Tech Tip: Windows Networking and TCP/IP Diagnostic Tools
PRODUCT: 4D | VERSION: | PLATFORM:
Published On: June 11, 1999
The Windows OS's come with a number of tools built in that can assist you in troubleshooting network / tcp connections from a Windows PC. These commands are found in the DOS terminal which can be opened by selecting "Command Prompt" from Programs menu of the Start menu. The commands include; arp, hostname, ipconfig, nbtstat, netstat, ping, route, tracert. For instance:To get the IP Address, Subnet Mask and Default Gateway of a computer enter the command: ipconfig
To test if packets are reliability being sent and received between 2 computers, use ping. Type ping followed by a space and the ip address:
ping xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
Another way of testing the path (route) between 2 computers is to use tracert. Just type:
tracert xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
To learn details such as what ports are being used on this computer, use the command netstat.
For More information:
There are 2 sources of information on these commands. In DOS it is sometimes possible to get parameters for the commands by either:
- typing the command with no parameters
- typing the command with a ? parameter
Microsoft's web site is an excellent source of information on these commands and troubleshooting information. To search for technical support/troubleshooting information go to: http://support.microsoft.com/support/search/c.asp? or select the category "Support & the Knowledge Base" in Microsoft's general web site search.
Helpful Hints:
Some of the commands return more information than can be displayed in 1 screen. DOS provides a command more that displays only one screen at a time allowing the user to view the contents before displaying more information. To use ' | more' at the end of the line. For example: C:\>netstat -se | more
It is also possible to save the output to a text file by using the '>' character. For example to create a file called 'results.txt': C:\>netstat -se > results.txt
To view a text file use the EDIT command. For example: C:\>edit results.txt
Note: The MORE command and '>' do not work with all commands. Also, Windows NT has all of these commands but Windows 95 and 98 only have some of these commands.
To test if packets are reliability being sent and received between 2 computers, use ping. Type ping followed by a space and the ip address:
ping xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
Another way of testing the path (route) between 2 computers is to use tracert. Just type:
tracert xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
To learn details such as what ports are being used on this computer, use the command netstat.
For More information:
There are 2 sources of information on these commands. In DOS it is sometimes possible to get parameters for the commands by either:
- typing the command with no parameters
- typing the command with a ? parameter
Microsoft's web site is an excellent source of information on these commands and troubleshooting information. To search for technical support/troubleshooting information go to: http://support.microsoft.com/support/search/c.asp? or select the category "Support & the Knowledge Base" in Microsoft's general web site search.
Helpful Hints:
Some of the commands return more information than can be displayed in 1 screen. DOS provides a command more that displays only one screen at a time allowing the user to view the contents before displaying more information. To use ' | more' at the end of the line. For example: C:\>netstat -se | more
It is also possible to save the output to a text file by using the '>' character. For example to create a file called 'results.txt': C:\>netstat -se > results.txt
To view a text file use the EDIT command. For example: C:\>edit results.txt
Note: The MORE command and '>' do not work with all commands. Also, Windows NT has all of these commands but Windows 95 and 98 only have some of these commands.