IDENTIFY AND

RESOLVE NETWORK
PROBLEMS
DNS Lookup
(Is my computer data going to the right place?)

■ DNS (Domain Name System) turns your user-friendly web addresses

into the numerical IP addresses that are used by computer systems.
■ If you have a working connection, but can't view popular websites like
Wikipedia or Google, then faulty DNS settings may be the cause.
Flush DNS Cache

■ The first thing you should do is remove the saved DNS information in
your computer, this may now be out of date.
■ To Flush your DNS Cache:
– In the command line window, type "ipconfig /flushdns"
– Press Enter.
– Watch for the flush to complete with the message. "Successfully
flushed the DNS Resolver Cache."
– Retest to see if you can browse popular websites.
DNS lookups

■ You can test to see if your DNS is working properly by doing a DNS
lookup, using the command line tool nslookup.
■ To do a DNS Lookup:
– In the command line window, type "nslookup [Website Address]"
for example "nslookup www.google.com
– Press Enter.
– Check the results to see if an (IP) address is found that
corresponds with the name of the website address.
■ If your DNS is not working properly, nslookup won't be able to return
an IP address.
Netstat
(what's my computer connecting to?)
■ Netstat tells you what your computer is connected.
■ This makes if useful for seeing if your computer is connected to
servers that you don't know about.
■ If you think that your computer is infected with "Spyware" or certain
types of viruses Netstat may help you find them out.
■ To run Netstat:
– In the command line window, type "netstat -a"
– Press Enter
– View the list of connections on your PC.
Cont’d
■ Different programs and processes may connect to remote computers.
In most cases there's nothing to worry about.
■ The two things to look for are the numbers after the colon (port
numbers), and the Foreign Addresses.
■ Ports are the doorways that different computer programs use to send
data over a network.
– For example, browser traffic uses Port 80, email uses ports 25
and port 110.
■ Foreign addresses are the systems that are connected to your
computer that appear to be remote. While it can be hard to know what
to look for, one solution is to run netstat while no programs are
running and save the results to compare later.
 Telnet
(Can I connect to it?)
■ Telnet is a program that allows you to access and use other computers
remotely. It has lots of uses for testing problems because it can let you
manually test Internet services as if you were a browser or email
program. You can then see if a problem you have is due to the service
or your computer setup. You can use telnet to confirm that a service
like email is accepting connections.
■ A telnet client is included with most versions of Windows, though in
Windows Vista it has to be added as follows:
– Click Start > Control Panel > Programs
– Then Turn Windows Features on or off.
– In the list, scroll down and select Telnet Client.
– Click OK to start the installation.
Problem receiving email - test your mailbox
1. In the command line window type "telnet mail.plus.net 110"
2. Press Enter.
3. You should be connected to the mail server - you should see the response "+OK
Hello there" which confirms the mail server is OK.
4. Type 'user [username]' where [username] is your account mailbox username.
5. Press Enter.
6. You should see a message "+OK Password required".
7. Type "pass, for example, if your password is pa55w0rd you should type pass
pa55w0rd.
8. Press Enter.
■ You will see the message "+OK Logged in". You are now in your mailbox and can be
sure your email account details are correct, and that the mail server is responding to
connections. If your normal mail program can't connect, you should consider checking
that your settings are correct, or reinstalling the program.
Problem sending email - test you access to
mail relay server
1. In the command line window type "telnet relay.plus.net 25".
2. Press Enter.
3. You should see a response that begins "220" which indicates that you
have successfully connected to the mail relay server.
– If you don't get a response that beings with "220" then either the
relay server is not responding, or port 25 is being blocked.
Trace route command

