Network+ Troubleshooting and Tools Flashcards

A technician uses the 'netstat -an' command and sees many connections in a TIME_WAIT state. What does this indicate?

Answer: Connections that have closed but are waiting for delayed packets to arrive

TIME_WAIT is a TCP state where a closed connection waits (typically 2x MSL) to ensure all delayed packets have been discarded.

Which tool would best help a technician identify the path that packets take between a source and destination across the internet?

Answer: traceroute/tracert

Traceroute (tracert on Windows) sends packets with incrementing TTL values to map each hop along the network path.

A user reports intermittent connectivity. A technician runs a continuous ping and observes occasional request timeouts. What is the most likely cause?

Answer: Packet loss on the network path

Intermittent ping timeouts indicate packet loss, which can be caused by a faulty cable, overloaded link, or failing network device.

What does the 'arp -a' command display?

Answer: The ARP cache mapping IP addresses to MAC addresses

The 'arp -a' command displays the ARP cache, which shows resolved IP-to-MAC address mappings for recently contacted devices.

A cable tester shows a 'split pair' fault. What does this mean?

Answer: Wires from different pairs are connected at both ends creating crosstalk

A split pair occurs when wires from different pairs are swapped at both ends; the cable tests as correctly wired but causes excessive crosstalk.

Which command on a Windows system would release the current DHCP-assigned IP address?

Answer: ipconfig /release

'ipconfig /release' sends a DHCPRELEASE message to the server and removes the current IP address assignment from the interface.

A technician suspects a duplicate IP address on the network. Which tool would most quickly confirm this?

Answer: arp -a

Checking the ARP cache with 'arp -a' can reveal if two different MAC addresses are mapped to the same IP, indicating a duplicate.