Provided by: network-manager_0.9.8.8-0ubuntu7.3_amd64 
NAME
nmcli - command‐line tool for controlling NetworkManager
SYNOPSIS
nmcli [ OPTIONS ] OBJECT { COMMAND | help }
OBJECT := { nm | con | dev }
OPTIONS := {
-t[erse]
-p[retty]
-m[mode] tabular | multiline
-f[ields] <field1,field2,...> | all | common
-e[scape] yes | no
-v[ersion]
-h[elp]
}
DESCRIPTION
nmcli is a command‐line tool for controlling NetworkManager and reporting on its status. It is not meant
as a full replacement for nm‐applet or other similar clients but as a complementary utility to those
programs. The main usage for nmcli is on servers, headless machines or for power users who prefer the
command line.
Typical applications include:
— Initscripts: ifup/ifdown can utilize NetworkManager via nmcli instead of having to manage connections
itself and possibly interfere with NetworkManager.
— Servers, headless machines: No GUI is available; then nmcli can be used to activate/deactivate
connections. However, if a connection requires a secret in order to activate and if that secret is
not stored at the system level, nmcli will not be able to activate it; it is currently unable to
supply the secrets to NetworkManager.
— User sessions: nmcli can be used to activate/deactivate connections from the command line, but a
client with a secret agent (like nm‐applet) is needed for supplying secrets not stored at the system
level. Keyring dialogs and password prompts may appear if this happens.
OPTIONS
-t, --terse
Output is terse. This mode is designed and suitable for computer (script) processing.
-p, --pretty
Output is pretty. This causes nmcli to produce easily readable outputs for humans, i.e. values are
aligned, headers are printed, etc.
-m, --mode tabular | multiline
Switch between tabular and multiline output. If omitted, default is tabular for most commands.
For the commands producing more structured information, that cannot be displayed on a single line,
default is multiline. Currenly, they are:
'nmcli con list id|uuid <name>'
'nmcli dev list'
tabular – Output is a table where each line describes a single entry. Columns define particular
properties of the entry.
multiline – Each entry comprises multiple lines, each property on its own line. The values are
prefixed with the property name.
-f, --fields <field1,field2,...> | all | common
This option is used to specify what fields (column names) should be printed. Valid field names
differ for specific commands. List available fields by providing an invalid value to the --fields
option.
all is used to print all valid field values of the command. common is used to print common field
values of the command. If omitted, default is common. The option is mandatory when --terse is
used. In this case, generic values all and common cannot be used. (This is to maintain
compatibility when new fields are added in the future).
-e, --escape yes | no
Whether to escape ':' and '\' characters in terse tabular mode. The escape character is '\'. If
omitted, default is yes.
-v, --version
Show nmcli version.
-h, --help
Print help information.
OBJECT
nm NetworkManager
Use this object to inquire and change state of NetworkManager.
COMMAND := { status | permissions | enable | sleep | wifi | wwan | wimax }
status
Show overall status of NetworkManager. This is the default action, when no command is
provided to nm object.
Reference to D‐Bus:
No simple reference.
permissions
Show the permissions a caller has for various authenticated operations that NetworkManager
provides, like enable/disable networking, changing Wi‐Fi, WWAN, and WiMAX state, modifying
connections, etc.
Reference to D‐Bus:
interface: org.freedesktop.NetworkManager
method: GetPermissions
arguments: none
enable [true|false]
Get networking‐enabled status or enable/disable networking by NetworkManager. All
interfaces managed by NetworkManager are deactivated when networking has been disabled.
Reference to D‐Bus:
interface: org.freedesktop.NetworkManager
method: Enable
arguments: TRUE or FALSE
sleep [true|false]
Get sleep status or put to sleep/awake NetworkManager. All interfaces managed by
NetworkManager are deactivated when it falls asleep. This command is not meant for user to
enable/disable networking, use enable for that. D‐Bus Sleep method is designed to put
NetworkManager to sleep or awake for suspending/resuming the computer.
Reference to D‐Bus:
interface: org.freedesktop.NetworkManager
method: Sleep
arguments: TRUE or FALSE
wifi [on|off]
Inquire or set status of Wi‐Fi in NetworkManager. If no arguments are supplied, Wi‐Fi
status is printed; on enables Wi‐Fi; off disables Wi‐Fi.