■ The tracert command lists the number of hops needed to connect to a

target computer.
■ Each hop represents a device that the packets of data must travel
through in order to continue along the network. On the Internet, this is
a usually a router.
■ When testing in a LAN environment, there is usually just one hop.
■ To use trace route:
– On command line, type Tracert [Address]
Diagnose NIC Problems
Common problems with NIC and respective Troubleshooting
1. The cable is connected but there is no light on the NIC
✓ Unplug and re-plug the network connector into the NIC and at the
other end.
✓ Check that the other end of the cable is connected to a device that is
powered on.
✓ Try switching the cable to a different port if available.
✓ Try a different network cable.
✓ Check the control panel in Windows to make sure the card is
recognized and working.
Cont’d
2. The data collision light is frequently or continuously lit
✓ Check that the far end of the network cable is connected to the proper
port, or try a different port.
✓ Check that your PC is not using an IP address that is already in use
on your network.
✓ Make certain that your PC is not using a name that is already in use
by another PC on the network.
Cont’d
3. The lights on the NIC are normal but I cannot connect to the network
– Make certain that other network devices are powered on.
– Make certain that your PC is configured with the proper
Workgroup or Domain name.
– Check that your PC is not using an IP address that is already in
use on your network.
– Make certain that your PC is not using a name that is already in
use by another PC on the network.
– Allow up to 20 minutes for network polling to identify all available
resources.
– Check the network cable connections and use a different port if
available.
LO-3
Carry out Maintenance Support on
Identified Problem
Network Addressing, Subnetting and
Masking
IP(Internet Protocol) Addresses
■ An IP address is a logical address of a computer which is expressed as a four 8-bit group
of bits (a total of 32 bits) separated by periods.
■ Each 8-bit group of bits can be represented by a 3-digit decimal that spans between 0
and 255. For example, 196.27.22.42 is a typical IP address of the DNS server of the
Ethiopian Telecommunication Corporation (ETC).
■ The total number of distinct addresses one can have from these 32-bit addressing scheme
is 232 = 4,294,967,296.
IP Addressing Class

■ When IP was first standardized in September 1981, the specification required that each
system attached to an IP-based internet be assigned a unique, 32-bit Internet address
value.
■ Some systems, such as routers which have interfaces to more than one network, must be
assigned a unique IP address for each network interface.
Cont’d

■ In recent years, the network-number field has been referred to as the "network-prefix" because the
leading portion of each IP address identifies the network number.
■ All hosts on a given network share the same network-prefix but must have a unique host-number.
Similarly, any two hosts on different networks must have different network-prefixes but may have
the same host-number.
Cont’d

Class Initial Bits Available Nodes Starting Address Remark

A 0xxxxxxx. 224 = 16,777,214 1 – 126

B 10xxxxxx. 216 = 65,536 128 – 191 127 is reserved for network testing (Loopback)
C 110xxxxx. 28 = 256 192 - 223

D 1110xxxx. 224-239 Reserved for Multicast

E 1111xxxx. 240 - 255 Reserved for research

Class A Networks (/8 Prefixes)
■ Each Class A network address has an 8-bit network-prefix with the highest
order bit set to 0 and a seven-bit network number, followed by a 24-bit host-
number.
■ Today, it is no longer considered 'modern' to refer to a Class A network.
■ Class A networks are now referred to as "/8s" (pronounced "slash eight" or
just "eights") since they have an 8-bit network-prefix.
■ A maximum of 126 (27-2) /8 networks can be defined.
■ The calculation requires that the 2 is subtracted because the /8 network 0.0.0.0
is reserved for use as the default route and the /8 network 127.0.0.0 (also
written 127/8 or 127.0.0.0/8) has been reserved for the "loopback" function.
■ Since the /8 address block contains 231 (2,147,483,648) individual addresses
and the IPv4 address space contains a maximum of 232 (4,294,967,296)
addresses, the /8 address space is 50% of the total IPv4 unicast address space.
Class B Networks (/16 Prefixes)

■ Each Class B network address has a 16-bit network-prefix with the two
highest order bits set to 1-0 and a 14-bit network number, followed by a
16-bit host-number.
■ Class B networks are now referred to as"/16s" since they have a 16-bit
network-prefix.
■ A maximum of 16,384 (214) /16 networks can be defined with up to
65,534 (216-2) hosts per network. Since the entire /16 address block
contains 230 (1,073,741,824) addresses, it represents 25% of the total
IPv4 unicast address space.
Class C Networks (/24 Prefixes)

■ Each Class C network address has a 24-bit network-prefix with the three
highest order bits set to 1-1-0 and a 21-bit network number, followed by
an 8-bit host-number.
■ Class C networks are now referred to as "/24s" since they have a 24-bit
network-prefix.
■ A maximum of 2,097,152 (221) /24 networks can be defined with up to
254 (28-2) hosts per network. Since the entire /24 address block contains
229 (536,870,912) addresses, it represents 12.5% (or 1/8th) of the total
IPv4 unicast address space.
Other Classes

