ifconfig is one of the utility discussed. It can be used to configure many aspects of networking. For example,
1. Using ifconfig to change and activate IP Address
# ifconfig eth0 192.168.1.1 netmask 255.255.255.0 up
2. Using ifconfig to change netmas
# ifconfig eth0 netmask 255.255.255.0
3. Using ifconfig to change MTU
# ifconfig MTU 1500
4. Using ifconfig to change network promiscuous mode
# ifconfig promisc
For more information, do look at "man ifconfig"