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Help with ping, winipcfg, and other network commands

Issue

Help with ping, winipcfg, and other network commands.

Cause

It may be necessary to utilize utilities such as ping, winipcfg, tracert, etc to help identify and fix network related issues.

Solution

Below is a listing of the various network related commands used in MS-DOS, Windows, Linux, Unix, and other operating systems. Each command includes additional information to what the command does, the command's syntax, and miscellaneous information.

Note: If you are not the root or admin of a computer, it is possible for these commands to be disabled or revoked.

Arp, Finger, Hostname, Ipconfig, Pathping, Ping, Nbtstat, Net, Netstat, Nslookup, Route, Tracert and Traceroute, Whois, Winipcfg

ARP

Display or manipulate the ARP information on a network device or computer.

About arp

Displays, adds and removes arp information from network devices.

Availability

The arp.exe command is an external command accessed through the C:Windows or C:WinntSystem32 directory and is available in the below Microsoft operating systems.

Windows 95
Windows 98
Windows ME
Windows NT
Windows 2000
Windows XP
Windows Vista
Windows 7

Syntax

ARP -s inet_addr eth_adr [if_addr]
ARP -d inet_addr [if_addr]
ARP -a [inet_addr] [-N if_addr]

-a	Displays current ARP entries by interrogating the current protocol data. If inet_addr is specified, the IP and Physical addresses for only the specified computer are displayed. If more than one network interface uses ARP, entries for each ARP table are displayed.
-g	Same as -a
inet_addr	Specifies an Internet address.
-N if addr	Displays the ARP entries for the network interface specified by if_addr.
-d	Deletes the host specified by inet_addr.
-s	Adds the host and associates the Internet address inet_addr with the Physical address eth_addr. The Physical address is given as 6 hexadecimal bytes seperated by hyphens. The entry is permanent.
eth_addr	Specifies a physical address
if_addr	If present, this specifies the Internet address of the interface whose address translation table should be modified. If not present, the first applicable interface will be used.

Examples

arp -a

Interface 220.0.0.80

Internet Address	Physical Address	Type
220.0.0.160	00-50-04-62-F7-23	static

The Physical Address or MAC address as shown above in the format aa-bb-cc-dd-ee-ff is the unique manufacturer identification number. This number should always be an unique address.

An example of how to change the above IP address 220.0.0.160 to 220.0.0.161 in this case would be:

arp -s 220.0.0.161 00-50-04-62-F7-23

If an IP address has already been assigned to the specific network adapter it is not possible to change that assigned IP address to a new address. In addition, networks italicizing DHCP, BOOTP or RARP will automatically assign the card an IP address, therefore, this command would not be utilized.

FINGER

The finger command available in Unix and Linux variants allows a user to find sometimes personal information about a user. This information can include the last time the user logged in, when they read their e-mail, etc... If the user creates a .PLAN or other related file the user can also display additional information.

Linux and Unix finger command

About finger

Lists information about the user.

Syntax

finger [-b] [-f] [-h] [-i] [-l] [-m] [-p] [-q] [-s] [-w] [username]

-b	Suppress printing the user's home directory and shell in a long format printout.
-f	Suppress printing the header that is normally printed in a non-long format printout.
-h	Suppress printing of the .project file in a long format printout.
-i	Force "idle" output format, which is similar to short format except that only the login name, terminal, login time, and idle time are printed.
-l	Force long output format.
-m	Match arguments only on user name (not first or last name).
-p	Suppress printing of the .plan file in a long format printout.
-q	Force quick output format, which is similar to short format except that only the login name, terminal, and login time are printed.
-s	Force short output format.
-w	Suppress printing the full name in a short format printout.

Examples

finger -b -p ch

Display the following information about the user ch.

Login name: admin In real life: Computer Hope
On since Feb 11 23:37:16 on pts/7 from domain.computerhope.com
28 seconds Idle Time
Unread mail since Mon Feb 12 00:22:52 2001

HOSTNAME

The hostname command displays the host name of the Windows XP computer currently logged into.

Microsoft DOS hostname command

About hostname

Display the hostname of the machine the command is being run on. Additional information about the term hostname can be found on our hostname dictionary definition.

Availability

The hostname command is an external command and is available in the below Microsoft operating systems.

Windows 2000
Windows XP
Windows Vista
Windows 7

Syntax

hostname

sethostname: Use the Network Control Panel Applet to set hostname.
hostname -s is not supported.

Examples

hostname

Running the command would display the hostname for the computer.

IPCONFIG

Ipconfig is a MS-DOS utility that can be used from MS-DOS and a MS-DOS shell to display the network settings currently assigned and given by a network. This command can be utilized to verify a network connection as well as to verify your network settings.

Windows 2000 users should use this command to determine network information.

Microsoft DOS ipconfig command

About ipconfig

Ipconfig is a DOS utility that can be used from MS-DOS and a MS-DOS shell to display the network settings currently assigned and given by a network. This command can be utilized to verify a network connection as well as to verify your network settings.

Availability

The ipconfig.exe command is an external command and is available in the below Microsoft operating systems.

Windows 95
Windows 98
Windows ME
Windows 2000
Windows XP
Windows Vista
Windows 7

Windows 95, 98, and ME syntax

/All	Display detailed information.
/Batch [file]	Write to file or ./WINIPCFG.OUT
/renew_all	Renew all adapters.
/release_all	Release all adapters.
/renew N	Renew adapter N.
/release N	Release adapter N.

Windows 2000 and XP syntax

/all	Display full configuration information.
/release	Release the IP address for the specified adapter.
/renew	Renew the IP address for the specified adapter.
/flushdns	Purges the DNS Resolver cache.
/registerdns	Refreshes all DHCP leases and re-registers DNS names
/displaydns	Display the contents of the DNS Resolver Cache.
/showclassid	Displays all the dhcp class IDs allowed for adapter.
/setclassid	Modifies the dhcp class id.

The default is to display only the IP address, subnet mask and default gateway for each adapter bound to TCP/IP.

For Release and Renew, if no adapter name is specified, then the IP address leases for all adapters bound to TCP/IP will be released or renewed.

For SetClassID, if no class id is specified, then the classid is removed.

