Discussion on:

Pop Quiz: Command-line network troubleshooting tools

Hey there Bill. Good quizz.

For question 3, I would have rather have seen "pathping" in there as well. As it does both a statistical analysis on hops and traces the path as it pings each one.

For question 9, my system does not recognize "host". But I use ping -a if netBios is enabled or Wins or proper DNS will return the name of the machine...

Just saying.

Thanks for the Quizz.

You're correct. Pathping is basically the Windows equivalent of the Linux/UNIX mtr utility.

I just didn't get to include it as I limited the quiz to 10 questions.

As for the host tool, it's a Linux/UNIX only command. Windows admins can use nslookup to get similar information.

I've updated the question to make it a bit more clear.

Thanks for the feedback!

simple yet informative.

I use nmap a lot (for good, not evil).

For example, if you forget the IP address of a web server on your local network, you can use nmap to do a quick scan for anything listening on port 80 on the local LAN, and find SQL servers or printers the same way.

... if you use the -a switch.

J.Ja

In windows yes, but not in Linux.(don't know about BSD or Unix) I think -a calls on the remote NETBIOS name, if I'm recalling my windows training from over a decade ago correctly.

Anyway, the difference is probably how Linux handles host names. Either you have your own DNS or you use static (or sudo-static via DHCP/MAC pairing) IP addresses and the /etc/hosts file.

Yeah, it is Windows only if I recall. It's not NETBIOS name, it does a full and proper reverse DNS lookup.

J.Ja

Been a while since I've done any cli networking with windows... =[

As if System Admins allow anyone but themselves to play around with their precious little boxes. Maybe we should remember some of this, but having read about it 20 years ago, doesn't mean that I have utilized it ever again. Give me Microsoft or Apple and Cisco and I'm good. I'll leave the NIXie stuff to the other guys... lol

System Admin. Just get an old pc, install your favorite flavor of whatever trips your trigger and don't let anyone else play around with your precious little box. It's always good to know a little about different operating systems. If you can learn more and become very familiar with it the better.

I really like these quizzes you post, but I still haven't seen where it identifies the CORRECT response. just because the majority of people select an answer doesn't mean it is the right answer, and the italics just seems to indicate the answer I selected.

PLEASE POST THE ANSWER KEY!

Answers are on page 2, and I am glad that they were - I got 9 out of 10! whoo hoo! I never even use Linux/Unix!

Great quizes. Thank you very much and expect more.

I had never heard of the "host" command in *nix.

You are supposed to be computer professionals, for crying out loud. Open a command window and run the stinkin' commands! It's been so long for a couple of these, it's what I did.

And if it don't run under Windows, it must be the Linux command, eh?

How does one find the answer to several of the questions, or confirm one's guess?

a) netstat -h
b) netstat -google
c) netstat /?
d) netstat /wth

My complaint isn't so much that people answered some of these incorrectly, but that they are answering the questions on a computer. How much work is it to open a command window and run the command?

Only 74% of respondents answered "Which of the following switches would you use with the netstat command to view a system's routing table?" correctly. Let's think about this...routing starts with r, maybe it's the -r switch... type in C:\ >netstat -r ...by damn, there's the routing table!

Only 73% of respondents gave the correct answer to "Which of the following tools would you use to review and modify a host's address resolution protocol table?" correctly. Address Resolution Protocol?

Gimme an A! A!
Gimme an R! R!
Gimme a P! P!

What's that spell? arp!
Say it again... Arp!
I can't hear youuu! ARP!

And google is your friend. I've not delved into the nuts and bolts of Linux networking like I should, so I had to search for mtr. This is at the top of the page from the first link on the first page of results, searching for 'linux mtr': "What is MTR?
mtr combines the functionality of the 'traceroute' and 'ping' programs in a single network diagnostic tool." http://www.bitwizard.nl/mtr/ Yet only 36% of respondents got it right, and I suspect most of those knew the answer outright.

Maybe I'm assuming too much (good sense, for example?), but sheesh! I don't look at these quizzes as strictly a test of my knowledge, but also a test of my abilities. To not even look up the answers when you are already on the internet is just...just...stupid.

No wonder so many people complain about slow networks!

all the way.

nt

I used quizzes to reinforce, not to punish. All my quizzes were open-book, because that was sometimes the only way I could get some of my students into the books.

And even then, some couldn't manage to pass them...

Apparently some of your students are here too...

Just showing off here: I don't know Linux and I'm an SAH mom, got 6/10 right. I just like to figure out why my machine does what it does and be able to find anything I want.
Knowing this material helps. It's come in handy more than once...