ProbeView: iPhone-based Network Testing for SOHO Networks.
What is ProbeView?
ProbeView is an Apple iPhone application that allows you to set up lists of
internet sites and services to test. It is designed for network
administrators running SOHO (Small Office and Home Office) networks.
Groups of test 'targets' can be set up for different locales (i.e. inside and
outside the office). Standard tests include ICMP 'pings' and TCP port probes.
The full version includes a free program called PVProxy
that you can
run on a server behind your firewall to allow secure testing of non-public network
components and services. PVProxy also supports user-created
extension tests.
Getting ProbeView or ProbeView Lite
ProbeView and ProbeView Lite are only available from the iPhone App Store.
Versions of ProbeView
 |
The only limitation of the "Lite" version of ProbeView is that it cannot use the
PVProxy companion application. |
 |
The "Full" version of ProbeView can
use the free PVProxy program to peer behind firewalls or routers.
PVProxy is available for either Windows (Vista/7/XP) or Apple Mac OS X. |
For pricing information, see Apple's iPhone App Store.
Use of the PVProxy program is explained in the PVProxy page.
Running ProbeView
Once installed on your phone, just launch ProbeView. You can then add
'targets' (test sites) to the list of places to test. Whenever you click
its 'refresh' button, ProbeView will perform the tests you've specified on your
targets and report its results to you.
Examples of Use
Some of the things you might wish to test are:
- Favorite web sites (using TCP, domain name + port 80)
- Email servers (using TCP domain name + port 25)
- ISP Domain Name Servers (using ICMP, domain name)
- Webcams
- SlingBoxes
- Routers
For a list of the standard port numbers used by internet services, see
Wikipedia's article on
"TCP and
UDP Port Numbers". ProbeView has a built-in page to help you
choose the correct port assignment.
When using the free companion program
PVProxy (see below) in your private network, you can also test any server or service in
that network from anywhere on the internet. You can even extend the proxy
to perform any test you desire.
Support and Further Information
Please see our forum at
http://forum.groupwyse.com/.
Technical Information
Please set the ProbeView technical information
page for more information.
Tailoring and Extending ProbeView
An application like ProbeView normally can test only public websites and servers.
But what if you want to test servers and services behind your firewall (that is, on the
other side of your router)? The free companion application
PVProxy can be
downloaded and installed on a machine (Windows or Mac OS X) in your network. ProbeView can
then test targets on the other side of your firewall!
See the PVProxy pages for more information.
ProbeView Help
The ProbeView application has complete help documentation. You can also
view it here.
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