Chapter 21 Network Troubleshooting Lab

Name___________________________

When communicating between machines on different networks, packets are sent

via the default gateway on the way into and out of the LAN. The routing is done using
(Layer 3) IP addresses. If the computers on the same network, then the IP address gets
resolved to a (layer 2) Media Access Control (MAC) address to communicate with the
computer. The MAC addresses are hard-coded onto the Ethernet card by the company
that made the card.

The ability to retrieve and change your IP configuration is an important skill. In

this lab, you will use the ipconfig command in Windows to view the configuration
information. You will then use the Local Area Connection Properties window to change
the IP address in Windows.
Computers use both MAC and IP addresses to communicate with one another
across networks. In this lab, two computers will “talk” to each other via ping messages.
You will then modify the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) table of one of the
computer to demonstrate the relationship between the IP and MAC addresses for a
machine.
The ping (Packet Internet Groper) is a basic utility that is used for testing the
connectivity between two computers. This message name was derived from the sound
that sonar on a submarine makes and is used in a similar way. A “signal” or request is
sent out to probe for the existence of the target along a fixed “distance.” The distance
between two computers can be measured using time to live (TTL). The TTL is
decremented by at least one for each router it passes through, also known as a hand-off
point or (HOP). It may be decremented by more than one if the router holds on to it for
more than one second, which rarely is the case. Ping operates using Internet Control
Message Protocol (ICMP) to test for connectivity; so, in case where ICMP is restricted,
the ping utility may not be useful. Ping is usually implemented using ICMP echo
messages, although other alternatives exist.
When you use the ping command in this lab, you will see that although you are
using the IP address as the target of the ping, it is actually the MAC address that is
used to communicate with that computer. IP addresses are used to transfer data from
one network to another, whereas MAC addresses are used to send information from
one device to another on the same network. It is ARP that resolves the IP addresses to
their associated MAC addresses. ARP is a Transmission Control Protocol/Internet
Protocol (TCP/IP) tool that is used to modify the ARP cache. The ARP cache contains
recently resolved MAC addresses of IP hosts on the network. The utility used to view
and modify the ARP protocol is also called arp.

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As you progress through the labs you will see how a computer obtains both MAC
addresses and IP addresses in order to communicate. This is the question you should
be considering: How does the computer know that the information it is getting is
correct?

Learning Objectives
After completing this lab, you will be able to
 Retrieve IP address configuration information via the command line

 List the switches that can be added to the ipconfig command to increase its
functionality

 Use the Windows Graphical Interface (GUI) to configure a network card to use a
given IP address

 Determine your machine’s MAC address

 Determine your machine’s assigned network resources

 Understand how to test network connectivity between two computers

 List the options that can be added to the ping command to increase functionality

 Use the arp command to view and manage the ARP cache on a computer.

Lab 1.1: Windows Client Configuration

Materials and Setup

You will need the following:
 Windows 7
 Windows Server 2008 R2

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Lab Steps at a Glance – Overview of what you will be doing in this lab

Step 1: Start both Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7 VMs. At first, you will not
login to Windows 2008 Server as of yet, only to the Windows 7 machine. (Since you are
an admin, you are automatically logged on when you turn on the Windows 7 VM.)

Step 2: View network card configuration using the ipconfig command

Step 3: Change the IP address of the Windows 7 machine

Step 4: Verify the new IP address. Use the ipconfig command to verify that the IP
address has changed.

Step 5: Change Windows 7 machine back to the original address

Step 6: Ping the Windows Server machine from the Windows 7 PC

Step 7: Change IP address of Windows Server 2008 machine and try and ping
Windows 7.

Step 8: Ping Windows Server 2008 machine from Windows 7 machine after IP address
on Windows Server 2008 machine is changed.

Step 9: Change subnet mask of Windows Server 2008 Machine and ping from Windows
7 machine

Step 10: Put IP and Subnet Mask address back to their pre lab setting and view and
modify the ARP table.

Lab Steps - step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Start Windows 7 machine and Server 2008 R2 machine. Do not log in to Server
2008 yet.
Step 2: View the network card configuration using the ipconfig command
On the Windows 7 PC, you will view the network card configuration using ipconfig. This
utility allows administrators to view and modify network card settings.
1. To open the command prompt, click Start; in the Search Programs and Find Files
Box type cmd and press ENTER.

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(some of you may already have a shortcut to the command line and that fine to
use instead)

2. At the command prompt, type ipconfig /? and press ENTER

a. Observe the options available for ipconfig. You may have to scroll up to
see all of the information

b. Which options are available to you as an administrator?

