The AG Group is the leading developer of powerful, graphical, intuitive Macintosh-based network management software. Our mission is to debunk the myth that sophisticated network management tools are complex and expensive.
LocalHelp is an application specifically designed to help people who support and explain networks get a better idea of what is happening on a remote network without having to visit that location. The application works by capturing all network traffic, or a specified portion of that traffic, in the form of packets. Packets captured are saved in a “Packet Trace” file, which can then be forwarded to a vendor/consultant for analysis using LocalPeek™ , our protocol analysis software.
LocalHelp is a subset of LocalPeek, a full-featured product often likened to a phone tap in that it silently listens to all of the signals travelling on a wire without interrupting them. LocalHelp does the same thing, storing the resulting trace on disk for forwarding by electronic or traditional mail to network support personnel for analysis.
Beyond the ability to capture packets, LocalHelp borrows two other features from LocalPeek: filters and triggers. Filters allow a user to limit the packets captured to specific criteria. Triggers allow LocalHelp to stay poised for capture until a specific type of packet is present, whereupon capture begins. Filters and triggers are referred to in these programs as “settings”. If specifying certain packets for capture is important in troubleshooting a network problem, predefined filters can be selected by network support personnel using the “Save Settings” feature. End users then simply “Load Settings” before capture.
Note: LocalHelp is a limited tool. It will not allow the user to see the packets captured, inspect their contents, or extract statistical data about network performance and function. Packets captured with LocalHelp can be viewed only by using special versions of the LocalPeek application.
This document is intended to be a brief and basic guide to the use of LocalHelp. Please refer to the more detailed Reference Guide (included on this disk) for additional information.
What is LocalHelp and How does it work?
LocalHelp is a packet capture utility which allows for filtering, capturing and saving of LocalTalk network traffic at remote sites for the purpose of analyzing that data to help troubleshoot network problems. The data is saved by LocalHelp in a file often referred to as a "packet dump" or "packet trace". This utility takes advantage of one of the fundamental characteristics of LocalTalk networks. On LocalTalk, when an AppleTalk packet is sent to another computer, every machine on the network receives the packet. Normally, the packet is processed only if it was intended for that computer. However, LocalHelp installs itself in such a way that it sees arriving packets first, captures every packet received and saves them into memory. Once packets are stored, LocalHelp can actually evaluate (filter) packet information and keep only those packets relevant to a problem.
Packet Dumps/Traces
A packet dump or packet trace is a disk file that contains packet data from your network. The disk file created by LocalHelp can be sent to technical support engineers or consultants by electronic or conventional mail for analysis using LocalPeek, The AG Group's LocalTalk Network Analysis Software.
Hardware Requirements
LocalHelp runs on the following Macintosh computers:
All members of the Macintosh II Family
Macintosh SE/30
Powerbook Family
Macintosh LC
Macintosh Portable
Macintosh Quadra Family
Getting Started
Before continuing, you must first be sure that your Macintosh is connected to a LocalTalk network via the printer port. Then, launch LocalHelp by double clicking on its icon, or by selecting it and using the "Open…" command in the File menu. Once LocalHelp is running, you will see the Main Window which displays summary information about packets captured in the upper left corner (all zeros initially).
Start Capturing
You are now ready to start capturing network traffic. Click on the "Start Capture" button in the Main Window, or use the "Start Capture" command in the Capture menu. This will command the Built-In or LocalTalk port to receive all packets transmitted on your network. If there is any activity on your network and your hardware is connected correctly, you should begin to see the packet counters incrementing in the Main Window. The Start Capture button, after being selected, turns into the Stop Capture button.
Caution: If you had previously been using AppleTalk services, or any other network service (e.g. AppleShare, telnet), when you press the Start Capture button, you will receive a warning dialog box. You may want to cancel the Start Capture operation here. Cancelling allows you to save any work you may have had in progress using these other network services. For example, you may want to unmount AppleShare servers, quit telnet or wait until the PrintMonitor is done printing.
Stop Capturing
To stop LocalHelp from receiving packets on the network, press the Stop Capture button. You may also stop capture using the Stop Capture item in the Capture menu. Once the memory allocated to LocalHelp (default is 1MB) is full, the application will automatically stop capturing.
Saving Packets
Once capturing has stopped, you must save the packets captured for examination and comparison by LocalPeek. To save packets, use the "Save All Packets…" item in the File menu. A standard Macintosh window for saving files allows you to specify the filename to use for saving the packet information.
Saving and Restoring Settings
The settings file contains all the information required to set up filters and triggers. After you have set up your filters and triggers, Localhelp will remember the settings each time it starts up. However, you can also save the settings to a separate file so that they can be selectively restored as required. In fact, you may have received an LocalHelp settings file from your vendor in order to streamline capture and subsequent diagnosis. A settings file is useful when different configurations of settings are repeatedly used for things like diagnostics and testing. To save and restore configuration settings, use the "Save Settings" and "Load Settings..." items from the File menu. Load Settings uses the Macintosh standard for opening files, with options for restoring filters, triggers or both. The Save Settings Window is identical to the Macintosh standard for saving files.
Filtering
LocalHelp provides filters which allow the user to eliminate the inconsequential or uninteresting packets from view (For a full explanation of filtering capabilities, please read the section on filtering in the Reference Guide). If you wish to enable capture filtering and select a predefined filter:
• Choose "Filters..." in the Capture menu to open the Filters window.
• At the top of the window, click the appropriate radio button to instruct EtherHelp to capture or not capture packets according to the filters
• Select one of the predefined filters listed in the window by clicking in the small check box preceding the filter you wish to enable
• Exit the window and start capturing packets. Only those packets that meet your selected criteria will then be captured
If you wish to edit one of the filters provided with LocalHelp, double-click on a filter name in the Filters window. The Filter Settings window will open, allowing you to specify a new filter name, and address, protocol, offset or error filter information. (Please see Reference section for a detailed explanation for setting specific filters.)
Quit
After saving the captured packets to disk, quit LocalHelp by selecting "Quit" in the File menu. LocalHelp will automatically re-initialize your network connection and will re-enable AppleTalk.
Problems or Questions
The AG Group has licensed the rights to distribute and use LocalHelp to approved consultants and network vendors. Please contact the licensed vendor or consultant from whom you obtained LocalHelp for any questions you may have about the utility. If you have questions concerning LocalPeek, our LocalTalk network analysis tool, please contact us directly (see information below).
The AG Group, Inc. specializes in easy-to-use software tools for troubleshooting, optimizing, maintaining and expanding multivendor computer networks. While designed to take advantage of the intuitive, graphical interface of the Macintosh, our products can be used in virtually any heterogeneous networking environment.
If you are intrigued by LocalHelp and would like to learn more about our other network management tools, please contact us directly.
Phone number: (510) 937-7900
Fax number: (510) 937-2479
Mailing address: 2540 Camino Diablo, Suite 202, Walnut Creek, CA 94596
