---
name: "rtadvctl"
section: "8"
platform: "freebsd"
package: "base"
version: "16.0-CURRENT-20261027-61c70dc16a79"
release: "FreeBSD 16.0-CURRENT (2026-10-27)"
platforms: ["freebsd"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/rtadvctl"
---

# rtadvctl(8)

control program for rtadvd(8) daemon

## NAME

**rtadvctl** – control program for [rtadvd(8)](/rtadvd/8.md) daemon

## SYNOPSIS

**rtadvctl** \[**-v**\] *subcommand* \[*interface* *...*\]

## DESCRIPTION

**rtadvctl** is a utility that communicates with the [rtadvd(8)](/rtadvd/8.md) daemon and displays information about Router Advertisement messages being sent on each interface.

This utility provides several options and subcommands. The options are as follows:

- **-v**

  Increase verbosity level. When specified once, the **rtadvctl** utility shows additional information about prefixes, RDNSS, and DNSSL options. When given twice, it additionally shows information about inactive interfaces and some statistics.

The subcommands are as follows:

- reload \[interfaces...\]

  Specifies to reload the configuration file. If one or more *interfaces* are specified, configuration entries for the interfaces will be reloaded selectively.

- enable interfaces...

  Specifies to mark the interface as enabled and to tries to reload the configuration entry. This subcommand is useful for dynamically-added interfaces.

  The [rtadvd(8)](/rtadvd/8.md) daemon marks an interface as enabled if the interface exists and the configuration file has a valid entry for it when it is invoked.

- disable interfaces...

  Specifies to mark the interface as disabled.

- shutdown

  Makes the [rtadvd(8)](/rtadvd/8.md) daemon shut down. Note that the [rtadvd(8)](/rtadvd/8.md) daemon will send several RAs with zero lifetime to invalidate the old information on each interface. It will take at most nine seconds.

- show \[interfaces...\]

  Displays information about the Router Advertisement messages being sent on each interface.

## SEE ALSO

[rtadvd.conf(5)](/rtadvd.conf/5.md), [rtadvd(8)](/rtadvd/8.md)

## HISTORY

The **rtadvctl** command first appeared in FreeBSD 9.0.

## AUTHORS

**rtadvctl** was written by Hiroki Sato ⟨*hrs@FreeBSD.org*⟩.