Lab Objective:
Learn about the NetBIOS protocol.
Lab Purpose:
Check and test the configuration for NetBIOS.
Lab Tool:
Windows.
Lab Topology:
Please use the following topology to complete this lab exercise. I connected two Windows PCs internally using VirtualBox.
Lab Walkthrough:
Task 1:
Find your network adaptor and check that NetBIOS is enabled. Depending on your version of Windows, there are several ways to do this. Most involve finding your network adaptor via the Control Panel or Settings and right-click to access the TCP/IP settings.
If not already active, please enable NetBIOS.
Task 2:
At the command prompt, issue the ipconfig /all command. Check your hostname and that NetBIOS is enabled.
Task 3:
Using the last step, establish the IP address of the machine you wish to connect to, then run the nbtstat -a x.x.x.x command (swapping x for the IP address) to find the remote machine’s settings.
Task 4:
Use the nbtstat command to see all the available switches and options.
Notes:
Network Basic Input/Output System provides services related to the session layer of the OSI model, allowing applications on separate computers to communicate over a LAN. As technically an API, not a networking protocol. In modern networks, NetBIOS typically runs over TCP/IP via the NetBIOS over TCP/IP (NBT) protocol. This results in each computer in the network having both an IP address and a NetBIOS name corresponding to a (possibly different) host name.