Examples

To get your computers local network IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway typing ipconfig alone will display this information as shown below. Keep in mind this is only your local network information. If you're trying to determine your IP address used on the Internet we suggest viewing our system information page.

ipconfig

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : hsd1.ut.comcast.net.
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.201.245
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.201.1

To get all local network information for your computer use the /all switch as shown below, followed by the results that would be seen when using this command.

ipconfig /all

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . : COMPUTERH1
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . : 123.45.67.8
111.111.111.1
111.111.111.1
Node Type . . . . . . . . . : Broadcast
NetBIOS Scope ID. . . . . . :
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . : No
NetBIOS Resolution Uses DNS : No

0 Ethernet adapter :

Description . . . . . . . . : PPP Adapter.
Physical Address. . . . . . : 44-44-44-54-00-00
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . : Yes
IP Address. . . . . . . . . : 123.45.67.802
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . : 255.255.0.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . : 123.45.67.801
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.255
Primary WINS Server . . . . :
Secondary WINS Server . . . :
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . : 01 01 80 12:00:00 AM
Lease Expires . . . . . . . : 01 01 80 12:00:00 AM

1 Ethernet adapter :

Description . . . . . . . . : 3Com 3C90x Ethernet Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . : 00-50-04-62-F7-23
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . : Yes
IP Address. . . . . . . . . : 111.111.111.108
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . : 111.111.111.1
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . : 111.111.111.1
Primary WINS Server . . . . :
Secondary WINS Server . . . :
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . : 11 16 00 12:12:44 AM
Lease Expires . . . . . . . :

ipconfig /displaydns

Running the above command would display all the DNS information.

ipconfig /flushdns

Delete all DNS entries.

PATHPING

Pathping is a MS-DOS utility available for Microsoft Windows 2000 and Windows XP users. This utility enables a user to find network latency and network loss.

Microsoft DOS pathping command

About pathping

Similar to the tracert command, pathping provides users with the ability of locating spots that have network latency and network loss.

Availability

The pathping.exe command is an external command that is available in the below Microsoft operating systems.

Windows 2000
Windows XP
Windows Vista
Windows 7

Syntax

Windows 2000 Syntax

Usage: pathping	[-n] [-h maximum_hops] [-g host-list] [-p period]
	[-q num_queries] [-w timeout] [-t] [-R] [-r] target_name

Options:

-n	Do not resolve addresses to hostnames.
-h maximum_hops	Maximum number of hops to search for target.
-g host-list	Loose source route along host-list.
-p period	Wait period milliseconds between pings.
-q num_queries	Number of queries per hop.
-w timeout	Wait timeout milliseconds for each reply.
-T	Test connectivity to each hop with Layer-2 priority tags.
-R	Test if each hop is RSVP aware.

Windows XP Syntax

Usage: pathping	[-g host-list] [-h maximum_hops] [-i address] [-n]
	[-p period] [-q num_queries] [-w timeout] [-P] [-R] [-T]
	[-4] [-6] target_name

Options:

-g host-list	Loose source route along host-list.
-h maximum_hops	Maximum number of hops to search for target.
-i address	Use the specified source address.
-n	Do not resolve addresses to hostnames.
-p period	Wait period milliseconds between pings.
-q num_queries	Number of queries per hop.
-w timeout	Wait timeout milliseconds for each reply.
-P	Test for RSVP PATH connectivity.
-R	Test if each hop is RSVP aware.
-T	Test connectivity to each hop with Layer-2 priority tags.
-4	Force using IPv4.
-6	Force using IPv6.

Examples

pathping computerhope.com

Tracing route to computerhope.com [204.228.150.3]
over a maximum of 30 hops:
0 Hope [192.168.120.101]
1 192.168.120.254
2 ...
Computing statistics for 50 seconds...

Hop	RTT	Source to Here Lost/Sent = Pct	This Node/Link Lost/Sent = Pct	Address
0 1 2	0ms ---	0/ 100 = 0% 100/100 = 100%	0/100 = 0% 0/100 = 0% 100/100 = 100% 0/100 = 0%	0 Hope [192.168.120.101] \| 192.168.120.254 \| Hope [0.0.0.0]

Trace complete.

PING

Ping is one of the most commonly used and known commands. Ping allows a user to ping another network IP address. This can help determine if the network is able to communicate with the network.

Microsoft DOS ping command

About ping

Helps in determining TCP/IP Networks IP address as well as determine issues with the network and assists in resolving them. See the ping definition for a full description.

Availability

The ping.exe command is an external command that is available in the below Microsoft operating systems.

Windows 95
Windows 98
Windows ME
Windows NT
Windows 2000
Windows XP
Windows Vista
Windows 7

Syntax

ping	[-t] [-a] [-n count] [-l size] [-f] [-i TTL] [-v TOS]
	[-r count] [-s count] [[-j host-list] \| [-k host-list]]
	[-w timeout] destination-list

Options:
-t	Pings the specified host until stopped. To see statistics and continue - type Control-Break; To stop - press Ctrl + C.
-a	Resolve addresses to hostnames.
-n count	Number of echo requests to send.
-l size	Send buffer size.
-f	Set Don't Fragment flag in packet.
-i TTL	Time To Live.
-v TOS	Type Of Service.
-r count	Record route for count hops.
-s count	Timestamp for count hops.
-j host-list	Loose source route along host-list.
-k host-list	Strict source route along host-list.
-w timeout	Timeout in milliseconds to wait for each reply.

Examples

ping localhost

Pings the local host, this will allow you to see if the computer is able to send information out and receive the information back. Note that this does not send information over a network but may allow you to see if the card is being seen.

ping xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx

Allows you to ping another computer where the x's are located are where you would place the IP address of the computer you are attempting to ping. If this is not able to complete, this should relay back an unsuccessful message, which could be an indication of cable issues, network card issues, hub issue, etc.

ping computerhope.com

PING computerhope.com (204.228.150.3) 56(84) bytes of data.
64 bytes from www.computerhope.com (204.228.150.3): icmp_seq=1 ttl=63 time=0.267 ms

--- computerhope.com ping statistics ---
1 packets transmitted, 1 received, 0% packet loss, time 0ms
rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 0.267/0.267/0.267/0.000 ms

Linux and Unix ping command

Quick links

About ping
Syntax
Examples
Related commands
Linux and Unix main page

About ping

Sends ICMP ECHO_REQUEST packets to network hosts.

Syntax

ping -s [-d] [-l] [-L] [-n] [-r] [-R] [-v] [ -i interface_address ] [-I interval] [-t ttl] host [packetsize] [count]

-d	Set the SO_DEBUG socket option.
-l	Loose source route. Use this option in the IP header to send the packet to the given host and back again. Usually specified with the -R option.
-L	Turn off loopback of multicast packets. Normally, if there are members in the host group on the out- going interface, a copy of the multicast packets will be delivered to the local machine.
-n	Show network addresses as numbers. ping normally displays addresses as host names.
-r	Bypass the normal routing tables and send directly to a host on an attached network. If the host is not on a directly-attached network, an error is returned. This option can be used to ping a local host through an interface that has been dropped by the router daemon.
-R	Record route. Sets the IP record route option, which will store the route of the packet inside the IP header. The contents of the record route will only be printed if the -v option is given, and only be set on return packets if the target host preserves the record route option across echos, or the -l option is given.
-v	Verbose output. List any ICMP packets, other than ECHO_RESPONSE, that are received.
-i interface_address	Specify the outgoing interface address to use for multicast packets. The default interface address for multicast packets is determined from the (unicast) routing tables.
-I interval	Specify the interval between successive transmissions. The default is one second.
-t ttl	Specify the IP time to live for unicast and multicast packets. The default time to live for unicast packets is set with ndd (using the icmp_def_ttl variable). The default time to live for multicast is one hop.
host	The network host.
packetsize	Specified size of packetsize. Default is 64.
count	Amount of times to send the ping request.

