IGNOU MLIL 004 Practical for PGDLAN: the route from first lab session to viva
The IGNOU MLIL 004 Practical checks whether you can make a networked PC report on itself and then use it to reach library sources, so this guide breaks it into actions you can repeat on any Windows 10 or 11 PC. MLIL-004 is the lab partner of MLI-004 Networking and Internet Technology in PGDLAN, and you meet it twice: a 50-mark TMA-P at your study centre and a two-hour term-end practical with a viva.
Short answer for PGDLAN learners
To do the IGNOU MLIL 004 Practical well, practise five actions on a current Windows PC: ipconfig, ping, folder and printer sharing, catalogue and repository searches, and Gmail and Boolean tasks. Do the 2026 TMA-P at your study centre, then sit the two-hour exam: 40 marks of tasks and a 10-mark viva.
New to the diploma? Our PGDLAN programme overview sets each MLI theory course beside its MLIL lab.
Learners who sail through theory exams often tell us the lab worries them most. In MLIL-004 the term-end paper allows no manual or handbook, and the examiner marks what your own screen shows.
We often meet learners who discover lab work halfway through a session. The PGDLAN guide pairs MLIL-004 with MLI-004, so the lab is part of your registration from day one.
Practicals fail for three recurring reasons: late, centre-specific rules, lab time working adults lack, and work treated as presentation. The second weighs on MLIL-004, listed at 60 practical hours.
Step 1: read your lab PC with the ipconfig command
Six papers in a row, June 2023 to June 2026, have set a ping or a report of your PC’s address settings. Microsoft documents that the ipconfig command on its own lists each adapter’s IPv4 and IPv6 addresses, subnet mask and default gateway, and that ipconfig /all shows the full TCP/IP configuration.
- Press the Windows key, type cmd and open Command Prompt.
- Type ipconfig. Use the adapter in use (Ethernet or Wireless LAN) and skip any marked “Media disconnected”.
- Copy IPv4 Address, Subnet Mask and Default Gateway.
- Type ipconfig /all; the first address on the DNS Servers line is the primary DNS that December 2023 and December 2024 asked for.
- Capture the window and write each value beside its label.
PGDLAN first seats you at a lab PC in MLIL-001; our MLIL 001 lab task guide covers that course.
Learners often hold three sets of steps, from the manual, a counsellor and a senior. This manual’s network procedures are for Windows 95/98, while the 2026 file asks for Chrome and Gmail, so follow the current file and your counsellor.
Hindi-medium learners often find English technical answers hardest. The PGDLAN guide sets English as the only medium, so copy the screen’s labels: IPv4 Address, Subnet Mask, Default Gateway.
Step 2: the ping command in Windows, and how to read the reply
Papers have pinged du.ac.in, inflibnet.ac.in, the UGC website and ignou.ac.in. Microsoft’s reference for the ping command in Windows says it sends four echo requests of 32 bytes by default; /n changes the count and /t runs until Ctrl+C. Type ping ignou.ac.in.
The first line gives the server’s IP address even if no reply comes. The round-trip line is the last line of output, which December 2025 asked you to report.
Sample ping, read line by line
| Screen (sample values) | What you write |
|---|---|
| Pinging ignou.ac.in [203.0.113.10] with 32 bytes of data: | Server IP address: 203.0.113.10 |
| Reply from 203.0.113.10: bytes=32 time=31ms TTL=54, then 29, 34 and 30 ms | Four replies; the path works |
| Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss) | Loss: 0 of 4 |
| Minimum = 29ms, Maximum = 34ms, Average = 31ms | Last line; average 31 ms |
Working: 31 + 29 + 34 + 30 = 124 ms; 124 / 4 = 31 ms, the Average Windows prints. One “Request timed out” would give Sent = 4, Received = 3, Lost = 1, so 1 / 4 = 25% loss. 203.0.113.10 is a documentation address used only as a sample.
Some servers never answer ping. If all four requests time out, note the address from the first line, run nslookup ignou.ac.in (which Section 2, Session 3 of the manual sets beside ping) and show both windows.
Computer practicals lose marks to blank screens or answers that do not match the screen. MLIL-004 examiners check output saved on your system, so keep the ping window open until seen.
Ping statistics checker
Enter requests sent and the reply times from a practice ping, in ms, separated by commas. Leave timed-out replies out.
Your loss and average appear here.
Step 3: share a folder and a printer on Windows 11
June 2026 asked you to enable network sharing and share a folder and the printer; December 2023 and December 2024 also set sharing. The manual’s Network Neighborhood steps belong to Windows 95/98, so use Microsoft’s current route:
- Settings, search manage advanced sharing settings, and under Private networks turn on Network discovery and File and printer sharing (Microsoft file sharing help).
- Folder: right-click, Show more options, Give access to, Specific people, pick a user or Everyone, Share.
- Printer: Settings, Bluetooth & devices, Printers & scanners, the printer, Printer properties, Sharing tab, Change Sharing Options, tick Share this printer, OK (Microsoft printer sharing help).
- Capture both Sharing tabs in their finished state.
If a screen asks for an administrator password, ask the supervisor.