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

3. Type ipconfig and press ENTER, as shown in Figure 1-1.

a. What is your IP address? _____________________

b. What is your subnet mask?____________________

4. Type ipconfig /all and press ENTER.

Note: Instead of retyping “ipconfig”, at the C :> prompt, you can press the up
arrow on your keyboard or the F3 key to repeat the last command you typed in

a. Observe the new information.

b. What is the MAC address (physical address) of your

computer?______________________

c. What is you DNS server address (s)?_________________________

d. Is there more than one DNS server? ________

If so, what is the address? _______________

5. Type exit and press ENTER

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Figure 1-1 The ipconfig command

Step 3: Change the IP address of the Windows 7 machine.

You will access the Local Area Connection Properties dialog box and change the host
portion of the IP address.
1. Click START | CONTROL PANEL | NETWORK AND SHARING CENTER.

2. Click change adapter settings

3. Right-click Local Area Connections and select Properties.

4. Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and click Properties.

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5. In the IP address text box, you will see the IP address 192.168.100.101, as
shown in Figure 1-2. Change the last octet (101) to 110.

6. Click OK.

7. In the Local Area Connection Properties window, click Close.

8. Click Close to close the Network Connections window.

Figure 1-2 Internet Protocols (TCP/IP) Properties Window

Step 4: Verify the new IP address. Use ipconfig command to verify that the IP
address has changed.
1. To open the command prompt, click Start; in the Search Programs and Files box,
type cmd and then press ENTER.

2. Type ipconfig and press ENTER

3. Observe that your IP address has changed.

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4. Type exit and press ENTER

Step 5: Change the IP address of the Windows 7 machine back to the original
address.
1. Click START | CONTROL PANEL | NETWORK and INTERNET | NETWORK
and SHARING CENTER

2. Click Change Adapter Settings

3. Right-click Local Area Connection and select Properties

4. Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and click Properties

5. In the IP Address text box, you will see the IP address 192.168.100.110. Change
the last octet (110) to 101 as shown in Figure 1-2.

6. Click OK

7. In the Local Area Connection Properties window, click Close.

8. Click Close to close the Network Connections window.

Step 6: Ping the Windows 2008 Server machine from the Windows 7 PC.
1. On the Windows 7 PC, click Start; in the Search Programs and Files box, type
cmd and then press ENTER.

2. To view the ping help file, type ping /? at the command line and then press
ENTER. Observe the different options you can use with ping.

3. To ping the IP address of the Windows 2008 Server computer, type ping
192.168.100.102 at the command line and press ENTER.

a. Observe the information displayed

b. What is the time value observed for all four replies?_____________

c. What is the TTL observed?_____________________

d. What does this number refer to? (Hint: see page 1)__________________

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Step 7: LOGON TO SERVER 2008 R2

1. Use right CTRL and DELETE to access the logon screen. The password for
Server 2008 is Admin-Password.

Step 8: You are now going to change the IP address and subnet mask address of
Server 2008
1. Click START | CONTROL PANEL | NETWORK AND INTERNET | SHARING
CENTER | CHANGE ADAPTER SETTINGS | right-click Local Area Connection |
left-click Properties. Figure 1-3

2. Click INTERNET PROTOCOL VERSION 4 (TCP/IPv4) | PROPERTIES

3. Open Properties for Internet Protocol Version 4(TCP/IPv4) Figure 1-5

Figure 1-3 Network Connections Page

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Figure 1-4 Local Area Connection Properties.

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If on your machine the default

gateway is populated, take out the
IP address and leave this box blank

Figure 1-5 Server IP address and subnet mask

Step 9: You are now going to change the IP address and Subnet mask in Server 2008.
Figure 1-6
1. You will change the IP address to 191.168.0.2

2. You will change the Subnet mask to 255.255.255.224

3. Click Ok then Click Close

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Figure 1-6 New IP address and Subnet Mask

Step 10: You are now going to ping Windows 7 from Windows Server 2008.
1. In Windows 2008 click START | Search Programs and Files | and type cmd and
press ENTER.

2. At the command prompt type ping 192.168.100.101.

What response do you get from the ping?

Why do you think you get that response?

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Step 11: Switch back to Windows 7. You are now going to ping Server 2008 from
Windows 7.
1. In Windows 7 Click Start | Search Programs and Files | type cmd and press
ENTER.