Reference to D‐Bus:
No simple reference.
wwan [on|off]
Inquire or set status of WWAN in NetworkManager. If no arguments are supplied, WWAN status
is printed; on enables WWAN; off disables WWAN.
Reference to D‐Bus:
No simple reference.
wimax [on|off]
Inquire or set status of WiMAX in NetworkManager. If no arguments are supplied, WiMAX
status is printed; on enables WiMAX; off disables WiMAX.
Note: WiMAX support is a compile‐time decision, so it may be unavailable on some
installations.
Reference to D‐Bus:
No simple reference.
con Connections
Get information about NetworkManager's connections.
COMMAND := { list | status | up | down | delete }
list [id <id> | uuid <id>]
List configured connections. Without a parameter, all connections are listed. In order to
get connection details, id with connection's name or uuid with connection's UUID shall be
specified. When no command is given to the con object, the default action is 'nmcli con
list'.
Reference to D‐Bus:
No simple reference.
status
Print status of active connections.
Reference to D‐Bus:
No simple reference.
up id <id> | uuid <id> [iface <iface>] [ap <BSSID>] [nsp <name>] [--nowait] [--timeout <timeout>]
Activate a connection. The connection is identified by its name using id or UUID using
uuid. When requiring a particular device to activate the connection on, the iface option
with interface name should be given. In case of a VPN connection, the iface option specify
the device of the base connection. The ap option specify what particular AP should be used
in case of a Wi‐Fi connection.
Available options are:
iface – interface that will be used for activation
ap – BSSID of the AP which the command should connect to (for Wi‐Fi connections)
nsp – NSP (Network Service Provider) which the command should connect to (for
WiMAX connections)
--nowait – exit immediately without waiting for command completion
--timeout – how long to wait for command completion (default is 90 s)
Reference to D‐Bus:
interface: org.freedesktop.NetworkManager
method: ActivateConnection
arguments: according to arguments
down id <id> | uuid <id>
Deactivate a connection. The connection is identified by its name using id or UUID using
uuid.
Reference to D‐Bus:
interface: org.freedesktop.NetworkManager
method: DeactivateConnection
arguments: according to arguments
delete id <id> | uuid <id>
Delete a configured connection. The connection to delete is specified with id (connection
name) or uuid (connection UUID).
Reference to D‐Bus:
interface: org.freedesktop.NetworkManager.Settings.Connection
method: Delete
arguments: none
dev Devices
Get information about devices.
COMMAND := { status | list | disconnect | wifi }
status
Print status of devices. This is the default action, when no command is specified to dev
object.
Reference to D‐Bus:
No simple reference.
list [iface <iface>]
Get detailed information about devices. Without an argument, all devices are examined. To
get information for a specific device, the iface argument with the interface name should be
provided.
Reference to D‐Bus:
No simple reference.
disconnect iface <iface> [--nowait] [--timeout <timeout>]
Disconnect a device and prevent the device from automatically activating further
connections without user/manual intervention.
Available options are:
--nowait – exit immediately without waiting for command completion
--timeout – how long to wait for command completion (default is 10 s)
Reference to D‐Bus:
interface: org.freedesktop.NetworkManager.Device
method: Disconnect
arguments: none
wifi [list [iface <iface>] [bssid <BSSID>]]
List available Wi‐Fi access points. The iface and bssid options can be used to list APs for
a particular interface or with a specific BSSID, respectively.
Reference to D‐Bus:
No simple reference.
wifi connect <(B)SSID> [password <password>] [wep-key-type key|phrase] [iface <iface>] [bssid
<BSSID>] [name <name>] [--private] [--nowait] [--timeout <timeout>]
Connect to a Wi‐Fi network specified by SSID or BSSID. The command creates a new connection
and then activates it on a device. This is a command‐line counterpart of clicking an SSID
in a GUI client. The command always creates a new connection and thus it is mainly useful
for connecting to new Wi‐Fi networks. If a connection for the network already exists, it's
better to connect through it using nmcli con up id <name>. Note that only open, WEP and
WPA‐PSK networks are supported at the moment. It is also supposed that IP configuration is
obtained via DHCP.
