Tracing routes from a website, is fine for some troubleshooting applications, however if you want to test your own connection, and not performance from random users, the only way to go is with local traceroute software.
I used the traceroute application installed with OSX, via the terminal to check the number of hops. Interestingly, im using a 3 mobile wireless dongle for my connection. Perhaps because it utlilises the mobile phone network, many of the first hops were hidden, or blocked my ping attempt.
However, it must be connected to the backbone at some point, and it appears from the trace that that point isnt very far from the curtin server!
traceroute: Warning: curtin.edu.au has multiple addresses; using 134.7.179.53
traceroute to curtin.edu.au (134.7.179.53), 64 hops max, 40 byte packets
1 * * *
2 * * *
3 * * *
4 10.188.84.42 (10.188.84.42) 339.976 ms 378.725 ms 360.787 ms
5 134.7.179.53 (134.7.179.53) 300.064 ms 339.318 ms 309.119 ms
a whois search on 134.7.179.53 returns curtin university details.
a whois search on 10.188.84.42 returns:
OrgName: Internet Assigned Numbers Authority
OrgID: IANA
Address: 4676 Admiralty Way, Suite 330
City: Marina del Rey
StateProv: CA
PostalCode: 90292-6695
Country: US
NetRange: 10.0.0.0 - 10.255.255.255
CIDR: 10.0.0.0/8
NetName: RESERVED-10
NetHandle: NET-10-0-0-0-1
Parent:
NetType: IANA Special Use
NameServer: BLACKHOLE-1.IANA.ORG
NameServer: BLACKHOLE-2.IANA.ORG
Comment: This block is reserved for special purposes.
Comment: Please see RFC 1918 for additional information:
Comment: http://www.arin.net/reference/rfc/rfc1918.txt
RegDate:
Updated: 2007-11-27
the "blackhole" servers are setup to respond to whois requests from, in this case, internal networks.
So, in this case, the route to the curtin servers goes from the wireless dongle through some secret parts of the internet, through an internal network (either at the isp, or at curtin) straight to the curtin site.
Much faster, and in this case, probably a result of the early associations of the internet with universities.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
traceroute: Digital Breadcrumbs.
Internet Tools: Task 1
route provided by http://centralops.net/co/
Tracing route to curtin.edu.au [134.7.179.53]...
| hop | rtt | rtt | rtt | ip address | domain name |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 70.84.211.97 | 61.d3.5446.static.theplanet.com |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 70.87.254.5 | 5.fe.5746.static.theplanet.com |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 70.85.127.109 | po52.dsr02.dllstx3.theplanet.com |
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 70.87.253.21 | et3-1.ibr03.dllstx3.theplanet.com |
| 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 157.238.225.5 | xe-4-4.r03.dllstx09.us.bb.gin.ntt.net |
| 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 129.250.2.173 | ae-2.r21.dllstx09.us.bb.gin.ntt.net |
| 7 | 44 | 44 | 61 | 129.250.4.25 | as-3.r21.snjsca04.us.bb.gin.ntt.net |
| 8 | 46 | 46 | 46 | 129.250.4.118 | ae-0.r20.plalca01.us.bb.gin.ntt.net |
| 9 | 46 | 83 | 46 | 129.250.3.79 | p16-0-0-0.r05.plalca01.us.bb.gin.ntt.net |
| 10 | 46 | 47 | 46 | 129.250.10.226 | p4-0.aarnet.plalca01.us.bb.gin.ntt.net |
| 11 | 204 | 204 | 204 | 202.158.194.173 | so-3-3-1.bb1.a.syd.aarnet.net.au |
| 12 | 201 | 201 | 201 | 202.158.194.198 | ge-0-0-0.bb1.b.syd.aarnet.net.au |
| 13 | 216 | 217 | 216 | 202.158.194.33 | so-2-0-0.bb1.a.mel.aarnet.net.au |
| 14 | 225 | 225 | 225 | 202.158.194.17 | so-2-0-0.bb1.a.adl.aarnet.net.au |
| 15 | 253 | 253 | 253 | 202.158.194.5 | so-0-1-0.bb1.a.per.aarnet.net.au |
| 16 | 253 | 253 | 253 | 202.158.198.178 | gigabitethernet0.er1.curtin.cpe.aarnet.net.au |
| 17 | 253 | 253 | 253 | 202.158.198.186 | gw1.er1.curtin.cpe.aarnet.net.au |
| 18 | * | * | * |
| 19 | * | * | * |
| 20 | * | * | * |
| 21 | 254 | 254 | 255 | 134.7.179.53 |
Trace complete
-- end --How many ‘hops’ are there?
