2.2.5. Configuring a Wired (Ethernet) Connection
To configure a wired network connection, press the Super key to enter the Activities Overview, type control network and then press Enter. The Network settings tool appears.
Select the Wired network interface from the left-hand-side menu if it is not already highlighted.
The system creates and configures a single wired connection profile called Wired by default. A profile is a named collection of settings that can be applied to an interface. More than one profile can be created for an interface and applied as needed. The default profile cannot be deleted but its settings can be changed. You can edit the default Wired profile by clicking the gear wheel icon. You can create a new wired connection profile by clicking the Add Profile button. Connection profiles associated with a selected interface are shown on the right-hand side menu.
When you add a new connection by clicking the Add Profile button, NetworkManager creates a new configuration file for that connection and then opens the same dialog that is used for editing an existing connection. The difference between these dialogs is that an existing connection profile has a Details and Reset menu entry. In effect, you are always editing a connection profile; the difference only lies in whether that connection previously existed or was just created by NetworkManager when you clicked Add Profile.
Configuring the Connection Name, Auto-Connect Behavior, and Availability Settings
Many settings in the Editing dialog are common to all connection types, see the Identity view if using the GNOME tool or the General tab if using nm-connection-editor:
Name — Enter a descriptive name for your network connection. This name will be used to list this connection in the menu of the Network window.
MAC Address — Select the MAC address of the interface this profile must be applied to.
Cloned Address — If required, enter a different MAC address to use.
MTU — If required, enter a specific
maximum transmission unit (
MTU) to use. The MTU value represents the size in bytes of the largest packet that the link-layer will transmit. This value defaults to
1500 and does not generally need to be specified or changed.
Automatically connect to VPN when using this connection — Select this box if you want NetworkManager to auto-connect to the selected VPN connection when this connection profile is connected. Select the VPN from the drop-down menu.
Saving Your New (or Modified) Connection and Making Further Configurations
Once you have finished editing your wired connection, click the
Apply button to save your customized configuration. If the profile was in use while being edited, power cycle the connection to make
NetworkManager apply the changes. If the profile is OFF, set it to ON. See
Section 2.2.1, “Connecting to a Network Using a GUI” for information on using your new or altered connection.
You can further configure an existing connection by selecting it in the Network window and clicking the gear wheel icon to return to the editing dialog.
Then, to configure:
