systemd.linksystemdsystemd.link5systemd.linkNetwork device configurationlink.linkDescriptionA plain ini-style text file that encodes configuration for matching network devices, used by
systemd-udevd8 and in
particular its net_setup_link builtin. See
systemd.syntax7 for a
general description of the syntax.The link files are read from the files located in the system
network directory /usr/lib/systemd/network,
the volatile runtime network directory
/run/systemd/network, and the local
administration network directory
/etc/systemd/network. Link files must have
the extension .link; other extensions are
ignored. All link files are collectively sorted and processed in
lexical order, regardless of the directories in which they live.
However, files with identical filenames replace each other. Files
in /etc/ have the highest priority, files in
/run/ take precedence over files with the same
name in /usr/lib/. This can be used to
override a system-supplied link file with a local file if needed.
As a special case, an empty file (file size 0) or symlink with the
same name pointing to /dev/null disables the
configuration file entirely (it is "masked").The link file contains a [Match] section, which determines if a given link file may be applied to a
given device, as well as a [Link] section specifying how the device should be configured. The first (in
lexical order) of the link files that matches a given device is applied. Note that a default file
99-default.link is shipped by the system. Any user-supplied
.link should hence have a lexically earlier name to be considered at all.See udevadm8 for
diagnosing problems with .link files.[Match] Section OptionsA link file is said to match a device if all matches specified by the
[Match] section are satisfied. When a link file does not contain valid settings
in [Match] section, then the file will match all devices and
systemd-udevd warns about that. Hint: to avoid the warning and to make it clear
that all interfaces shall be matched, add the following:
OriginalName=*
The following keys are accepted:MACAddress=A whitespace-separated list of hardware addresses. Use full colon-, hyphen- or dot-delimited hexadecimal. See the example below.
This option may appear more than once, in which case the lists are merged. If the empty string is assigned to this option, the list
of hardware addresses defined prior to this is reset.Example:
MACAddress=01:23:45:67:89:ab 00-11-22-33-44-55 AABB.CCDD.EEFFPermanentMACAddress=A whitespace-separated list of hardware's permanent addresses. While
MACAddress= matches the device's current MAC address, this matches the
device's permanent MAC address, which may be different from the current one. Use full
colon-, hyphen- or dot-delimited hexadecimal. This option may appear more than once, in
which case the lists are merged. If the empty string is assigned to this option, the list
of hardware addresses defined prior to this is reset.Path=A whitespace-separated list of shell-style globs matching
the persistent path, as exposed by the udev property
ID_PATH.Driver=A whitespace-separated list of shell-style globs matching the driver currently bound to the
device, as exposed by the udev property ID_NET_DRIVER of its parent device, or
if that is not set, the driver as exposed by ethtool -i of the device itself.
If the list is prefixed with a "!", the test is inverted.Type=A whitespace-separated list of shell-style globs matching the device type, as exposed by
networkctl status. If the list is prefixed with a "!", the test is inverted.
Property=A whitespace-separated list of udev property name with its value after a equal
(=). If multiple properties are specified, the test results are ANDed.
If the list is prefixed with a "!", the test is inverted. If a value contains white
spaces, then please quote whole key and value pair. If a value contains quotation, then
please escape the quotation with \.Example: if a .link file has the following:
Property=ID_MODEL_ID=9999 "ID_VENDOR_FROM_DATABASE=vendor name" "KEY=with \"quotation\""
then, the .link file matches only when an interface has all the above three properties.
OriginalName=A whitespace-separated list of shell-style globs matching the device name, as exposed by the
udev property "INTERFACE". This cannot be used to match on names that have already been changed
from userspace. Caution is advised when matching on kernel-assigned names, as they are known to be
unstable between reboots.Host=Matches against the hostname or machine ID of the host. See ConditionHost= in
systemd.unit5
for details. When prefixed with an exclamation mark (!), the result is negated.
If an empty string is assigned, then previously assigned value is cleared.
Virtualization=Checks whether the system is executed in a virtualized environment and optionally test
whether it is a specific implementation. See ConditionVirtualization= in
systemd.unit5
for details. When prefixed with an exclamation mark (!), the result is negated.
If an empty string is assigned, then previously assigned value is cleared.
KernelCommandLine=Checks whether a specific kernel command line option is set. See
ConditionKernelCommandLine= in
systemd.unit5
for details. When prefixed with an exclamation mark (!), the result is negated.
If an empty string is assigned, then previously assigned value is cleared.
KernelVersion=Checks whether the kernel version (as reported by uname -r) matches a certain
expression. See ConditionKernelVersion= in
systemd.unit5 for
details. When prefixed with an exclamation mark (!), the result is negated.
If an empty string is assigned, then previously assigned value is cleared.
Architecture=Checks whether the system is running on a specific architecture. See
ConditionArchitecture= in
systemd.unit5
for details. When prefixed with an exclamation mark (!), the result is negated.
If an empty string is assigned, then previously assigned value is cleared.
[Link] Section OptionsThe [Link] section accepts the following
keys:Description=A description of the device.Alias=The ifalias interface property is set to this value.MACAddressPolicy=The policy by which the MAC address should be set. The
available policies are:
If the hardware has a persistent MAC address, as
most hardware should, and if it is used by the kernel,
nothing is done. Otherwise, a new MAC address is
generated which is guaranteed to be the same on every
boot for the given machine and the given device, but
which is otherwise random. This feature depends on ID_NET_NAME_*
properties to exist for the link. On hardware where these
properties are not set, the generation of a persistent MAC address
will fail.If the kernel is using a random MAC address,
nothing is done. Otherwise, a new address is randomly
generated each time the device appears, typically at
boot. Either way, the random address will have the
unicast and
locally administered bits set.Keeps the MAC address assigned by the kernel. Or use the MAC address specified in
MACAddress=.An empty string assignment is equivalent to setting none.MACAddress=The interface MAC address to use. For this setting to take effect,
MACAddressPolicy= must either be unset, empty, or none.
NamePolicy=An ordered, space-separated list of policies by which the interface name should be set.
NamePolicy= may be disabled by specifying on the
kernel command line. Each of the policies may fail, and the first successful one is used. The name
is not set directly, but is exported to udev as the property , which
is, by default, used by a
udev7,
rule to set NAME. The available policies are:
If the kernel claims that the name it has set
for a device is predictable, then no renaming is
performed.The name is set based on entries in the udev's
Hardware Database with the key
ID_NET_NAME_FROM_DATABASE.
The name is set based on information given by
the firmware for on-board devices, as exported by the
udev property ID_NET_NAME_ONBOARD.
See systemd.net-naming-scheme7.
The name is set based on information given by
the firmware for hot-plug devices, as exported by the
udev property ID_NET_NAME_SLOT.
See systemd.net-naming-scheme7.
The name is set based on the device's physical
location, as exported by the udev property
ID_NET_NAME_PATH.
See systemd.net-naming-scheme7.
The name is set based on the device's persistent
MAC address, as exported by the udev property
ID_NET_NAME_MAC.
See systemd.net-naming-scheme7.
If the device already had a name given by userspace (as part of creation of the device
or a rename), keep it.Name=The interface name to use. This option has lower precedence than
NamePolicy=, so for this setting to take effect, NamePolicy=
must either be unset, empty, disabled, or all policies configured there must fail. Also see the
example below with Name=dmz0.Note that specifying a name that the kernel might use for another
interface (for example eth0) is dangerous because the
name assignment done by udev will race with the assignment done by the
kernel, and only one interface may use the name. Depending on the order of
operations, either udev or the kernel will win, making the naming
unpredictable. It is best to use some different prefix, for example
internal0/external0 or
lan0/lan1/lan3.
AlternativeNamesPolicy=A space-separated list of policies by which the interface's alternative names
should be set. Each of the policies may fail, and all successful policies are used. The
available policies are database, onboard,
slot, path, and mac. If the
kernel does not support the alternative names, then this setting will be ignored.
AlternativeName=The alternative interface name to use. This option can be specified multiple times.
If the empty string is assigned to this option, the list is reset, and all prior assignments
have no effect. If the kernel does not support the alternative names, then this setting will
be ignored.TxQueueLength=Specifies the transmit queue length of the device in number of packets. An unsigned integer
in the range 0..4294967294. When unset, the kernel's default will be used.MTUBytes=The maximum transmission unit in bytes to set for the
device. The usual suffixes K, M, G, are supported and are
understood to the base of 1024.BitsPerSecond=The speed to set for the device, the value is rounded
down to the nearest Mbps. The usual suffixes K, M, G, are
supported and are understood to the base of 1000.Duplex=The duplex mode to set for the device. The accepted values are and
.AutoNegotiation=Takes a boolean. If set to yes, automatic negotiation of transmission parameters is enabled.
