The following steps outline the procedure for discovering the network
configuration of an end-system.

Step
1
View information about the operating system and hardware of the
device.
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NOTE:
On a Windows end-system, information about the operating system and
hardware can be accessed by choosing Start > Settings >
Control Panel and then double-click the Systems icon. On a Mac
running Mac OS X, click the Apple icon and choose About This
Mac.
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Step 2
Access a command line.
 |
NOTE:
To access a command line on a Windows end-system, choose MS-DOS
or Command Prompt from the Start Menu. The command line Terminal utility
on Mac OS X can be found in the Utilities folder located in the Applications
directory.
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Step 3
View detailed information about the TCP/IP settings
of a device. This is accomplished by entering the ipconfig
/all or winipcfg commands in a Windows command
prompt or entering ifconfig -a in a UNIX or Mac OS X
command line. The important information to record includes the following: IP
address/subnet mask, default gateway address, and any DNS or WINS server
addresses. When viewing the information returned from ipconfig
/all, it is helpful to note if the IP address of a device is static
or if it has been temporarily assigned through DHCP.
Step
4
Display any active routes by entering the route
print command in the command line or enter route
–n in UNIX or Mac OS X command line.
Step 5
View
Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) information by entering the arp
-a command.
Step 6
Check connectivity to remote
devices by attempting to ping a device across a link.
Step 7
View the route that is used to connect to a remote address
such as the default gateway. To accomplish this, enter tracert
{ip-address | hostname} in a Windows
command prompt or enter traceroute {ip-address |
hostname} on a UNIX or Mac OS X command line.
Step 8
Check that TCP is available and functioning on the
end-system by entering the telnet {ip-address |
hostname} command.