--- title: "Configuring Network Settings" slug: "configuring-network-settings-30" updated: 2026-01-08T10:23:43Z published: 2026-01-08T10:23:43Z canonical: "kb.ctera.com/configuring-network-settings-30" --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://kb.ctera.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Configuring Network Settings By default, the CTERA Portal server obtains an IP address using DHCP. In a production environment it is recommended to use a static IP address. Also when your infrastructure includes more than one network, you have to configure CTERA Portal for the appropriate network. You configure network settings by using **nmtui**, the built-in network manager. **Note** Before changing the IP address for the portal server instance you must wait until all the portal services, such as Nomad and Consul, have loaded. Loading the portal services take at least 5 minutes. If you changed the IP address after the installation but before the full deployment of portal services like Nomad and Consul, run `portal-manage.sh resetdb` **before** initializing the portal or joining it to an existing portal cluster. **To use nmtui:** 1. Log in as `root` using SSH or through the console. 2. Run the following command: `nmtui` The **NetworkManager TUI** screen is displayed. ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/30792387-cdcb-4791-aa14-94929bbcd3fe/Images/Documentation/image-ETJPRG4U.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-11T04%3A27%3A25Z&se=2026-11-11T05%3A27%3A25Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=ZZTaYjkuE7RahB1e8aTBZ8%2BDVSmxtSp%2Be6iDnG02jCM%3D) 3. Use the keyboard arrow keys to navigate between options. ## Changing the CTERA Portal Server's Hostname **To change the CTERA Portal server's hostname:** 1. In nmtui, navigate to **Set system hostname** and press **Enter**. The **Set Hostname** screen opens, displaying the current portal hostname. ![image.png](https://cdn.document360.io/30792387-cdcb-4791-aa14-94929bbcd3fe/Images/Documentation/image-YX1Q5534.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-11T04%3A27%3A25Z&se=2026-11-11T05%3A27%3A25Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=ZZTaYjkuE7RahB1e8aTBZ8%2BDVSmxtSp%2Be6iDnG02jCM%3D) 2. In the field provided, enter the server hostname. 3. Navigate to **OK** and press **Enter**. A confirmation message is displayed. 4. Press **Enter**. The new hostname is configured. 5. Navigate to **Quit** and press **Enter** to exit nmtui. 6. You need to reboot the system for the change to take effect. You can reboot the system by entering the command: `reboot` ## Configuring a Network Interface ### Listing Network Interfaces **To list all network interfaces:** - Run the following command: `ifconfig` ### Configuring a Static IP Address for a Network Interface **To configure a static IP address for a network interface:** 1. In nmtui, navigate to **Edit a connection** and press **Enter**. A window opens, displaying all network adapters attached to the CTERA Portal server. ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/30792387-cdcb-4791-aa14-94929bbcd3fe/Images/Documentation/image-BUE2FQ04.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-11T04%3A27%3A25Z&se=2026-11-11T05%3A27%3A25Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=ZZTaYjkuE7RahB1e8aTBZ8%2BDVSmxtSp%2Be6iDnG02jCM%3D) 2. Navigate to the network adapter for which you want to set a static IP address and press **Enter**. The **Edit connection** window is displayed. ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/30792387-cdcb-4791-aa14-94929bbcd3fe/Images/Documentation/image-XFRIOQ62.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-11T04%3A27%3A25Z&se=2026-11-11T05%3A27%3A25Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=ZZTaYjkuE7RahB1e8aTBZ8%2BDVSmxtSp%2Be6iDnG02jCM%3D) **Note** CTERA recommends that the `eth0` network is the default network assigned for the external network and `Wired connection 1` or `eth1` is assigned for the internal network. 3. Navigate to **Automatic** next to **IPv4 CONFIGURATION**, press **Enter**, and then select **Manual**. ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/30792387-cdcb-4791-aa14-94929bbcd3fe/Images/Documentation/image-YM9OB2TQ.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-11T04%3A27%3A25Z&se=2026-11-11T05%3A27%3A25Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=ZZTaYjkuE7RahB1e8aTBZ8%2BDVSmxtSp%2Be6iDnG02jCM%3D) 4. Press **Enter**. 5. Navigate to **Show** next to **IPv4 CONFIGURATION** and press **Enter**. Additional fields are displayed. ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/30792387-cdcb-4791-aa14-94929bbcd3fe/Images/Documentation/image-T69V3MSQ.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-11T04%3A27%3A25Z&se=2026-11-11T05%3A27%3A25Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=ZZTaYjkuE7RahB1e8aTBZ8%2BDVSmxtSp%2Be6iDnG02jCM%3D) 6. Navigate to **Add** next to **Addresses** and press **Enter**. 7. Type the static IP address. To specify a subnet mask, use the classless inter-domain routing (CIDR) notation. For example: - To set a class C subnet mask [255.255.255.0], use: `IP_Address/24`, for example, 192.168.98.204/24 - To set a class B subnet mask [255.255.0.0], use: `IP_Address/16`, for example, 192.168.98.204/16 You can refer to the following link for a full IPv4 CIDR reference: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classless_Inter-Domain_Routing#IPv4_CIDR_blocks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classless_Inter-Domain_Routing#IPv4_CIDR_blocks). 8. To configure a default gateway for the current network interface, navigate to **Gateway**, and then type the IP address of the default gateway. 9. To configure a DNS server, navigate to **Add** next to **DNS servers**, press **Enter**, and then enter the IP address of the DNS server. **Note** You can add multiple DNS servers if desired, by repeating this step. In the following example, the network interface named eth0 has the static IP address 192.168.98.204, the default gateway address 192.168.98.1, and the two DNS servers 192.168.88.20 and 192.168.88.21. ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/30792387-cdcb-4791-aa14-94929bbcd3fe/Images/Documentation/image-CAPO40D6.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-11T04%3A27%3A25Z&se=2026-11-11T05%3A27%3A25Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=ZZTaYjkuE7RahB1e8aTBZ8%2BDVSmxtSp%2Be6iDnG02jCM%3D) 10. Navigate to **OK** and press **Enter**. 11. Navigate to **Activate a connection** and press **Enter**. 12. Repeat the procedure for the second network, `Wired connection 1` or `eth1` 13. Navigate to **Quit** and press **Enter** to exit nmtui. Your changes take effect. **Note** If using SSH to access nmtui, navigating to **Activate a connection** and pressing **Enter** can close the SSH session. To prevent this from happening, enter the following command: `sudo systemctl restart NetworkManager` ### Enabling DHCP for a Network Interface If you want to use DHCP, for example, for a demo, and you are configured to use a static IP, you can change to DHCP using nmtui. **To enable DHCP for a network interface:** 1. In nmtui, navigate to **Edit a connection** and press **Enter**. ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/30792387-cdcb-4791-aa14-94929bbcd3fe/Images/Documentation/image-ETJPRG4U.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-11T04%3A27%3A25Z&se=2026-11-11T05%3A27%3A25Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=ZZTaYjkuE7RahB1e8aTBZ8%2BDVSmxtSp%2Be6iDnG02jCM%3D) A window opens, displaying all network adapters attached to the CTERA Portal server. ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/30792387-cdcb-4791-aa14-94929bbcd3fe/Images/Documentation/image-BUE2FQ04.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-11T04%3A27%3A25Z&se=2026-11-11T05%3A27%3A25Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=ZZTaYjkuE7RahB1e8aTBZ8%2BDVSmxtSp%2Be6iDnG02jCM%3D) 2. Navigate to the network adapter for which you want to enable DHCP, and then press **Enter**. The **Edit connection** screen is displayed. ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/30792387-cdcb-4791-aa14-94929bbcd3fe/Images/Documentation/image-CAPO40D6.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-11T04%3A27%3A25Z&se=2026-11-11T05%3A27%3A25Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=ZZTaYjkuE7RahB1e8aTBZ8%2BDVSmxtSp%2Be6iDnG02jCM%3D) 3. Navigate to **Manual** next to **IPv4 CONFIGURATION**, press **Enter**, and then select **Automatic**. ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/30792387-cdcb-4791-aa14-94929bbcd3fe/Images/Documentation/image-XFRIOQ62.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-11T04%3A27%3A25Z&se=2026-11-11T05%3A27%3A25Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=ZZTaYjkuE7RahB1e8aTBZ8%2BDVSmxtSp%2Be6iDnG02jCM%3D) 4. Navigate to **OK** and press **Enter**. 5. Navigate to **Activate a connection** and press **Enter**. 6. Navigate to **Quit** and press **Enter** to exit nmtui. Your changes take effect. **Note** If using SSH to access nmtui, navigating to **Activate a connection** and pressing **Enter** can close the SSH session. To prevent this from happening, enter the following command: `sudo systemctl restart NetworkManager` ### Deactivating a Network Interface **To deactivate a network interface:** 1. In nmtui, navigate to **Activate a connection** and press **Enter**. The following window opens, displaying all network adapters for the CTERA Portal server. ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/30792387-cdcb-4791-aa14-94929bbcd3fe/Images/Documentation/image-AIS9Q3EV.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-11T04%3A27%3A25Z&se=2026-11-11T05%3A27%3A25Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=ZZTaYjkuE7RahB1e8aTBZ8%2BDVSmxtSp%2Be6iDnG02jCM%3D) The asterisk (*) to the left of a network adapter's name indicates that the network adapter is activated. 2. Navigate to the network adapter you want to deactivate and press **Enter**. 3. Navigate to **Back** and press **Enter**. 4. Navigate to **Quit** and press **Enter** to exit nmtui. The network adapter is deactivated. ### Activating a Network Interface **To activate a network interface:** 1. In nmtui, navigate to **Activate a connection** and press **Enter**. The following screen opens, displaying all network adapters attached to the portal server: ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/30792387-cdcb-4791-aa14-94929bbcd3fe/Images/Documentation/image-PS4Z4QKS.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-11T04%3A27%3A25Z&se=2026-11-11T05%3A27%3A25Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=ZZTaYjkuE7RahB1e8aTBZ8%2BDVSmxtSp%2Be6iDnG02jCM%3D) 2. Navigate to the deactivated network adapter, a network adapter without an asterisk, that you want to activate and press **Enter**. 3. Navigate to **Back** and press **Enter**. 4. Navigate to **Quit** and press **Enter** to exit nmtui. The network adapter is activated. The asterisk (*) to the left of a network adapter's name indicates that the network adapter is activated. ## Configuring Static Routes **To configure a static route for a network interface:** 1. In nmtui, navigate to **Edit a connection** and press **Enter**. A window opens, displaying all network adapters attached to the CTERA Portal server. ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/30792387-cdcb-4791-aa14-94929bbcd3fe/Images/Documentation/image-V7E8P405.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-11T04%3A27%3A25Z&se=2026-11-11T05%3A27%3A25Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=ZZTaYjkuE7RahB1e8aTBZ8%2BDVSmxtSp%2Be6iDnG02jCM%3D) 2. Navigate to the network interface for which you want to set a static route and press **Enter**. The **Edit connection** window is displayed. ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/30792387-cdcb-4791-aa14-94929bbcd3fe/Images/Documentation/image-CAPO40D6.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-11T04%3A27%3A25Z&se=2026-11-11T05%3A27%3A25Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=ZZTaYjkuE7RahB1e8aTBZ8%2BDVSmxtSp%2Be6iDnG02jCM%3D) 3. Navigate to **Edit** next to **Routing** and press **Enter**. The following window is displayed. ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/30792387-cdcb-4791-aa14-94929bbcd3fe/Images/Documentation/image-0OZSQEOQ.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-11T04%3A27%3A25Z&se=2026-11-11T05%3A27%3A25Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=ZZTaYjkuE7RahB1e8aTBZ8%2BDVSmxtSp%2Be6iDnG02jCM%3D) 4. Navigate to **Add** and press **Enter**. ![Image](https://cdn.document360.io/30792387-cdcb-4791-aa14-94929bbcd3fe/Images/Documentation/image-17659RTO.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-11T04%3A27%3A25Z&se=2026-11-11T05%3A27%3A25Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=ZZTaYjkuE7RahB1e8aTBZ8%2BDVSmxtSp%2Be6iDnG02jCM%3D) 5. In the fields provided, type the network destination/prefix, the next hop, and the route metric. **Note** To add another static route, navigate to **Add** and press **Enter**, and then specify the route details. To remove an existing route, navigate to **Remove** next to the static route you want to remove and press **Enter**. 6. When done configuring static routes, navigate to **OK** and press **Enter**. 7. Navigate to **OK** and press **Enter**. 8. Navigate to **Back** and press **Enter**. 9. Navigate to **Activate a connection** and press **Enter**. 10. Navigate to **Quit** and press **Enter** to exit nmtui. Your changes take effect. **Note** If using SSH to access nmtui, navigating to **Activate a connection** and pressing **Enter** can close the SSH session. To prevent this from happening, enter the following command: `sudo systemctl restart NetworkManager` To view the list of static routes, run the following command: `netstat –rn`