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.TH "TKPING" "8" 
.SH "NAME" 
tkping \(em network monitoring tool 
.SH "SYNOPSIS" 
.PP 
\fBtkping\fP [\fBoptions\fP]  
.SH "DESCRIPTION" 
.PP 
\fBtkping\fP is intended primarily for  
system administrators and network administrators so that they can see 
when crucial hosts and other network nodes go down. 
.PP 
\fBtkping\fP is typically left running for 
days.  The user can see all nodes are green meaning that all 
are OK.  After being away from the display for a period of time, 
the user returns and looks at the display.  If any of the nodes are 
not green, then the user knows that those have either "gone missing" for  
a short period of time or have rebooted (The color tells the user 
which).  Either way, the user knows to log onto these machines to see  
what happened or to look into the status of the network/subnet to  
which the failing machines are connected.  Overall, this saves the user 
time, as there is no reason to check into the health of the machines 
which remain green. 
.SH "DETAILS OF OPERATION" 
.PP 
\fBtkping\fP is a tool that runs under  
the X Window System to display the status of internet nodes. 
.PP 
\fBtkping\fP displays a grid of node buttons, 
one for each node being monitored.  The name of the node represented by 
the button is displayed on the face of the button. 
.PP 
This grid can be laid-out automatically by  
\fBtkping\fP or the layout can be controlled by the  
user from the command-line or by settings in a control file  
(See: -rows, -columns). 
.PP 
\fBtkping\fP also supports additional layout 
control interspersed within the nodes file. (See: <blank>, 
<message>, and <nextcolumn>.) 
.PP 
At specified intervals, \fBtkping\fP will  
generate a number of ICMP echo packets (similar to the  
\fBping(8)\fP program) and send them  
to each of the specified nodes.  \fBtkping\fP  
displays the results of its pings by coloring the button associated 
with the node based on the status of the returned pings. 
.PP 
The grid of buttons supports a couple styles of interaction. 
The user may select a menu operation affecting all of the nodes, or 
the user may click on one or more buttons and then select a menu 
operation which affects only those selected.  Finally, a right-click 
operation on a button is supported.  This pops up a list of operations 
one can do against that specific button. 
.PP 
The button color represents current status of the node.  The 
user can recheck a node, mark it a down, or get info regarding  
details of the history of ping attempts against this node. 
.PP 
To recheck a node, simply click on the button  
corresponding to the desired node.  The color will change, 
indicating that the node has been selected.  Picking  
``Recheck'' from the menu will then check the node again. 
During the time that a node is being rechecked, the cursor will 
change to an hourglass.  All button and/or keypress events sent to 
\fBtkping\fP will be ignored until the  
pinging is complete and the cursor is restored. 
.PP 
If a node is selected and ``Down'' is picked, then the node is  
marked as ignored and the color of the button is changed to  
represent this status.  When \fBtkping\fP next  
traverses the grid, this node will not be checked.  This is useful  
when the user knows a node to be down and does not want to waste  
any time checking it. 
.PP 
If a node is selected and ``Info'' is picked, a pop-up dialog will  
display statistics about that node.  Currently,  
\fBtkping\fP will print out the total number of  
times the node returned none, some, or all of the packets sent out, 
the total number of packets sent to and received from the node, 
and the average packet round-trip time sampled over the last 
5, 50, 100, and 200 grid traversals. 
.PP 
Multiple nodes may be rechecked, or marked as down.  If ``Info'' is  
then picked, only the first node will have its information  
displayed. 
.SH "OPTIONS" 
.PP 
The following are the command-line arguments understood  
by \fBtkping\fP: 
.IP "\fB-rows {nbr}\fP         " 10 
This option is used to specify the number of rows in  
the host grid.  Entries in the node file will then be loaded  
top to bottom.  (Resource name: rows). 
.IP "\fB-columns {nbr}\fP         " 10 
This option is used to specify the number of columns  
in the host grid.  Entries in the node file will then be  
loaded left to right.  (Resource name: columns) 
.IP "\fB-wintitle {titleStr}\fP         " 10 
Specify the text to put on the application titlebar 
(as opposed to the window manager's titlebar). 
(the default is ``tkping'' followed by a version string). 
