Let's take a detailed look at how you use NetworkView in Discovery mode to compile a quick network inventory for a consulting job like the one I encountered. To run NetworkView in Discovery mode, pull down the File menu and select the New command. You'll see the Network Discovery Parameters dialog box and you'll need to fill in the range of IP addresses, as shown in Figure A. You can also fill in the Printout Info section if you wish.

Figure A

To perform a network discovery operation, you need only provide a range of IP addresses. When you click OK, NetworkView goes to work and finds all TCP/IP nodes on the network. As it does so, NetworkView creates and displays a graphical map of the network, as shown in Figure B. As you can see, this map provides you with the name, IP address, and NIC manufacturer of each device on the network. You'll also notice that each item is represented with a unique icon that helps you to quickly identify each network device.

Figure B

NetworkView creates a graphical map as it scans the network. As you can see, by default, the map display is sorted by IP address. You can sort the map using other criteria, such as name or type. To do so, click one of the sort buttons on the toolbar or select an item from the View | Sort menu. Once you've created the map, you can save it by clicking the Save button on the toolbar. You can then print the map by clicking the Print button on the toolbar. If you double-click on any device, you'll see a Node Details window like the one shown in Figure C. The Node Details window displays all the information that was found during the discovery operation. As you can see, this includes the MAC address of the network card.

Figure C

The Node Details window displays all the information gathered during the discovery operation.