The laptop that cannot get online
A student says, "My laptop shows Wi-Fi, but no web page loads." You cannot see inside the laptop.
One short command prints the laptop's settings. Then you can see the fault.
By the end of this lesson
Note
I can read the output of ipconfig or ifconfig and find a fault.
Key words
| Word | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Network | computers joined so they can share data | |
| Router | a device that passes data between networks | |
| Console | a window where you type commands | |
| Command | a short instruction you type | |
| IP address | the number that names a device on a network | 192.168.1.20 |
| Subnet mask | shows which part of an address is the network | 255.255.255.0 |
| Default gateway | the router a device uses to leave its own network | 192.168.1.1 |
| DNS server | the computer that turns a name into an address | |
| MAC address | the fixed hardware address of a network card |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Starter
Have a go
Starter
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.
Two commands, one job
ipconfig is for Windows. ifconfig is for older Linux and for macOS. Both print the settings of every network card.
Newer Linux uses ip addr for the same job. In the lab you use ip, because ifconfig is not installed there. The facts you read are the same.
A sample of ipconfig output
| Line | Value | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| IPv4 Address | `192.168.1.20` | The name of this device on the network |
| Subnet Mask | `255.255.255.0` | The first three numbers are the network |
| Default Gateway | `192.168.1.1` | The router that leads out |
| DNS Servers (ipconfig /all) | `192.168.1.1` | Who turns names into addresses |
| Physical Address (ipconfig /all) | `00-1A-2B-3C-4D-5E` | The MAC address of the card |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Check
Have a go
Check
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.