Which legacy Unix-like command is used to display network interface configuration and is commonly replaced by a newer tool on modern systems?

Which legacy Unix-like command is used to display network interface configuration and is commonly replaced by a newer tool on modern systems?

• A. Ifconfig
• B. Ipaddr Show
• C. Netstat
• D. Ipconfig

Answer: (A)

Ifconfig is the traditional Unix-like command for displaying and configuring network interfaces. It was the standard tool used to show IP addresses, interface states, and related settings for many years. On modern systems, this role has shifted to the ip command from the iproute2 package, which offers a more powerful and consistent way to manage not just interfaces but also addressing, routing, and other networking aspects. For example, you’d use ip addr show or ip address to view interface addresses, and ip link to inspect or change the state of interfaces. Because ifconfig is now considered legacy, it may be deprecated or absent on newer installations, while the ip command remains the recommended, unified approach. The other options don’t fit as well. Ipconfig is the Windows command used to display IP configuration, not a Unix-like tool. Netstat shows active connections and routing information, not the full interface configuration, and it’s being supplanted by newer tools like ss for socket statistics. Ipaddr Show resembles the modern syntax of ip addr show, but as a standalone command, it’s not a standard Unix-like utility name.

Ifconfig is the traditional Unix-like command for displaying and configuring network interfaces. It was the standard tool used to show IP addresses, interface states, and related settings for many years. On modern systems, this role has shifted to the ip command from the iproute2 package, which offers a more powerful and consistent way to manage not just interfaces but also addressing, routing, and other networking aspects. For example, you’d use ip addr show or ip address to view interface addresses, and ip link to inspect or change the state of interfaces. Because ifconfig is now considered legacy, it may be deprecated or absent on newer installations, while the ip command remains the recommended, unified approach.

The other options don’t fit as well. Ipconfig is the Windows command used to display IP configuration, not a Unix-like tool. Netstat shows active connections and routing information, not the full interface configuration, and it’s being supplanted by newer tools like ss for socket statistics. Ipaddr Show resembles the modern syntax of ip addr show, but as a standalone command, it’s not a standard Unix-like utility name.