Profile-based network configuration enables you to define multiple alternative configurations, each identified by a single profile (referred to as a network configuration profile (NCP)). For example, you could create a profile named office for a notebook PC that configures the system with static IP addresses and DNS server locations. An alternate home profile might use DHCP to acquire this information. A single command enables you to switch from one profile to another profile in a matter of seconds. The various types of profiles that you can enable support two possible network configuration modes: fixed and reactive. The default mode is determined by whichever profile is currently active on your system.
For information about how profiles are activated on a system during an Oracle Solaris installation, see How the Network Is Configured During an Installation in Transitioning From Oracle Solaris 10 to Oracle Solaris 11.2 .
If you are unsure of which profile is currently active on your system, use the netadm list command to display this information. See Enabling and Disabling Profiles for more information.
For a complete description of the various types of profiles that are supported in Oracle Solaris, see Chapter 5, About Administering Profile-Based Network Configuration in Oracle Solaris.