Tips from friends at other centres often mislead, since labs differ. The PGDLAN guide attaches you to one identified centre, so ask its supervisor how a locked step should be shown.
Doing the IGNOU MLIL 004 Practical TMA-P at your study centre
The TMA-P is the part of the IGNOU MLIL 004 Practical you finish before the exam. The 2026 MLI-004 assignment file sets it for 50 marks over Blocks 1 to 3, makes all five questions compulsory, and has you work at the Study or Tele Learning Centre on material the Counsellor or Practical Supervisor provides; captures of every answer go in one file, evaluated on the spot.
IndCat search for question 1
When we opened IndCat (indcat.inflibnet.ac.in) in November 2026 it showed Books, Theses and Serials, with Simple, Advanced, Exact and Free Search, and Advanced Search joined fields with AND, OR and NOT. Run an IndCat search for Library Science in Books, capture five titles, then try each search type once before explaining them.
Gmail folder and sub-folders for question 2
Gmail calls folders labels. Create Important Communication, then Internal and External with Nest label under set to it. Move a mail into each and capture the label tree.
Library networks and ERNET for questions 3 and 4
Take three Indian networks (Section 5 of the manual covers INFLIBNET, DELNET and CALIBNET), list each site’s services in a column, then mark the shared ones. For ERNET, judge each listed service by who can use it and what it gives a library.
In our records, 70 to 80 percent of learners start only in the final month before a due date. This TMA-P needs a centre visit in that month: 30 September 2026 for January 2026 learners, 31 March 2027 for July 2026 learners.
Some learners expect every last date to slide by a month. The 2026 file prints one date per session, and a January 2026 learner who misses it takes the January 2027 set.
AI-written answers pasted unchanged keep turning up looking alike. Question 4 asks you to evaluate ERNET, and the counsellor reads it with you, so the judgement must be yours.
Boolean operators AND OR NOT for question 5
For question 5 you run the career phrase through Boolean operators AND OR NOT, then compare the three result sets with a screenshot of each. AND narrows, OR widens, NOT removes a term. Quote the phrase so the “and” inside it is not read as an operator.
Three searches for question 5
| Operator | Sample query | Result count |
|---|---|---|
| AND | “library and information science” AND career | Falls: both must appear |
| OR | “library and information science” career OR job | Rises: either counts |
| NOT | “library and information science” career NOT school | Falls: school pages drop |
The question names no tool. Google’s help documents a minus sign to leave a word out and quotes for exact phrases, while IndCat’s Advanced Search offers AND, OR and NOT, so ask which tool your centre expects. Note each count and explain in two sentences why it moved.
A few learners email lab work instead of using the course’s route. The 2026 file gives no email route for this TMA-P; it is marked where you do it.
Where does finished lab work go: study centre or Regional Centre? Learners ask us this often. The 2026 file names the Coordinator or Programme In-charge of your allotted Study Centre or TLC.
Without a record, learners have nothing to show if marks go astray. Once your file is marked, note the date and keep a copy on a pen drive.
Rehearse the site tasks recent papers have set
Most recent IGNOU MLIL 004 Practical papers also set a library or open-access site task. Practise each once, dating every figure:
- OpenDOAR (June 2025, June 2026): repositories worldwide, by country and for India; chart the India figures if a bar diagram is asked.
- IndCat MARC records (December 2025): five books on Academic library, records saved.
- Google Scholar (December 2025): account, search and email alert.
- eGyankosh (December 2025): a School of Social Sciences search and the MLI-104 material; see our eGyanKosh study material guide.
- WebOPACs and university library sites (June 2025, December 2025): software, record display and services compared; our MLIL 002 SOUL practical guide shows a catalogue from inside.
- NDLI and DOAJ (December 2024, June 2023) and conference facts (ICDL, CALIBER-2022).
Many learners lift website text without checking it for copying. Question 3 sends you to three network sites; describe their shared services in your own sentences.
Ready-made practical answers circulate with only the name changed. Here they fail: June 2026 wanted OpenDOAR counts read on the day, no handbook is allowed, and a viva follows.
Mistakes that cost marks in the IGNOU MLIL 004 Practical, with fixes
Most lost marks in the IGNOU MLIL 004 Practical are small slips between screen and sheet:
Slip and the repair
| Slip | Repair |
|---|---|
| IPv6 or a disconnected adapter’s line given for IPv4 | Read IPv4 Address under the adapter in use |
| “Ping failed” written when no reply came | Give the Pinging line’s address plus nslookup |
| Folder shared but not captured | Capture the Sharing tab with its network path |
| Gmail sub-labels made side by side | Use Nest label under |
| Repository counts copied from an article | Read them live and date them |
| We often see a wrong roll number or study centre on the first sheet | Five of the six papers want Roll No., Study Centre and exam date on the printout sheet; check them |
| Sheets handed in without the signature they needed | Those five papers put printouts on a sheet signed and stamped by the RD; ask for it first |
| We see attendance sheets left without the centre’s signature | No MLIL-004 document read lists one; ask what lab record your centre keeps |
Exam day: a two-hour plan and a self-check
The term-end IGNOU MLIL 004 Practical paper runs 2 hours: 40 marks of practical work and 10 for viva voce, with 40% weightage. All questions are compulsory and no manual or handbook is allowed. Hall tickets go online 7 to 10 days before the term-end exam; carry your IGNOU ID card. The December 2026 sheet stars MLIL codes and sends you to the Regional Centre for date and venue; see our December 2026 exam date sheet and IGNOU practical rules for 2026.