20- although the first few appear to be internal. Likely to be a virtually hosted server.
what is the average time in milliseconds from the tools site to the curtin server?
Im having trouble with this one. If traceroute determines the time between routers, and the final time is not massively larger (ie, a sum off) all the other times, then how can you determine the
average time in milliseconds from the tools site to the curtin server?
Obviously, you could just add up all the hops, however this seems counter intuitive, and the references given for this task imply that the number is indicated in the output of the traceroute. In fact, this link seems to indicate that one of the primary functions for using traceroute as a diagnostic tool, is not to find the overall ping time, but to identify where problems (ie, slow packet transfer) is occuring.
Further research has revealed the answer here. the ping time, is not measured between hops it is measured from the originating server, to a particular router. So, in this case, the average (assuming that the server sends a series of packets and returns an average result) time to return a result is:
| 21 | 254 | 254 | 255 | 134.7.179.53 |
or, 255ms both ways, or 125ish ms 1 way.
FTP: Internet U-Haul.
One of the earliest, and still one of the most usefull (if youtube doesnt count) tools on the internet is FTP. Developed in the early seventies, the protocol hasnt changed much, and is still functional and usefull today.
Whilst, initially, it was used as a front end interface, for distribution of information and files, and was one of the earliest forms of internet piracy, it has now evolved into a back end tool for large file transfer, and as part of a suite of tools for network and website administration.
Whilst this particular task was made tricky by moving the readme file to a second directory, As only anonymous login and a small file download was required I managed to make do with the ftp client built into firefox.
according to the readme file, capitalisation matters.
Whilst, initially, it was used as a front end interface, for distribution of information and files, and was one of the earliest forms of internet piracy, it has now evolved into a back end tool for large file transfer, and as part of a suite of tools for network and website administration.
Whilst this particular task was made tricky by moving the readme file to a second directory, As only anonymous login and a small file download was required I managed to make do with the ftp client built into firefox.
* ATTENTION MAC, OS/2, MS-DOS and MS-WINDOWS users:
This server runs on a unix platform, so CAPITALIZATION MATTERS!
A file named "file.txt" IS NOT THE SAME as "FILE.TXT"
according to the readme file, capitalisation matters.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
High Definition Ascii Art. sorta'
Art has always found new and exciting ways to rethink existing technologies. Whether it be reinventing recycled materials, or that tradition evolving into a commerical enterprise,
the concept of using the context of a work, both in a sense of setting or materials, to define the impact of the work is not new. Digital arts, whilst still in there infancy, are no different.
An extension of that can be found at the telnet site towel.blinkenlights.nl. Telnet, a functional, text based context, clearly associated with power users who fall into the nerd category has been matched with another geek phenomenon, Star Wars.
The site reproduces a Star Wars movie, using animated ascii art, and delivered via a telnet connection. Whilst this is cute, the main appeal for me was the concept that somebody would spend the time and energy to create it, not so much the value of the final product.
the concept of using the context of a work, both in a sense of setting or materials, to define the impact of the work is not new. Digital arts, whilst still in there infancy, are no different.
An extension of that can be found at the telnet site towel.blinkenlights.nl. Telnet, a functional, text based context, clearly associated with power users who fall into the nerd category has been matched with another geek phenomenon, Star Wars.
The site reproduces a Star Wars movie, using animated ascii art, and delivered via a telnet connection. Whilst this is cute, the main appeal for me was the concept that somebody would spend the time and energy to create it, not so much the value of the final product.
