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4.7 Describe when to use various diagnostic tools for identifying and resolving Internet problems. Ping, WinIPCFG, IPC Config, ARP, Trace Routing Utility, Network Analyzer, Netstat.

Ping: A utility which sends a small amount of information to a host to get a reply and measure how long it took to send this information and get it back. Ping can be used to check to see if a site, server, or computer is operating on the network.

WinIPCFG: A utility within Windows to tell you the IP Address & network information for a computer. In Windows NT or 2000, IPConfig within DOS displays this information.

ARP: Address Resolution Protocol. ARP is a TCP/IP protocol used to translate IP addresses to hardware addresses such as Ethernet addresses.

Trace Routing Utility: A trace routing utility allows you to trace a connection, or in other words, send out a request which shows you the path from one computer to another. Can be used to show the list of routers you go through to reach a certain site. Use Tracert in Windows NT/2000.

Network Analyzer: A network analyzer collects information about the packets and their movement throughout the network to analyze problems or see how much traffic is moving in your network. One popular software network sniffer is Sniffer Pro. Sniffer Pro allows you to monitor the network or specific machines to determine problems or the amount of traffic flowing.

Netstat: A command line utility which shows you protocol statistics and current TCP/IP network connections.