Network

There are several ways to configure the network in Chimera.

dhcpcd

You can configure wired networks statically or dynamically with dhcpcd.

Most setups will have it installed by default, as it’s a part of the default full metapackage. If not, install it:

# apk add dhcpcd

Enable the service:

# dinitctl enable dhcpcd

The default behavior is for it to configure all interfaces with DHCP. Changes are made in /etc/dhcpcd.conf. If you need to know more, read dhcpcd.conf(5).

A simple static example:

interface enP4p1s0f0
static ip_address=192.168.1.144/24
static routers=192.168.1.1
static domain_name_servers=8.8.8.8 4.4.4.4

NetworkManager

NetworkManager is an all-in-one frontend for wired, wireless and other interfaces and a lot more.

Install it:

# apk add networkmanager

Enable it:

# dinitctl enable networkmanager

Configuration can be done with nmcli or nmtui for command-line and TUI interfaces. In GNOME, there is a native integration, so it will show up in your top panel.

An example of connecting to a wireless network from command-line:

$ nmcli d wifi list
$ nmcli d wifi connect <ssid name> password <passphrase>

Old-style interface names

To get traditional interface names like eth0 and eth1, you will need to add net.ifnames=0 to kernel command line. The default in Chimera is the newer udev default.

Wireless networks with iwd

The recommended tool for bare wireless networking configuration is iwd. While wpa_supplicant comes packaged, it currently has no service in place. If you are already using NetworkManager, do not enable the iwd service.

Enable the iwd service:

# dinitctl enable iwd

As iwd is only a supplicant by default, you will also need to enable dhcpcd. An alternative to that is enabling the general network configuration in /etc/iwd/main.conf, like

[General]
EnableNetworkConfiguration=true

However, using dhcpcd is recommended in most cases.

AFter that, you can run iwctl as root. If you wish to run it as your user, you will need to add yourself to the network group and re-login.

After that, you will be able to connect to your wireless network from the iwctl prompt. List your wireless devices:

[iwd]# device list

You will find something like wlan0. If the output shows it’s powered off, power it on:

[iwd]# device <wlan name> set-property Powered on
[iwd]# adapter <adapter name> set-property Powered on

Then you can scan for SSIDs:

[iwd]# station <wlan name> scan

Connect to one:

[iwd]# station <wlan name> connect <ssid name>

You will be prompted for a passphrase if there is one. After that, you will be able to use the network.