Content

| 1.3 |  | Building-Block Approach |
| 1.3.4 |  | Discovering end-system configuration information |

The following steps outline the procedure for discovering the network configuration of an end-system.

Step 1
View information about the operating system and hardware of the device.

> Note: On a Windows end-system, information about the operating system and hardware can be accessed by choosing Start>Settings>Control Panel and then double-click the Systems icon. On a Mac running Mac OS X, click the Apple icon and choose About This Mac.

Step 2
Access a command line.

> Note: To access a command line on a Windows end-system, choose MS-DOS or Command Prompt from the Start Menu. The command line Terminal utility on Mac OS X can be found in the Utilities folder located in the Applications directory.

Step 3
View detailed information about the TCP/IP settings of a device. This is accomplished by entering the ipconfig /all or winipcfg commands in a Windows command prompt or entering ifconfig -a in a UNIX or Mac OS X command line. The important information to record includes the following: IP address/subnet mask, default gateway address, and any DNS or WINS server addresses. When viewing the information returned from ipconfig /all, it is helpful to note if the IP address of a device is static or if it has been temporarily assigned through DHCP.

Step 4
Display any active routes by entering the route print command in the command line.

Step 5
View Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) information by entering the arp -a command.

Step 6
Check connectivity to remote devices by attempting to ping a device across a link.

Step 7
View the route that is used to connect to a remote address such as the default gateway. To accomplish this, enter tracert {ip-address | hostname} in a Windows command prompt or enter traceroute {ip-address | hostname} on a UNIX or Mac OS X command line.

Step 8
Check that TCP is available and functioning on the end-system by entering the telnet {ip-address | hostname} command.