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WHOIS: A Network User Identification Utility
============================================
Richard L. Hartman (RLH), Consultant
Novell Registered Professional Developer
5205 North Mulvaney Court
Spokane, WA 99212
509-924-6576 / CompuServe 76350,2275 / GEnie R.HARTMAN9
===============================================================================
NECESSARY EVILS
===============================================================================
My apologies for the following sections, but they are unfortunately
necessary in today's world. Please read them and then move on to the more
interesting material which follows.
Copyright
---------------------------------------
WHOIS is an example of "AdWare" - a term I have coined to describe software
which, in addition to being a useful standalone application, serves as an
advertisement. WHOIS is an advertisement for my network software
consulting services. Please see "About the Author" at the end of this file
for more information.
All WHOIS files and materials are copyrighted, and I specifically reserve
all rights to them worldwide. The unaltered, unmodified WHOIS is hereby
placed in the public domain; it may be copied, distributed, and used
without restriction as long as it is not changed or modified in any way.
You are free to upload it, IN ITS ENTIRETY, to bulletin boards and other
"common access" systems.
WHOIS represents a significant investment of my time and effort. It is my
sincere hope that you will benefit from your use of this program. My
intention in creating this and other AdWare is to promote my network
software consulting services. I would appreciate you giving copies of
WHOIS to anyone (everyone!) you know that uses Novell NetWare. Doing so
costs you exactly nothing and encourages me to continue writing AdWare.
While you are not REQUIRED to register, I would certainly enjoy hearing
your comments and suggestions. Constructive comments may be incorporated
into future upgrades, so your input is valuable. For WHOIS-related issues,
you may contact me via CompuServe or by mail (see above for account number
and address). Please restrict telephone calls to actual consulting
business.
Please see "About the Author" at the end of this file for more information
on my consulting services. Thank you for your support!
Disclaimer
---------------------------------------
WHOIS, and all of its associated files and programs, is provided without
warranty of any kind. The user of this software is solely responsible for
determining its suitability for any purpose, the accuracy of its operation,
and the results obtained by its use.
As written, WHOIS does not contain any "viruses" or other malicious
routines. However, such routines do exist and can be "attached" to
otherwise benign and beneficial programs, often without obvious indication.
WHOIS does not attempt to detect the presence of such additions. It is
solely the user's responsibility to determine the "purity" of this software
and its associated files.
===============================================================================
BACKGROUND (WHY IT EXISTS)
===============================================================================
NetWare imposes limitations on the length and content of usernames. Many
networks use naming conventions which can be somewhat "cryptic", especially
as new users are added. Furthermore, a multiple-server or internetworked
environment can physically separate users across parking lots or even
geographic boundaries.
The NetWare command line utility USERLIST can be used to obtain a list of
users. However, this list only reports those users currently logged in to
the invoking user's file server, and does not list users of other servers.
Additional information on a user is often available from their "Full Name".
However, obtaining a full list of all users and their full names, from all
servers, can be a lengthy task - and one which becomes obsolete quickly as
users are added and removed.
===============================================================================
The Purpose of WHOIS
===============================================================================
WHOIS was written to provide a complete list of all users on all file
servers with a single command.
WHOIS searches all file servers which are connected or bridged to the
invoking workstation and reports every users' username, full name, and
"home file server". The list is alphabetized by username for ease of
reference. Unlike USERLIST, WHOIS reports users whether they are currently
logged in or not.
===============================================================================
Using WHOIS
===============================================================================
WHOIS is very simple to use and requires no command line parameters.
Simply type:
WHOIS <enter>
...and WHOIS will generate a list of all network users on all file servers
to which it can attach and log in.
Specifying Users
---------------------------------------
While not required, WHOIS will accept an optional network username as a
command line argument. This allows you to obtain information about a
specific user without having to view the entire list. For example, to
obtain the full name and home server of user CHARLIE, type:
WHOIS CHARLIE <enter>
...and the information will be shown.
Wildcards in Usernames
---------------------------------------
WHOIS also supports the use of wildcards in usernames. The standard DOS
wildcards "*" and "?" may be used to obtain information about users whose
names share common characteristics. For example, to obtain a list of all
users whose names begin with C, type:
WHOIS C* <enter>
...and WHOIS will find ALL matching users on ALL servers.
Interpretation of wildcards is performed in exactly the same manner as for
DOS filenames: question marks indicate a single unknown character, while an
asterisk indicates zero or more unknown characters.
It should be repeated that WHOIS finds ALL matching users on ALL servers.
This means that like-named users on different servers will be listed
individually, and that like-named accounts for the same individual on
multiple servers will each be listed separately.
WHOIS is not case sensitive. All input is automatically capitalized prior
to use. The above examples use capitals for clarity.
Redirecting WHOIS Output
---------------------------------------
WHOIS uses standard DOS functions to display characters on the screen. This
was specifically done so that its output could be redirected to a printer
or file using the standard output redirection character ">". As an example,
typing:
WHOIS C* >userlist.txt <enter>
...will yield a file containing a list of all users whose username begins
with the letter C.
Filters may also be used on WHOIS output in the same manner. Refer to your
DOS manual for more information on output redirection.
Online Help and Memory Analysis
---------------------------------------
A quick refresher on the use of WhoIs may be obtained by including /H or
? as a command line parameter:
WHOIS /H <enter>
...or:
WHOIS ? <enter>
The presence of either of these command line switches will override the
normal operation of WhoIs and display the help information. WhoIs will
also perform an analysis of available memory and estimate the number of
users that can be processed under current system conditions.
