Quiz Entry - updated: 2026.07.14
How do you activate, deactivate, and reload network connections?
con up/con down activate or deactivate a profile now; con reload re-reads files edited by hand; con delete removes a profile.
up/down apply or remove a profile at runtime. The gotcha is con reload: NetworkManager caches profiles in memory, so if you edit a .nmconnection file by hand, your change is invisible until you reload (then up). Editing via nmcli con mod saves and reloads for you — hand-editing the file does not.
| Action | Command |
|---|---|
| Activate | nmcli con up "connection-name" |
| Deactivate | nmcli con down "connection-name" |
| Reload from files | nmcli con reload |
| Delete | nmcli con delete "connection-name" |
Important workflow for manual file edits:
# 1. Edit the file
sudo vim /etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/mycon.nmconnection
# 2. Set correct permissions
sudo chown root:root /etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/mycon.nmconnection
sudo chmod 600 /etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/mycon.nmconnection
# 3. Reload NetworkManager
nmcli con reload
# 4. Activate the connection
nmcli con up "mycon"
Tip: Connection files must be owned by root with 600 permissions for security (they may contain passwords).