Copyright: ®1996 Radu-Cristian Fotescu


Contents
TCP/IP Surveyor Help Index

Version 1.1F (16-bit Edition)

Introduction

Requirements

Nuts & Bolts

Registration

Copyright Note

©1996 Radu-Cristian FOTESCU

All Rights Reserved


Introduction
Introduction to TCP/IP Surveyor

What is TCP/IP Surveyor?

TCP/IP Surveyor was designed in order to allow users to have a graphical report about the status of their TCP/IP network using a drawn map of [a part of] the network or hosts from different networks.

Why should I use it?

Using TCP/IP Surveyor on a Windows TCP/IP machine gives you the opportunity to always know which host of your TCP/IP network is up and which users are logged in (using built-in Finger). You may also log yourself on any mapped host with external Telnet Windows program (not included). If your map of the network is close to the reality, that can be useful to diagnose network problems.

For instance, if a branch of hosts become suddenly unreachable, you may conclude that it may be a router failure or a DNS failure. If the router is on your map, you will see it failing in real time. If you are surveying a host upon its IP address rather by its name, the fact that the other hosts resolved by the same DNS are not reachable and this one is reachable tells you that the DNS works even if it's not on your map.

Brief Description

TCP/IP Surveyor may survey a number of as much as 50 hosts. You may draw on the map more hosts (and you can even print the map!) but you must check for surveying a maximum of 50 hosts. This is because host checking is completely asynchronous. That means you have a single timeout for all hosts and you will NOT have to wait if a host is not responding (such as if you use John Junod's WS_WATCH).

Watch the following scenario: If you are surveying 30 hosts and 10 of them are down, using a timeout of 20 seconds means one complete check is 20 seconds in asynchronous unblocking mode and over 200 seconds in blocking mode. Remember: this program is asynchronous, but Junod's is a blocking one.

The caveat is that if we are sending asynchronous messages we use a socket for each host, and we have to limit the number of occupied sockets. More of that, we free the sockets after each check.

Usually, a check program will use ICMP ECHO (Ping) to determine if a host is reachable via TCP/IP. This program uses a different approach. It tries to connect to specified hosts via TCP in order to do a TCP ECHO. UNIX hosts usually accept this connection, while Windows TCP/IP hosts don't. However, if a host knows TCP/IP and is up, it will refuse the connection gracefully and we will know that:

1. the host is up and knows TCP/IP,

2. the host may be a non-Unix machine, suck as a Windows one.

Hosts reported as Unix-like by this software are: LINUX, HP-UX, UNIX SVR4, OSF/1, VMS, etc. (OS having something like the inetd service daemon).

Hosts reported as probably non-Unix are: DOS/Windows/Windows 95, ULTRIX, QNX.

Built-in Finger will work on Unix machines that have not disabled this service.

Limitation: IP Routers knowing only IP and not TCP will not respond to this program.


Requirements

In order to run this program you need to have a Winsock TCP/IP stack compliant with Windows Sockets version 1.1 specification.

This program is reported to run under:

1. Trumpet Winsock 2.0B / 2.1F over Windows 3.x

2. NetManage Chameleon 4.01 over Windows 3.x

3. Microsoft Windows Sockets 1.1 built-in component of Windows 95 and Windows NT 3.51.

All you have to do is to copy wssrv16f.exe, wssrv16f.hlp and sample.net files in a directory and make a link to it into your program manager (new program item for Program Manager or new shortcut in Windows 95). Enjoy it!

Caution: As stated in Trumpet Winsock install.doc file, 'some applications may crash when the traces are active.' You must not try to start TCP/IP Surveyor with 'socket calls' activated in Trumpet's 'trace' menu, or it will crash during WSAStartup. After starting it, you may activate any traces you want, but that will slow execution. Traces were designed by Trumpet Software for debugging purposes, but their program stack seems to be too small.


Registration

Why register?

1. When you register you become a legal user. Supporting shareware is in your interest since that's the way to find quality software at low prices.

2. You will NOT be disturbed anymore with that nasty nag message box reading: Unregistered Shareware! every time you start the program and every 15 minutes.

3. A given Registration Code works and will work with all versions and future versions of this product, so you will always have free upgrades.

4. Registered users are guaranteed to receive replies to e-mail sent to me (if I receive it). Regular mail will also receive response, but only by e-mail. This is the only way I can supply technical support.

How to register?

First, you must agree that a license is valid only for one person.

You will receive a registration code valid only with your name.

Step 1.

Send me your personal name (no more than 63 characters, case sensitive), your company's name (or personal address) and your e-mail address (if available) via e-mail or air mail.

Contact addresses are:

e-mail:

radu@router_mini.felix.ro

radu@helix.elia.pub.ro

rfotescu@ice.felix.ro

post:

Radu-Cristian FOTESCU

Bd. Basarabia 92, bl. C1, sc. B, apt. 9

sector 2, O.P. 49

73406 Bucharest - Romania (Europe)

(address written in the style used in Romania!)

Step 2.

If you sent me your data via e-mail, then wait no more than 5 days for my confirmation. Warning: My Internet provider has some technical problems and I may be unreachable sometimes. It's better to sent to the first two addresses at one time. In the case you receive a bounced mail stating I could not be found, you should know that the mailer will try again usually for 5 days, so it will eventually reach me. If you receive no response from me within 5 days, you may wrote me via air mail.

