Networking / Beginners

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Viewing Network Configuration Information

In Windows Vista, you can view the current configuration for network adapters in several ways. To view configuration settings using the Local Area Connection Status dialog box, follow these steps:

1. Click Start and then click Network. In Network Explorer, click Network And Sharing Center on the toolbar.
2. In Network And Sharing Center, click Manage Network Connections.
3. In Network Connections, right-click the connection you want to work with and then click Status. This displays the Local Area Connection Status dialog box. If the connection is disabled or the media is unplugged, you won't be able to access this dialog box. Enable the connection or connect the network cable to resolve the problem and then try to display the status dialog box again.
4. Click Details to view detailed information about the IP address configuration, including:
   • Physical Address The machine or media access control (MAC) address of the network adapter. This address is unique for each network adapter.
   • IPv4 IP Address The IPv4 address assigned for IPv4 networking.
   • IPv4 Subnet Mask The subnet mask used for IPv4 networking.
   • IPv4 Default Gateways The IPv4 address of the default gateways used for IPv4 networking.
   • IPv4 DNS Servers IP addresses for DNS servers used with IPv4 networking.
   • IPv4 WINS Servers IP addresses for WINS servers used with IPv4 networking.
   • IPv4 DHCP Server The IP address of the DHCPv4 server from which the current lease was obtained (DHCPv4 only).
   • Lease Obtained A date and time stamp for when the DHCPv4 lease was obtained (DHCPv4 only).
   • Lease Expires A date and time stamp for when the DHCPv4 lease expires (DHCPv4 only).

You can also use the IPCONFIG command to view advanced configuration settings. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Click Start and type cmd in the Search field.
2. Press Enter.
3. At the command line, type ipconfig/all to see detailed configuration information for all network adapters configured on the computer.

Note The command prompt is started in standard user mode. This is not an elevated command prompt.

Renaming Local Area Connections

Windows Vista initially assigns default names for local area connections. In Network Connections, you can rename the connections at any time by right-clicking the connection, selecting Rename, and then typing a new connection name. If a computer has multiple local area connections, proper naming can help you and others better understand the uses of a particular connection.