don't know if that subject is appropriate for what i am asking but i'm not THAT linux fluent.

Anyways i was wondering, i have my computer set to obtain an ip automatically at boot, didn't set any static thing. So for example say i boot and i don't have the ehternet plugged in, eventually that boot process times out and it continues booting and i don't get an ip from my router..

so i was wondering, once it boots and then i plug in the ethernet, is there a way to get the ip process to restart and get an ip?

nearly every distro I have used has a couple of commands called "ifdown" and "ifup". As "root" do these commands like this:

Or on a RedHat machine, as "root":

There are other versions but the first one almost always works.

you can also use the following commands:

ifconfig 1.2.3.4 eth0 up then

depending on what flavor of linux ur using, restart the network:

/etc/init.d/network start stop restart (whatever u want to do)
/sbin/init.d/network start stop restart