Issue Details
These commands run from the Windows Command Prompt on the InsightCM Server or host computer and help you diagnose network connectivity to an InsightCM device — reachability, routing, active connections, and name resolution. This is the reference material that the Test Connection article points to for pinging routers (Test 1) and that the deployment workflow points to for the ping step.
The reference applies to InsightCM (all current versions) running on devices that use National Instruments (NI) CompactRIO (cRIO) hardware controllers and supported C Series modules.
Prerequisites
- Access to the Windows Command Prompt on the server or host computer.
- The device IP address (and DNS name, if applicable).
Instructions/Solution
1. Commands
Run these from the Windows Command Prompt on the server or host computer. Replace <IP_ADDRESS> and <DNS_NAME> with the target device values.
| Command | Purpose and usage |
|---|---|
| ping <IP_ADDRESS> | Basic reachability test — confirms the device responds on the network and reports round-trip latency. |
| tracert <IP_ADDRESS> | Traces the route from your system to the device, listing each intermediate hop. Useful to confirm whether a device is directly connected or to see how many gateways (routers) are in the topology. |
| pathping <IP_ADDRESS> | Reports the health of the entire route — effectively ping + tracert, measuring per-hop latency and packet loss over time. |
| netstat -ano | TCP/IP utility that displays the current TCP/IP connections and statistics (-a all connections, -n numeric addresses/ports, -o owning process ID). See the netstat reference below. |
| netstat -a -n -o | findstr "80" | Same as above, filtered to entries containing "80" (for example, port 80 connections). |
| arp -a | TCP/IP utility that lists the IP-to-MAC address mappings currently in the ARP cache. |
| arp -a <IP_ADDRESS> | Returns the MAC address for a specific device. |
| nslookup <DNS_NAME> | Resolves a device's IP address from its DNS name. Useful for cRIO hostnames such as NI-cRIO-9068-190CB7F (the last segment is usually the serial number). |
2. Notes
Note: NI MAX uses UDP port 44525.
Note: For a breakdown of the netstat parameters, see Introduction to netstat (External Link) in the Related Articles below.
Outcome
You have run the appropriate command to confirm reachability, trace the route, inspect active connections, or resolve a device's name — and gathered the network information needed to continue troubleshooting the device connection.
Related Articles
How to Deploy and Troubleshoot an InsightCM Device
Troubleshooting the InsightCM Test Connection (4 Tests)
Deploying an InsightCM Device: Checklist and Workflow
Introduction to netstat (External Link)
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