Network Troubleshooting - 4 : TELNET

A TCP/IP standard for remote terminal connection to another machine.

- Wikipedia

You can use the simple TELNET command to ensure that you can communicate with the remote system, by opening a connection to a port on the remote system. You just need to open a Command Prompt ( Terminal in LINUX ) & type :-

telnet ip_address port

OR

telnet hostname port

You should see a blank screen that allows you to type commands.

If you don't get this response, you can conclude on these :-

1. The program / process on the remote system that should be "listening" on the port is not running.
2. The remote system is protected by a "firewall" that's preventing access.

Now, it's time to call up the IT Help Desk & tell them that there's a problem with Network Access.

At the end of this exercise, you have :-

* tried some basic troubleshooting steps.
* identified the source of the problem.
* communicated effectively to the IT Support Staff.

You can now confidently communicate with the IT Support Staff & they'd be more than happy to work with an "educated" colleague.