Linux Network Tools

This page provides a guide on using common network tools like Netcat, Telnet, DNS utilities, Curl, Ping, and Git in Kubernetes support pods for troubleshooting and support tasks, with real-world command examples. These tools enable various network diagnostics, remote access, DNS queries, HTTP requests, and version control directly from the command line.

Tags:

2 minute read

These support pods install common network tools. Here are some real-world use cases for each tool.

Netcat (nc)

Port Scanning: Identify open ports on a remote system.
```
nc -zv 192.168.1.1 1-1000
```
Simple Client-Server Communication: Test network connectivity by simulating client-server interactions.
```
nc -l -p 12345 # On the server side
nc 192.168.1.1 12345 # On the client side
```

File Transfer: Transfer files between systems.

nc -l -p 12345 > received_file.txt # On the receiving side
nc 192.168.1.1 12345 < file_to_send.txt # On the sending side

Debugging: Monitor and debug network connections.
```
nc -v -l -p 12345
```

Telnet

Remote System Access: Connect to remote systems for administration and troubleshooting.
```
telnet remote.server.com 23
```
Network Diagnostics: Test network services and connectivity.
```
telnet 192.168.1.1 80
```
Legacy System Management: Manage older systems that do not support more secure protocols like SSH.
```
telnet legacy.system.com
```

DNS Utilities (dnsutils)

DNS Query: Query DNS servers for domain name resolution.
```
nslookup example.com
```
DNS Record Management: Create, update, and delete DNS records.
```
dig example.com MX
```
DNS Debugging: Diagnose DNS-related issues.
```
dig +trace example.com
```

Curl

HTTP Requests: Make HTTP requests to web servers for testing APIs and web services.
```
curl -X GET https://api.example.com/data
```

File Transfer: Download or upload files to/from remote servers.

curl -O https://example.com/file.zip
curl -T upload_file.zip ftp://ftp.example.com --user username:password

Command-line Web Browser: Browse the web directly from the command line.
```
curl https://example.com
```

Ping

Network Connectivity Test: Check if a host is reachable on the network.
```
ping google.com
```
Latency Measurement: Measure round-trip time for packets to and from a host.
```
ping -c 10 google.com
```
Troubleshooting: Diagnose network issues and verify connectivity.
```
ping 192.168.1.1
```

Git

Version Control: Track changes in source code during software development.
```
git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"
```
Collaboration: Collaborate with other developers by sharing code repositories.
```
git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git
git push origin main
```

Project Management: Manage project versions and branches efficiently.

git branch feature-branch
git checkout feature-branch
git merge main

Feedback

Was this page helpful?

Glad to hear it!

Sorry to hear that.

Last modified February 19, 2025: Update azure-point-to-site-vpn.md (a9c807a)