Get to know IPConfig's available parameters in Windows Server 2003

by Scott Lowe MCSE | Jan 31, 2006 8:00:00 AM

Tags: NETWORKING, Servers, Microsoft Windows, Scott Lowe MCSE, adapter, adapter name, IPConfig, DHCP, Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Microsoft Windows Server, Windows Server 2003 Tips Newsletter

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Takeaway: While Windows Server 2003 sports some handy networking GUI tools, the IPConfig command-line program is sometimes still your best bet. In this Windows Server 2003 tip, Scott Lowe introduces you to this helpful utility, and he lists this tool's available parameters.

Even though the networking GUI tools in Windows Server 2003 have been refined, the IPConfig command-line program is still your best bet for performing certain operations. So it's important to understand the options you have when using this utility.

Simply entering ipconfig at the command line will return basic addressing information for your system, including the adapter name, IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway.

In addition, here's a list of the parameters that are available in IPConfig:

/all: Shows all networking information for the system, including host name, node type, adapter names, MAC addresses, DHCP lease information, etc.
/displaydns: Shows the contents of the DNS resolver cache. This cache keeps DNS information previously resolved in a local cache for the time period specified in the original request's TTL (Time To Live).
/flushdns: Clears the contents of the DNS resolver cache.
/registerdns: Refreshes all DHCP leases on the machine and reregisters them with DNS services.
/release [adapter name]: When you identify an adapter name or partial matching name with this parameter, IPConfig releases the address for the specified adapter. If you don't specify an adapter, IPConfig releases all IP addresses.
/renew [adapter name]: When you identify an adapter name or partial matching name with this parameter, IPConfig renews the address for the specified adapter. If you don't specify an adapter, IPConfig renews all IP addresses.
/setclassid [connection name][DHCP server class]: Forces the client machine to obtain its DHCP information from a different class. The class specified must exist at the DHCP server.
/showclassid [connection name]: If the DHCP server has provided a DHCP class, this command shows the details of that class. A DHCP class defines different parameters for different classes of machines.

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