Setting A Static IP with iproute2

If you want to quickly configure a static IP without authentication on Linux, you don't need any network manager tool like Wicd, NetworkManager or netctl. You can just use the ip command provided by the iproute2 package.

(Quick sidenote: If you still use the ifconfig, ifup/ifdown and route commands, you should consider switching to iproute2.)

Check the current configuration:

$ sudo ip addr show dev eth0
2: eth0: <BROADCAST,MULTICAST> mtu 1500 qdisc pfifo_fast state DOWN group default qlen 1000
    link/ether f0:de:f1:13:97:47 brd ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff

Set a static IP:

$ sudo ip addr add 10.10.0.3/24 dev eth0

Verify the new configuration:

$ ip addr show dev eth0
2: eth0: <BROADCAST,MULTICAST> mtu 1500 qdisc pfifo_fast state DOWN group default qlen 1000
    link/ether f0:de:f1:13:97:47 brd ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff
    inet 10.10.0.3/24 scope global eth0
       valid_lft forever preferred_lft forever

Here's the entire ip addr command grammar:

Usage: ip addr {add|change|replace} IFADDR dev STRING [ LIFETIME ]
                                                      [ CONFFLAG-LIST ]
       ip addr del IFADDR dev STRING
       ip addr {show|save|flush} [ dev STRING ] [ scope SCOPE-ID ]
                            [ to PREFIX ] [ FLAG-LIST ] [ label PATTERN ] [up]
       ip addr {showdump|restore}
IFADDR := PREFIX | ADDR peer PREFIX
          [ broadcast ADDR ] [ anycast ADDR ]
          [ label STRING ] [ scope SCOPE-ID ]
SCOPE-ID := [ host | link | global | NUMBER ]
FLAG-LIST := [ FLAG-LIST ] FLAG
FLAG  := [ permanent | dynamic | secondary | primary |
           tentative | deprecated | dadfailed | temporary |
           CONFFLAG-LIST ]
CONFFLAG-LIST := [ CONFFLAG-LIST ] CONFFLAG
CONFFLAG  := [ home | nodad ]
LIFETIME := [ valid_lft LFT ] [ preferred_lft LFT ]
LFT := forever | SECONDS