Controller Interface Names

Controller Interface Names

The network controller is the physical board or chip. The interface is software's interpreter and handler of the controller. The interface name is the name most evident to the user. For example, network management tools refer to the interface name when providing information about the physical controller.

To configure a controller, each network controller on a system must have a valid interface name. A single system may have multiple controllers; each controller must have a unique interface name. Several different types of controllers are available. Each type has its own special interface name. Most network software supports a maximum of four network interfaces by default.

You can get a list of the interfaces installed on a system using the hinv command:

% hinv -c network
Integral ISDN: Basic Rate Interface unit 0, revision 1.0
Integral Ethernet: ec0, version 1

The interface name for the Ethernet controller in this example is "ec0."