Networking / Beginners

Testing and troubleshooting the NIC

With the NIC installed and the PC connected to the network, the next step is to test whether the NIC is functioning correctly and whether the link to the network is established.

With today's plug-and-play environment and software configurable NICs that have a range of autodetection features, testing whether the NIC is operating should be a matter of routine. You might not even have to test the NIC specifically, but just configure the NIC through the operating system and connect to the network. If all is working correctly, you should be able to connect, and by doing so prove that everything is working as it should be.

However, there is always a possibility that the installation of the NIC might have some problems. Understanding how to fix such problems is an important network administration skill.

Before considering troubleshooting the NIC at a protocol level, you should ensure that the NIC is installed and operating correctly.

Depending on the results of the tests, you might need to further troubleshoot the installation of the NIC. If you are using a manufacturersupplied testing utility, and it reports that it can't find the NIC, you might have the wrong utility for the NIC, or the NIC might not be working at all. Manufacturer-supplied testing utilities do not need separate driver software, so if the testing utility can't find the NIC, you can eliminate the drivers as the cause of the problem.

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In this tutorial:

  1. Network Operating Systems and Clients
  2. Network operating systems
  3. Windows NT 4
  4. Domains and workgroups
  5. Windows NT 4 authentication
  6. Windows NT 4 file and print services
  7. Windows NT 4 application support
  8. Windows NT 4 security
  9. Windows NT 4 and Windows 2000 file system security
  10. Windows 2000
  11. Windows 2000 Active Directory and domains
  12. Windows 2000 authentication
  13. Windows 2000 file and print services
  14. Windows 2000 application support
  15. Novell NetWare
  16. NDS (Novell Directory Services)
  17. NetWare authentication
  18. NetWare file and print services
  19. NetWare application support
  20. NetWare security
  21. Linux
  22. Linux file and print services
  23. Linux application support
  24. Linux security
  25. Operating system interoperability
  26. Using Windows with NetWare
  27. Using Windows and Linux servers
  28. Using NetWare and Linux servers
  29. Operating system client support
  30. NetWare server client support
  31. Linux server client support
  32. Client operating systems
  33. Local security mechanisms for Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows Me
  34. Windows NT Workstation, Windows 2000 Professional, and Windows XP Professional
  35. Client connectivity for Windows NT Workstation, Windows 2000 Professional, and Windows XP Professional
  36. Applications for Linux
  37. Local security mechanisms for Linux
  38. Macintosh
  39. Application support for Macintosh
  40. Selecting a NIC and network configuration settings
  41. Connecting the PC to the network
  42. Testing and troubleshooting the NIC
  43. Configuring the NIC settings
  44. Configuring client systems for TCP/IP
  45. Configuring DNS server information
  46. Configuring WINS server information
  47. Using DHCP (Dynamic Host Control Protocol)
  48. Configuring clients to access servers
  49. Client software for Microsoft networks on Windows 95/98/Me
  50. Novell client software
  51. Unix/Linux client software