How to restart network in Almalinux and RHEL 8/9?

[Helposoft Staff]

In AlmaLinux 8/9 and RHEL 8/9, network management is typically handled by NetworkManager, a service that manages network interfaces. Here’s how to restart the network and NetworkManager service on these systems:

Restarting NetworkManager​

1. Restart the NetworkManager Service:
   You can restart NetworkManager to apply changes to network configurations:
   
   

   sudo systemctl restart NetworkManager

   
   
2. Verify the Status:
   To ensure NetworkManager is running correctly:
   
   

   sudo systemctl status NetworkManager

Reload Network Configuration​

If you have made changes to network configuration files and want to reload these changes without restarting the entire service, you can use nmcli:

1. Reload Network Configuration:
   
   

   sudo nmcli connection reload

   
   This command reloads the network connections but does not restart the NetworkManager service itself.
2. Restart Individual Connections:
   To restart a specific network connection (e.g., eth0):
   
   

   sudo nmcli connection down eth0
   sudo nmcli connection up eth0

Manage Network Interfaces Directly​

For specific cases where you might need to bring network interfaces up or down directly, you can use ip commands or ifup/ifdown commands.

1. Bring Interface Down:
   
   

   sudo ip link set dev eth0 down

   
   
2. Bring Interface Up:
   
   

   sudo ip link set dev eth0 up

   
   Replace eth0 with the actual name of your network interface.

Apply Configuration Changes​

If you modify configuration files directly (e.g., in /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/), restarting the NetworkManager service or reloading connections will apply these changes.

Example: Applying Network Configuration Changes​

Suppose you have edited the configuration file for a network interface located at /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth0. To apply these changes:

1. Restart NetworkManager:
   
   

   sudo systemctl restart NetworkManager

   
   
2. Verify Configuration:
   Check the status of your network interfaces to ensure changes are applied:
   
   

   ip a

By following these steps, you should be able to effectively manage and restart network configurations on AlmaLinux 8/9 and RHEL 8/9.