8.7 TCP/IP Utilities
8.7.1 Overview
TCP/IP is a complex collection of protocols. Most vendors implement the suite to include a variety of utilities for viewing configuration information and troubleshooting problems. In the sections that follow, some common TCP/IP utilities are explored:
  • Packet Internet groper (ping)
  • Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) and Reverse ARP (RARP)
  • Netstat and tpcon
  • Nbtstat
  • IP configuration utilities: ipconfig, winipcfg, config, and ifconfig
  • Route-tracing utilities: traceroute, tracert, and iptrace

Utilities that perform the same function(s) may be given different names by different vendors. How these utilities are used in software troubleshooting will be discussed in Chapter 12, "Troubleshooting Software".