What command would you issue from a command prompt to see all the IP address configuration details of your Windows based machine?

DOS/Windows IP commands are used to perform several tasks, like assigning an Internet Protocol (IP) address to a network interface or configuring network interface parameters. Included in this article are only some of the types of commands that are available.

Common IP commands for Windows and DOS

Below, you'll find a list of the most common Internet Protocol commands for Windows and DOS. These include ipconfig, trace route, netstat, arp, route, hostname, control netconnections, and other popular DOS and Windows Internet Protocol commands.

Description	DOS/Windows IP Command
Connection Configuration	ipconfig /all
DNS Cache Info	ipconfig /displaydns
Release All IP Address Connections	ipconfig /release
Renew All IP Address Connections	ipconfig /renew
Re-Register the DNS Connections	ipconfig /registerdns
Change/Modify DHCP Class ID	ipconfig /setclassid
Network Connections	control netconnections
Network Setup Wizard	netsetup.cpl
Test Connectivity	ping whatismyip.com
Trace Route	tracert
TCP/IP protocol sessions	netstat
Local Route	route
Resolved MAC Addresses	arp
Name of Computer Currently On	hostname
DHCP Class Information	ipconfig /showclassid
Name Server Lookup	nslookup whatismyip.com

Troubleshooting connection issues using commands

Ipconfig and ping are probably the two most commonly used commands from the list above. The ping and ipconfig commands allow you to quickly troubleshoot network connectivity issues. If you can't connect to a server on your local network or get to the Internet, pull up a DOS prompt by going to Start and typing in cmd in the search box. Then, press Enter. After this, type ipconfig and see your IP address information. Make sure that the information displayed looks correct. For example, you could see IP 192.168.1.122, subnet 255.255.255.0, and default gateway 192.168.1.1. If this is the case, try to ping the gateway, which is likely your router. Type in in ping 192.168.1.1.

If you get a response, the device you're on is connected to the local network. If you don't get a response from the gateway or router and your IP address looks odd, like 169.254.0.0, then the device you're on does not have a legitimate IP address. At the command prompt, type ipconfig /release and press Enter, then type ipconfig /renew. Once the IP has renewed, check again to see if the IP looks normal.

In conclusion, these and other system Internet Protocol commands are command line tools to help assist in making sure our device connectivity is able to be corrected with a few simple tasks.

Windows has some very useful networking utilities that are accessed from a command line (cmd console).

On Windows 10 type cmd in the search box to open a command console.

These basic networking commands are mainly used for getting system information and troubleshooting networking problems.

Here we look at 10 commands that I use most often.

The IP address is a unique 32-bit identifier given to a computer for use on the network. Without the IP address, communication is not possible. In Logan Hall, IP addresses are assigned statically, by the LSP. Options for automatic assignment through DHCP is available for AirSAS wireless clients. All IP addresses are given in a numeric format commonly called "Dotted Decimal Notation" .

Example: 192.168.0.1

The addresses used in Logan Hall have the numbers 130 and 91 for the first two sections, or "octets". Computers in Fiji House (3619 Locust Walk) have the numbers 165 and 123 in their first two octets. All computers require an IP address to connect to the Internet. TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol) is a suite of network protocols, of which the IP address, is the functional unit.

TCP/IP can be installed on any type of computer. Every device that connects to the Internet has an IP address at some level. Both Microsoft Windows, and Apple Mac OS X have numerous ways to determine the current IP address.

Mac OS X (10.4 Tiger): Network Utility.

Open the Utilities folder from inside the Applications directory (Shift-Command-U).

Double-click the "Network Utility" application and allow it to open.

The first section of the window is the "Info" section. A drop-down menu allows the user to select which adapter they would like to view. Airport adapters are known as "en1" and the Ethernet port goes under the designation "en0".

Mac OS X (10.4 Tiger): ifconfig

Open the Utilities folder from inside the Applications directory (Shift-Command-U).

Double-click the "Terminal" application and allow it to open.

A console window will appear. From the prompt, type "ifconfig en1". If the address assigned to the built-in ethernet port is sought substitute "en0" for "en1".

The IP information for the given adapter will be displayed in the terminal's console window after the "inet" descriptor.

Windows XP (All Versions): Local Area Connection Status

From the desktop, navigate through; Start > Control Panel > Network Connections > Local Area Connection .

Right-click the local area connection and choose "Status", then click the "Support" tab. The "Details..." button reveals even more information about the connection's IP information.

Windows XP (All Versions): ipconfig.exe

Windows Vista (All Versions): Network and Sharing Center

From the desktop, navigate through; Logo > Control Panel > Network & Internet > View Network Status and Tasks. This will open the "Network and Sharing Center".

Select the "Connection" > "Local Area Connection" then the "Status" tab. The "details" buttonwill provide the IP address and connection information.

Windows Vista (All Versions): ipconfig.exe

From the desktop, navigate through; Logo > type "cmd.exe" in the "Start Search" dialog box . A command prompt window will appear.

At the prompt, type "ipconfig". All IP information for all network adapters in use by Windows will be displayed.

Additional Items

Every IP connection has additional information that is associated with it's operation.

The subnet mask is an another 32-bit number that identifies what network the IP address belongs. Computers with IP addresses on the same subnet can talk to each other natively. IP addresses with different subnet masks must communicate through a translating device such as a router to exchange information. A common example of a subnet mask is;

255.255.255.0

The subnet mask for all IP addresses in use at Logan Hall is 255.255.252.0 and 255.255.255.128 for all of the addresses in Fiji House.

Default gateway is the IP address of another computer that acts as the exit ramp for all traffic leaving the network. The most common use for a default gateway is to allow computers on the network to access the Internet. Corporate environments use a "proxy server" as a default gateway to filter and protect outgoing network traffic.

The default gateway address for Logan Hall is 130.91.236.1 and 165.123.54.1 for Fiji House.

Every computer with an IP address needs the IP address of a DNS server to resolve names of web-sites on the Internet. Without a proper DNS server and the correct subnet mask, a computer will not be able to access the Internet. All computers on-campus use the same DNS server addresses. Three DNS server addresses are provided for load-balancing and redundancy. These addresses only work while on-campus and not off-campus.

The Penn DNS servers are 128.91.2.13, 128.91.254.1, and 128.91.254.4.

- Jason Watkins, 9/2/2007