Available options are:
password – password for secured networks (WEP or WPA)
wep-key-type – type of WEP secret, either key for ASCII/HEX key or phrase for passphrase
iface – interface that will be used for activation
bssid – if specified, the created connection will be restricted just for the BSSID
name – if specified, the connection will use the name (else NM creates a name
itself)
--private – the connection will only be visible to the user who created it (else the
connection is system‐wide)
--nowait – exit immediately without waiting for command completion
--timeout – how long to wait for command completion (default is 90 s)
Reference to D‐Bus:
interface: org.freedesktop.NetworkManager
method: AddAndActivateConnection
arguments: according to arguments
ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
nmcli's behavior is affected by the following environment variables.
LC_ALL If set to a non‐empty string value, it overrides the values of all the other
internationalization variables.
LC_MESSAGES Determines the locale to be used for internationalized messages.
LANG Provides a default value for the internationalization variables that are unset or null.
Internationalization notes:
Be aware that nmcli is localized and that's why the output depends on your environment. This is important
to realize especially when you parse the output.
Call nmcli as LC_ALL=C nmcli to be sure the locale is set to "C" while executing in a script.
LC_ALL, LC_MESSAGES, LANG variables specify the LC_MESSAGES locale category (in that order), which
determines the language that nmcli uses for messages. The "C" locale is used if none of these variables
are set, and this locale uses English messages.
EXIT STATUS
nmcli exits with status 0 if it succeeds, a value greater than 0 is returned if an error occurs.
0 Success – indicates the operation succeeded
1 Unknown or unspecified error
2 Invalid user input, wrong nmcli invocation
3 Timeout expired (see commands with --timeout option)
4 Connection activation failed
5 Connection deactivation failed
6 Disconnecting device failed
7 Connection deletion failed
8 NetworkManager is not running
9 nmcli and NetworkManager versions mismatch
EXAMPLES
nmcli -t -f RUNNING nm
tells you whether NetworkManager is running or not.
nmcli -t -f STATE nm
shows the overall status of NetworkManager.
nmcli nm wifi off
switches Wi‐Fi off.
nmcli -p con list
lists all connections NetworkManager has.
nmcli -f name,autoconnect con list
lists all connections' names and their autoconnect settings.
nmcli con list id "My wired connection"
lists all details of the connection with "My wired connection" name.
nmcli -p con up id "My wired connection" iface eth0
activates the connection with name "My wired connection" on interface eth0. The -p option makes
nmcli show progress of the activation.
nmcli con up uuid 6b028a27-6dc9-4411-9886-e9ad1dd43761 ap 00:3A:98:7C:42:D3
connects the Wi‐Fi connection with UUID 6b028a27-6dc9-4411-9886-e9ad1dd43761 to the AP with BSSID
00:3A:98:7C:42:D3.
nmcli dev status
shows the status for all devices.
nmcli dev disconnect iface em2
disconnects a connection on interface em2 and marks the device as unavailable for auto‐connecting.
That's why no connection will automatically be activated on the device until the device's
"autoconnect" is set to TRUE or user manually activates a connection.
nmcli -f GENERAL,WIFI-PROPERTIES dev list iface wlan0
lists details for wlan0 interface; only GENERAL and WIFI-PROPERTIES sections will be shown.
nmcli dev wifi
lists available Wi‐Fi access points known to NetworkManager.
nmcli dev wifi con "Cafe Hotspot 1" password caffeine name "My cafe"
creates a new connection named "My cafe" and then connects it to "Cafe Hotspot 1" SSID using
"caffeine" password. This is mainly useful when connecting to "Cafe Hotspot 1" for the first time.
Next time, it is better to use 'nmcli con up id "My cafe"' so that the existing connection profile
can be used and no additional is created.
BUGS
There are probably some bugs. If you find a bug, please report it to https://bugzilla.gnome.org/ —
product NetworkManager.
SEE ALSO
nm-tool(1), nm-online(1), NetworkManager(8), nm-settings(5), nm...pplet(1), nm-connection-editor(1).
17 January 2013 NMCLI(1)