Using BulkDNS Feature in Pinkie More Effectively!

May 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment

In a way Bulk DNS, works pretty much like PingSweep. It does DNS lookup & ping but the difference is it doesn’t do that for a subnet or a range of consecutive IP Addresses. Instead, it works on a list of arbitrary hostnames and/or IP addresses.

This is particularly useful when you need to do verify and make sure the newly deployed devices are live and have the proper DNS setup. The BulkDNS feature can take input from a textbox or from a text file. Text file should have a list of either IP Addresses or Hostnames; each on a separate line.

Here’s a few tips to be more efficient with Bulk DNS:

  • Show Hostname First: This option, when checked will arrange for the Hostname column to show before IP Address.
  • Include Ping Time: If you just want to do DNS lookup, then leave this option unchecked. Check this option only if you wish to do DNS lookup and also ping the host to see if is on the network.
  • Include Row Number: If this option is checked, it will show the row number for each host on the BulkDNS result listview.
  • Copy Only Live Hosts: This option works with the Include Ping Time option. It will only copy the hosts that responded to ICMP requests. Checking this option will automatically enable Include Ping Time since it requires that work properly.
  • Copy To Clipboard: Click on Copy To Clipboard button will copy the BulkDNS result to the clipboard. Typically you would want to set the other options to your liking then click on this button to copy the BulkDNS result.
  • Copy IP Address: At times, you might just want to copy a particular IP Address. To do this, click on a row in the result listview. The selected host’s IP Address will be copied automatically.

Those are just a few ways to take advantage of the Bulk DNS feature in Pinkie. With that I hope you’ll have a better understanding of how it works and use it more in the future.

Filed Under: BulkDNS, Tips & Tricks Tagged With: , ,

Using PortScanner Feature in Pinkie More Effectively!

May 19, 2012 By 1 Comment

Another must have tool for a network professional is the Port Scanner. It is used to probe a host to see if host is listening on the specified port (open) or not.

Here’s how you can use PortScanner in Pinkie:

  • Scanning Default Ports: To scan the default ports, enter an IP Address, check the Default Ports checkbox then click on the Start Port Scan button.
  • Stop Port Scan: To stop a Port Scan in progress, click on the Stop Port Scan button and in a few seconds it should abort the scan completely.
  • Scan Ad Hoc Ports: To scan a host on an ad hoc basis, enter an IP Address, check the These Ports checkbox, enter the port numbers (separated by “,” & “;” for each port number or by “-” for a range of ports) then click on the Start Port Scan button.
  • Change Default Ports: Default Ports setting can be changed in the Settings Menu. Press F5 to bring up the Application Settings dialog then click on PortScanner tab. Enter new ports as you see fit.

PortScanner can still use a couple of enhancements. If you need something more specific, send in your request now.

Filed Under: PortScanner, Tips & Tricks Tagged With: , ,

Using PingSweep Feature in Pinkie More Effectively!

May 19, 2012 By Leave a Comment

PingSweep has been added to Pinkie since v1.08. And over the years, it’s been fine tuned and enhanced quite a bit.

Below are some tips to help take advantage of all the useful enhancements in Pinkie’s PingSweep feature:

  • Sweep a Subnet: To sweep a subnet, enter an IP Address, then select a subnet mask. Pinkie will automatically scan the subnet and also does DNS lookup for the addresses being scanned.
  • Sweep a Specific # of IPs: To sweep X number of address, enter the start Host Address then enter No. of Hosts and click on Start Ping Sweep button. Pinkie will scan from the Host Address up to X number of hosts and also does DNS lookup for them.
  • Copy PingSweep Result: At times, you might need to send the pingsweep result to someone else. To do that, just do an pingsweep then click on the Copy to Clipboard button. After that, you can paste it into your email or whatever application at your choosing.
  • Include Only Live Hosts: Check this option only if you want to copy the live hosts or those that responded to ICMP request.
  • Copy a Single Address: Click on a particular row in the result listview will copy its IP Address to the clipboard. I find this function is particularly useful when someone asks me for an IP Address that hasn’t been assigned.

There are some other enhancements in the works for PingSweep. Hopefully they will make it to the next release.

As always, if you need to enhance the PingSweep function to suite your need better, send in your request and I’ll check it out.

Filed Under: PingSweep, Tips & Tricks Tagged With: , , , , ,

Using Subnet Calculator in Pinkie

May 19, 2012 By 1 Comment

Subnet calculator is a must have tool for a network professional. Pinkie’s Subnet Calculator is unique in a way that it captured both IPv4 & IPv6 information in the same user interface.

IPv6’s adoption is slow partly because it’s complex, confusing and not something that one can remember easily compared to IPv4 address. Pinkie’s SubnetCalc is meant to help with IPv6 adoption by exposing IPv6 to you plus it gives you more information about IPv6 in hope that you can broaden your knowledge.

Below are some of the enhancements that were built into Pinkie:

  • Working With Subnet Mask: If you prefer to work with Subnet Mask, the dropdown box give you the option to choose subnet mask which also displays the CIDR notation.
  • Working With Prefix Length: If you prefer to work with the prefix length, the textbox named Prefix Length allows you to enter prefix length directly. This is how you can subnet an IPv6 address.
  • Related IPv6 Info: When you are working with IPv4 address, Pinkie will give you all the details like Network ID, Broadcast ID, Wildcard Mask, Block Size… and it also gives you the extra details about related IPv6 info – useful information to make the transition over to IPv6 easier.
  • Related IPv4 Info: Like wise, when you are working with IPv6 address, Pinkie will show you the detailed IPv4 information when applicable. This is done automatically. No user interaction is required.
  • Show Various IPv6 Notations: The checkboxes in the Display Options group box allows you to see IPv6 in multiple forms. Check or uncheck them to see the changes; maybe then you’ll know why IPv6 is sort of confusing at first glance.
  • IP Address Examples: The dropdown box at the bottom of the SubnetCalc tab can show you different IP address examples from IPv4 to IPv6. If you select an IP address example and click on the Tell Me More link, Pinkie will take you to the web where you can learn more about that particular type of address.

There are so many variant of IP Subnet Calculator. I try my best to bring what I think is important into Pinkie’s SubnetCalc. If you have a particular enhancement for it, feel free to send in your suggestion.

Filed Under: Subnet Calculator, Tips & Tricks Tagged With: , , , , ,