Autonegotiation is a procedure by which two connected ethernet devices choose
common transmission parameters, such as speed, duplex mode, and flow control.
When unset, the kernel's default will be used.Note that if autonegotiation is enabled, speed and duplex settings are
read-only. If autonegotiation is disabled, speed and duplex settings are writable
if the driver supports multiple link modes.WakeOnLan=The Wake-on-LAN policy to set for the device. The
supported values are:Wake on PHY activity.Wake on unicast messages.Wake on multicast messages.Wake on broadcast messages.Wake on ARP.Wake on receipt of a magic packet.
Enable secureon(tm) password for MagicPacket(tm).
Never wake.Defaults to .Port=The port option is used to select the device port. The
supported values are:An Ethernet interface using Twisted-Pair cable as the medium.Attachment Unit Interface (AUI). Normally used with hubs.
An Ethernet interface using BNC connectors and co-axial cable.An Ethernet interface using a Media Independent Interface (MII).An Ethernet interface using Optical Fibre as the medium.Advertise=This sets what speeds and duplex modes of operation are advertised for auto-negotiation.
This implies AutoNegotiation=yes. The supported values are:
By default this is unset, i.e. all possible modes will be advertised.
This option may be specified more than once, in which case all specified speeds and modes are advertised.
If the empty string is assigned to this option, the list is reset, and all prior assignments have no effect.
ReceiveChecksumOffload=Takes a boolean. If set to true, the hardware offload for checksumming of ingress
network packets is enabled. When unset, the kernel's default will be used.TransmitChecksumOffload=Takes a boolean. If set to true, the hardware offload for checksumming of egress
network packets is enabled. When unset, the kernel's default will be used.TCPSegmentationOffload=Takes a boolean. If set to true, the TCP Segmentation Offload (TSO) is enabled.
When unset, the kernel's default will be used.TCP6SegmentationOffload=Takes a boolean. If set to true, the TCP6 Segmentation Offload (tx-tcp6-segmentation) is enabled.
When unset, the kernel's default will be used.GenericSegmentationOffload=Takes a boolean. If set to true, the Generic Segmentation Offload (GSO) is enabled.
When unset, the kernel's default will be used.GenericReceiveOffload=Takes a boolean. If set to true, the Generic Receive Offload (GRO) is enabled.
When unset, the kernel's default will be used.LargeReceiveOffload=Takes a boolean. If set to true, the Large Receive Offload (LRO) is enabled.
When unset, the kernel's default will be used.RxChannels=Sets the number of receive channels (a number between 1 and 4294967295) .TxChannels=Sets the number of transmit channels (a number between 1 and 4294967295).OtherChannels=Sets the number of other channels (a number between 1 and 4294967295).CombinedChannels=Sets the number of combined set channels (a number between 1 and 4294967295).RxBufferSize=Takes an integer. Specifies the maximum number of pending packets in the NIC receive buffer.
When unset, the kernel's default will be used.RxMiniBufferSize=Takes an integer. Specifies the maximum number of pending packets in the NIC mini receive buffer.
When unset, the kernel's default will be used.RxJumboBufferSize=Takes an integer. Specifies the maximum number of pending packets in the NIC jumbo receive buffer.
When unset, the kernel's default will be used.TxBufferSize=Takes an integer. Specifies the maximum number of pending packets in the NIC transmit buffer.
When unset, the kernel's default will be used.RxFlowControl=Takes a boolean. When set, enables the receive flow control, also known as the ethernet
receive PAUSE message (generate and send ethernet PAUSE frames). When unset, the kernel's
default will be used.TxFlowControl=Takes a boolean. When set, enables the transmit flow control, also known as the ethernet
transmit PAUSE message (respond to received ethernet PAUSE frames). When unset, the kernel's
default will be used.AutoNegotiationFlowControl=Takes a boolean. When set, the auto negotiation enables the interface to exchange state
advertisements with the connected peer so that the two devices can agree on the ethernet
PAUSE configuration. When unset, the kernel's default will be used.GenericSegmentOffloadMaxBytes=Specifies the maximum size of a Generic Segment Offload (GSO) packet the
device should accept. The usual suffixes K, M, G, are supported and are
understood to the base of 1024. An unsigned integer in the range 1—65536.
