Common ports use case in my work

Here are common use cases of the specified ports that a Help Desk Officer might encounter in day-to-day operations:

1. HTTP (Port 80)

• Use Case: Troubleshooting website access issues.
  • Users might report that a website is not loading. As a help desk officer, I could check if the site is accessible over HTTP (Port 80) or if it's being blocked by firewalls or a security policy.

2. HTTPS (Port 443)

• Use Case: Resolving secure website access problems.
  • If a user reports that they can’t access certain secure sites (e.g., banking websites), I will check the connection over HTTPS (Port 443), ensuring that SSL/TLS certificates are valid and that there's no firewall blocking encrypted traffic.

3. RDP (Port 3389)

• Use Case: Assisting remote workers or troubleshooting remote systems.
  • A user working from home might have trouble connecting to their work computer via Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). I would help by checking network configurations, firewalls, and verifying that Port 3389 is open for RDP connections.

4. IMAP (Port 143)

• Use Case: Troubleshooting email synchronization issues.
  • Users may experience issues syncing their emails across multiple devices (like a phone and a computer). I would check if the mail client is correctly configured to use IMAP and confirm connectivity on Port 143 to the mail server.

5. POP3 (Port 110)

• Use Case: Troubleshooting email retrieval issues.
  • If users are unable to download their emails to a specific client or device, I might check the mail server configuration and ensure POP3 (Port 110) is functioning properly, although this is less common with modern email systems that favor IMAP.

6. DHCP (Ports 67/68)

• Use Case: Resolving IP address allocation issues.
  • A user reports that they can’t connect to the network because they have no IP address. I would troubleshoot DHCP to ensure that the server is correctly assigning IP addresses to devices over Ports 67/68, and that the device is configured to automatically obtain an IP address.

7. DNS (Port 53)

• Use Case: Diagnosing website or network access issues.
  • Users might report that they can’t access certain websites or services. I would check the DNS configuration to ensure domain names are being properly resolved to IP addresses, and verify that Port 53 is open for DNS queries.

8. TELNET (Port 23)

• Use Case: Testing connectivity to remote devices (legacy systems).
  • Although not commonly used due to its lack of encryption, Telnet (Port 23) can still be used in legacy environments to remotely connect to devices like switches or routers. As a help desk officer, I may use Telnet to diagnose connectivity or configuration issues, although SSH is preferred.

9. SSH (Port 22)

• Use Case: Securely accessing servers or network devices.
  • If I need to troubleshoot a remote Linux server or network device, I will use SSH (Port 22) for a secure connection to run diagnostics, check configurations, or restart services securely.

10. FTP (Port 21)

• Use Case: Uploading or downloading files to/from servers.
  • Users may need to transfer files to a web server or retrieve data from an internal system. I would help set up or troubleshoot FTP (Port 21) connections to ensure files can be uploaded/downloaded, though secure alternatives like SFTP are becoming more common.

11. SMTP (Port 25)

• Use Case: Diagnosing outgoing email issues.
  • If users report that their emails are not being sent, I will check the SMTP (Port 25) settings to ensure the email server is properly configured to send outbound mail. I might also troubleshoot firewall settings or the mail server itself.