Network tools

When we refer to networking tools, we are referring to everything ranging from a ping to a packet capture. When we break Configuration Manager down to its simplest form, we are trying to get data from point A to B, or server to client in other words. If we don't have a clear line of communication, then we are going to hit problems. Sounds simple right? We all know that it isn't always that easy in every organization. Often there are complex networks in place with routers and firewalls in between A and B, so it may not be clear what the problem can be. Add this to the combination of ports that Configuration Manager uses and it can be a recipe for confusion. The good thing about using network tools is that it is often a true or false scenario. A packet capture, for example, doesn't lie, it shows us exactly what is coming into and out of our network interface, which can be really powerful when looking into problems such as failed deployments, failed distribution, or Configuration Manager role installation. For these reasons, I think it is essential that we add some of the following utilities to our troubleshooting toolkit.

• Ping: This is almost too obvious and isn't guaranteed due to firewalling and devices dropping ICMP requests, but it is the first line in communication checks and often overlooked as a basic check and can also help check for any name resolution problems.
• Tracert: If we can run a trace route from point A to B, then this helps us rule this out or indeed rule in the point at which communications drop. Again, it is not a guaranteed result but certainly not worth forgetting about.
• Telnet: If we know there is a clear line of communication, then we can go a level further and try a Telnet to test the TCP ports out. Using our preferred Telnet client, we can simply run the following:

  telnet CMServer1 445
  

  This will test a connection from our source to our destination CMServer1 over TCP 445.

  If we want to use the default Microsoft Windows Telnet client, then don't forget we will need to enable this as a feature in modern operating systems.

• Microsoft Message Analyzer: Taking things a level deeper again, we can use this to capture packets at both sides of the communication chain and see what is or isn't being received and over what ports. This is the successor to Microsoft Network Monitor, and if we can master a tool like this, then it is often the last line port of call for communication issues as we can present the results to our network or firewall administrator and show them exactly what we need versus what we have. Another similar popular tool worth mentioning is Wireshark, previously known as Ethereal. There are several other tools out there to choose from, but this is a must have in our toolkit.
  

I have not specifically mentioned any of the other Command Prompt related tools that you can use but there are a handful of others that you may find useful. There is no steep learning curve involved with these, so if you are not already familiar, then take a little time out and see what they can do for you.

• Pathping.exe
• Nbtstat.exe
• Netstat.exe

Note

For a full list of ports used by Configuration Manager, we should always refer to the TechNet library documentation as this is maintained by Microsoft and is definitive for a default installation of the product. The documentation is available at https://technet.microsoft.com/en-gb/library/hh427328.aspx.