Hour 13. Connectivity Utilities

What You'll Learn in This Hour:

• Protocol problems

• Line problems

• Name resolution problems

• Network performance problems

This hour introduces utilities you can use to troubleshoot and configure TCP/IP. You will find these tools indispensable when you need to identify connectivity problems, test communication between network nodes, and check the TCP/IP settings of computers on your network.

The section "Using Connectivity Utilities to Troubleshoot," later in this hour, introduces several techniques to help you zero in on problems.

By the Way

Companies that write TCP/IP software might implement the utilities presented in this hour differently or not at all. Generally speaking, these utilities are not covered by RFC specifications, which explains the latitude in implementation. Check your TCP/IP documentation for more information on how your system implements these utilities.

At the completion of this hour, you will be able to

• Identify and describe common TCP/IP connectivity utilities

• Use connectivity utilities to troubleshoot problems