Examples

ping google.com

Ping the host google.com to see if it is alive.

ping google.com -c 1

Ping the host google.com once and return to the command line as shown below.

PING google.com (204.228.150.3) 56(84) bytes of data.
64 bytes from www.google.com (204.228.150.3): icmp_seq=1 ttl=63 time=0.267 ms

--- google.com ping statistics ---
1 packets transmitted, 1 received, 0% packet loss, time 0ms
rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 0.267/0.267/0.267/0.000 ms

NBTSTAT

The nbtstat MS-DOS utility that displays protocol statistics and current TCP/IP connections using NBT.

Microsoft DOS nbtstat command

About nbtstat

MS-DOS utility that displays protocol statistics and current TCP/IP connections using NBT.

Availability

The nbtstat command is an external command that is available in the below Microsoft operating systems.

Windows 98
Windows ME
Windows NT
Windows 2000
Windows XP
Windows Vista
Windows 7

Syntax

NBTSTAT [ [-a RemoteName] [-A IP address] [-c] [-n] [-r] [-R] [-RR] [-s] [-S] [interval] ]

-a	(adapter status) Lists the remote machine's name table given its name
-A	(Adapter status) Lists the remote machine's name table given its IP address.
-c	(cache) Lists NBT's cache of remote [machine] names and their IP addresses
-n	(names) Lists local NetBIOS names.
-r	(resolved) Lists names resolved by broadcast and via WINS
-R	(Reload) Purges and reloads the remote cache name table
-S	(Sessions) Lists sessions table with the destination IP addresses
-s	(sessions) Lists sessions table converting destination IP addresses to computer NETBIOS names.
-RR	(ReleaseRefresh) Sends Name Release packets to WINs and then, starts Refresh
RemoteName	Remote host machine name.
IP address	Dotted decimal representation of the IP address.
interval	Redisplays selected statistics, pausing interval seconds between each display. Press Ctrl+C to stop redisplaying statistics.

Examples

nbtstat -a 204.224.150.3

Local Area Connection: Node IpAddress: [204.224.150.3] Scope Id: [] NetBIOS Remote Machine Name Table Name Type Status

NET

The net command is available in MS-DOS and Windows and is used to set, view and determine network settings.

Microsoft DOS net command

About net

The net command is used to update, fix, or view the network or network settings. Listed in the Syntax we have listed each of net commands.

Availability

The net.exe command is an external command that is available in the below Microsoft operating systems.

Windows 95
Windows 98
Windows NT
Windows ME
Windows 2000
Windows XP
Windows Vista
Windows 7

Syntax

Windows XP syntax
Windows 2000 syntax

Windows XP syntax

NET ACCOUNTS	Adjust account settings. [/FORCELOGOFF:{minutes \| NO}] [/MINPWLEN:length] [/MAXPWAGE:{days \| UNLIMITED}] [/MINPWAGE:days] [/UNIQUEPW:number] [/DOMAIN]
NET COMPUTER	Add other networked computers with Windows Domain Controller. \computername {/ADD \| /DEL}
NET CONFIG	Displays your current server or workgroup settings. [SERVER \| WORKSTATION]
NET CONTINUE	Continues the use of service. [service]
NET FILE	Display opened shared files on the server. [id [/CLOSE]]
NET GROUP	Add, delete, view, and otherwise manage network workgroups. [groupname [/COMMENT:"text"]] [/DOMAIN] groupname {/ADD [/COMMENT:"text"] \| /DELETE} [/DOMAIN] groupname username [...] {/ADD \| /DELETE} [/DOMAIN]
NET LOCALGROUP	Add, delete, view, and otherwise manage network groups. [groupname [/COMMENT:"text"]] [/DOMAIN] groupname {/ADD [/COMMENT:"text"] \| /DELETE} [/DOMAIN] groupname name [...] {/ADD \| /DELETE} [/DOMAIN]
NET NAME	Create or delete name used for messaging. [name [/ADD \| /DELETE]]
NET PAUSE	Pause the specified network service. [service]
NET PRINT	Manage network print jobs. \computernamesharename [\computername] job# [/HOLD \| /RELEASE \| /DELETE]
NET SEND	Sends messages to other users, computers, or messaging names on the network. The Messenger service must be running to receive messages. You can send a message only to an name that is active on the network. If the message is sent to a username, that user must be logged on and running the Messenger service to receive the message. *{name \| \| /DOMAIN[:name] \| /USERS} message**
NET SESSION	Display all sessions connected to the computer and deletes them if specified. [\computername] [/DELETE]
NET SHARE	Create and manage a local network share. sharename sharename=drive:path [/USERS:number \| /UNLIMITED] [/REMARK:"text"] [/CACHE:Manual \| Documents\| Programs \| None ] sharename [/USERS:number \| /UNLIMITED] [/REMARK:"text"] [/CACHE:Manual \| Documents \| Programs \| None] {sharename \| devicename \| drive:path} /DELETE
NET START	Start the specified network service. [service]
NET STATISTICS	Display network statistics of the workstation or server. [WORKSTATION \| SERVER]
NET STOP	Stop the specified network service. service
NET TIME	Display the time and date of another network computer. [\computername \| /DOMAIN[:domainname] \| /RTSDOMAIN[:domainname]] [/SET] [\computername] /QUERYSNTP [\computername] /SETSNTP[:ntp server list]
NET USE	Connects or disconnects your computer from a shared resource or displays information about your connections. [devicename \| ] [\computernamesharename[volume] [password \| ]] [/USER:[domainname]username] [/USER:[dotted domain name]username] [/USER:[username@dotted domain name] [/SMARTCARD] [/SAVECRED] [[/DELETE] \| [/PERSISTENT:{YES \| NO}]] NET USE {devicename \| } [password \| ] /HOME NET USE [/PERSISTENT:{YES \| NO}]
NET USER	Displays users on the computer or domain. [username [password \| ] [options]] [/DOMAIN] username {password \| } /ADD [options] [/DOMAIN] username [/DELETE] [/DOMAIN]
NET VIEW	Displays a list of computers in a specified workgroup or the shared resources available on a specified computer. [\computername [/CACHE] \| /DOMAIN[:domainname]] NET VIEW /NETWORK:NW [\computername]

Windows 2000 syntax

NET CONFIG

Displays your current workgroup settings.

NET CONFIG [/YES]

/YES	Carries out the NET CONFIG command without first prompting you to provide information or confirm actions.

NET DIAG

Runs the Microsoft Network Diagnostics program to test the hardware connection between two computers and to display information about a single computer.

