FAQ: How to unload NIC driver (clear ifconfig counters)?

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Question: I want to reset counters in /proc/net/dev (also shown in ifconfig output as RX and TX bytes) and thus I have to unload network interface driver. How to do it?

Answer: There are two commands in Linux CLI coming by default which would help to unload drivers: rmmod and modprobe. First of all it is necessary to find what kernel module controls certain NIC and then unload that module. For example, you have VIA VT6102 (RHINE-II) network card that is recognized by Linux as eth0 and want to disable its driver temporarily. Just execute the following:

sudo rmmod via-rhine” or “sudo modprobe -r eth0” (or “sudo modprobe -r via-rhine“). You can use command dmesg to determine the name of kernel module you wish to unload.

 
 
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1 Response to “FAQ: How to unload NIC driver (clear ifconfig counters)?”


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My name is Artem N. (artiomix AT gmail DOT com) and I'm Linux/Unix, Cisco systems engineer. The main idea of Linux Screw is to share relevant knowledge, skills and observations over The Web. Here you can find a lot of information related to different Linux distributions, FreeBSD, IOS as well as a other Open Source around staff. Read more ››