Troubleshooting TCP/IP

These are the two main utilities for troubleshooting TCP/IP:
ping – used to test connectivity
ipconfig – used to view IP address information.
Before launching into detailed settings investigation, always check that the hub/switch has power to it, or that the network cable hasn’t been pulled out.
The ping command does the following:
Verifies connections to one or more remote computers by sending ICMP echo packets to the computer and listening for echo reply packets.

Internet Connection Firewall

Windows XP ships with a basic built-in firewall. The firewall helps protect the computer from outside attacks on the internet. A firewall controls which network traffic is allowed in and out of a computer. It does this by opening and closing ports.
When communications take place between two machines different port numbers are used depending on the service. As an example a Web Browser will communicate with a Web Server on port 80, which is the default port for HTTP (The language used to display web pages).

Configuring TCP/IP

This free lesson will teach you how to configure TCP/IP in windows and how to use the ipconfig command.
To configure TCP/IP click on Start.
Right-click on My Network Places.
Select Properties.

The IP Address

Every computer on a network and the internet needs an address. This address is known as an IP address. Two computers can never have the same address.  An IP Address is a group of 4 eight bit binary numbers represented in decimal. Each number is separated by a period, e.g. 10.1.0.1.  Any machines that are connected to a network will each need a unique address.

Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)

In order for communication to occur on a network  all parties must use a common language. In IT networks this is known as a protocol.  There are many different protocols available for computer networks. The most common and widely used being TCP/IP.
TCP/IP is the standard protocol that is used on the internet. In order for any network to access the internet you must use the TCP/IP protocol suite. TCP/IP is required by Active Directory. For this reason, TCP/IP is the default protocol for Windows XP and 2003.