Information on Commands and how to Open Command Prompt - griffinsnest/tech-Jorunal-1 GitHub Wiki

The commands we used in this weeks lab were as followed:

  1. ipconfig: This is a simple command that when inputted into the command prompt displays all current IP network configuration values. Such as when used without parameters at the base command it will display Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4), subnet mask, and default gateway for all adapters available to the device. When used with the parameter "/all" the command will display the full IP configuration for all adapters including new information such as the physical address of the adaptor and the DNS Servers associated with it.
  2. ping: This is another simple command that when entered into the command prompt will send packets of data to a specifically entered IP address or domain name on a network and then lets you know how long it took to transmit that data and get a response back from the given location connected to.
  3. tracert: This is a command that when inputted into the command prompt with a given destination IP address/hostname will display the route the packets take across an Internet Protocol (IP) network to the wanted destination. The way packets travel is recorded with the times of the packets received from each remote node they are sent to during the route; with the sum of the times between each hop between nodes to be used as a measure of the total time spent to establish the connection from the user's device to the given destination.
  4. nslookup: This is an interactive command that queries the specified DNS server and retrieves records that are associated with the domain name that is provided. After inputting the command a new interactive prompt, ">" is given to insert a given address or hostname, and after entering one it will provide the current devices server and its address that are being used, and then the full hostname and all associated addresses to the given server along with any aliases for it. To exit out of this interactive mode simply type in "exit" into the nslookup prompt instead of a hostname/address.

Ways to open Command Prompt

In regards to how to open the command prompt shell, there are many ways. One of the simplest ways, at least on Windows 10 computers such as my own, is to go inside the search field located on your taskbar at the bottom of one's screen and enter command or cmd. Then, click or tap on the Command Prompt result to open it. Another way to open it, without even having to use a mouse, is to hit the Windows button + the 'r' key to open the Run application which will automatically run/open any application or file name put into its prompt, in this case typing "cmd" and hitting enter will also open a command prompt shell.