Telnet: Connecting to the good ole days'
Whilst telnet was not a new experience for me, it has been a long time since ive looked into command line services on the internet. Installing telnet was not a problem, as I used the telnet client built into osX.
I find the telnet experience seems more "real" somehow. When I connect with a telnet server, and I can "see" the login process evolve on the screen, I feel as if i have made a "real" connection with a computer "somewhere" else.
When I visualise what is happening on the screen, I imagine that theoretically, if i followed the cable into the wall, eventually the cable would come out on the other side of the world at the server. Oddly, being connected via a wireless connection does not seem to effect this sense.
Modern interfaces, such as the ubiquitous web browser platform, do not create the same sense of connection for me. Perhaps it is the hidden nature of the http process, however, whilst I might be interacting with a server on a greater number of levels, and exercising a larger amount of control over a server, I feel like a window shopper, where as telnet makes me feel like a customer.
I find the telnet experience seems more "real" somehow. When I connect with a telnet server, and I can "see" the login process evolve on the screen, I feel as if i have made a "real" connection with a computer "somewhere" else.
When I visualise what is happening on the screen, I imagine that theoretically, if i followed the cable into the wall, eventually the cable would come out on the other side of the world at the server. Oddly, being connected via a wireless connection does not seem to effect this sense.
Modern interfaces, such as the ubiquitous web browser platform, do not create the same sense of connection for me. Perhaps it is the hidden nature of the http process, however, whilst I might be interacting with a server on a greater number of levels, and exercising a larger amount of control over a server, I feel like a window shopper, where as telnet makes me feel like a customer.
5 Tips for a newbie blogger
- Dont Sweat The Details.
Starting a blog is a complicated process. You need to consider things like editability, usability, interface issues, search engine optimisation, customisation ability/cost/ease, database efficiencies, and the psychological impact of the colours you use. All of these things are really really important to set up a professional, findable blog, with enough traffic to generate profit, or social impact. And almost all of them dont mean a thing to somebody just getting started.
All of the major providers of free blogs are easy to use, prompt you along the way, and help you get started with a minimum of fuss. If your goals are modest, then all of the popular solutions with more than satisfy them, and allow you the space to grow into something bigger and better in the future if you so decide. So dont worry, its really really hard to make a mistake.
some ways to not make mistakes:
blogspot
wordpress
2. Understand what you are trying to achieve.
Making a decision about anything is about trying to create a particular outcome. But you cant create an outcome, if you don't know what you want it to be! The goal of this particular blog for example, is to provide a vehicle to present assigned work and reflections of an online learning unit. In this case, I have not created the blog on my existing host, as a domain name is unimportant, I haven't created any custom graphics, as the artwork isn't important in generating page views. If my goals for the blog were different, I would certainly have made different choices to achieve them.
blogging about blogging, and setting goals.
3. Have some fun!
M0st blogs are filled with half thought out, self serving, drivel. Why? because its fun! it can serve as a release, an act of emotional or artistic expression, and if nobody cares what you have to say, they probably wont read it anyway! In the concept of net 11, the focus and cause of this blog, there is a somewhat limited scope for drivel, however, that doesn't mean that my other blogs aren't...
4. Add Bling to your Blog: experiment with layout and widgets.
Once you have the basic mechanics of posting and setup sorted, the layout/design settings of most blogging software is a fun place to spend a couple of hours (or months). Blogging software has options for all sorts of different layout methods, options (such as adding advertising, or rotations of your media from other sites such as youtube or flickr). Once you feel that the options provided to you by free solutions are limiting what you can achieve design wise, its time to move to your own hosting/domain.
a guide to common widgets
5. Understand the power of RSS
The best way to understand how blogs work is to read blogs. RSS readers are built into most mainstream browsers, and allow you to "subscribe" to a blog, or other web content. If you find a blog that you enjoy, hit the subscribe button, and you will be updated with all the headlines from the blogs you have subscribed to. Encourage your blog readers to do the same, and your blog will start feeding, and being consumed by others. Exploring blogroll options is a great way to generate back links to your site.
a great intro to RSS
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