In Debian Linux, you can rename a network interface by using the udev rules to match it by its MAC address and assign a custom name. Here’s how you can do it:

  1. Identify the MAC Address: First, you’ll need to know the MAC address of the interface you want to rename. You can find it using the following command:

    ip link show

    Look for the line that starts with your current interface name (e.g., eth0, ens33, etc.) and note its MAC address (it looks something like 00:1A:2B:3C:4D:5E).

  2. Create a Udev Rule: You’ll need to create a new udev rule file. Open a terminal and create a new file in the /etc/udev/rules.d/ directory. You can use any text editor, for example:

    sudo nano /etc/udev/rules.d/10-network.rules

    In this file, you will add a rule to rename the interface based on its MAC address. Use the following format:

    SUBSYSTEM=="net", ACTION=="add", ATTR{address}=="00:1A:2B:3C:4D:5E", NAME="customname"

    Replace 00:1A:2B:3C:4D:5E with your actual MAC address, and customname with your desired interface name.

  3. Reload Udev Rules: After saving the file, reload the udev rules with the following command:

    sudo udevadm control --reload-rules

  4. Reboot or Trigger Udev: You can either reboot your system or trigger the udev rules for the interfaces. You can trigger all udev rules with:

    sudo udevadm trigger

  5. Verify the Change: After rebooting or triggering the rules, you can check whether the interface has been renamed using:

    ip link show

This should display your network interfaces with the new name you assigned.

Example Udev Rule

Here’s an example of what the rule might look like:

SUBSYSTEM=="net", ACTION=="add", ATTR{address}=="00:1A:2B:3C:4D:5E", NAME="my_custom_interface"

Note

  • Ensure that no other rules are conflicting with your new rule, especially those that might rename interfaces.
  • If you switch between different hardware, consider naming conventions that remain unique following your rules.