Another useful utility I found for the iPAQ is called Handalyzer. This utility picks up where IPer stops. Handalyzer includes three tests you can run:
- The Discovery test reports what it sees in terms of link status, speed, and types of IP traffic (IP, ARP, RIP, ICMP, and OSPF).
- The Drop test lets you record what you "hear" on each network jack that you plug into: how the address of the iPAQ was determined, link speed, status, and anything else the Drop test finds.
- The Monitor test gives you some basic stats beyond link speed and status by showing you the number of packets sent or received, how many were dropped, and the number of errors sent or received.
A full-fledged protocol analyzer could cost you an arm and a leg. However, you can turn your iPAQ into a protocol analyzer with CENiffer v3.1 from Epiphan Consulting. CENiffer includes considerable documentation to guide you through its many features. It allows you to apply both simple and advanced filters on packets to help you sort through the flood of data on your network. One feature I was glad to see is the ability to load a previously captured trace file and view the packets without needing a network card installed. To save time, you can capture the packets raw (without any filters applied) and then apply filters as you create them to help you find what you're looking for. vxUtil
Another interesting application I found for the iPAQ was vxUtil from Cambridge Computer Corp. Although vxUtil duplicates some of the features of other tools I've mentioned, it has some additional features, such as:
- Traceroute
- Whois
- Finger
Not all network infrastructure problems can be resolved with an Ethernet connection. Have you ever gotten behind a rack and needed to access the console interface on a router or switch? If you don't have room for a laptop to connect to the console port, you can do the job with your iPAQ. Most switches and routers have serial ports for local administration, and you can connect to them using the built-in serial port on the bottom of the iPAQ. You'll need to purchase a separate syncing cable to connect to the bottom of the iPAQ. In addition to the special syncing cable, you should have a female-to-female gender changer, a male-to-male gender changer, and a null modem adapter. You can purchase these at Radio Shack or any electronics store. This may seem a little like overkill, but with these adapters, you should be able to connect to just about any type of DB9 serial port you'll come across. If you think you may encounter older DB25 serial ports, you may want to get a couple of DB9-DB25 converters. The iPAQ includes a basic ASCII terminal emulation application. But you can't access some switches and routers using an ASCII terminal. In some cases, you may need VT100 emulation or something different. VxHpc allows you to make VT100 terminal connections via serial, TCP/IP, and infrared ports. Grab it and go
These are just a few of the many tools that are available for the iPAQ and Pocket PC platform. I consider the ones I've described to be the best of what's available. You may find some hardware and software combinations that suit your purposes better, but now you have a starting point, as well as some reasons to justify the cost of a PDA.
Editorial disclaimer: The authors and editors have taken care in preparation of the content contained herein but make no expressed or implied warranty of any kind and assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. No liability is assumed for any damages. Always have a verified backup before making any changes
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Talkback
You reviewed CeSniffer from Epiphan in this article. As a Manager of Technical Support for a Children's/maternity hospital, I thought this would make a great product for my technical support team.
We emailed Epiphan to ask three questions (one was about method of payment & the other two were simple technical questions). The Epiphan Representative or owner or whatever in the Canadian office was both unhelpful and rude. We could not get any answers whatsoever and the final response from Epiphan was "I am too busy to answer your questions because I am leaving for vacation". Not professional and obviously a basement operation.
It would be advisable to check into the viability of a vendor prior to recommending their products!