Configuring Network Settings from the Command Line
Last Updated: 13 Jun 2004
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*** PLEASE NOTE: Link(s), If Provided, May Be Wrapped ***
Windows 2000 and later, provide several utilities which
allow you to view and/or alter the network configuration
of local or remote systems from the command-line.
The primary utilities are IPCONFIG, which has a GUI
counterpart in earlier version of Windows, along with the
mighty NETSH, which has no counterpart in the earlier
editions.
You can find out more about NETSH here:
• http://support.microsoft.com/?KBID=242468
• http://support.microsoft.com/?KBID=257748
• http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/netsh.mspx
The Windows 2000 Resource Kit also provides the NETSET
utility, which you can find out more about here:
• http://support.microsoft.com/?KBID=268781
• http://is-it-true.org/nt/nt2000/atips/atips45.shtml
• http://www.jsifaq.com/SUBG/TIP3100/rh3107.htm
IPCONFIG & WINIPCFG
The following utilities are available in Windows for
verifying the configuration of the network on the local
machine:
GUI
• WINDOWS XP ............. NETSH DIAG GUI (Native Utility)
• WINDOWS 3x ............. WINIPCFG (Native Utility)
• WINDOWS 95/98/ME ....... WINIPCFG (Native Utility)
• WINDOWS NT/2000/XP ..... WNTIPCFG (Resource Kit)
CONSOLE
• WINDOWS NT/2000/XP ..... IPCONFIG /ALL
• WINDOWS 2000/XP ........ NETSH
• WINDOWS 2000/XP ........ NETSET
WHERE TO OBTAIN WNTIPCFG
If you *must* use a GUI utility for viewing your IP
config in Windows 2000/XP, then obtain the WNTIPCFG
utility that was originally provided for NT4.
• http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/techinfo/reskit/tools/existing/wntipcfg-o.asp
• http://www.win2000mag.net/Articles/Index.cfm?ArticleID=21367
• http://www.techtv.com/screensavers/windowstips/story/0,24330,3351632,00.html
NETWORK SCRIPTING RESOURCES
• http://www.microsoft.com/technet/ScriptCenter/network/
PERSONAL NOTES
• NetSH is very powerful and can be used to enable or
disable DHCP and static IP addresses on remote systems
• The CLI is greatly preferable to the GUI, partiularly
when configuring many machines simultaneously.
• Use the following command in XP and .NET Server to get
networking and system diagnostics info: NETSH DIAG GUI
RELATED SCRIPTS (ALSO IN THIS ARCHIVE)
• http://KB.UltraTech-llc.com/Scripts/?File=OpsLogs.BAT
RELATED TOPICS (ALSO IN THIS ARCHIVE)
• http://KB.UltraTech-llc.com/?File=Scripting.TXT
• http://KB.UltraTech-llc.com/?File=SetIP.TXT
• http://KB.UltraTech-llc.com/?File=NetBasics.TXT
• http://KB.UltraTech-llc.com/?File=NetConfig.TXT
• http://KB.UltraTech-llc.com/?File=TCPIP.TXT