Windows Networking Basics

I'm new to Windows networking and would love a quick overview of the essential concepts and tools. Specifically, I'm looking for:

• How to view and configure IP settings.
• Understanding the role of DNS and DHCP on Windows.
• Basic troubleshooting commands (e.g., ipconfig, ping, tracert).
• Getting started with PowerShell networking cmdlets.

Any recommended resources or sample scripts would be greatly appreciated!

Welcome, Jane! Here’s a quick starter guide.

1. View IP Configuration

ipconfig /all

This shows every adapter's IP address, subnet mask, default gateway, and DNS servers.

2. Change IP Settings (GUI)

1. Open Settings > Network & Internet.
2. Select your adapter (Wi‑Fi/Ethernet) and click Properties.
3. Toggle IP assignment to Manual and enter your static IP info.

3. PowerShell Cmdlets

# Get adapter info
Get-NetAdapter

# View IP address
Get-NetIPConfiguration

# Set a static IPv4 address
New-NetIPAddress -InterfaceAlias "Ethernet" -IPAddress 192.168.1.100 -PrefixLength 24 -DefaultGateway 192.168.1.1

# Set DNS servers
Set-DnsClientServerAddress -InterfaceAlias "Ethernet" -ServerAddresses ("8.8.8.8","8.8.4.4")

4. DNS & DHCP

Windows acts as both a client and server for these services. For a client, the DNS servers assigned by the router are used automatically. To view the DNS cache:

ipconfig /displaydns

5. Troubleshooting Commands

• ping <host> – test connectivity.
• tracert <host> – view route hops.
• nslookup <domain> – query DNS records.
• netsh int ip reset – reset TCP/IP stack.

Feel free to ask follow‑up questions or share your own scripts!

Great overview! A quick tip for DHCP releases:

# Release current DHCP lease
ipconfig /release

# Renew DHCP lease
ipconfig /renew

This can resolve common IP conflicts.

Can anyone recommend a lightweight GUI tool for visualizing network adapters and their stats?