ifconfig missing??

MCSquared · 11-09-2002, 12:53 AM

I just installed RedHat 8.0 but ifconfig seems to be missing? When I type ifconfig at a terminal prompt I get this:

bash: ifconfig: command not found

I also tried "ifconfig -a" and got the same results.

Tried su to root, still got same results.

I thought ifconfig was an extremely standard Unix utility. Not sure what could be wrong here.

moses · 11-09-2002, 01:08 AM

how do you su to root?

su -

will set up root's environment correctly, whereas
su
will leave the environment of the non privliged user. Since /sbin is not
normally in the path of non root users, you need to either specify the
entire path to ifconfig (/sbin/ifconfig) OR become root entirely, which
means using the first command above (su -)
Read the man page: man su

MCSquared · 11-09-2002, 01:19 AM

Thanks, that did the trick. I did not know about the dash with su (I just did "su") and previously did not know what path in which to look for the ifconfig executable.

int0x80 · 11-09-2002, 01:31 PM

Check out the man pages for updatedb and locate.

moses · 11-10-2002, 01:27 AM

Also,
man whereis
man which (not as useful to fix the problem you had above, but useful)

Mimicafe · 02-20-2003, 04:59 PM

I've trying for 3 days to figure out why Redhat refuse to execute ifconfig, init 6, shutdown and lot other standard commands. Now I tried su - and it responded. I hope it will work with the rest of the commands not found earlier . Now how do fix it permanently to take su as superuser; such that I need to enter only su and not su -?

Thanks

MimiCafe

dorian33 · 02-20-2003, 05:04 PM

use alias command in your /etc/profile file

boonders · 02-20-2003, 05:08 PM

/sbin/ is missing from the 8.0 path...that is how i solved the problems with ifconfig,shutdown, service, etc.

SlickWilly · 02-20-2003, 10:07 PM

Not missing. Not there - as Moses says - for non root users.

And quite correctly so. This is why it's sbin.. that 's' us for 'superuser' and the programs contained within should be
superuser' programs only.

Here's a link which goes into why in a bit more detail :

http://lists.debian.org/debian-devel.../msg01150.html

Slick

boonders · 02-20-2003, 10:13 PM

no...its not included in the path for a superuser either in REDHAT 8.0. As root, if i type "ifconfig" from the command line, you get "command not found"

you need to add it to the path.

Mimicafe · 02-21-2003, 02:55 AM

Everyone suggest adding the path variable, but how do I go about that. If it takes a few commands to fix that, just say how.
I may need to read some reference books on that if no one could say how to do that.

Hope someone will stop-by and help.

Great job guys!

samiyo

moses · 02-21-2003, 11:32 AM

Sorry, mistaken post.

SlickWilly · 02-21-2003, 03:42 PM

Doh!

Thanks for the hit on that Boonders.

Okay, to add it to your path you would :

1) vi .bash_profile
2) Look for the line like : PATH=$PATH
3) arrow to the end of the line
4) press i
5) type :/sbin:/usr/sbin
6) hit 'escape'
7) type :wq
8) log out, login.

9) ifconfig

You have to wonder what Redhat were thinking. I admit I loaded up 8.0 once, and had so many problems with it, I backed down to 7.3. I probably did the above very early on and didn't stop to think that it wasn't something *I* did wrong.

Slick.