Windows 7 / Networking

Nbtstat

Nbtstat (Nbtstat.exe) is a command-line tool for troubleshooting NetBIOS name resolution problems. NetBIOS is a session-layer protocol that formed the foundation of Microsoft network applications for several years. NetBIOS applications identify services on the network by using 16-character NetBIOS names. Each computer on a network might have several different NetBIOS names to identify NetBIOS services on that system.

Today, NetBIOS is implemented on TCP/IP networks by using NetBIOS over TCP/IP (NetBT). NetBT includes its own form of name resolution to resolve NetBIOS names to IP addresses. Names might be resolved by broadcast queries to the local network segment or by queries to a WINS server.

Unfortunately, NetBIOS name resolution is a common source of problems. You can use Nbtstat to reveal the NetBIOS names available on the local computer or remote computers. In troubleshooting scenarios, this helps you to verify that a NetBIOS service is available and its name is being correctly resolved.

To view the NetBIOS name cache, open a command prompt and run the following command.

nbtstat -c

To view the local NetBIOS service names, open a command prompt and run the following command.

nbtstat -n

To view the NetBIOS names on a remote system by using the computer name, open a command prompt and run the following command.

nbtstat -a computername

For example:

nbtstat -a win71

Notice that the output is similar to the output when running nbtstat -n locally. However, this output also displays the remote computer's MAC address. To view the NetBIOS names on a remote system by using the IP address, open a command prompt and run the following command.

nbtstat -A IP_Address

Windows 7 (and all recent versions of Windows) prefers to use DNS host names instead of NetBIOS names. Therefore, if you have an AD DS domain with a DNS server configured, you will rarely need to troubleshoot NetBIOS names. However, Windows might still use NetBIOS names to communicate with computers on the local network and will use NetBIOS names if a host name cannot be resolved with DNS and you have configured a WINS server. To troubleshoot NetBIOS name resolution with WINS servers, use Nblookup, described earlier in this tutorial.

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In this tutorial:

  1. Troubleshooting Network Issues
  2. Tools for Troubleshooting
  3. Table-1 Network Troubleshooting Tools
  4. Arp
  5. How to Identify a Problem with the ARP Cacher
  6. How to Clear the ARP Cache
  7. Event Viewer
  8. IPConfig
  9. Nblookup
  10. Nbtstat
  11. Net
  12. How to View Shared Folders on the Local Computer
  13. How to View Shared Folders on Another Computer
  14. Netstat
  15. Network Monitor
  16. Nslookup
  17. Verifying that the Default DNS Server Resolves Correctly
  18. Verifying that a Specific DNS Server Resolves Correctly
  19. Verifying Specific Types of Addresses
  20. Using TCP for DNS Lookups
  21. PathPing
  22. PathPing Output
  23. Routing Loops
  24. Performance Problems
  25. Possible Connectivity Issues
  26. No Connectivity Issues
  27. Performance Monitor
  28. Data Collector Sets
  29. Windows Resource Monitor
  30. Ping
  31. PortQry
  32. Identifying the TCP Port for a Service
  33. Windows 7 Testing Service Connectivity
  34. Determining Available Remote Management Protocols
  35. Why PortQry Is Great
  36. Route
  37. Task Manager
  38. TCPView
  39. Telnet Client
  40. Testing Service Connectivity
  41. Test TCP
  42. Windows Network Diagnostics
  43. The Process of Troubleshooting Network Problems
  44. How to Troubleshoot Network Connectivity Problems
  45. How to Troubleshoot Application Connectivity Problems
  46. Default Port Assignments for Common Services and Tasks
  47. How to Troubleshoot Name Resolution Problems
  48. How to Verify Connectivity to a DNS Server
  49. How to Use the Hosts File
  50. How to Troubleshoot Performance Problems and Intermittent Connectivity Issues
  51. How to Troubleshoot Joining or Logging on to a Domain
  52. How to Verify Requirements for Joining a Domain
  53. How to Troubleshoot Network Discovery
  54. How to Troubleshoot File and Printer Sharing
  55. How to Troubleshoot File and Printer Sharing from the Client
  56. How to Troubleshoot File and Printer Sharing from the Server
  57. How to Troubleshoot Wireless Networks
  58. Network Diagnostics
  59. How to Troubleshoot Firewall Problems