Just a quick one this morning. Below are simple instructions on how to set a static IP on Ubuntu from the shell. I am sure the instructions can be used on any Debian based system.
Open interfaces with your favourite editor
sudo vi /etc/network/interfaces
Modify the lines under #The primary network interface to match your requirements. In this example I use 192.168.0.10
# This file describes the network interfaces available on your system
# and how to activate them. For more information, see interfaces(5).
# The loopback network interface
auto lo
iface lo inet loopback
# The primary network interface
auto eth0
iface eth0 inet static
address 192.168.0.10
netmask 255.255.255.0
network 192.168.0.0
broadcast 192.168.0.255
gateway 192.168.0.1
Save the file -and reboot the system, the changes will be applied.- EDIT: (01/08/2011 @ 9:11 PM) You never need to reboot, in the above example, after you save you can do the following to apply the changes (courtesy of Mat)
$ sudo /etc/init.d/networking restart
Bonus Points (A.K.A Tips)
If you’re only making a temporary change to eth0 (for testing etc..) do (courtesy of Mat)
$ sudo ifconfig eth0 192.168.0.10 netmask 255.255.255.0
-Matt