====== Checking Your Network ======

===== The netstat command =====

//netstat// is a useful tool for checking your configuration and activity. It is in fact a collection of several tools lumped together. We present each of its functions in the following sections. More detail is to be found in [5],

===== Displaying the routing table =====

When you invoke ''netstat'' with the ''-r'' flag, it displays the kernel routing table in the way we've been doing with route. Try:
<cli>
icct@myhost:~$ netstat -r
</cli>
on your host, and make a note of the results.

===== Displaying interface statistics =====

When invoked with the ''-i'' flag, ''netstat'' displays statistics for the network interfaces currently configured. Try:
<cli>
icct@myhost:~$ netstat -i
</cli>
on your host, and make a note of the results.

===== Displaying connections =====

''netstat'' supports a set of options to display active or passive sockets. The options ''-t'', ''-u'', ''-w'', and ''-x'' show active TCP, UDP, RAW, and Unix socket connections. If you provide the -a in addition, sockets that are waiting for a connection are displayed as well. This display will give you a list of all servers that are currently running on your system. Try:
<cli>
icct@myhost:~$ netstat -ta
</cli>
on your host, and make a note of the results.





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