Using TFTP Server Feature in Pinkie!

If you are a network professional then chances are you have dealt with and needed a TFTP Server before. TFTP stands for Trivial File Transfer Protocol. The protocol was developed many, many moons ago and it is still one of the most common way of transfer firmware and/or configuration files to/from network devices.

TFTP Server is simple; there’s not a whole lot of options to it as it was specifically designed that way. Below are some explanations about its settings:

  • Port Number: By default TFTP Server runs on UDP port number 69. You should not need to change this number unless you have a specific security requirement to close port 69.
  • Server Timeout: This is how long the TFTP Server will wait for a data packet or an acknowledgement from the client. In Pinkie, the default setting is 5 seconds. If you wish to change it, go to Application Settings dialog, click on TFTP Server tab and change it there.
  • Maximum Retry: This is how many times Pinkie will attempt to retransmit a data packet after it encountered a timeout. You can change this value in Application Settings dialog.
  • TFTP Folder: For TFTP Server to work properly, this folder must be set. This is where Pinkie looks for the file requested by a TFTP client. This folder should be writeable if you need to copy files from your devices to the machine you run Pinkie on.

Most antivirus software will block port 69 by default. You might have to create an exception and allow UDP port 69 in order to let the TFTP traffic pass through. If you use Pinkie for server admin purposes, you should not be concern with this particular feature and as the result, shouldn’t need to open port 69.

TFTP is simple, widely used and will probably be sticking around for the foreseeable future. With it built in to Pinkie, hopefully, it will reduce another application that you have to install on your machine to get the work done.

Using BulkDNS Feature in Pinkie More Effectively!

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.

Using PortScanner Feature in Pinkie More Effectively!

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.

Using PingSweep Feature in Pinkie More Effectively!

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.