Demonstration Of Basic Commands

1. ipconfig

 Syntax:

ipconfig [options]

Example:

ipconfig /all

 What It’s Used For:

o Displays network configuration details like IP address, subnet mask, and default
gateway.
o Can be used to release or renew IP addresses ( /release, /renew).
 Why It’s Important:
o Helps diagnose and resolve network configuration issues, such as incorrect IP
settings or connectivity problems.
2. ping

 Syntax:

ping [hostname or IP address]

Example:

ping google.com

 What It’s Used For:

o Tests connectivity between your computer and a remote server.
o Measures packet loss and latency.
 Why It’s Important:
o Quickly identifies if a host is reachable and helps troubleshoot connection
problems.
3. netstat

 Syntax:

netstat [options]

Example:

netstat -an

 What It’s Used For:

o Displays active network connections, listening ports, and protocol statistics.
o Can show processes using specific ports with -b option.
 Why It’s Important:
o Useful for monitoring network activity and identifying applications consuming
bandwidth or exposing vulnerabilities.
4. tracert

 Syntax:

tracert [hostname or IP address]

Example:

tracert google.com

 What It’s Used For:

o Traces the route packets take to reach a remote host.
o Displays each hop and its response time.
 Why It’s Important:
o Helps identify network bottlenecks or misconfigured routers on the path to the
destination.
5. nslookup

 Syntax:

nslookup [hostname or IP address]

Example:

nslookup example.com

 What It’s Used For:

o Queries the DNS to resolve domain names into IP addresses and vice versa.
o Provides DNS record details.
 Why It’s Important:
o Diagnoses DNS-related issues like domain resolution failures or DNS server
unavailability.
6. arp

 Syntax:

arp [options]

Example:

arp -a

 What It’s Used For:

o Displays or modifies the ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) cache.
o Shows mappings between IP addresses and MAC addresses.
 Why It’s Important:
o Helps troubleshoot issues with device communication on a local network.
7. netsh

 Syntax:

netsh [context]

Example:

netsh wlan show profiles

 What It’s Used For:

o Configures and monitors Windows networking settings.
o Useful for managing wireless profiles, firewall rules, and network adapters.
 Why It’s Important:
o Enables advanced network troubleshooting and configuration directly from the
command line.
8. getmac

 Syntax:

getmac [options]

Example:

getmac /v

 What It’s Used For:

o Displays the MAC addresses of network interfaces.
o Shows details of enabled network adapters.
 Why It’s Important:
o Essential for verifying the hardware addresses of network cards, especially
when troubleshooting connectivity or security issues.

9. tasklist

 Syntax:

tasklist [options]

Example:

tasklist /svc

 What It’s Used For:

o Lists all running processes on the system, including those associated with
networking tasks.
 Why It’s Important:
o Identifies processes using high network resources or conflicting with other
applications.
10. route

 Syntax:

route [options]

Example:

route print

 What It’s Used For:

o Displays and modifies the routing table.
o Can be used to add or delete static routes.
 Why It’s Important:
o Helps troubleshoot routing issues in complex network setups, such as multiple
gateways or VPN connections.
11. whoami

 Syntax:

whoami

 What It’s Used For:

o Displays the username and domain of the currently logged-in user.
 Why It’s Important:
o Helps verify identity and permissions, especially when troubleshooting user-
specific network or access issues.
12. powercfg

 Syntax:

powercfg [options]

Example:

powercfg /energy

 What It’s Used For:

o Analyzes power consumption and provides a report on energy efficiency.
 Why It’s Important:
o Useful for diagnosing power issues that may affect network device
performance, such as power-saving modes disabling network adapters.

13. systeminfo

 Syntax:

systeminfo

 What It’s Used For:

o Displays detailed information about the system, including network
configuration and updates.
 Why It’s Important:
o Useful for gathering system details during network troubleshooting or hardware
compatibility checks.
14. sc

 Syntax:

sc [command] [service_name]

Example:

sc query dnscache

 What It’s Used For:

o Manages Windows services, such as starting, stopping, or querying the status
of networking-related services.
 Why It’s Important:
o Critical for diagnosing issues with services like DNS, DHCP, or networking
drivers.

15. netsh wlan show interfaces

 Syntax:

netsh wlan show interfaces

 What It’s Used For:

o Displays detailed information about wireless network interfaces, including
signal strength and SSID.
 Why It’s Important:
o Helps troubleshoot wireless connectivity issues and monitor Wi-Fi
performance.
16. telnet

 Syntax:

telnet [hostname or IP address] [port]

Example:

telnet example.com 80

 What It’s Used For:

o Connects to remote servers using the Telnet protocol to test open ports or
communicate with services.
 Why It’s Important:
o Useful for diagnosing server communication or port accessibility issues.

17. pathping

 Syntax:

pathping [hostname or IP address]

Example:

pathping google.com

 What It’s Used For:

o Combines the functionality of ping and tracert to analyze packet loss and latency
across the route to a host.
 Why It’s Important:
o Provides deeper insights into network performance and identifies problematic
network hops.
18. fsutil

 Syntax:

fsutil behavior set disable8dot3 1

 What It’s Used For:

o Performs advanced file and volume management tasks, such as managing
filesystems that might interact with network shares.
 Why It’s Important:
o Useful for ensuring optimal performance when using shared network drives or
distributed filesystems.

19. wmic

 Syntax:

wmic [context]

Example:

wmic nic get name, macaddress

 What It’s Used For:

o Executes Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) queries for detailed
information about network adapters and other hardware.
 Why It’s Important:
o Provides low-level details about hardware and network interfaces that can assist
in troubleshooting.
20. net user

 Syntax:

net user [username]

Example:

net user Administrator

 What It’s Used For:

o Displays or manages user account details, such as permissions and login status.
 Why It’s Important:
o Helps verify or configure user accounts that might impact network resource
access or privileges.