Defaults to unset.GenericSegmentOffloadMaxSegments=Specifies the maximum number of a Generic Segment Offload (GSO) segments the device should accept.
An unsigned integer in the range 1—65535. Defaults to unset.Examples/usr/lib/systemd/network/99-default.linkThe link file 99-default.link that is
shipped with systemd defines the default naming policy for
links.[Link]
NamePolicy=kernel database onboard slot path
MACAddressPolicy=persistent/etc/systemd/network/10-dmz.linkThis example assigns the fixed name dmz0 to the interface with the MAC address
00:a0:de:63:7a:e6:[Match]
MACAddress=00:a0:de:63:7a:e6
[Link]
Name=dmz0NamePolicy= is not set, so Name= takes effect. We use the
10- prefix to order this file early in the list. Note that it needs to be before
99-link, i.e. it needs a numerical prefix, to have any effect at all.Debugging NamePolicy= assignments$ sudo SYSTEMD_LOG_LEVEL=debug udevadm test-builtin net_setup_link /sys/class/net/hub0
…
Parsed configuration file /usr/lib/systemd/network/99-default.link
Parsed configuration file /etc/systemd/network/10-eth0.link
ID_NET_DRIVER=cdc_ether
Config file /etc/systemd/network/10-eth0.link applies to device hub0
link_config: autonegotiation is unset or enabled, the speed and duplex are not writable.
hub0: Device has name_assign_type=4
Using default interface naming scheme 'v240'.
hub0: Policies didn't yield a name, using specified Name=hub0.
ID_NET_LINK_FILE=/etc/systemd/network/10-eth0.link
ID_NET_NAME=hub0
…Explicit Name= configuration wins in this case.sudo SYSTEMD_LOG_LEVEL=debug udevadm test-builtin net_setup_link /sys/class/net/enp0s31f6
…
Parsed configuration file /usr/lib/systemd/network/99-default.link
Parsed configuration file /etc/systemd/network/10-eth0.link
Created link configuration context.
ID_NET_DRIVER=e1000e
Config file /usr/lib/systemd/network/99-default.link applies to device enp0s31f6
link_config: autonegotiation is unset or enabled, the speed and duplex are not writable.
enp0s31f6: Device has name_assign_type=4
Using default interface naming scheme 'v240'.
enp0s31f6: Policy *keep*: keeping existing userspace name
enp0s31f6: Device has addr_assign_type=0
enp0s31f6: MAC on the device already matches policy *persistent*
ID_NET_LINK_FILE=/usr/lib/systemd/network/99-default.link
…
In this case, the interface was already renamed, so the policy specified as
the first option in 99-default.link means that the existing name is
preserved. If was removed, or if were in boot before the renaming has happened,
we might get the following instead:enp0s31f6: Policy *path* yields "enp0s31f6".
enp0s31f6: Device has addr_assign_type=0
enp0s31f6: MAC on the device already matches policy *persistent*
ID_NET_LINK_FILE=/usr/lib/systemd/network/99-default.link
ID_NET_NAME=enp0s31f6
…
Please note that the details of output are subject to change./etc/systemd/network/10-internet.linkThis example assigns the fixed name
internet0 to the interface with the device
path pci-0000:00:1a.0-*:[Match]
Path=pci-0000:00:1a.0-*
[Link]
Name=internet0/etc/systemd/network/25-wireless.linkHere's an overly complex example that shows the use of a large number of [Match] and [Link] settings.[Match]
MACAddress=12:34:56:78:9a:bc
Driver=brcmsmac
Path=pci-0000:02:00.0-*
Type=wlan
Virtualization=no
Host=my-laptop
Architecture=x86-64
[Link]
Name=wireless0
MTUBytes=1450
BitsPerSecond=10M
WakeOnLan=magic
MACAddress=cb:a9:87:65:43:21See Alsosystemd-udevd.service8,
udevadm8,
systemd.netdev5,
systemd.network5