What is nbtstat and how to use it

[Happy46]

I am under Windows XP computer. I want to know what is nbtstat and how to use it? Is it similar to netstat command? I am really confused between the name. Does the function of both the command is to display the statistics or there is some difference between both of them? Please provide me some detail.

[Aleksandra]

Nbtstat is designed to help troubleshoot NetBIOS name resolution problems. When a network is functioning normally, NetBIOS over TCP/IP (NetBT) resolves NetBIOS names to IP addresses. It does this through several options for NetBIOS name resolution, including local cache lookup, WINS server query, broadcast, LMHOSTS lookup, Hosts lookup, and DNS server query. The nbtstat command removes and corrects preloaded entries using a number of case-sensitive switches.

[Lemog]

Nbtstat displays NetBIOS over TCP/IP (NetBT) protocol statistics, NetBIOS name tables for both the local computer and remote computers, and the NetBIOS name cache. Nbtstat allows a refresh of the NetBIOS name cache and the names registered with Windows Internet Name Service (WINS). Used without parameters, nbtstat displays help.

Syntax:

nbtstat [-a RemoteName] [-A IPAddress] [-c] [-n] [-r] [-R] [-RR] [-s] [-S] [Interval]

Parameters:

-a RemoteName : Displays the NetBIOS name table of a remote computer, where RemoteName is the NetBIOS computer name of the remote computer. The NetBIOS name table is the list of NetBIOS names that corresponds to NetBIOS applications running on that computer.

-A IPAddress : Displays the NetBIOS name table of a remote computer, specified by the IP address (in dotted decimal notation) of the remote computer.

-c : Displays the contents of the NetBIOS name cache, the table of NetBIOS names and their resolved IP addresses.

-n : Displays the NetBIOS name table of the local computer. The status of Registered indicates that the name is registered either by broadcast or with a WINS server.

-r : Displays NetBIOS name resolution statistics. On a Windows XP computer that is configured to use WINS, this parameter returns the number of names that have been resolved and registered using broadcast and WINS.

-R : Purges the contents of the NetBIOS name cache and then reloads the #PRE-tagged entries from the Lmhosts file.

-RR : Releases and then refreshes NetBIOS names for the local computer that is registered with WINS servers.

-s : Displays NetBIOS client and server sessions, attempting to convert the destination IP address to a name.

-S : Displays NetBIOS client and server sessions, listing the remote computers by destination IP address only.

Interval : Redisplays selected statistics, pausing the number of seconds specified in Interval between each display. Press CTRL+C to stop redisplaying statistics. If this parameter is omitted, nbtstat prints the current configuration information only once.

Source: Microsoft

[Milton.J]

The nbtstat command displays protocol statistics and current TCP/IP connections. It is available in Windows 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP and Vista. Nbtstat command-line parameters are case-sensitive. It is possible to discover who is logged onto a networked PC using the Windows NBTSTAT utility since its in the logged on account is part of the naming info maintained locally by NBT. You can use /? option at the command prompt to get help on this command.