Mastering the Linux "sysctl" Command

The Linux sysctl command configures kernel parameters at runtime. The parameters available are those listed under /proc/sys/. Procfs is required for sysctl(8) support in Linux. Use sysctl(8) to both read and write sysctl data.

Synopsis

sysctl [-n] [-e] variable ...
sysctl [-n] [-e] -w variable=value ...
sysctl [-n] [-e] -p <filename> (default /etc/sysctl.conf)
sysctl [-n] [-e] -a
sysctl [-n] [-e] -A

Parameters

variable

The name of a key to read from. An example is kernel.ostype. The slash separator is also accepted in place of a period delimiting the key/value pair—e.g., kernel/ostype.

variable=value

To set a key, use the form variable=value, where variable is the key and value is the value it's set to. If the value contains quotes or characters that are parsed by the shell, you may need to enclose the value in double quotes. This requires the -w parameter to use.

-n

Use this option to disable printing of the key name when printing values.

-e

Use this option to ignore errors about unknown keys.

-w

Use this option when you want to change a sysctl setting.

-p

Load sysctl settings from the file specified or /etc/sysctl.conf if none was given.

-a

Display all values currently available.

-A

Display all values currently available in table form.