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6.5.1. Software Tools and Commands
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
| ping | Test reachability (ICMP echo). ping -t repeats until stopped on Windows (default is four); Linux ping repeats until stopped unless -c sets a count |
| traceroute/tracert | Show path to destination |
| mtr / pathping | Traceroute plus repeated pings: per-hop latency and loss (mtr on Linux, pathping on Windows) |
| nslookup/dig | Query DNS |
| ipconfig/ifconfig/ip | View/configure IP settings (ipconfig /all adds DNS servers, DHCP server and MAC; ip addr is the modern Linux command) |
| netstat | Show connections and listening ports (netstat -ano adds the owning process ID on Windows; ss -tulnp is the Linux equivalent) |
| arp | View/manage ARP cache (arp -a lists IP-to-MAC entries) |
| tcpdump/Wireshark | Protocol analyzers: capture and decode packets |
| nmap | Port scanning, network discovery |
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Written byAlvin Varughese
Founder•20 professional certifications