====================
What is OTTool?
OTTool is a free utility which provides a synopsis of
the AppleTalk and IP
configuration parameters within Apple Computer's Open
Transport networking
architecture. In addition, OTTool allows users on IP
networks to make
Domain Name Server (DNS) queries, ping devices using
ICMP Pings, trace
IP routes (UNIX traceroute), scan through ranges of
IP addresses asking
for resolutions, and to query a DNS for Mail Exchange
and System Info. On
MacOS PowerPC machines, it will also dump the IP ARP
cache. We would
like to hear your suggestions and comments regarding
the software. Please
send your feedback to ottool@neon.com.
What changed in OTTool since version 1.0ß4?
We received a lot of suggestions for improving OTTool
from users. With
version 1.0, we
* added IP ARP cache display
* added Balloon Help throughout the application
* added smart zooming of all windows
* fixed some minor bugs, including incorrect pinging
of non-existent nodes
Thanks for the suggestions, and keep them coming!
AppleTalk and IP Configuration Parameters
---------------------------------------------
When launched, OTTool gathers the AppleTalk and IP network
configuration
parameters from your Macintosh and displays them in
the OTTool window. The
AppleTalk parameters are on the left side of the window
and the IP
parameters are on the right. The following network
information is retrieved:
ICMP Ping dialog
-----------------
At the top of the ICMP Ping dialog is a set of three
editable parameters
contained within the following sentence: "Send
[A] packets with [B]
second(s) interpacket delay waiting no more than [C]
second(s) for a
reply." [A] is the number of ICMP packets to send
to the device,
[B] is the number of seconds between each packet that
is sent, and [C] is the
number of seconds that OTTool should wait before considering
a packet
lost.
Once you have set variables A, B, and C to your liking,
click the Start
button to begin pinging the device. As OTTool is pinging
the device, the
following real time information is displayed in the
lower portion of the
ICMP Ping dialog:
TraceRoute window
--------------------
OTTool implements UNIX traceroute functionality. After
typing an IP
address or domain name, press the Trace button. This
will cause the
TraceRoute window to be displayed. Each IP router through
which data
to the selected IP address or domain name will be displayed
preceded
by a hop count. For each hop, OTTool sends three packets,
so up to three
IP addresses (one for each router) may appear for each
hop. After the
trace has completed, double-clicking on any displayed
address will
bring up the OTTool Ping dialog, and ICMP pinging will
commence,
as described above. Also, to copy a domain name (if
available) or an
IP address from the TraceRoute window to the scrapbook,
select the
domain name or IP address, and select Copy from the
Edit menu.
Scan Address window
-------------------
OTTool allows domain name resolutions to be made for
a range of
IP addresses. After typing an IP address or domain name,
press the
Scan button. This will cause the Scan Addresses window
to be
displayed. IP addresses will appear five at a time,
in ascending
order, and a reverse DNS query will be made for their
domain name.
To query for domain names in descending order, hold
down the Option
key and press the Scan button. Scanning IP addresses
is a good way to
test domain name servers and to explore Internet sites.
To cancel
the scanning process, press the Apple key and period,
at the same
time. After the scan has completed, double-clicking
on any displayed
address will bring up the OTTool Ping dialog, and ICMP
pinging will
commence, as described above. Also, to copy a domain
name (if
available) or an IP address from the Scan Address window
to the
scrapbook, select the domain name or IP address, and
select Copy
from the Edit menu.
Mail Exchange/SysInfo dialog
--------------------------
OTTool allows queries of Domain Name Servers for standard
Mail Exchange and System Information for a given domain
name.
After typing an IP address or domain name, press the
MX button.
This will cause the Mail Exchange/SysInfo dialog to
be displayed.
Note that this information may not be available for
the domain
name selected as not all Domain Name Servers have been
configured
with this information.
ARP Cache window
-------------------
For MacOS machines equipped with a PowerPC, OTTool will
display
the ARP cache. The ARP cache is maintained by Open Transport
and
is used to map IP addresses to hardware addresses. For
example, on
Ethernet networks the ARP cache will contain mappings
from IP
addresses to Ethernet addresses. This information is
useful for
such applications as identifying Ethernet hardware when
examining
Ethernet protocol analyzer output. Choose ARP Cache
from the
Windows menu, then click Refresh in the ARP Cache window
to
query Open Transport for the ARP Cache contents. Click
Refresh in
order to display the ARP Cache at any given point in
time.
About Neon Software
Neon Software offers an entire series of network management
products
including NetMinder Ethernet and NetMinder LocalTalk,
software-only
protocol analyzers; RouterCheck, a router management
application;
LANsurveyor, an AppleTalk network mapping application;
TrafficWatch II,
a network monitoring tool; and CyberGauge, the Internet
bandwidth utility.
For more information about any of Neon Software's network
management
products, contact:
Neon Software, Inc.
3685 Mt. Diablo Blvd. Suite 253
Lafayette, CA 94549
Tel: (510) 283-9771, (800) 334-NEON
Fax: (510) 283-6507
WWW: http://www.neon.com
Information: info@neon.com
Technical Support: support@neon.com
Registration of OTTool: ottool@neon.com
This page was created using TextToHTML. TextToHTML is a free software for Macintosh and is (c) 1995,1996 by Kris Coppieters