■ In addition to the three most popular classes, there are two additional
classes.
– Class D addresses have their leading four-bits set to 1-1-1-0 and are
used to support IP Multicasting.
– Class E addresses have their leading four-bits set to 1-1-1-1 and are
reserved for experimental use.
Subnetting

■ In 1985, RFC 950 defined a standard procedure to support the subnetting, or division, of
a single Class A, B, or C network number into smaller pieces. Subnetting was introduced
to overcome some of the problems that parts of the Internet were beginning to
experience with the classful two-level addressing hierarchy:
- Internet routing tables were beginning to grow.
- Local administrators had to request another network number from the Internet
before a new network could be installed at their site.
■ Both of these problems were attacked by adding another level of hierarchy to the IP
addressing structure. Instead of the classful two-level hierarchy, subnetting supports a
three-level hierarchy.
■ The basic idea of subnetting which is to divide the standard classful host-number field
into two parts - the subnet-number and the host number on that subnet.
Cont’d
Private Address Space

■ There are two types of IP addresses: - public and private.

– The private address space is used to communicate in a local (Intranet) network
where the computers are not visible to the global network (the Internet).
– Public IP addresses are visible to the Internet. Private IP addresses can be used in
any network as long as they are unique in the specific Intranet.
Starting Address Ending Address Remark

1 10.0.0.0 10.255.255.255 We can have 224 private IP addresses

2 172.16.0.0 172.31.255.255 We can have 220 private IP addresses

3 192.168.0.0 192.168.255.255 We can have 216 private IP addresses

What Is a Default Gateway?
■ A default gateway is the device that passes traffic from the local subnet to devices on
other subnets. The default gateway often connects a local network to the Internet,
although internal gateways for local networks also exist.
■ Internet default gateways are typically one of two types:
• On home or small business networks with a broadband router to share the Internet
connection, the home router serves as the default gateway.
• On home or small business networks without a router, such as for residences with
dialup Internet access, a router at the Internet Service Provider location serves as
the default gateway.
■ Default network gateways can also be configured using an ordinary computer instead of
a router. These gateways use two network adapters, one connected to the local subnet
and one to the outside network. Either routers or gateway computers can be used to
network local subnets such as those in larger businesses.
Proactive Network Maintenance

■ Common preventive maintenance techniques should continually be performed for a

network to operate properly.
■ Heat is a big problem for network devices, especially in the server room. Network
devices, such as computers, hubs, and switches, do not perform well when over-heated.
Excess heat is generated by dust and dirty air filters. Dust impedes the proper flow of
cool air and sometimes even clogs fans. Keep network rooms clean and change air filters
often.
■ Preventive maintenance involves checking the various components of a network for
wear. Check the condition of network cables because they are often moved, unplugged,
and kicked. Many network problems can be traced to a faulty cable. You should replace
any cables that have exposed wires, are badly twisted, or are bent.
Cont’d

■ Label the cables. This practice will save troubleshooting time later. Refer to wiring
diagrams and always follow your company's cable labeling guidelines.
■ Test devices on a regular basis.
■ AC power adapters should be checked regularly.
■ The uninterruptible power supply (UPS), which provides backup power, should be
tested to ensure that you have power in the case of an outage. Before installing a new
UPS, plug it into a power source to charge the batteries. The initial charge time is
usually 12 hours or more.
Troubleshoot a network

▪ Network issues can be simple or complex. To assess how complicated the problem is,
you should determine how many computers on the network are experiencing the
problem.
▪ If there is a problem with one computer on the network, start the troubleshooting process
at that computer.
▪ If there is a problem with all computers on the network, start the troubleshooting process
in the network room where all computers are connected.
▪ As a technician, you should develop a logical and consistent method for diagnosing
network problems by eliminating one problem at a time.
Network Troubleshooting Process

Step 1: Gather data from the customer

Step 2: Verify the obvious issues
Step 3: Try quick solutions first
Step 4: Gather data from the computer
Step 5: Evaluate the problem and implement the solution
Step 6: Close with the customer
Networking Commands
■ Ping – Can my data reach you?
■ Pathping – enhanced form of ping
■ Continous ping – Shows intermittent problems
■ Traceroute – how does my data reach its destination?
■ Ipconfig – for a quick glance at your network settings
■ DNS lookup – is my computer data going to the right place?
■ Netstat – What is my computer connecting to?