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 11.3.
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 About Administering Profile-Based Network Configuration in Oracle Solaris.