.[5]

The /flushdns parameter can be used to clear the Domain Name System (DNS) cache to ensure future requests use fresh DNS information by forcing hostnames to be resolved again from scratch.[6]

Apple macOS

ipconfig in Mac OS X serves as a wrapper to the IPConfiguration agent, and can be used to control the Bootstrap Protocol and DHCP client from the command-line interface.[7] Like most Unix-based operating systems, Mac OS X also uses ifconfig for more direct control over network interfaces, such as configuring static IP addresses.

See also

References

Further reading

  • Frisch, Æleen (2001). Windows 2000 Commands Pocket Reference. O'Reilly. ISBN 978-0-596-00148-3.
  • Stanek, William R. (2008). Windows Command-Line Administrator's Pocket Consultant, 2nd Edition. Microsoft Press. ISBN 978-0735622623.
  • Barrett, Daniel J. (2012). Macintosh Terminal Pocket Guide: Take Command of Your Mac. O'Reilly. ISBN 978-1449328986.