Ipconfig

ipconfig

Screenshot of ipconfig /all output in Windows XP
Developer(s)	Microsoft, ReactOS Contributors, Apple Inc.
Written in	C
Operating system	Windows, ReactOS, macOS
Platform	Cross-platform
Type	Command
License	Windows: Proprietary commercial software ReactOS: GPLv2

Not to be confused with ifconfig.

ipconfig (standing for "Internet Protocol configuration") is a console application program of some computer operating systems that displays all current TCP/IP network configuration values and refreshes Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) and Domain Name System (DNS) settings.^[1] IPCONFIG

Implementations

The command is available in Microsoft Windows, ReactOS, and in Apple macOS. The ReactOS version was developed by Ged Murphy and is licensed under the GPL.^[2]

Microsoft Windows, ReactOS

The ipconfig command supports the command-line switch /all. This results in more detailed information than ipconfig alone.

An important additional feature of ipconfig is to force refreshing of the DHCP IP address of the host computer to request a different IP address. This is done using two commands in sequence. First, ipconfig /release is executed to force the client to immediately give up its lease by sending the server a DHCP release notification which updates the server's status information and marks the old client's IP address as "available". Then, the command ipconfig /renew is executed to request a new IP address.^[3][4] Where a computer is connected to a cable or DSL modem, it may have to be plugged directly into the modem network port to bypass the router, before using ipconfig /release and turning off the power for a period of time, to ensure that the old IP address is taken by another computer.^[5]

The /flushdns parameter can be used to clear the Domain Name System (DNS)^[6] cache to ensure future requests use fresh DNS information by forcing hostnames to be resolved again from scratch.^[7]ping ip config)

Apple macOS

ipconfig in Mac OS X serves as a wrapper to the IPConfiguration agent, and can be used to control the Bootstrap Protocol and DHCP client from the command-line interface.^[8] For example, you can release and renew an IP address if it happened to be assigned incorrectly by the DHCP server during the automated assignment process.^[9] Like most Unix-based operating systems, Mac OS X also uses ifconfig for more direct control over network interfaces, such as configuring static IP addresses. The Ifconfig command in Linux has been replaced by the IP command

See also

• ifconfig

References

1. "ipconfig". Microsoft Docs. 16 October 2017. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
2. "Reactos/Ipconfig.c at master · reactos/Reactos". GitHub.
3. Release and Renew Your IP Address
4. Windows – Displaying, Releasing and Renewing a DHCP Lease
5. whatsmyipaddress: How to change your IP address
6. "Domain Name System (DNS)", Understanding IPv6, New York: Springer-Verlag, pp. 151–172, ISBN 0-387-25429-3, retrieved 2024-03-06
7. Windows 8.1 PCs Connect to the Network but not the Internet
8. OS X developer manual
9. "Ipconfig – network administration via the command line". IONOS Digitalguide. Retrieved 2022-08-23.

Further reading

• Frisch, Æleen (2001). Windows 2000 Commands Pocket Reference. O'Reilly. ISBN 978-0-596-00148-3.
• Stanek, William R. (2008). Windows Command-Line Administrator's Pocket Consultant, 2nd Edition. Microsoft Press. ISBN 978-0735622623.
• Barrett, Daniel J. (2012). Macintosh Terminal Pocket Guide: Take Command of Your Mac. O'Reilly. ISBN 978-1449328986.

External links

• Windows
  • Microsoft TechNet Ipconfig article
  • VariableGHz article detailing ipconfig settings in Vista
  • Windows 95, 98, ME; Windows 2000 and XP MS-DOS shell syntax
  • ipconfig documentation for Windows
• Mac OS X
  • ipconfig(8): view and control IP configuration state – Darwin and macOS System Manager's Manual