2. At the command line type ping 192.168.0.2.

What happens? Can you successfully ping the IP address? ___________

Step 12: Now you are going to change the IP address and Mask address of the
Windows 7 Computer.
1. In Windows 7 Click START | CONTROL PANEL | NETWORK AND SHARING
CENTER | CHANGE ADAPTER SETTINGS | right-click on Local Area
Connection| left-click on PROPERTIES. Click on IP Protocol Version 4 |
PROPERTIES Figure 1-7

Figure 1-7 Local Area Connection and IPv4 properties

2. Change IP address from 192.168.100.101 to 192.168.0.4

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3. Change Subnet mask from 255.255.255.0 to 255.255.255.224

Changes should look be like what is in Figure 1-8

Figure 1-8 New IP address and Subnet Mask

Step 13: You will now ping Server 2008 from Windows 7.
1. In Windows 7 Click START | Search Programs and Files | type cmd | press
ENTER

2. At the command prompt type ping 192.168.0.2

Now what happens? ___________________________________________________

Step 14: Now you will ping Windows 7 from Server 2008.
1. At the command prompt in Server 2008 type ping 192.168.0.4

What happens?______________________________________________

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Step 15: You will now change the Subnet mask on the Windows 7 computer from
255.255.255.224 back to 255.255.255.0
2. Click START | CONTROL PANEL | NETWORK AND SHARING CENTER |
CHANGE ADAPTER SETTINGS | right-click on Local Area Connection| left-click
on PROPERTIES. Click on IP Protocol Version 4 | PROPERTIES Figure 1-9

Figure 1-9 IPv4 settings

Step 16: You will now ping Server 2008 from Windows 7.
3. In Windows 7 Click START | Search Programs and Files | type cmd | press
ENTER

4. At the command prompt type ping 192.168.0.2.

What happens? ________________________________________

Step 17: You will now ping Windows 7 from Server 2008.

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1. In Server 2008 Click START | Search Programs and Files | type cmd | press
ENTER

2. At the command prompt type ping 192.168.0.4

Does the ping still work? _________

These devices do not have the same subnet mask, so do they still communicate?
If so, can you explain why? ____________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
3. You will now change the IP Address on the Windows 7 computer from
192.168.0.4 to 192.168.0.33 and leave the subnet mask to 255.255.255.0

4. You will now ping Windows 7 from Server 2008:

At the command prompt in Windows Server 2008 type ping 192.168.0.33
Does the ping still work? _________
Can you explain why or why not? _______________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
5. You will now change the IP Address on the Windows 7 computer back from
192.168.0.33 to 192.168.0.4 Leave the subnet mask to 255.255.255.0

Step 18: View and Modify the ARP table.

At the Windows 7 machine, you will view the ARP cache, using the arp utility.
1. Close the current command prompt window if you have one open.

2. Select Start | All Programs | Accessories and then right-click Command Prompt.
Click Run as Administrator

3. In the User Account Control dialog box, click Yes.

4. At the command line, type arp /? and press ENTER.

a. Observe options for this command

b. Which command(s) display(s) the current ARP under Example _________

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5. At the command line, type arp –a and press ENTER.

6. Observe the entry. Notice that the MAC address for the Windows 2008 Server
machine is listed. (Physical address next to 192.168.0.2 shown as dynamic)

7. At the command line, type arp –d and press ENTER. (the d- option deletes the
ARP cache.)

8. Observe the entries. (Don’t worry if no entries are listed; you are simply deleting
what is in the ARP cache)

9. At the command line , type arp –a and press ENTER, as shown in Figure 1-10

10. Observe that the arp cache has no entries

11. At the command line type ping 192.168.0.2 and press ENTER

12. At the command line, type arp –a and press ENTER.

a. Observe the entry. Notice the MAC address is once again listed.

b. How does using the ping utility cause the machine’s MAC address to be
populated in the ARP cache?

Figure 1-10 The arp command in Windows

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1. You have been called in to troubleshoot a client's computer, which is unable to

connect to the local area network. What command would you use to check the
configuration? What information would you look for?

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

2. If you needed to obtain a user's MAC address as well as the user's network
configuration information, what command and switch would you enter?

3. To use the Windows GUI utility to adjust IP settings, including DNS and gateway
information, what steps would you take?

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

4. You have just pinged a remote computer. You would now like to retrieve the
MAC address of the remote computer locally. How would you obtain the remote
computer's MAC address?

_____________________

5. You are about to run some network traffic analysis tests, you need to clear your
ARP cache. How would you go about performing this task?

____________________

6. What information does ping return to the user?

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

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