(Resource name: wintitle) 
.IP "\fB-nodes {fspec}\fP         " 10 
Specify a name of a file which contains the hosts to put on  
the grid.  If this option is given, the default file ~/.tkpingrc  
will not be loaded. (No associated resource) 
.IP "\fB-xdefs {fspec}\fP         " 10 
Name of the file which contains option settings.  Use in place 
of discrete command-line options, an X resources file, or the  
system-wide defaults file /etc/tkping/tkping.conf.  
(No associated resource) 
.IP "\fB-logfile {fspec}\fP         " 10 
Specifies the log file to which diagnostic output will 
be sent.  () 
.IP "\fB-packets {nbr}\fP         " 10 
Number of packets to send to each node (default 5). 
(Resource name: numberPackets) 
.IP "\fB-sleep {secs}\fP         " 10 
Interval between traversals of the grid (default  
120 seconds).  (Resource name: sleepDelay) 
.IP "\fB-timeout {secs}\fP         " 10 
How long to wait for each packet before assuming the  
node is not responding (default 0.5 seconds).  (Resource  
name: timeout) 
.IP "\fB-ignore\fP         " 10 
In certain circumstances, it may be preferable that 
\fBtkping\fP not immediately attempt to  
ping all the nodes on the grid.  When this option is set, 
all nodes will act as though they had been selected and the 
``Down'' menu item picked. 
.IP "\fB-debug\fP         " 10 
Turn on debugging.  Used primarily by developer of  
\fBtkping\fP. 
 
.IP "\fB-verbose\fP         " 10 
Show more detailed info regarding application state. 
 
.IP "\fB-h\fP           \fB--help\fP         " 10 
Show summary of options. 
.SH "COLORS" 
.PP 
\fBtkping\fP uses colors to indicate the status  
of each node.  The standard color codes along with the  
X-default codes are as follows: 
.IP "\fB#00C000 allPacketsBackColor\fP" 10 
Host returned all packets sent. 
.IP "\fB#DAFF00 somePacketsBackColor\fP" 10 
Host returned some of the packets sent. 
.IP "\fB#C00000 noPacketsBackColor\fP" 10 
Host returned none of the packets sent. 
.IP "\fBOrange ignoredColor\fP" 10 
The node is to be ignored. 
.IP "\fBLightGrey changedColor\fP" 10 
The node changed its status from either returning  
no packets or from an error to returning all packets.  The cell  
will remain in this color or pattern until reset by manually  
checking the node (see above). 
.IP "\fBBlack errorColor\fP" 10 
An internal error has occurred.  This should only occur if  
the host name cannot be found in either the name server or system  
host table. 
.SH "FILES" 
.IP "\fB~/.tkpingrc\fP         " 10 
File containing nodes to check as well as labels to 
display amongst the node buttons. 
.IP "\fB/etc/tkping/tkping.conf\fP         " 10 
File containing settings default values for timeouts, 
ping counts, etc. 
.SH "FILE FORMATS: NODES" 
.PP 
To Be Added.  See /usr/share/doc/tkping/examples/tkping.hosts  
for now. 
.SH "SEE ALSO" 
.PP 
fping(8). 
.SH "AUTHOR" 
.PP 
This manual page was written by Stephen M Moraco stephen@debian.org for 
the \fBDebian GNU/Linux\fP system (but may be used by others).  Permission is 
granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under 
the terms of the GNU Free Documentation 
License, Version 1.1 or any later version published by the Free 
Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover 
Texts and no Back-Cover Texts. 
.PP 
Excerpts are taken from the xping(1) manpage written by Jeff  
Okamoto of Hewlett-Packard 
.PP 
NOTE1: (xping) From a program originally written for X10 by  
Mike Harris and converted to the X11 HP Widget Set and enhanced by  
Jeff Okamoto and Ken Stone.  Converted to run under HP-UX 8.0 and  
use the Motif 1.1 Widget Set by Jeff Okamoto. 
.PP 
NOTE2: tkping is a complete rewrite of xping in perl/TK.  The 
author had no access to original source code, only the manpage 
accompanying the xping program.  The input file format is not the 
same and this manpage has been written to speak to the new input 
file format and the specific operation of tkping. 
...\" created by instant / docbook-to-man, Fri 10 Aug 2001, 23:26