Tools to Help Diagnose Network Problems
Tools to Help Diagnose Network Problems
. Configure IPv4 network settings . Configure IPv6 network settings . Configure networking settings
Cram Saver
1. You had to move a well-used server to a different subnet and change the IP address. Now users are complaining that they cannot access the server. What should you do?
❍ A. Have the users run the ipconfig /all command ❍ B. Have the users run the ipconfig /flushdns command ❍ C. Have the users change their DNS server to the new address of
the server they are trying to connect to ❍ D. Have the users run the netsh interface ip set dns
command 2. You have a computer running Windows 7. You just configured your DHCP
server to assign IPv6 addresses. What can you do to verify the addresses? (Choose two answers.)
❍ A. Run the net config command at a command prompt ❍ B. Select Details from the network connection status ❍ C. Select Internet Protocol version 6 (TCP/IP) and then properties
from network connection properties ❍ D. Run the NetStat command at a command prompt ❍ E. Run the ipconfig /all command at a command prompt
Answers 1. B is correct. The ipconfig /flushdns command clears out the users’
DNS cache so they can then retrieve the new IP address when they access the server by name. Answer A is incorrect because the ipconfig /all command only displays the configuration. Answer C is incorrect because changing the DNS address to the new server prevents the com- puters from performing DNS resolution, including the name resolution to the server, because the new server is most likely not a DNS server, which would be incapable of providing name resolution for the client PC. Answer
D is incorrect because it also changes the DNS settings at a command prompt, which prevents the computer from performing DNS resolution, including the name resolution to the server, because the new server is
Tools to Help Diagnose Network Problems
most likely not a DNS server, which would be incapable of providing name resolution for the client PC.
2. B and E are correct. To see what addresses are assigned to a computer, you can select Details from the network connection status or use the ipconfig /all command. Answer A is incorrect because the net config command displays the configurable workstation and server services that are running. Answer C is incorrect because the Internet Protocol version 6 (TCP/IP) only allows you to specify static addresses or to use a DHCP address. If you select to use DHCP, it does not show you the actual TCP/IP address. Answer D is incorrect because the netstat command is used to display protocol statistics and current TCP/IP net- work connections.
You can use several utilities to test and troubleshoot the TCP/IP network. If you experience network connectivity problems while using Windows 7, you
can use Window Network Diagnostics to start the troubleshooting process. If there is a problem, Windows Network Diagnostics analyzes the problem and, if possible, presents a solution or a list of possible causes. To start the Windows Network Diagnostics program, right-click the Network and Sharing Center and select Troubleshoot problems.
Windows Network Diagnostics might be able to complete the solution auto- matically or might require the user to perform steps in the resolution process. If Windows Network Diagnostics cannot resolve the problem, you should fol- low a logical troubleshooting process using tools available in Windows 7. Table 5.2 outlines some of these tools. Although some of these tools have new options to accommodate IPv6, these tools have been around for years. The ipconfig command shows a computer’s current configuration while ping , tracert , and pathping are used to test network connectivity. NSlookup is used to test DNS name resolution.
TABLE 5.2 Windows 7 TCP/IP Troubleshooting Tools
Tool Functionality
ipconfig The ipconfig command displays current TCP/IP configuration as shown in Figure 5.4.
. ipconfig /all command displays full TCP/IP configuration information, as shown in Figure 5.5.
. ipconfig /release releases the IPv4 address configured by a DHCP server.
. ipconfig /release6 releases the IPv6 address configured by
a DHCP server.
CHAPTER 5: Configuring Windows Networking
TABLE 5.2 Continued
Tool Functionality
. ipconfig /renew renews the IPv4 address configured by a DHCP server.
. ipconfig /renew6 renews the IPv6 address configured by a DHCP server.
. ipconfig /flushdns purges the DNS resolver cache. . ipconfig /registerdns refreshes all DHCP leases and re-
registers DNS names. ping
By using the ICMP protocol, the ping command verifies connections to a remote computer by verifying configurations and testing IP connectivity.
. The –t option pings the specified host until stopped. . The –a option resolves address to host name. . The –S srcaddr option specifies the source address to use. . The –4 option forces the ping command to use IPv4. . The –6 option forces the ping command to use IPv6.
tracert The tracert command traces the route that a packet takes to a desti- nation and displays the series of IP routers that are used in delivering packets to the destination. If the packets are unable to be delivered to the destination, the tracert command displays the last router that successfully forwarded the packet. The tracert command also uses the ICMP protocol.
pathping pathping traces a route through the network in a manner similar to tracert . However, pathping also provides more detailed statistics on the individual hops.
nslookup The nslookup command displays information that you can use to diagnose your DNS infrastructure. You can use nslookup to confirm connection to the DNS server and the existence of required resource records.
Tools to Help Diagnose Network Problems
FIGURE 5.4
Using the ipconfig command.
FIGURE 5.5
Using the ipconfig /all command.
A typical troubleshooting process would be
1. Check local IP configuration ( ipconfig ).
CHAPTER 5: Configuring Windows Networking
2. Use the ping command to gather more information on the extent of the problem:
. Ping the loopback address (127.0.0.1) or ::1. . Ping the local IP address. . Ping the remote gateway. . Ping the remote computer.