The Windows 2000 Resource Kit came with a command-line tool that helps you find and fix networking problems called the Network Connectivity Tester. If you installed the Kit in its default location, it is found in the C:Program FilesResource Kit folder. This tool, downloadable from www.microsoft.com/windows2000/techinfo/reskit/tools/existing/netdiag-o.asp, can determine whether a network client is connected and give its current state.
To use the Network Connectivity Tester, download it from the above site and double click on the self-extracting .EXE file to initiate the installation. The file installs both the tool and its help files. Once the tool is installed you can run the program from the command prompt window using the NetDiag command. The only requirement that NetDiag has is that TCP/IP must be bound to a network adapter.
NetDiag has the following options:
netdiag [/q] [/v] [/l] [/debug] [/d: domain_name] [/fix] [/dcaccountenum] [/test: test_name1 test_name2 ...] [/skip: test_name1 test_name2 ...]
Where the parameters have the following meanings: /q, quiet output displays only errors; /v, verbose mode; /l, write to the Netdiag.log file; /debug, debug mode; /d: domain_nam:, find a controller in the named domain; /fix, correct issues found; /dcaccountenum, list domain controller machine accounts; and /test: test_name.
Use this last parameter to specify the test or tests that you want to run, where test_name can be any of the following values:
Autonet, Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA) address test;
Bindings, Bindings test;
Browser, Redir and Browser test;
DcList, Domain controller list test;
DefGw, Default gateway test;
DNS, Domain Name Service (DNS) test;
DsGetDc, Domain controller discovery test;
IpConfig, Internet Protocol (IP) address configuration test;
IpLoopBk : IP address loopback ping test;
IPSec, IP Security Protocol (IPSec) security test;
IPX, Internetwork Packet Exchange (IPX) test;
Kerberos, Kerberos Test;
Ldap, Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) test;
Member, Domain membership test;
Modem, Modem diagnostics test;
NbtNm, NetBIOS over TCP/IP (NetBT) name test;
Ndis, Netcard queries test;
NetBTTransports, NetBT transports test;
Netstat, Netstat information test;
NetWare,: NetWare test;
Route, Routing table test;
Trust, Trust relationship test;
WAN, Wide Area Network (WAN) configuration test;
WINS, Windows Internet Naming Services (WINS) service test;
and Winsock, Winsock test.
The broad range of tests indicates the utility of this tool.
Barrie Sosinsky is president of consulting company Sosinsky and Associates (Medfield MA). He has written extensively on a variety of computer topics. His company specializes in custom software (database and Web related), training and technical documentation.
