Module 1- Internet Tools

Internet Tools Task

The first internet tool reviewed in this task is 'Traceroute'. I have had cause to use this tool on a number of occasions and have found it useful in diagnosing where packets are lost or assessing response times within a WAN. However, I am quite critical of the use of the tracert command over the internet. One of the main reasons for this is a significant percentage of firewalls are configured in such a way that their routers drop packets and provide a reply without certain information. This is done for security reasons such as preventing the malicious flooding of a server such as a denial of service attack. This reduces the information coming back on these hops to asterisks and the picture of the IP route being captured is comprised.

Before running a traceroute from a network tool site to curtin.edu.au, I decided to go to http://whois.ausregistry.com.au/ which provided me with information on the Curtin IP servers that the traceroute may ping. In particular we can identify Curtin domain information such as 134.7.

The 'who is' information for curtin.edu.au is shown below:

The next step was to run a Traceroute from http://centralops.net/co/ to http://www.curtin.edu.au/. This resulting in the below result:

These traceroute results show the following:

• A total of 21 hops for the traceroute
• The average of 253-254 ms from the tools site to the Curtin Server
• Hops 18-20 did not return echo packets but pass them on instead.
• Hop 21 is the final hop however does not resolve to a DNS name.
• Based on the previous 'who is' check performed we can identify this being within the Curtin domain.

From the command prompt on my PC I performed a ping to http://www.curtin.edu.au/ . The result provided an average response time of 17ms. This is certainly a significantly faster response time than from the http://centralops.net/co/site. This prompted me to run a traceroute from PC to http://www.curtin.edu.au/ which resulted in 4 hops in total. It is also interesting to note that the largest increase in response time was between hops 10 and 11 which according to the domain name is the hop between a US network and an Australian network. This may indicate a longer distance and more congestion on that link as well as the capacity of the link may not be as large as an intra country link.

Module 1 - FTP Task

FTP Task

File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a technology I have had a chance to use from time to time. However, my experience with it has been limited to its use via a browser or via command line. This task introduced me to FTP tools that I had not previously been aware of. I downloaded the FileZilla tool and was able to connect to recall.curtin.edu.au. The FileZilla screenshot below shows the readme text file being downloaded from the FTP site.

The readme text file was located at: ftp://recall.curtin.edu.au/Anonymous/MSC/readme.txt. The words found within the readme file which answer the question in the FTP Task are 'CAPITALIZTION MATTERS'. This exercise raised a couple of concerns in my mind. Firstly, when I opened up the readme file the text was not wrapped and scrolled a long distance to the right. To address this issue I opened the file directly from my C: by right clicking on it and opening it with 'Wordpad'.



The second concern raised was in relation to location the readme file. In this exercise it was a quick process due to a small number of folders on the FTP site that were not heavily nested. If the opposite situation were to occur it may be very difficult to find a file. I did discover a tool which could help in identifying file locations within an FTP site. This tool is called 'FlashPeak FTP Search'. Once this tool is downloaded it is not portable and must be installed. The tool works as follows:

1. Enter the FTP site into the address field i.e. recall.curtin.edu.au. You may extend the path by appending a folder name to the FTP address to narrow your search.
2. Enter the anonymous user name
3. Click on 'Add' button
4. Highlight the FTP address you are searching on and Click on 'Search' button.
5. Once the search is complete it will show in bottom window then click on 'Export' button as save result into a text file
6. Open text file and use Ctrl F to find the file you are after.

The FTP search is shown in the below screenshot:

Overall I think FTP is a very handy tool. Unlike Telnet it is still prominently used within the IT industry and is used very frequently in places I have worked as the primary method of receiving updates or patch files for applications.

Module 1 - Telnet Task

Telnet Task

The term 'telnet' was one I had not heard for a while and brought back memories of a text based computer world early last decade. I vaguely remember that by typing 'telnet' into the start menu it would initiate the telnet.exe and run telnet through a DOS window. I tried this approach to connect to the Deakin library via telnet and by typing an 'o' before the URL I was able to successfully connect as shown below:

I followed the task instructions by searching for the books with Bennahum as the author and then printed these results to email. Below is the email I received through my Curtin email account.

The Telnet Task was complete however I decided to trial 2 other methods of initiating a telnet session to see if the result or method of achieving the result would differ. Firstly, I downloaded a telnet tool caller 'Putty'. It provided me with a connection screen that had a different look and feel to that of a DOS window. The putty screen looked like this:

The main difference I noticed between using this tool to perform the task was that this tool made me aware that TCP port 23 is the default connection port for telnet for most servers as discussed in the following technet article. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-s/library/cc778139.aspx.

After connecting via putty I found that the required process for completing the task was identical to using windows telnet.exe.

My final attempt at using telnet was to initiate a session through my IE7 browser. After entering the URL in my browser window, the browser displayed an error advising that the page could not be found. Several attempts later I decided to browse the Microsoft support site for answers, but did not locate any information. (Later I found out that IE7 no longer supports telnet). I found the answer at: http://forum.kitz.co.uk/index.php?topic=2342.0. It involved making a change to the local machine component of my registry to enable telnet for IE7. I was able to use telnet through IE7 after making this change and restarting my browser session.

My overall impression of telnet leans towards it being a more efficient means of text based communication over the Internet or even a WAN. However if graphics are involved leave telnet alone and go for a web page browser as I found the demo at towel.blinkenlights very good for a text based tool but it was no comparison to web based graphics.

Finally this raises the question why use graphics. I believe the value of graphics is that it can represent context far better than text. Graphics provides more meaning or context than text through using images or symbols to provide context to the viewer. In addition, it allows a higher level of interactivity of which the overall outcome is a richer user experience.

Top 5 Tips for New Bloggers

1. Use lists or bullet points when possible, just as below:

• Lists are far easier to read.
• Lists make the blog far more scannable for the reader.
• Lists keep the content direct and to the point.
• Blog studies show lists are better for eliciting responses from other bloggers.

2. Content

Content is dependant on the audience that you are aiming your blog at. However, there are strategies on how to deliver the content which can be applied across the board. These include:

• Be informative - Delivering interesting information that readers may want to know about a product or topic.
• Context – Write in the relevant context to enable readers to relate to your thoughts, ideas and symbolic references.
• Be original - Try to establish your own views and thoughts on subjects. Remember to stick to one main topic per post.
• Ask for feedback – On one hand you may want to educate your readers but ensure you ask for their input as well.

3. Formatting

• Ensure that you only use one font type per post. Multiple fonts can provide a messy or confusing look for the post.
• Do not use italics if possible and ensure that font size and type are easily readable.
• Paragraphs or lists should follow the same pattern throughout.
• Overall appearance is important. Use backgrounds which make the post easy to read. Pictures and text should also be balanced within the post. If you use pictures or graphics try to have even spacing of text between them.

4. Links & HTML Tags

• Provide links to other websites for supporting information as well as improving your page rank on Google.
• Use HTML tags to help you display information the way you desire. This could include tagging photos and text to give them your own customized look and feel.

5. Etiquette

• Do not respond emotively to other bloggers. If you strongly disagree with a point of view, accept it and debate the subject amicably.
• Tell the truth when blogging. If you do not agree with someone do not give false information to try to prove your point.
• Slang terms are acceptable however please refrain from using any profane, discriminatory, prejudicial or threatening words or symbols.

***And remember the best way to improve your blogging skills is by leaving your comments on other blogs.***