View network connection status

  • Article

Applies To: Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 7

You can use the following procedures to view the current status of your network connection. Basic connection status information includes:

  • Basic connectivity information about both IPv4 and IPv6

  • Whether the cable is currently plugged in or not

  • How long the connection has been active

  • The current connection speed

  • The number of packets sent and received. The icon in the Activity section displays properties about the connection. For more information, see Review Network and Sharing Center icons.

Additional information about the connection is available on the Network Connection Details tab. This information includes:

  • Domain Name Service (DNS) name assigned to this connection

  • Description of the network adapter

  • The media access control (MAC) address of the network adapter

  • Whether the computer is using Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) or manually configured IP addresses

  • IPv4 and IPv6 configuration details, including address lease information, IP addresses and subnet masks, default gateways, the DHCP server, DNS servers, and Windows Internet Name Service (WINS) servers

To view network connection status, see the following sections.