Diagnose why an app cannot reach its server
Find out why a workstation cannot reach a file server by confirming reachability, tracing the path, and testing the SMB port with Test-NetConnection. This page teaches a job procedure. These are not exam questions, this is not a score predictor, and nothing here is taken from any certification exam.
The steps on this page are free to read. The hands-on lab for this procedure is included with Academy.
Steps
- 1
Run Test-NetConnection fileserver01.corp.example and confirm PingSucceeded is True for this scenario.
- 2
Run Test-NetConnection fileserver01.corp.example -TraceRoute and read the hops to see the path completes.
- 3
Run Test-NetConnection fileserver01.corp.example -Port 445 and read TcpTestSucceeded; False with reachability working means the SMB port is unreachable in this scenario, so investigate a firewall or the service rather than routing.
What you should see
The ping succeeds, the trace route completes to the server, and the port 445 test shows TcpTestSucceeded False, pointing at a blocked SMB port rather than a routing failure.