
8 |
Understanding indicators
Your adapter has a indicator or light that can give you information about your network traffic and help you determine problems when troubleshooting.
Your adapter has one indicator labeled ACT/LINK on its back panel. A steady green light indicates a good connection. A flashing green light indicates that the network adapter is sending or receiving data.
Pinging your adapter
PING is the acronym for Packet Internet Groper (PING), a utility to determine if a specific IP address is accessible. It works by sending a packet to the specified address and waiting for a reply. Ping is primarily used to troubleshoot Internet connections. By sending out a ping, you are verifying that a specific computer is available. Because all computers on the network must have a unique IP address, a reply means that a computer is on the network and that it can communicate.
If the computers can communicate, the hardware and cabling are probably okay. If you cannot ping another computer, there is probably a problem with the hardware. Check the cabling and adapter installation. If you are unable to network, even when you receive a reply to your ping, there is probably a software configuration issue. Verify that all the settings are correct.