NET DIAGNOSTICS [/NAMES | /STATUS]

/NAMES	Specifies a diagnostic server name in order to avoid conflicts when NET DIAG is used simultaneously by multiple users. This option works only when the network uses a NetBIOS protocol.
/STATUS	Enables you to specify a computer about which you want network diagnostics information.

NET HELP

Displays information about NET commands and error messages.

command /?
NET HELP [suffix]
NET HELP errornum

command /?	Specifies the Microsoft NET command that you want information about.
suffix	Specifies the second word of the command you want information about. For example, the suffix of NET VIEW is VIEW.
errornum	Specifies the number of the error message that you want information about.

NET INIT

Loads protocol and network-adapter drivers without binding them to Protocol Manager. This command may be required if you are using a third-party network-adapter driver. You can then bind the drivers to Protocol Manager by typing NET START NETBIND.

NET INITIALIZE [/DYNAMIC]

/DYNAMIC

Loads the Protocol Manager dynamically. This is useful with some third-party networks, such as Banyan(R) VINES(R), to resolve memory problems.

NET LOGOFF

Breaks the connection between your computer and the shared resources to which it is connected.

NET LOGOFF [/YES]

/YES	Carries out the NET LOGOFF command without first prompting you to provide information or confirm actions.

NET LOGON

Identifies you as a member of a workgroup.

NET LOGON [user [password | ?]] [/DOMAIN:name] [/YES] [/SAVEPW:NO]

user	Specifies the name that identifies you in your workgroup. The name you specify can contain up to 20 characters.
password	The unique string of characters that authorizes you to gain access to your password-list file. The password can contain up to 14 characters.
?	Specifies that you want to be prompted for your password.
/DOMAIN	Specifies that you want to log on to a Microsoft Windows NT or LAN Manager domain. name Specifies the Windows NT or LAN Manager domain you want to log on to.
/YES	Carries out the NET LOGON command without first prompting you to provide information or confirm actions.
/SAVEPW:NO	Carries out the NET LOGON command without prompting you to create a password-list file.

If you would rather be prompted to type your user name and password instead of specifying them in the NET LOGON command line, type NET LOGON without options.

NET PASSWORD

Changes your logon password.

NET PASSWORD [oldpassword [newpassword]]
NET PASSWORD \computer | /DOMAIN:name [user [oldpassword [newpassword]]]

oldpassword	Specifies your current password.
newpassword	Specifies your new password. It can have as many as 14 characters.
computer	Specifies the Windows NT or LAN Manager server on which you want to change your password.
/DOMAIN	Specifies that you want to change your password on a Windows NT or LAN Manager domain. Name Specifies the Windows NT or LAN Manager domain on which you want to change your password.
user	Specifies your Windows NT or LAN Manager user name.

The first syntax line above is for changing the password for your password-list file. The second syntax line above is for changing your password on a Windows NT or LAN Manager server or domain.

NET PRINT

Displays information about print queues and controls print jobs.

NET PRINT \computer[printer] | port [/YES]
NET PRINT \computer | port [job# [/PAUSE | /RESUME | /DELETE]] [/YES]

computer	Specifies the name of the computer whose print queue you want information about.
printer	Specifies the name of the printer you want information about.
port	Specifies the name of the parallel (LPT) port on your computer that is connected to the printer you want information about.
job#	Specifies the number assigned to a queued print job. You can specify the below options.
/PAUSE	Pauses a print job.
/RESUME	Restarts a print job that has been paused.
/DELETE	Cancels a print job.
/YES	Carries out the NET PRINT command without first prompting you to provide information or confirm actions.

When you specify the name of a computer by using the NET PRINT command, you receive information about the print queues on each of the shared printers that are connected to the computer.

NET SEND

NET SEND {name | * | /DOMAIN[:name] | /USERS} message

Sends messages to other users, computers, or messaging names on the network. The Messenger service must be running to receive messages.

You can send a message only to an name that is active on the network. If the message is sent to a username, that user must be logged on and running the Messenger service to receive the message.

name	Is the username, computername, or messaging name to send the message to. If the name is a computername that contains blank characters, enclose the alias in quotation marks (" ").
*	Sends the message to all the names in your group.
/DOMAIN[:name]	Sends the message to all the names in the workstation domain. If name is specified, the message is sent to all the names in the specified domain or workgroup.
/USERS	Sends the message to all users connected to the server.
message	Is text to be sent as a message.

NET SHARE

NET SHARE sharename

sharename=drive:path	[/USERS:number \| /UNLIMITED] [/REMARK:"text"] [/CACHE:Manual \| Automatic \| No ]
sharename	[/USERS:number \| /UNLIMITED] [/REMARK:"text"] [/CACHE:Manual \| Automatic \| No ]
{sharename \| devicename \| drive:path}	/DELETE

NET START

Starts services. NOTE: Services cannot be started from a command prompt within Windows.

BASIC	Starts the basic redirector.
NWREDIR	Starts the Microsoft Novell(R) compatible redirector.
WORKSTATION	Starts the default redirector.
NETBIND	Binds protocols and network-adapter drivers.
NETBEUI	Starts the NetBIOS interface.
NWLINK	Starts the IPX/SPX-compatible interface.
/LIST	Displays a list of the services that are running.
/YES	Carries out the NET START command without first prompting you to provide information or confirm actions.
/VERBOSE	Displays information about device drivers and services as they are loaded.

To start the workgroup redirector you selected during Setup, type NET START without options. In general, you don't need to use any of the options.

NET STOP

Stops services. NOTE: Services cannot be stopped from a command prompt within Windows.

NET STOP [BASIC | NWREDIR | WORKSTATION | NETBEUI | NWLINK] [/YES]

NET STOP	Stops the basic redirector.
BASIC	Stops the basic redirector.
NWREDIR	Stops the Microsoft Novell(R) compatible redirector.
WORKSTATION	Stops the default redirector.
NETBEUI	Stops the NetBIOS interface.
NWLINK	Stops the IPX/SPX compatible interface.
/YES	Carries out the NET STOP command without first prompting you to provide information or confirm actions.

To stop the workgroup redirector, type NET STOP without options. This breaks all your connections to shared resources and removes the NET commands from your computer's memory.

NET TIME

Displays the time on or synchronizes your computer's clock with the shared clock on a Microsoft Windows for Workgroups, Windows NT, Windows 95, or NetWare time server.

NET TIME [\computer | /WORKGROUP:wgname] [/SET] [/YES]

computer	Specifies the name of the computer (time server) whose time you want to check or synchronize your computer's clock with.
/WORKGROUP	Specifies that you want to use the clock on a computer (time server) in another workgroup.
wgname	Specifies the name of the workgroup containing a computer whose clock you want to check or synchronize your computer's clock with. If there are multiple time servers in that workgroup, NET TIME uses the first one it finds.
/SET	Synchronizes your computer's clock with the clock on the computer or workgroup you specify.
/YES	Carries out the NET TIME command without first prompting you to provide information or confirm actions.

