Network Tools
Network Tools
Network Tools
If the network is functioning properly, the receiving host returns the datagram.
tracert/traceroute —A TCP/IP utility that determines the route data takes to get to a
particular destination. This tool can help you to determine where you are losing packets in the
network, helping to identify problems.
nslookup — A DNS utility that displays the IP address of a hostname or vice versa. This tool
is useful for identifying problems involving DNS name resolution.
ipconfig — A Windows TCP/IP utility that verifies network settings and connections. It can
tell you a host’s IP address, subnet mask and default gateway, alongside other important
network information.
ifconfig — A Linux or UNIX TCP/IP utility that displays the current network interface
configuration and enables you to assign an IP address to a network interface. Like ipconfig on
Windows, this command will tell you vital information about the network and its status.
iptables — A Linux firewall program that protects a network. You can use this tool if you
suspect that your firewall may be too restrictive or too lenient.
netstat — A utility that shows the status of each active network connection. This tool is
useful for finding out what services are running on a particular system.
tcpdump — A utility that is used to obtain packet information from a query string sent to the
network interface. It’s available for free on Linux but can be downloaded as a command for
Windows.
pathping — A TCP/IP command that provides information about latency and packet loss on
a network. It can help you troubleshoot issues related to network packet loss.
nmap — A utility that can scan the entire network for various ports and the services that are
running on them. You can use it to monitor remote network connections and get specific
information about the network.
route — A command that enables manual updating of the routing table. It can be used to
troubleshoot static routing problems in a network.
arp — A utility that supports the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) service of the TCP/IP
protocol suite. It lets the network admin view the ARP cache and add or delete cache entries.
It can be used to address problems having to do with specific connections between a
workstation and a host.
dig — A Linux or UNIX command-line tool that will display name server information. It can
be used to troubleshoot problems in DNS name resolution.