===============================================================================
How WHOIS Works
===============================================================================
WHOIS interacts with the NETx, EMSNETx, and XMSNETx shells to obtain
network services. It initially confirms that the invoking workstation is
attached and logged in to a NetWare file server.
Scanning File Servers
---------------------------------------
WHOIS then finds a file server on the network and checks if the workstation
is logged in to it. If not, WHOIS attempts to log in as "GUEST", an
account which is on all NetWare servers by default and which generally does
not require a password. If the log in is successful, WHOIS execution
continues.
If WHOIS is unsuccessful in its attempt to log in as GUEST, it will report
the name of the problem file server and prompt you for an alternate
username with password. (Some network supervisors delete the GUEST account
or assign it a password.) Simply type an acceptable username for that
server, follow it with the appropriate password, and WHOIS will proceed.
You may also leave the username line blank and press Enter alone to skip
the specified file server.
Once a connection has been established, WHOIS queries the file server for
information regarding all users that match the command line parameter. This
information is stored internally for later display.
WHOIS then handles detachment from the server in the following manner: If
the workstation was already attached to the current server when WHOIS was
started, no action is taken (it is left attached under the same username).
If it was not attached at startup, WHOIS detaches from the server. Thus,
WHOIS preserves the entry environment of workstation-server attachments.
Reporting Results
---------------------------------------
When all accessible servers have been queried, WHOIS sorts the results by
username and sends them to the screen. Three columns of data are
presented: The username, the full name, and the server from which the
information was obtained.
If Ctrl-Break is used to terminate execution, WHOIS may not have a chance
to log out of remote servers with which it was communicating. Such
connections do not generally represent problems; the NetWare utility
"WHOAMI" may be used to determine if undesired attachments exist after
premature termination of WHOIS.
WHOIS interacts with the NetWare shells using documented NetWare function
calls. No undocumented "tricks" are used anywhere in the program.
Limitations
---------------------------------------
WHOIS reports all users on all accessible file servers. This may include
print servers, uninterruptable power supplies, automated backup systems,
and other "peripheral" users that do not necessarily represent actual
people. NetWare does not distinguish between "live" users and "other"
types, and neither does WHOIS; all are reported to the extent that
information is available.
===============================================================================
Installation
===============================================================================
WHOIS.EXE may reside in any subdirectory of any disk drive. It may be
invoked as a file in the current subdirectory, or from one of the
subdirectories in the current DOS path. WHOIS.EXE is a standalone file; it
requires no configuration or data files for operation.
For ease of use, it is suggested that the network Supervisor place
WHOIS.EXE in the SYS:PUBLIC directory.
===============================================================================
REQUEST FOR FEEDBACK
===============================================================================
As stated elsewhere in this document, you are not required to register your
copy or use of WHOIS. However, I would appreciate hearing about your
experiences with it. I maintain a database of those users that contact me
and keep them informed, without obligation, of future enhancements to WHOIS
and other AdWare that I write.
===============================================================================
REVISION HISTORY
===============================================================================
Version 1.8, released 04 August 1992
---------------------------------------
Revised memory handling to accommodate more users. Some users had reported
"out of memory" errors with ~200 users; new memory allocation and
management scheme will accommodate approximately 14 users for each 1K of
available low memory (500K will allow over 7000 users to be processed).
Added memory capacity analysis, displayed when help is invoked.
===============================================================================
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
===============================================================================
My name is Richard L. Hartman. I have 12 years of formal experience in the
Electronics industry which started in analog circuitry and progressed
through the disciplines of discrete digital, integrated digital,
microprocessor, software, and management. My employment history includes
both Engineering and Marketing departments for everything from five-man
startups to companies with thousands of employees.
Along the way I have designed many successful products - the most prominent
of which is probably the Key Tronic KB5151 Enhanced PC Keyboard, the first
to have separate cursor and numeric keypads. Over 250,000 KB5151's have
been sold and its standard continues to influence keyboard design to this
day.
My consulting efforts are now concentrated in the area of Local Area
Networks - specifically the development of software which runs with, and
takes advantage of, Novell's NetWare Operating System. I am a Novell
Registered Professional Developer and actively pursue all topics, in all
disciplines, which involve this market segment.
WHOIS, and other AdWare like it, is my answer to the extremely high cost of
advertising in magazines and trade journals. I simply cannot justify the
money necessary to elevate myself and my services above the "noise floor"
established by multi-million dollar companies and their multi-page color
advertisements. Instead, I invest my TIME writing software which
(hopefully) has broad appeal and allows potential clients the opportunity
to sample my work without risk or expense.
My services include:
Conceptual: A confidential, objective sounding board for new ideas
Feasibility: Assessment of technical viability
Engineering: Actual product design and development
Modification: Adding network intelligence to existing products
Testing: Verifying network compatibility
Training: Adding network programming to your staff's skill set
Recommendation: Network-oriented analysis of your current/future products
If you create network software - or are planning to - please contact me:
Richard L. Hartman (RLH), Consultant
Novell Registered Professional Developer
5205 North Mulvaney Court
Spokane, WA 99212
509-924-6576 / CompuServe 76350,2275 / GEnie R.HARTMAN9