NET USE

Connects or disconnects your computer from a shared resource or displays information about your connections.

NET USE [drive: | *] [\computerdirectory [password | ?]]
[/SAVEPW:NO] [/YES] [/NO]
NET USE [port:] [\computerprinter [password | ?]]
[/SAVEPW:NO] [/YES] [/NO]

NET USE drive: | \computerdirectory /DELETE [/YES]
NET USE port: | \computerprinter /DELETE [/YES]
NET USE * /DELETE [/YES]

NET USE drive: | * /HOME

drive	Specifies the drive letter you assign to a shared directory.
*	Specifies the next available drive letter. If used with /DELETE, specifies to disconnect all of your connections.
port	Specifies the parallel (LPT) port name you assign to a shared printer.
computer	Specifies the name of the computer sharing the resource.
directory	Specifies the name of the shared directory.
printer	Specifies the name of the shared printer.
password	Specifies the password for the shared resource, if any.
?	Specifies that you want to be prompted for the password of the shared resource. You don't need to use this option unless the password is optional.
/SAVEPW:NO	Specifies that the password you type should not be saved in your password-list file. You need to retype the password the next time you connect to this resource.
/YES	Carries out the NET USE command without first prompting you to provide information or confirm actions.
/DELETE	Breaks the specified connection to a shared resource.
/NO	Carries out the NET USE command, responding with NO automatically when you are prompted to confirm actions.
/HOME	Makes a connection to your HOME directory if one is specified in your LAN Manager or Windows NT user account.

To list all of your connections, type NET USE without options.

NET VER

Displays the type and version number of the workgroup redirector you are using.

NET VER

NET VIEW

Displays a list of computers in a specified workgroup or the shared resources available on a specified computer.

NET VIEW [\computer] [/YES]
NET VIEW [/WORKGROUP:wgname] [/YES]

computer	Specifies the name of the computer whose shared resources you want to see listed.
/WORKGROUP	Specifies that you want to view the names of the computers in another workgroup that share resources.
wgname	Specifies the name of the workgroup whose computer names you want to view.
/YES	Carries out the NET VIEW command without first prompting you to provide information or confirm actions.

To display a list of computers in your workgroup that share
resources, type NET VIEW without options.

Examples

net use z: \computerfolder

Map the Z: drive to the network path //computer/folder.

net send mrhope "There is hope!"

Send a text message to the computer with a host name of mrhope the message There is hope!. Note: This command only works for Windows versions that support this command.

Note: Many computers today have also disabled the messenger service, if this service is disabled you will be unable to send/receive net send messages. Additional information about how this service is disabled can be found on document CH0000519. If you need this service enabled, follow the instructions on this page and choose to enable the service instead of disabling it.

net send * "There is hope!"

The above command would send There is hope! to all users in your current domain. This command should be used with caution since if you're on a school or work network many of the computers on that network if not all well be sent a message if the messenger service is enabled on the computers.

net config workstation

Display additional information about the network such as the computers name, workgroup, logon domain, DNS, and other useful information.

net view \hope

View the available computers and their shared resources you may use either of the below commands. The first example displays available computers. The last command would display the shared resources on the hope computer.

net localgroup

Display all groups currently setup on the computer you're running the command on.

net share

Display all network shares on your computer.

net share hope=c:hopefiles

Create a share called "hope" for the "c:hopefiles" directory.

NETSTAT

The netstat command is used to display the TCP/IP network protocol statistics and information.

Microsoft DOS netstat command

About netstat

The netstat command is used to display the TCP/IP network protocol statistics and information.

Availability

The netstat.exe command is an external command available in the below Microsoft operating systems.

Windows 95
Windows 98
Windows NT
Windows ME
Windows 2000
Windows XP
Windows Vista
Windows 7

Syntax

NETSTAT [-a] [-e] [-n] [-s] [-p proto] [-r] [interval]

-a	Displays all connections and listening ports.
-e	Displays Ethernet statistics. This may be combined with the -s option.
-n	Displays addresses and port numbers in numerical form.
-p	proto Shows connections for the protocol specified by proto; proto may be TCP or UDP. If used with the -s option to display per-protocol statistics, proto may be TCP, UDP, or IP.
-r	Displays the routing table.
-s	Displays per-protocol statistics. By default, statistics are shown for TCP, UDP and IP; the -p option may be used to specify a subset of the default.
interval	Redisplays selected statistics, pausing interval seconds between each display. Press CTRL+C to stop redisplaying statistics. If omitted, netstat will print the current configuration information once.

Examples

Tip: Keep in mind that if you have network applications open, such as the Internet browser you're using to view this page, additional items will be listed when you run "netstat" and the "netstat -a" command. So you may see items from Computer Hope in your list. If you want a true listing of background Internet connections, close all programs and run the command. Finally, it is also normal to see one or more 0.0.0.0 and 127.0.0.1 addresses.

netstat

Displays all local network information. Below is an example of what may be displayed.

Proto	Local Address	Foreign Address	State
TCP	hope:4409	www.computerhope.com:telnet	ESTABLISHED
TCP	hope:3708	multicity.com:80	CLOSE_WAIT
TCP	hope:4750	www.google.com:80	CLOSE_WAIT

netstat -an

Displays all connections on the computers in numerical format, only displaying the local and foreign IP addresses.

netstat 5

Running netstat with a number after the command will continue to run the command until stopped. In this case netstat would be refreshed ever five seconds. To cancel press CTRL + C.

Linux and Unix netstat command

About netstat

Shows network status.

Syntax

netstat [-a] [-n] [-v]

netstat [-g | -m | -p | -s | -f address_family ] [-n] [-P protocol]

netstat [ -i ] [ -I interface ] [ interval ]

netstat -r [-a] [-n] [-v ]

netstat -M [-n] [-s ]

netstat -D [ -I interface ]

-a	Show the state of all sockets and all routing table entries; normally, sockets used by server processes are not shown and only interface, host, network, and default routes are shown.
-n	Show network addresses as numbers. netstat normally displays addresses as symbols. This option may be used with any of the display formats.
-v	Verbose. Show additional information for the sockets and the routing table.
-g	Show the multicast group memberships for all interfaces.
-m	Show the STREAMS statistics.
-p	Show the address resolution (ARP) tables.
-s	Show per-protocol statistics. When used with the -M option, show multicast routing statistics instead.
-i	Show the state of the interfaces that are used for TCP/IP traffic.
-r	Show the routing tables.
-M	Show the multicast routing tables. When used with the -s option, show multicast routing statistics instead.
-d	Show the state of all interfaces that are under Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) control.
-D	Show the status of DHCP configured interfaces.
-f address_family	imit statistics or address control block reports to those of the specified address_family, which can be one of: inet For the AF_INET address family unix For the AF_Unix address family
-P protocol	Limit display of statistics or state of all sockets to those applicable to protocol.
- I interface	Show the state of a particular interface. interface can be any valid interface such as ie0 or le0.

