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378 Chapter 9 Configuring Windows Vista Networking The basic details specify whether the computer is currently connected to a network, whether the connection is enabled, how long the connection has been active, and the speed of the connection. In addition, the Activity section shows the number of bytes that have been sent by and received from the network connection. This information provides a good overview of the status of the connection. In some cases, it can be helpful to view more details such as the specific TCP/IP configuration of the connection. You can click Details to open a dialog box that shows this information (see Figure 9-5). Specific information includes the network address, subnet mask, and information about DHCP and DNS servers. If the computer used a DHCP server to obtain the address information, details about the duration of the lease are also available. Figure 9-5 Viewing details for a network connection Modifying Network Settings The vast majority of networks today run a standard set of protocols and services. In most cases, Windows Vista is able to configure the appropriate setting for a network connection automatically. In some cases, however, it might be necessary to configure settings such as the IP address, subnet mask, default gateway, and DNS servers for a computer manually. It’s most common to use a manual configuration when a DHCP server is either unavailable or not providing the correct information. To access the properties of a network connection, open Network And Sharing Center and click View Status next to the relevant network connection. Then, click Properties (see Figure 9-6). Lesson 1: Managing Network Protocols and Client Network Services Figure 9-6 379 Viewing properties for a wired network connection The specific list of items shown might vary based on the enabled services and protocols for the network. By default, new network connections include settings for both IPv4 and IPv6. You can uninstall or disable most of the items in the list. In general, it is recommended that you use the default options because they are required for certain types of functionality. For example, if you remove the File And Printer Sharing For Microsoft Networks feature, users will not be able to share or access files on other computers. It is also possible to install new services or protocols manually if they are required. In addition to adding and removing services for a network connection, the primary settings that you can modify are related to the network connection and protocols. Clicking Configure in the Properties dialog box displays the details of the associated network adapter used by the connection. Most of the available properties are related to the settings for the hardware device itself. Many network adapters include advanced options that you can also modify if necessary (see Figure 9-7). 380 Chapter 9 Figure 9-7 Configuring Windows Vista Networking Viewing the Advanced tab of the Properties dialog box of a network adapter Setting Network Location Details Networked computers often have different security requirements based on the type of network to which they are connected. For example, within a typical home environment, it’s likely that computers need to share information. Because the network is usually limited to authorized users and computers, it’s safe to do this. When you connect the same computer to a public or insecure network (such as in an airport or other public place), it is recommended that you limit access to the computer. You can configure these settings by clicking Customize next to a network connection in the Network And Sharing Center. Figure 9-8 shows the typical options that are available. Figure 9-8 Customizing network settings using the Network And Sharing Center Lesson 1: Managing Network Protocols and Client Network Services 381 In addition to switching between the Public and Private options for network connection types, you can also change the name of the network. Windows Vista uses this setting to help you quickly identify the type of network that you are using. It is also possible to change the network icon. Finally, it is possible to merge or delete network connections. This option is useful when, for example, multiple network connections are defined on the computer that all use similar settings. Manually Configuring TCP/IP Settings The most commonly modified network connection settings are those related to the IPv4 and IPv6 network protocols. To access these settings, in the Properties dialog box for a network connection, select the appropriate protocol and click Properties. Figure 9-9 shows the properties that are available for the IPv4 protocol. Figure 9-9 Manually configuring settings for the IPv4 protocol By default, new network connections are designed to use DHCP for automatic assignment of settings. Using the Properties dialog box, however, you can manually specify information for several settings as follows: The unique TCP/IP address of this computer n Subnet Mask The subnet mask that is used by all computers on the local subnet n Default Gateway The IP address of a router or other device that enables communications outside the local network n DNS Servers The IP addresses of a preferred and alternate DNS server n IP Address If DHCP is enabled, users also see an Alternate Configuration tab that enables them to define a second set of IP address information (see Figure 9-10). This information is most commonly used when you would like to leave the automatic settings to use DHCP, but you want to provide rules for which addresses should be used if a DHCP server is unavailable. The options 382 Chapter 9 Configuring Windows Vista Networking include using an automatic private IP address (which is generated automatically by Windows Vista) or to provide specific IP address settings. This tab is also useful when a network connection is used at multiple locations. For example, if a customer uses a laptop computer at work and at home, he or she might need to assign different addresses for each environment manually. Figure 9-10 Specifying alternate configuration options for a network connection On the General tab of the Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) Properties dialog box, the Advanced button enables further configuration of network details. Although these settings are not common for most consumers, it is possible to configure a single network adapter to use multiple IP addresses and subnet masks and to configure multiple gateways (see Figure 9-11). Figure 9-11 Configuring advanced TCP/IP settings for a network connection Lesson 1: Managing Network Protocols and Client Network Services 383 In addition, there are advanced configuration options for DNS and Windows Internet Naming Service (WINS). Most home and small-business users use the default settings. In some business network environments, however, it might be helpful to change the default behavior of these protocols. By default, the Properties dialog box of a network connection also includes details about the IPv6 protocol. As with IPv4 settings, the defaults are appropriate for most users. You can configure manual IPv6 addresses and other details by accessing the Properties dialog box of the protocol (see Figure 9-12). Figure 9-12 Configuring properties of the IPv6 protocol Another method of configuring network settings is by clicking Manage Network Connections in the Network And Sharing Center. The resulting display shows all of the available network connections on the computer and enables the user to change the settings manually. This view is similar to the one that you see in previous versions of Windows such as Windows XP and Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional. Creating a New Network Connection The process of creating a new network connection is simple and can be performed by starting at the Network And Sharing Center. Clicking the Set Up A Connection Or Network link launches a dialog box that enables you to select the type of connection to create (see Figure 9-13). 