TCP/IP Utilities

By Stephen Bucaro

TCP/IP comes with a set of command line utilities that a network technician can use to manage and troubleshoot a network.

PING (Packet Internet Groper)

PING is used to test the ability of two hosts on a network to communicate. To test the connection, type in PING followed by the name or IP address of the other host. If the host can be reached, PING will report the time required to receive a reply from the host. If the host cannot be reached, PING will provide a report containing some information that may indicate the cause of the problem.

Windows computers will transmit four PING messages. If the host cannot be reached, some operating systems will continue to send packets until to cancel the PING command by pressing the Control-C key combination.

TRACERT (Trace Route)

TRACERT is used to trace the route between two hosts on a network. To trace a route, type in TRACERT followed by the name or IP address of the other host. TRACERT will list each router it encountered along the path between a computer and the destination host. It also reports the number of hops between a computer and the destination.