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Definitions

• IP address is the Internet Protocol (IP) address given to every computer connected to the Internet.  An IP address is needed to route information much like a street address  is needed to receive regular mail.  Example:  23.24.21.02
• Domain name is a text name which a computer network registers.  The domain name is used to give computers text names rather than using the numeric IP addresses.  This like getting a vanity phone number that spells out a word to make it easy to remember.  Domain name examples: apachesystems.com    microsoft.com
• Computer (host) name are names given to individual computers.  Each host name corresponds to an IP address.  Host names and domain names are optional and everything will work fine with using just IP Addresses.  Examples of host names: Sara PC

  Networking Tools

  • Ping.exe :  This is the most used tools for TCP/IP. Ping sends ICMP Echo Requests to verify that TCP/IP is configured correctly and that a remote TCP/IP system is available. 
  • To Test on your own PC if the TCP/IP is working open the command prompt. Then type." PING 127.0.1.7 " Type only the green words and you will get a echo back saying reply from 127.0.1.7 ....... If you get that then your PC is configured properly. To test a distant PC you can type, "Ping 192.168.2.2 ". If your DNS is working you can type ping www.---.com  Where the --- represent the name of the domain you want to test.
  • So if you get a response means you have a good connection.
  • Arp.exe : allows you to view and modify the ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) cache on the interface of the local computer to detect invalid entries.
  • Nslookup.exe : Check records, domain host aliases, domain host services, and operating system information by querying Internet domain name servers. When you start Nslookup, it shows the host name and IP address of the DNS server that is configured for the local system, and then display a command prompt for further queries. If you type a question mark (?), Nslookup shows all available commands. You can exit the program by typing exit. To look up a host's IP address using DNS, type the host name and press Enter. Nslookup defaults to using the DNS server configured for the computer on which it is running, but you can focus it on a different DNS server by typing server (where is the host name of the server you want to use for future lookups). Once another server is specified, anything entered after that point is interpreted as a host name.
  • Hostname.exe : Displays the hostname of the computer.
  • Ipconfig.exe : Displays current TCP/IP network configuration values. You can update or release DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) allocated leases, and display register, or flush DNS (Domain Name System) names. Output can be redirected to a file if desired.
  • Nbtstat.exe : Check the state of current Netbios over TCP/IP connections, update the NETBIOS name cache, and determine the registered names and scope ID. Nbtstat is designed to help troubleshoot NetBIOS name resolution problems. When a network is working ok, NetBIOS over TCP/IP (NetBT) resolves NetBIOS names to IP addresses. It does this through several options for NetBIOS name resolution, including local cache lookup, WINS server query, broadcast, LMHOSTS lookup, Hosts lookup, and DNS server query.
  • Netstat.exe : Displays protocol statistics and current TCP/IP connections. Very cool utility. Try running it while connected to the net.
  • Pathping.exe : Trace a path to a remote system and report packet losses at each router along the way. Pathping combines features of Tracert and ping.
  • Route.exe : Display the IP routing table, and add or delete IP routes.
  • Tracert: Trace a path to a remote system. This tool gives you the number of hops a packet must make to get there, and the IP address of each hop. It does this for a maximum of 30 hops. This tool is very useful for seeing where a problem with a slow response time may lie.
  • NetDiag.exe : a diagnostic tool that helps isolate networking and connectivity problems by performing a series of tests to determine the state your network client and whether it is functional. Using the /l switch will output results to netdiag.log as the results can be lengthy. This tool will likely not be installed on your system by default. What you must do is go into your Windows 2000 CD in the support/tools directory. Run the setup file there for full access to the Windows 2000 Support Tools. I had problems with getting this program running due to fatal errors from it, but see how you make out. I'll keeps troubleshooting it to see what I can do.