384 Chapter 9 Configuring Windows Vista Networking Figure 9-13 Setting up a new network connection by using the Network And Sharing Center There are several different options, each of which provides a description of a typical usage scenario. For home and small-business users, the most common option is usually Connect To The Internet. The other network types include connecting to a workplace by using a virtual private network (VPN), creating a dial-up connection, or configuring a wireless router or access point. Each step of the process walks users through available options. The specific details are based on the type of network connection, whether other similar network connections have been defined, and the security requirements. Troubleshooting Network Connections As a Consumer Support Technician, you are likely to be asked for assistance with configuring customers’ wired and wireless network connections. Common problems include having incorrectly configured IP address settings or trying to access remote resources when a network connection is disabled. Because the process of troubleshooting these types of problems usually follows a sequence of steps, Windows Vista includes an automatic method for resolving the most common issues. Understanding the Network Diagnostics Framework The process of troubleshooting network-related problems can be complicated, especially for customers with limited knowledge of the technical details. One of the most common errors that a user will report is receiving a “Page cannot be displayed” error in Internet Explorer. The root cause of the problem could be one of many different issues. For example, a network cable might be unplugged, or the computer might have failed to obtain a valid IP address from a DHCP server. Lesson 1: Managing Network Protocols and Client Network Services 385 Windows Vista includes the Network Diagnostics Framework (NDF) to provide a method to determine the cause of a particular network problem automatically. It can then present options for resolving the issue, such as enabling a network adapter that is disabled. Behind the scenes, the NDF functionality looks at many different details related to network settings and uses a set of steps for determining the cause and potential resolution for the issue. The specific details might vary, for example, for wired and wireless network connections. This frees users and support staff from having to check multiple configuration settings to resolve the issue. Diagnosing and Repairing a Connection There are several ways to start the process of automatic troubleshooting for a particular network connection. One method is to right-click the system tray icon for the network connection (if it is available) and select Diagnose And Repair. Other options are to select the Diagnose And Repair option in the Status dialog box of a network connection or to use the Diagnose And Repair link in the Network And Sharing Center. Regardless of the method used, this starts the automatic repair process (see Figure 9-14). Figure 9-14 Automatically diagnosing and repairing a network connection If a problem is detected, Windows Vista automatically attempts to resolve it. For example, if the computer is not currently configured with valid TCP/IP information, Windows Vista automatically attempts to release the current DHCP lease (if there is one) and obtain new IP address details. In some cases, Windows Vista might notify users that manual configuration changes might be required. Overall, the Diagnose And Repair function can help automatically resolve the most common types of connection problems without requiring expertise from users. Using Network Troubleshooting Tools When diagnosing and troubleshooting network connections, there are several different tools and techniques you can use to verify connectivity. In this section, you’ll learn about several of the most commonly used tools. You run all of them from a command prompt, and they can return or change configuration details. For more information about a particular command, you can type the command followed by /?. 386 Chapter 9 Configuring Windows Vista Networking Windows IP Configuration The Windows IP configuration (IPCONFIG) command provides a simple way to view and modify information for a network adapter. To view network details, you can use the command without any arguments or type IPCONFIG /ALL to view complete details about the configuration of the network connection and various protocol settings (see Figure 9-15). Figure 9-15 Viewing network configuration details by using IPCONFIG In addition to viewing information about network connections, you can also release and renew DHCP addresses and perform DNS troubleshooting, using the IPCONFIG utility. Type IPCONFIG /? for more details on the specific command-line options. PING Often, when troubleshooting network connections, you want to test whether computers are able to communicate with each other without having to share files, printers, or other objects. The PING utility is designed to send a simple TCP/IP request to a remote computer and to return the response. Figure 9-16 provides an example. In addition to determining whether another computer is reachable, the PING command returns the amount of time it took for a response to be received. Although this information is not intended to be used for performance monitoring, it does provide an indication of the speed of the network. Lesson 1: Managing Network Protocols and Client Network Services 387 Figure 9-16 Performing a PING to verify IPv4 connectivity NETSH The NETSH command launches an interactive command-line application that enables viewing and modifying many different types of network settings. You can access the list of NETSH commands by typing ? at the NETSH prompt. Common operations include viewing and modifying settings for a particular network interface, making firewall changes, and configuring protocol settings. Quick Check 1. You would like to get a quick overview of the number and types of devices that are available on a customer’s home network. What is the easiest way to do this? 2. What are the most important protocol settings related to an IPv4 connection? Quick Check Answers 1. The Network Map feature that is available from within the Network And Sharing Center provides a graphical overview of all of the network devices that are present in the environment. 2. An IPv4 connection should include an IP address, a subnet mask, a default gateway, and DNS server addresses. Practice: Configuring Network Settings In these exercises, you will configure network settings in Windows Vista. The exercises assume that you currently have a wired network connection on a computer running Windows Vista and that you are able to access the Internet. It also assumes that you have obtained valid TCP/IP network information through a DHCP server. Internet access can be provided through a LAN, a home-based broadband router, or a direct broadband connection (using, for example, a DSL modem or cable modem). The steps in the exercise might result in temporary loss of your Internet connection.