If you sent me your data via air mail, proceed with step 3.

Step 3.

You must send me the Registration Fee, which is exactly 25 U.S. dollars ($25.-) per site.

Due of the fact that I live in Romania, you can NOT pay the fee by bank check or bank transfer, nor by credit card. You should use an International Postal Money Order payable to:

Radu-Cristian FOTESCU

Bd. Basarabia 92, bl. C1, sc. B, apt. 9

sector 2, O.P. 49

73406 Bucharest - Romania (Europe)

You may also choose a fancy but safe way, such as sending cash into an envelope carried by Federal Express or DHL (by regular mail is risky). It's up to you.

Step 4.

When I will receive the money, I will send you via e-mail (if available) or air mail (if you don't have e-mail) your registration code.

You will have to enter your name and this code in the dialog shown by Help | Register Now! from the menu.

Warning! You must enter the name exactly as shown on the Registration message/form received, including spaces between names and case-sensitive. Registration code includes dots between numbers that must be entered!

Happy surveying ;-)


Nuts & Bolts

The Toolbar

You may use either the toolbar or the menu for doing most of the actions. Since the toolbar was supposed to improve efficiency, let's see which is the meaning of each button.

The first part: 1. New file, 2. Open file, 3. Save file, 4. Printer settings, 5. Print preview, 6. Print, 7. About.

The other buttons are changing the shape of the mouse cursor. They act as exclusive on/off switches (radio buttons). Pressing one of them will release the others. Pressing twice the same button will release it and  restore the arrow cursor. Their meaning is:

1. Host settings/information (click on the picture of a host and you'll see a dialog box), 2. Delete (host or line), 3. Workstation/PC picture, 4. Server picture, 5. Router picture, 6 to 15: Lines (used to link hosts and thus show network topology).

The Status Bar

Normally, the status bar shows you the timer status. E.g.:

Idle: 120 seconds to next polling or:

Polling: 18 seconds to timeout or:

FINGER in progress... Please wait.

You cannot close the program while polling.

The Host Settings Dialog

When you click on a host picture with the right button of the mouse or, if you selected Host settings from the toolbar or from the Action menu, with the left button, you'll see a dialog

like this:

You may see and/or change the host data. First you'll have to enter host's name or IP address (only one) and check the checkbox if you want to survey it.

The possible host status messages are:

Not checked [yet].

OK. Reachable via TCP. [UNIX host].

OK. Reachable via TCP. [May be non-UNIX host].

Unreachable via TCP: global timeout.

Unreachable via TCP: unresolved address.

Unreachable via TCP: network problems.

Unreachable via TCP: check timeout.

The last two messages are not likely to be seen frequently and are resulting from IP layer-based messages. As far as program's global timeout is lower than your TCP/IP stack's one, you'll never see the last one.

Using the built-in FINGER

You can Finger a host using the Finger button in the Host Settings dialog. When finished, you'll see information about logged users on the specified host (if it knows finger protocol and it's not disabled) in a special dialog box (not shown here). Finger will reset the timer and polling will start soon after fingering.

Using external TELNET

You can log on to a host via the Telnet button in the Host Settings dialog. In order to succeed, you must have an external Windows Telnet program named telnet.exe into the path!

Color codes for hosts

Reachable hosts are GREEN, unreachable hosts are RED and unchecked hosts are YELLOW.

See the sample picture:

Changing survey options

From the Actions menu, choose Survey Options. You will see then a dialog where you can set the period (defaults to 300 seconds) of time between checks and the global timeout for a checking issue. The timeout (defaults to 30 seconds) applies for the entirety of the hosts, so if you have many hosts to survey, choose a larger timeout. The check is asynchronous, so a non-responding host will not delay the response of a reachable host.

Note: At starting time, the first check will start after 60 seconds whatever the options are.

Printing the map

This program can print the network map in black&white mode (use Print Preview first). Note that displayed names will not be printed, just the graphics will appear. For a large map we suggest you to set the paper orientation as Landscape, not Portrait.


Copyright Note

Copyright © 1996 Radu-Cristian Fotescu.  All rights reserved.

This program is SHAREWARE. You may try it for a limited period of time (no more than 30 days), but if you want to use it on a regular basis, you must REGISTER.

Shareware dealers may include it on distribution diskettes and CD-ROMs as long as the original files are not changed in any way. The following files MUST be included: WSSRV16F.EXE, WSSRV16F.HLP and SAMPLE.NET. Any added files may be included, if available.

Administrators of anonymous FTP sites are encouraged to include this software in their software repository and software-indexing Web servers may include links to it. Recommended distribution format is WSSRV16F.ZIP and recommended directories to put in are those related with one or more of the following keywords: WINSOCK, TCP/IP, INTERNET, WINDOWS, NETWORKS, TOOLS, UTILITIES, ADMINISTRATION.

CAUTION!  Read carefully the following note. If you don't agree with it, you must destroy your copy of the program.

THE INFORMATION AND CODE PROVIDED IS PROVIDED AS IS WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED ARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF THE AUTHOR HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.