Answer / Solution
Testing Network connection.
Ping: You can test if a network connection exists by pinging the other computer.
- Open a command prompt
- Type “ping <Remote Machine Name or IP address>” and press enter.
Telnet: You should also test the connection using telnet as this allows you to specify the TCP port.
- Open a command prompt
- Type in "telnet <IP ADDRESS OF SERVER PC> <PORT>" and press enter.
- For example, we would type “telnet 192.168.1.100 21379”
- If a blank screen appears then the port is open, and the test is successful.
- If you receive a connecting... message or an error message then something is blocking that port. It could be the Windows firewall, a third party firewall like Norton's or a hardware firewall between the PCs.
What a successful test will tell you:
- If you can both ping and telnet to the other computer, this shows that there is a network connection and the port is open between the two computers.
What to do if you had problems during this test:
- Verify the computers are physically connected to the same network.
- Contact your Network Administrator. Their may be a firewall between the machines.
- The IP address should always be tested in case the host name could not be resolved.
- Some domains block telnet and ping as a security measure, and this test will not work in all cases.