Ping Monitor

[Apex]

other then using the standard ping host -t command, i am in need a tool with a bit more power behind it

I need to ping three hosts over a longer period of time and be able to log this to a file, now it's doesn't nesscary need to have a graphical output but could help.

any advice on this would be welcomed

This tool needs to be freeware / open source for use on a WinXP box

[smargh]

PRTG Traffic Grapher
Paessler | Bandwidth management software - monitor and manage bandwidth with PRTG.

Free for up to 3 sensors.

[TiG]

You can use ping to do that without an issue anyway.

just do the ping -t ip > logfile.txt * 3 instance, cheap nasty, but technical it is feasible.

Oh and ICMP tests don't mean anything when proving network faults, better to do something on a switch level to prove that kind of issue

TiG

[Apex]

You can use ping to do that without an issue anyway.

just do the ping -t ip > logfile.txt * 3 instance, cheap nasty, but technical it is feasible.

Oh and ICMP tests don't mean anything when proving network faults, better to do something on a switch level to prove that kind of issue

TiG

This is just low level testing, we have gone through quiet a few hoops to try and narrow down whats casuing the user intermitent connection, hes had a new terminal and new patch cable, thats just leaves about 6 other points that could be at fault

the wall box
cable from there to patch pannel
patch pannel
switch
terminal server on site
main line / router link dropping

ps is there anyway to control how many pings it sends / have a delay of say 10> secs between each ping ?

all this being done remotely gets a to be a pita

[TiG]

Thats precisely my point, PING test is not appropriate for showing this. ICMP traffic will only show up physical connection issues.

If you've changed the cable then you've pretty much ruled it out.

Ethereal(now known as Wireshark) trace from his machine is probably a better option, again can output logfiles for this, you've likely have a much better time with this too, you'd be able to see if something was accidentally broadcast spamming the user and causing him issues, IMCP ping just won't show up anything like this.

TiG

[Apex]

Thats precisely my point, PING test is not appropriate for showing this. ICMP traffic will only show up physical connection issues.

If you've changed the cable then you've pretty much ruled it out.

Ethereal(now known as Wireshark) trace from his machine is probably a better option, again can output logfiles for this, you've likely have a much better time with this too, you'd be able to see if something was accidentally broadcast spamming the user and causing him issues, IMCP ping just won't show up anything like this.

TiG

Thin Client based machine, so thats a no no for us to install added sw onto the unit, currently running the PRTG client to just monitor the ping for the 3 bits that interest me, will leave it over the weekend and see what it shows up.

[Paul Adams]

Reading between the lines then, you have 3 terminal servers to which clients are intermittently unable to connect (or being disconnected)...

- Are the 3 servers in the same LAN, or is this 3 separate sites?
- If they are in the same site, do all 3 server become inaccessible during the outage?
- Is it all clients who are unable to connect during the intermittent outage?
- How long is the outage?

I would look at using Wireshark/NetMon to log traffic server-side (rolling the capture files over to avoid getting a single, gigantic, unusable file) and if possible a simultaneous trace on a client during a time when it cannot get a response from the server.

A continuous ping from the servers to another machine outside of the site could give you an idea of intermittent routing issues - with a bit of cunning jiggery-pokery you could schedule a batch file to call ping.exe, and if it returns an error then you can tracert.exe and log the result to a text file.

It could be something like a dodgy router screwing with a spanning tree, depending on when/where the issue occurs.

[Apex]

It's a remote branch, the terminal server is held onsite (at the remote site, along with the file server and print server) about 20 users max for it.

This is the only user that as reported issues with droped sessions and so on, the basic tools that i have ( am helpdesk bound not networks ) as not shown the router dropping the connection on the line and looking back over past monitoring on the site has not shown issues with the net connection.

The cable and client have been swaped out to rule out them being at fault.

You might ask why is the helpdesk getting caught up with this, well 2nd line have stated that unless i rule out a shed of checks they want they will not even think about picking the call up and getting the cablers out to check the wireing, work shy springs to mind on this.

I have asked the guy to leave the client on this weekend and i will monitor what happens and take it from there.

[Splash]

Do the networks guys not have something like Solarwinds to monitor just this kind of thing?

[Apex]

Whats Up gold for all routers and managble switchs that are connected.
They only just started to add snmp agents for the servers.

Well just looked back through logs for the weekend and not once did the router / terminal server or client drop off and not once did the resposne time peak above 25ms, so that kinda leaves us no where.