Windows Server Cookbook

Chapter 10. Network Configuration

Introduction

System administrators have to wear several different hats. They have to be part server administrator, security professional, storage administrator, and network administrator. In this chapter, I’ll cover many of the network-based activities that Windows system administrators have to do, including configuring an IP address and DNS and viewing network activity.

Using a Graphical User Interface

The Network Connections applet hasn’t changed significantly since Windows NT, with the exception of adding a few more tabs and buttons. You can do most network configuration tasks with it, but it is not a very efficient or intuitive interface.

For viewing current network activity, I talk about the Sysinternals TCPView (Recipe 10.9) and Microsoft Network Monitor (Recipe 10.11) later in the chapter. Both tools are invaluable for troubleshooting network connectivity issues. Get familiar with them if you haven’t already.

Using a Command-Line Interface

Table 10.1 lists all of the command-line tools used in this chapter.

Table 10-1. Command-line tools used in this chapter

Tool	Windows Server 2003	Windows 2000 Server	Recipes
devcon	MS KB 311272	MS KB 311272	10.2
ipconfig	%SystemRoot%\system32	%SystemRoot%\system32	10.1, 10.4, 10.6
linkspeed	Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit	N/A	10.13
netcap	Windows Server 2003 Support Tools	N/A	10.11
netdiag	Windows Server 2003 Support Tools	Windows 2000 Support Tools	10.10
netsh	%SystemRoot%\system32	%SystemRoot%\system32	10.1, 10.3, ...