Normally, we can easily check the state of a network interface card like whether the cable plugged in to the slot or the network card is up or down in Graphical mode. What if you have only command line mode? Ofcourse, you can turn around the system and check for the cable is properly plugged in, or you can do the same easily from your Terminal. Here is how to do that. This method is almost same for Debian and RPM based systems.

Full article here:
Linux Basics: How To Check The State Of A Network Interface Card (Unixmen)