Network troubleshooting for the help desk

Many tickets are "the internet is down." A few tools help find the cause.

Useful commands

• ipconfig (Windows) or ifconfig/ip (Mac and Linux): shows the device's IP address.
• ping: checks whether another device or website responds.
• nslookup: checks if names like rezsoulution.com turn into IP addresses (DNS).

Key services

• DHCP automatically gives devices IP addresses.
• DNS turns website names into IP addresses.
• If ping to an IP address works but a website name doesn't load, DNS is the likely problem.