Most networking utilities are somewhat standard across operating systems. Table A.13 contains the most commonly used Linux networking utilities.
Table A.13. Networking Utilities
COMMAND | GENERAL USAGE | DESCRIPTION |
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dig | dig HOST | Utility used to look up DNS information for the specified host. |
ftp | ftp HOST | File Transfer Protocol client utility used to transfer files to and from FTP servers. |
ifconfig | ifconfig [OPTIONS] | Utility used to display and configure network interface cards. Common options include -a Display all configured devices |
ifdown | ifdown INTERFACE | Script used to stop the specified network interface card. |
ifup | ifup INTERFACE | Script used to start the specified network interface card. |
netstat | netstat [OPTIONS] | Displays network statistics. Common options include -r Show routing table -n Do not resolve host names -s Display network statistics |
ping | ping HOST | Utility used to test network connectivity using ICMP packets directed to the specified host. |
route | route | Displays or modifies the current IP routing table. |
ssh | ssh HOST | Secure shell client used to open a terminal session on a remote SSH server. |
tar | tar [OPTIONS] FILE | Tape or disk archive utility used to combine multiple files into one single archive. Common options include -c Create new archive -t Test archive -x Extract archive contents -z Create archive using gzip compression -j Create archive using bzip2 compression |
telnet | telnet HOST | Insecure method used to open a terminal session on a remote server. |
TRaceroute | traceroute HOST | Utility used to test network connectivity and trace paths used to reach remote hosts. |