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Importing and Exporting Windows Network Settings
By Eric Geier (NoWiresSecurity Founder
& CEO) - originally published on
InformIT
This tutorial covers how to back up
and/or transfer your network settings. We'll address these main
network settings:
-
Wireless profiles. Encryption and
authentication settings.
-
TCP/IP configuration. Static IP
addresses and DNS details.
-
Wired profiles. 802.1X
authentication settings.
The chief method we'll use is the
network shell (Netsh) command-line tool, which works at the command
prompt. Although Netsh has been included in Windows since Windows
2000, support for working with wireless and wired network profiles
wasn't added until Windows Vista.
We'll also work with Windows Connect Now (WCN), available in Windows
XP SP2 and later. Microsoft developed this feature to make it easier
to set up and configure smaller networks.
Importing and Exporting Wi-Fi Settings with Netsh (Windows Vista
and Windows 7 Only)
In Windows Vista and Windows 7,
Microsoft includes wireless commands for the Netsh command-line
tool. This feature gives you the ability to export the profiles of
wireless networks you've saved in Windows; it also lets you import
the profiles into other Vista or Windows 7 machines.
To get started with Netsh, open a command window. Since it's nice to
know the profile name, you can first review a list of the saved
profile names:
netsh wlan show profilesIf you want to see the details of your
profiles, use this command:
netsh wlan show allWhen you're ready to export a profile, use the
following syntax:
netsh wlan export profile folder="PATH_TO_FOLDER" name=PROFILENAMEThis
command creates an XML file (Figure 1 shows an example) in the
folder you specify, and using the name of the interface and the
profile you enter (for example, Wireless Network Connection-mynetworkname.xml).
Figure 1 Example of a wireless profile exported in the XML format.
Keep in mind that you don't have to specify any parameters; you can
simply enter the command:
netsh wlan export profileIf you don't provide a folder name, Windows
will automatically choose the main directory of the user's personal
folders. If you don't identify a profile name, Windows will export
all the profiles.
TIP
After you've exported a profile, you can modify the network
settings. Right-click the XML file and choose Open With > Notepad
(or your favorite file editor). Then edit and save the file. Be
careful not to mess up the schema in the XML file! If you're
interested in editing a profile, check out the schema details from
Microsoft's MSDN site.
After exporting a profile, you can import it into another Vista or
Windows 7 machine:
netsh wlan add profile filename="PATH_AND_FILENAME.xml"You can
specify an interface to import the profile; this option is useful if
the computer has multiple wireless adapters. You can also specify
that you want to apply the profile to all users of the computer, or
just to the current user. Here's an example using both parameters:
netsh wlan add profile filename="PATH_AND_FILENAME.xml"
Interface="Wireless Network Connection" user=currentIf you don't
specify an interface, Windows adds it for all interfaces by default.
Also, if you don't specify the user parameter, Windows adds the
profile for all users.
Importing and Exporting Wired Authentication Settings with Netsh
(Windows Vista and Windows 7 Only)
If you're running 802.1X authentication on a wired network, you
might find it useful to export and import your wired network profile
in Windows Vista or Windows 7. (If you want to back up or transfer
the IP and DNS details, however, see the next section. The wired
network profile consists of the authentication settings only.)
First, you can print a list of the wired profiles and their
settings:
netsh lan show profilesThen, when you're ready to export a profile,
use the following syntax:
netsh lan export profile folder=PATH_TO_FOLDER interface="INTERFACE_NAME"This
command creates an XML file (see Figure 2 for an example) in the
folder you specify, and using the name of the specified interface;
for example, Local Area Connection.xml.
Figure 2 Example of a wired connection profile exported in XML
format.
Keep in mind that identifying an interface is optional. If you don't
specify the interface, Windows exports the profiles for every
interface. However, you must specify a folder.
You can import a wired profile into another Windows Vista or Windows
7 machine with this command:
netsh lan add profile filename="PATH_AND_FILENAME.xml" interface="INTERFACE_NAME"Importing
and Exporting TCP/IP Configuration with Netsh
If you assign static IP or DNS addresses to your computers,
exporting and importing a TCP/IP configuration might be useful. You
can archive the settings for backup purposes, or use the
configuration as a template to configure other computers more
quickly. For instance, you might configure a computer with the
static IP and DNS details, export it, and then before importing it
onto other computers simply change the IP address to avoid
conflicting addresses.
NOTE
Remember that some settings, such as the interface names, may vary
across different PCs.
To dump or export the TCP/IP configuration, use this command:
netsh -c interface dump > PATH_AND_FILENAME.txtTIP
You can open and edit the configuration file in your favorite text
editor (such as Notepad).
Use this command to import the TCP/IP configuration:
netsh -f PATH_AND_FILENAME.txtTransferring Wi-Fi Network Settings
via USB Flash Drive
Windows Connect Now (WCN) provides the ability to copy a wireless
network profile to a USB flash drive so that you can easily
distribute the network settings (name, WEP or WPA/WPA2-PSK
encryption settings, etc.) to other wireless computers and devices
that aren't connected yet.
To export wireless network profiles to a flash drive in Windows XP
SP2 or SP3 and Windows Vista, you can use the Wireless Network Setup
wizard. You can start this wizard from any of several shortcut
locations. For example:
•Click Start > Programs > Accessories > Communications > Wireless
Network Setup.
•Open the Control Panel, open the Network and Internet Connections
folder, and then open Wireless Network Setup.
WPA/WPA2-Enterprise isn't support by Windows Connect Now, but you
can use Netsh to back up or transfer network profiles using the
WPA/WPA2 mode, as discussed earlier,.
To export wireless network profiles to a flash drive in Windows 7,
first open the profile or wireless network connection settings. One
simple way is to click the network icon in the system tray,
right-click a network name, and select Properties. On the Connection
tab, click "Copy this network profile to a USB flash drive."
To import the profile into a Windows XP, Vista, or 7 machine, insert
the USB flash drive. When the AutoPlay dialog box appears, click the
shortcut "Connect to a Wireless Network using Windows Connect Now,"
or click the "Wireless Network Setup Wizard" shortcut. If the
AutoPlay menu doesn't appear, you can also initiate the import by
running SetupSNK.exe on the flash drive's root directory.
Keep Your Settings Safe!
Now you know how to export and import
all the main network settings. Remember to keep track of your
backups or copies[md]the wireless settings, for instance, might
include the keys to the network! |
