Reloading a configuration

First modify your snort.conf (the file passed to the -c option on the command line).

Then, to initiate a reload, send Snort a SIGHUP signal, e.g.

$ kill -SIGHUP <snort pid>

Note:   If reload support is not enabled, Snort will restart (as it always has) upon receipt of a SIGHUP.

Note:   An invalid configuration will still result in Snort fatal erroring, so you should test your new configuration before issuing a reload, e.g. $ snort -c snort.conf -T