IP and DNS Configuration in Backtrack using Command Prompt

BackTrack is a Linux-based penetration testing arsenal that aids security professionals in the ability to perform assessments in a purely native environment dedicated to hacking. To connect BackTrack Machine with network you have configure IP Address and DNS entries.

View IP Address Configuration in BackTrack
#ifconfig

Configure IP Address

ifconfig interface_name ip_address

Ex:

#ifconfig eth0 172.31.1.10  ( with Default Subnet Mark)

#ifconfig eth0 172.31.1.10 255.255.192.0  (with subnet mask)

#ifconfig eth0 172.31.1.10/26   (with CIDR notation)

View Route Information
#route

Manually Configure Default Gateway:
route add default gw ip_address interface

Ex:
#route add default gw 172.31.1.1 eth0

Configure DNS Server's IP Address:
echo nameserver ip_address > /etc/resolv.conf

Ex:
#echo nameserver 8.8.4.4 > /etc/resolv.conf

Note: In Backtrack DNS Servers configuration is saved in resolv.conf file which is located in /etc directory

Turn On  Network Interface Card (NIC)
ifconfig interface up

Ex:
#ifconfig eth0 up

#ifconfig wlan0 up

Configure BackTrack Network Service
/etc/init.d/networking restart   -  To restart network service
/etc/init.d/networking start      - To start network service
/etc/init.d/networking stop       - To stop network service