Examples

netstat

Displays generic net statistics of the host you are currently connected to.

netstat -an

Shows all connections to the server including the source and destination ips and ports if you have proper permissions.

netstat -rn

Displays routing table for all ips bound to the server.

netstat -an |grep :80 |wc -l

Display the amount of active connections on port 80. Removing the pipe and wc command would display each connection.

netstat -natp

Display active Internet connections. See document CH001079 for an example of output.

NSLOOKUP

The nslookup MS-DOS utility that enables a user to do a reverse lookup on an IP address of a domain or host on a network.

Microsoft DOS nslookup command

About nslookup

MS-DOS utility that enables a user to look up an IP address of a domain or host on a network.

Users who are using earlier versions of Microsoft Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows ME and need the options available with the nslookup command will need to download an alternative, third-party program.

Availability

The nslookup.exe command is an external command that is available in the below Microsoft operating systems.

Windows NT
Windows 2000
Windows XP
Windows 7

Syntax

Commands: (identifiers are shown in uppercase, [] means optional)

NAME

print info about the host/domain NAME using default server

NAME1 NAME2

as above, but use NAME2 as server

help or ?

print info on common commands

set OPTION

set an option

all	print options, current server and host
[no]debug	print debugging information
[no]d2	print exhaustive debugging information
[no]defname	append domain name to each query
[no]recurse	ask for recursive answer to query
[no]search	use domain search list
[no]vc	always use a virtual circuit
domain=NAME	set default domain name to NAME
srchlist=N1[/N2/.../N6]	set domain to N1 and search list to N1,N2, etc.
root=NAME	set root server to NAME
retry=X	set number of retries to X
timeout=X	set initial time-out interval to X seconds
type=X	set query type (ex. A,ANY,CNAME,MX,NS,PTR,SOA,SRV)
querytype=X	same as type
class=X	set query class (ex. IN (Internet), ANY)
[no]msxfr	use MS fast zone transfer
ixfrver=X	current version to use in IXFR transfer request

server NAME

set default server to NAME, using current default server

lserver NAME

set default server to NAME, using initial server

finger [USER]

finger the optional NAME at the current default host

root

set current default server to the root

ls [opt] DOMAIN [> FILE]

list addresses in DOMAIN (optional: output to FILE)

-a	list canonical names and aliases
-d	list all records
-t TYPE	list records of the given type (e.g. A,CNAME,MX,NS,PTR etc.)

view FILE

sort an 'ls' output file and view it with pg

exit

exit the program

Examples

This command is often used to perform a reverse lookup on an IP address as shown in the below example. The first section specifies the server and address of that server that provided you with the domain name and IP address displayed in the second section.

nslookup 204.228.150.3

Server: ns.computerhope.com
Address: 1.1.1.1

Name: www.computerhope.com
Address: 204.228.150.3

nslookup

Running nslookup without specifying an IP address or domain name will display your routers server and address. To get out of the > prompt type exit and press enter.

Linux and Unix nslookup command

About nslookup

Queries a name server for a host or domain lookup.

Syntax

nslookup [ - option ] ... host [ server ]

all	List the current settings
d2	Set exhaustive debug mode on
nod2	Set exhaustive debug mode off
debug	Set debug mode on
nodebug	Set debug mode off
defname	Set domain-appending mode on
nodefname	Set domain-appending mode off
domain=string	Establish the appendable domain
ignoretc	Set it to ignore packet truncation errors
noignoretc	Set it to acknowledge packet truncation errors
host	Inquires about the specified host. In this non-interactive command format, nslookup Does not prompt for additional commands.
-	Causes nslookup to prompt for more information, such as host names, before sending one or more queries.
server	Directs inquiries to the name server specified here in the command line rather than the one read from the /etc/resolv.conf file. server can be either a name or an Internet address. If the speci- fied host cannot be reached, nslookup resorts to using the name server specified in /etc/resolv.conf.

Examples

This command is often used to perform a reverse lookup on an IP address as shown in the below example.

nslookup 204.228.150.3

Server: 198.60.22.2
Address: 198.60.22.2#53

Non-authoritative answer:
3.150.228.204.in-addr.arpa name = www.computerhope.com.

Authoritative answers can be found from:
150.228.204.in-addr.arpa nameserver = ns.xmission.com.
150.228.204.in-addr.arpa nameserver = ns1.xmission.com.
150.228.204.in-addr.arpa nameserver = ns2.xmission.com.
ns.xmission.com Internet address = 166.70.254.2
ns1.xmission.com Internet address = 204.228.159.2
ns2.xmission.com Internet address = 207.135.133.2

Linux and Unix host command

About host

DNS lookup utility.

Syntax

host [-aCdlnrTwv] [-c class] [-N ndots] [-R number] [-t type] [-W wait] [-4] [-6] {name} [server]

-a	(all) option is equivalent to setting the -v option and asking host to make a query of type ANY.
-C	host will attempt to display the SOA records for zone name from all the listed authoritative name servers for that zone. The list of name servers is defined by the NS records that are found for the zone.
-c	instructs to make a DNS query of class class. This can be used to lookup Hesiod or Chaosnet class resource records. The default class is IN (Internet).
-d, -v	Verbose output is generated by host when the -d or -v option is used. The two options are equivalent. They have been provided for backwards compatibility. In previous versions, the -d option switched on debugging traces and -v enabled verbose output.
-l	This makes host perform a zone transfer for zone name. Transfer the zone printing out the NS, PTR and address records (A/AAAA). If combined with -a all records will be printed.
-i	Specifies that reverse lookups of IPv6 addresses should use the IP6.INT domain as defined in RFC1886. The default is to use IP6.ARPA.
-N	Sets the number of dots that have to be in name for it to be considered absolute. The default value is that defined using the ndots statement in /etc/resolv.conf, or 1 if no ndots statement is present. Names with fewer dots are interpreted as relative names and will be searched for in the domains listed in the search or domain directive in /etc/resolv.conf.
-R	The number of UDP retries for a lookup can be changed with the -R option. number indicates how many times host will repeat a query that does not get answered. The default number of retries is 1. If number is negative or zero, the number of retries will default to 1.
-r	Non-recursive queries can be made via the -r option. Setting this option clears the RD -- recursion desired -- bit in the query which host makes. This should mean that the name server receiving the query will not attempt to resolve name. The -r option enables host to mimic the behavior of a name server by making non-recursive queries and expecting to receive answers to those queries that are usually referrals to other name servers.
-T	By default host uses UDP when making queries. The -T option makes it use a TCP connection when querying the name server. TCP will be automatically selected for queries that require it, such as zone transfer (AXFR) requests.
-4, -6	The -4 option forces host to only use IPv4 query transport. The -6 option forces host to only use IPv6 query transport.
-t	The -t option is used to select the query type. type can be any recognized query type: CNAME, NS, SOA, SIG, KEY, AXFR, etc. When no query type is specified, host automatically selects an appropriate query type. By default it looks for A records, but if the -C option was given, queries will be made for SOA records, and if name is a dotted-decimal IPv4 address or colon-delimited IPv6 address, host will query for PTR records. If a query type of IXFR is chosen the starting serial number can be specified by appending an equal followed by the starting serial number (e.g. -t IXFR=12345678).
-W, -w	The time to wait for a reply can be controlled through the -W and -w options. The -W option makes host wait for wait seconds. If wait is less than one, the wait interval is set to one second. When the -w option is used, host will effectively wait forever for a reply. The time to wait for a response will be set to the number of seconds given by the hardware's maximum value for an integer quantity.

