Q. I am using Ubuntu Linux and I would like to know how to create alias for eth0 so that I can have multiple IP address?

A. To create alias for eth0 use ifconfig command. It is use to configure a network interface and aliases.

Assuming that your eth0 IP is 192.168.1.10 and you would like to create an alias eth0:0 with IP 192.168.1.11. Type the following command:

sudo ifconfig eth0:0 192.168.1.11 up

OR

sudo /sbin/ifconfig eth0:0 192.168.1.11 up

Verify that alias is up and running using following two command(s):

/sbin/ifconfig
ping 192.168.1.11
ping your-getway-ip

Permanent configuration

Your ethernet configuration is located in a file called /etc/network/interfaces. If you reboot system you will lost your alias. To make it permanent you need to add it network configuration file:

gksudo gedit /etc/network/interfaces

OR

sudo vi /etc/network/interfaces

Append the following configuration:

auto eth0:0
iface eth0:0 inet static
name Ethernet alias LAN card
address 192.168.1.11
netmask 255.255.255.0
broadcast 192.168.1.255
network 192.168.1.0

Save the file and restart system or restart the network:

sudo /etc/init.d/networking restart

Please note that you can also use graphical tools located at System > Administration > Networking menu. Or use the following GUI tool to setup aliases, hostname, dns settings etc:

sudo network-admin

If you want more network aliases, use eth0:1, eth0:2, eth0:N (max upto 254).