Suggested split of the 120 minutes
- 0 to 10: read all questions; open Command Prompt and Chrome.
- 10 to 35: ipconfig, ping and nslookup, captured and labelled.
- 35 to 60: sharing or system tasks.
- 60 to 100: site tasks, URL and date beside each figure.
- 100 to 120: printouts, file names and the checks below.
Most of our learners juggle a job, a home or both, and lab sessions are where they slip. The prospectus makes practical attendance compulsory as a general rule, so book MLIL-004 lab days first.
Lab slots are fixed early, and learners who skip notices wait a cycle. The MLIL-004 exam date comes from the Regional Centre, so watch its notices.
Learners often mix up the Rs 300 and Rs 500 practical fees. MLIL-004 falls in the up-to-4-credits slab: Rs 300 in the July 2026 prospectus, paid with the term-end exam form.
Seven checks before you call the examiner
MLIL 004 viva questions to practise aloud
The viva is 10 of the 50 marks and follows from your own screens. Practise these MLIL 004 viva questions aloud:
- How does your IP address differ from the default gateway?
- What does the subnet mask tell you?
- What does ping send, and what does 0% loss mean?
- Why might a site open in Chrome yet not answer ping?
- What does DNS do, and how does nslookup show it?
- Why did OR return more results than AND?
Learners who treat the viva as a formality get caught out; a tidy sheet scores little if you cannot say how you got it. Here the viva is 10 marks, so know every command and site you used.
Many learners ask whether a viva applies to them. In MLIL-004 it does in the exam, at 10 marks in every paper from June 2023 to June 2026; the 2026 TMA-P instructions do not mention one.
Have your own capture file checked
Practising at home first? Send us your own practice captures and draft answers for the IGNOU MLIL 004 Practical. We mark missing values, unlabelled lines and answers that do not match the screen; you correct your own file. The check is quoted on WhatsApp; see our services page. Your counsellor and IGNOU’s examiner decide marks.
Questions learners bring to us about the IGNOU MLIL 004 Practical
What learners ask us about MLIL-004
Can I practise the IGNOU MLIL 004 Practical tasks at home?
Yes. ipconfig, ping, nslookup, sharing and the site tasks work on any Windows 10 or 11 PC; only your addresses differ. The TMA-P itself is still done at the centre.
Does the old lab manual still matter?
For concepts, yes: cables, switches, TCP/IP, FTP, telnet and the Section 5 networks feed the viva. For clicks, follow current Windows help.
What score clears MLIL-004?
The PGDLAN guide asks for at least 40% in practicals, with continuous evaluation at 20% and the term-end exam at 80%. For missing practical marks, the prospectus lists practicalsed@ignou.ac.in.
Practical marks often reach the grade card after theory marks, leaving final results pending. PGDLAN is a one-year diploma, so a late MLIL-004 mark holds up the whole result.
Bringing the IGNOU MLIL 004 Practical together
The IGNOU MLIL 004 Practical rewards learners who have typed each command and opened each site before the day. Our MLIL 003 SQL Server guide covers the database lab, and the PGDLAN project MLIP 008 guide the project course. For MLI-004 theory reading, see the course reference material on our publication site.
Learners who do well start early, confirm rules with their own centre, keep dated records and can explain each step. Here that means finishing the TMA-P well before your date and running every recent paper task once.
Official files used for this guide
Files and pages read for this guide
- PGDLAN assignments 2026, MLI-004 and MLIL-004
- PGDLAN Programme Guide
- MLIL-004 papers: June 2026, December 2025, June 2025, December 2024, December 2023, June 2023
- IGNOU Common Prospectus, July 2026
- MLIL-004 lab manual (74 pages)
- Microsoft Learn: ipconfig, ping; Google Search Help
Every IGNOU MLIL 004 Practical rule here comes from these files; a centre notice that differs wins.
Built from the documents listed above, read in November 2026; drafting was AI-assisted, rules were checked against these sources, and it is published under BK Sahni’s editorial responsibility.
ignouproject.com is not affiliated with, authorised by or endorsed by IGNOU. We check your own practice work; you remain the author, and IGNOU’s counsellors and examiners decide marks.
BK Sahni iD 0009-0005-8092-459X
Founder, Shri Chakradhar Publication Pvt. Ltd. & ignouproject.com — helping IGNOU distance-learning students since 2010 (5,00,000+ students supported across MBA, MCom, MA & more). Author of IGNOU exam guides, solved assignments & project reference books.
Disclosure: Shri Chakradhar Publication Pvt. Ltd. and ignouproject.com are independent third-party study-help services — not the official IGNOU website. Always verify final dates and rules on ignou.ac.in.