Examples

This command is often used to perform a reverse lookup on an IP address as shown in the below example.

host 204.228.150.3

3.150.228.204.in-addr.arpa domain name pointer www.computerhope.com.

ROUTE

The route MS-DOS utility enables computers to view and modify the computer's route table.

Microsoft DOS route command

About route

Command to manually configure the routes in the routing table.

Availability

The route.exe command is an external command that is available in the below Microsoft operating systems.

Windows 95
Windows 98
Windows ME
Windows 2000
Windows XP
Windows Vista
Windows 7

Syntax

ROUTE [-f] [-p] [command [destination] [MASK netmask] [gateway] [METRIC metric] [IF interface]

-f	Clears the routing tables of all gateway entries. If this is used in conjunction with one of the commands, the tables are cleared prior to running the command.
-p	When used with the ADD command, makes a route persistent across boots of the system. By default, routes are not preserved when the system is restarted. When used with the PRINT command, displays the list of registered persistent routes. Ignored for all other commands, which always affect the appropriate persistent routes. This option is not supported Windows'95. command
command	One of these: PRINT Prints a route ADD Adds a route DELETE Deletes a route CHANGE Modifies an existing route destination
destination	Specifies the host.
MASK	Specifies that the next parameter is the 'netmask' value.
netmask	Specifies a subnet mask value for this route entry. If not specified, it defaults to 255.255.255.255.
gateway	Specifies gateway.
interface	the interface number for the specified route.
METRIC	Specifies the metric, ie. cost for the destination.

All symbolic names used for destination are looked up in the network database file NETWORKS. The symbolic names for gateway are looked up in the host name database file HOSTS.

If the command is PRINT or DELETE. Destination or gateway can be a wildcard, (wildcard is specified as a star '*'), or the gateway argument may be omitted.

If Dest contains a * or ?, it is treated as a shell pattern, and only matching destination routes are printed. The '*' matches any string, and '?' matches any one char. Examples: 157.*.1, 157.*, 127.*, *224*.

Diagnostic Notes:
Invalid MASK generates an error, that is when (DEST & MASK) != DEST.
Example> route ADD 157.0.0.0 MASK 155.0.0.0 157.55.80.1 IF 1
The route addition failed: The specified mask parameter is invalid.
(Destination & Mask) != Destination.

Examples

Examples:

> route PRINT

>route ADD 157.0.0.0
^destination

MASK 255.0.0.0
^mask

157.55.80.1
^gateway

METRIC 3
^metric

IF 2
^Interface

If IF is not given, it tries to find the best interface for a given
gateway.

> route PRINT
> route PRINT 157* .... Only prints those matching 157*
> route DELETE 157.0.0.0
> route PRINT

One way to use this would be as follows: You can't ping the server that you are connecting to, but you know the ip address to be 127.16.16.10

>route PRINT

Interface List
0x1 ........................... MS TCP Loopback interface
0x2 ...00 14 a4 c3 44 20 ...... Xircom CardBus Ethernet 10/100 Adapter
0x3 ...00 b0 d0 43 55 a5 ...... 3Com EtherLink PCI
0x4 ...00 01 b0 8f 8f 80 ...... NdisWan Adapter

Active Routes:
Network Destination Netmask Gateway Interface Metric
0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 127.16.8.14 127.16.8.14 1
127.0.0.0 255.0.0.0 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 1
127.16.0.0 255.255.0.0 127.16.8.14 127.16.8.14 1
127.16.8.14 255.255.255.255 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 1
192.168.50.0 255.255.255.0 192.168.50.65 192.168.50.65 2
192.168.50.65 255.255.255.255 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 1
192.168.50.255 255.255.255.255 192.168.50.65 192.168.50.65 1
224.0.0.0 224.0.0.0 127.16.8.14 127.16.8.14 1
224.0.0.0 224.0.0.0 192.168.50.65 192.168.50.65 1
255.255.255.255 255.255.255.255 192.168.50.65 192.168.50.65 1

** notice that no gateway for the current ip goes to 255.255.255.0, so it must be added. Now do the below command.

>route ADD 127.16.0.0 MASK 255.255.255.0 <your current ip from winntcfg or winipcfg> METRIC 1

**Then do the below command:

>route print

Active Routes:
Network Destination Netmask Gateway Interface Metric
0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 127.16.8.14 127.16.8.14 1
127.0.0.0 255.0.0.0 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 1
127.16.0.0 255.255.0.0 127.16.8.14 127.16.8.14 1
** 127.16.0.0 255.255.255.0 127.16.8.14 127.16.8.14 1
127.16.8.14 255.255.255.255 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 1
192.168.50.0 255.255.255.0 192.168.50.65 192.168.50.65 2
192.168.50.65 255.255.255.255 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 1
192.168.50.255 255.255.255.255 192.168.50.65 192.168.50.65 1
224.0.0.0 224.0.0.0 127.16.8.14 127.16.8.14 1
224.0.0.0 224.0.0.0 192.168.50.65 192.168.50.65 1
255.255.255.255 255.255.255.255 192.168.50.65 192.168.50.65 1

**Notice the ** ip address gives me the default gateway.

TRACERT and TRACEROUTE

The tracert command in MS-DOS and Windows or the traceroute command in Unix and Linux and variants is another commonly used network command to help determine network related issues or slowdowns. Using this command you can view a listing of how a network packet travels through the network and where it may fail or slow down. Using this information you can determine the computer, router, switch or other network device possibly causing your network issues.

Microsoft DOS tracert command

About tracert

The tracert command is used to visually see a network packet being sent and received and the amount of hops required for that packet to get to its destination.

Users with Microsoft Windows 2000 and Windows XP who need additional information network latency and network loss should also consider using the pathping command.

Availability

The tracert.exe command is an external command that is available in the below Microsoft operating systems.

MS-DOS 6.2
Windows 95
Windows 98
Windows ME
Windows NT
Windows 2000
Windows XP
Windows Vista
Windows 7

Syntax

tracert

[-d] [-h maximum_hops] [-j host-list] [-w timeout] target_name

Options:

-d	Do not resolve addresses to hostnames.
-h maximum_hops	Maximum number of hops to search for target.
-j host-list	Loose source route along host-list.
-w timeout	Wait timeout milliseconds for each reply.

Examples

Below is an example when we used tracert on www.computerhope.com. As you can see in the below example, we had a very short list and time to get to its destination because of the location we are.

tracert computerhope.com

1	169 ms	190 ms	160 ms	slc1-tc.xmission.com [166.70.1.20]
2	159 ms	160 ms	190 ms	cisco0-tc.xmission.com [166.70.1.1]
3	165 ms	189 ms	159 ms	www.computerhope.com [166.70.10.23]

Linux and Unix traceroute command

About traceroute

Print the route packets take to network host.

Syntax

traceroute [-d] [-F] [-I] [-n] [-v] [-x] [-f first_ttl] [-g gateway [-g gateway] | -r] [-i iface] [-m max_ttl] [-p port] [-q nqueries] [-s src_addr] [-t tos] [-w waittime ] host [packetlen]

-d	Set the SO_DEBUG socket option.
-F	Set the "don't fragment" bit.
-I	Use ICMP ECHO instead of UDP datagrams.
-n	Print hop addresses numerically rather than symbolically and numerically. This saves a nameserver address-to-name lookup for each gateway found on the path.
-v	Verbose output. For each hop, the size and the destination of the response packets is displayed. Also ICMP packets received other than TIME_EXCEEDED and UNREACHABLE are listed as well.
-x	Prevent traceroute from calculating checksums. Note that checksums are usually required for the last hop when using ICMP ECHO probes. See the -I option.
-f first_ttl	Set the starting ttl value to first_ttl, to override the default value 1. traceroute skips processing for those intermediate gateways which are less than first_ttl hops away.
-g gateway	Specify a loose source route gateway. The user can specify more than one gateway by using -g for each gateway. The maximum that can be set is 8.
-r	Bypass the normal routing tables and send directly to a host on an attached network. If the host is not on a directly-attached network, an error is returned. This option can be used to send probes to a local host through an interface that has been dropped by the router daemon.
-i iface	Specify a network interface to obtain the source IP address for outgoing probe packets. This is normally only useful on a multi-homed host. The -s option is also another way to do this. Note that this option does not provide a way to specify the interface on which the probe packets are sent.
-m max_ttl	Set the maximum ttl used in outgoing probe packets. The default is 30 hops, which is the same default used for TCP connections.
-p port	Set the base UDP port number used in probes. The default is 33434. traceroute hopes that nothing is listening on UDP ports (base+(nhops- 1)nqueries) to (base+(nhopsnqueries)-1)at the destination host, so that an ICMP PORT_UNREACHABLE message will be returned to terminate the route tracing. If something is listening on a port in the default range, this option can be used to select an unused port range.nhops is defined as the number of hops between the source and the destination.
-q nqueries	Set the desired number of probe queries. The default is 3.
-s src_addr	Use the following address, which usually is given as an IP address, not a hostname, as the source address in outgoing probe packets. On multi-homed hosts, those with more than one IP address, this option can be used to force the source address to be something other than the IP address traceroute picks by default. If the IP address is not one of this machine's interface addresses, an error is returned and nothing is sent. When used together with the -i option, the given IP address should be configured on the specified interface. Otherwise, an error will be returned.
-t tos	Set the tos(type-of-service) in probe packets to the specified value. The default is zero. The value must be an integer in the range from 0 to 255. Gateways along the path may route the probe packet differently depending upon the tos value set in the probe packet.
-w waittime	Set the time, in seconds, to wait for a response to a probe. The default is five (5) seconds.
host	The network host.

Examples

traceroute computerhope.com - would display results similar to the below example.

traceroute to computerhope.com (166.70.10.23), 30 hops max, 40 byte packets
1 198.60.22.1 (198.60.22.1) 2.303 ms 1.424 ms 2.346 ms
2 krunk3.xmission.com (198.60.22.6) 0.742 ms * 1.521 ms

Note: in this example because we are local to the address we are tracerouting the amount of hops is very minimal. However, when you traceroute computerhope.com you may hop more than we do.

This command is very useful for distinguishing network or router issues. If the domain does not work or is not available you can traceroute an IP.

WHOIS

The whois command available in Unix and Linux variants helps allow a user to identify a domain name. This command provides information about a domain name much like the WHOIS on network solutions. In some cases the domain information will be provided from Network Solutions.Linux and Unix traceroute command

Linux and Unix whois command

About whois

Internet user name directory service.

Syntax

whois [ -h host ] identifier

-h host Host which holds the identification information.

identifier Name or host you wish to identify

Examples

whois computerhope.com - doing a whois on computerhope.com, for example, will list information similar to the following.

Whois Server Version 1.3

Domain names in the .com, .net, and .org domains can now be registered
with many different competing registrars. Go to http://www.internic.net
for detailed information.

Domain Name: COMPUTERHOPE.COM
Registrar: NETWORK SOLUTIONS, INC.
Whois Server: whois.networksolutions.com
Referral URL: www.networksolutions.com
Name Server: NS.XMISSION.COM
Name Server: NS2.XMISSION.COM
Name Server: NS1.XMISSION.COM
Updated Date: 21-jun-2000

>>> Last update of whois database: Thu, 22 Feb 2001 07:49:41 EST <<<

The Registry database contains ONLY .COM, .NET, .ORG, .EDU domains and
Registrars.

WINIPCFG

The winipcfg command available in Windows allows a user to display network and network adapter information. Here, a user can find such information as an IP address, Subnet Mask, Gateway, etc...

Winipcfg command

About winipcfg

The winipcfg command allows a user to Click here related information such as the IP address, Subnet Mask, Default Gateway, DHCP Server, WINS Server, etc.

Availability

The winipcfg program is available in:

Windows 95
Windows 98
Windows ME
Windows NT

Windows 2000 and Windows XP do not utilize this command. Users using these operating systems will need to use the ipconfig command instead.

Information

To run the program, click Start, Run, and type winipcfg in the run line. This should open the winipcfg window similar to the below picture.

If more than one adapter is present in the computer, use the drop down window to see the other adapters' information. In the above information, we are displaying the PPP adapter's information, which would be the Dialup or Modem Internet connection information. If you were currently connected on the Internet, you should have a value other than 0.0.0.0 for the IP address.

Clicking More Info will display all of the available network related information. Below is an example of what is displayed when clicking the More Info button and changing our adapter to our Network adapter.

As illustrated in the above picture, you can clearly see that displaying more info will allow you to display much more valuable information about the network. In the above example, we are displaying the 3Com 3C90x Ethernet Adapter on our Network Adapter card. As seen, we can verify the IP address of the network card as well as any other pertinent information about the network adapter.

Tip: Windows 2000, Windows XP and above users do not have winipcfg. Instead, use ipconfig.