Direktronik Pinger Plus+ User Manual

PROFESSIONAL NETWORK TESTING & PROTOCOL ANALYSIS

TM

PINGER PLUS

+

NETWORK IP TESTER

12-1121

Direktronik AB

K

onsul Johnsons väg 15

149 45 Nynäshamn
www.direktronik.se

USER’S GUIDE

, HANDBUCH, MANUEL D’UTILISATEUR

2

English

3

English

BOX CONTENTS

• Pinger Plus Network IP Tester • AC Adapter • Carrying case

• Four AA Alkaline Batteries •User Guide

BATTERY

The Pinger Plus operates on four AA alkaline batter­ies. Remove the battery cover at the back of the unit and
insert the batteries with the orientation as shown. Battery
polarity is marked inside the battery well for reference.

TECHNICAL OVERVIEW

The Pinger Plus Network IP Tester uses the “PING” function to send a data
packet to another IP address on a network or respond to a PING sent to its
own IP address. The PING test is used to verify connectivity, measure round
trip communications time, check data integrity, determine a MAC address and
search a stored list or a range of IP addresses. The Pinger Plus provides a
DHCP Client mode and a Port Identification function with selectable blink rates
to locate which port on a hub or switch that a wall outlet is connected.

NETWORK COMPATIBILITY

The Pinger Plus is designed for testing an Ethernet network that uses the
IP protocol. The unit can communicate directly with a hub, switch, router, NIC
or other network device that uses 10baseT or 100baseT. The Pinger Plus will
identify when it is connected to a 1000baseT device but it cannot transmit/receive
a PING at 1000baseT.

MECHANICAL FEATURES

WEB BROWSER INTERFACE

The Pinger Plus can be configured by connecting it to the network and using
either Internet Explorer (6.0 or later) or Netscape (6.0 or later). To access the
Pinger Plus setup page, enter the Pinger IP address (shown in the Pinger IP
Address setup screen) in the browser URL window. All setup features can be
configured from the browser. The User Guide can also be displayed.

OPERATION

To test a hub, switch, router or NIC connect a patch cable from the RJ-45 port
on the equipment to the RJ-45 jack on the Pinger Plus.

LINK SCREEN

Turn on the Pinger Plus by pressing the “PWR” button. The unit scans the

RJ-45 connection searching for Link signals.
If no Link signals are found, a “No Link” mes­sage is displayed and a REPEAT function is

provided to rerun the search for a Link Partner.
When proper Link signals are found, the Pinger Plus displays the connection as
a LAN, NIC or an Auto MDI-X port; the capabilites of the Link Partner; the speed
and duplex the Pinger is using for the connection. When the Link is established,

the PING, DHCP and PortID function keys are

displayed. Disconnecting the Pinger will cause

the unit to immediately restart the search for

Link signals.
Note: If a Link Partner is transmitting NLP or MLT-3 Link signals instead of a Link
Code Word, the duplex mode is unknown (shown as “UN” in the LINK screen)
and the Pinger Plus will always connect at half duplex. PING tests can still be run
even if there is a duplex mode mismatch.

PING SCREEN

Pressing the PING function key in the Link
Screen presents the PING Screen. The Up/
Down cursor key is used to select:

1) enter and PING a new IP address
(1 to 99 times or continuously as shown next to “Name”)

2) PING one of eight preprogrammed IP addresses (see IP List Setup)

3) PING all of the one to eight preprogrammed IP LIST addresses

4) PING a Range of IP addresses or

5) PING one of eight Profiles(see Profile Setup).

4

English

5

English

When an IP Address, IP List or IP Range is
selected, pressing the PING function key trans­mits the PING packet and “Wait” is displayed
until a response is received. A summary of the

PING responses is displayed showing the number of PINGs transmitted and the
number of Good and Bad responses. Pressing the Up/Down cursor key shows,
in numerical order, the results of each PING including the Round Trip Time and if
the received data is identical to the transmitted data (Data:Good) or the data has
been corrupted (Data:Bad).

Pressing the INFO function key displays the MAC address of the PINGed

IP address. If no PING response is received
within specified Timeout time (see Timeout
Setup), “No Response” is displayed. When the
PINGed IP address is in a different subnet than

the Pinger IP address, the unit first attempts to locate the default gateway. If the
gateway does not respond, the Pinger displays a “NOGW” message indicating
either the gateway is not operating properly or an incorrect gateway IP address
was entered. When a PING response is received from another subnet, the MAC
address of the Gateway is shown (GW MAC) by pressing the INFO function key.
Note: When the IP address of the device being PINGed is in the same subnet/
VLAN as the IP address of the Pinger, the Subnet Mask can be “ON” or “OFF” and
a Gateway IP address is not required. When the IP address is in a different subnet/
VLAN, the Subnet Mask must be “ON” with the mask entered and the IP address of
the Gateway must be entered. (See Subnet Mask Setup and Gateway Setup).

CONTINUOUS PING

When the Pinger is configured to PING continuously (See Ping Count Setup)

the letter “C” is displayed to the left of “Name” in the PING Screen. Pressing the

PING function key displays the number of
PINGs that have been sent and the percent
of the PINGs with No Response or that had
corrupted data. Pressing the Info function key

displays the PING Address and the running average of the Round Trip Times for
all PINGs that received a response. Pressing the Info function key again displays
the PING Address and the count of PINGs that had no response.

LIST SCREEN

When “IP List” is selected and the PING function key is pressed, each IP

address stored in the IP List (see IP List
Setup) is PINGed in turn. The same “Wait” and
“No Response” messages are displayed as
described above. After completing the PING of

the last stored IP address, the IP List Reponse screen is shown.

LIST RESPONSE SCREEN

The List Response screen shows the results of the PING to each of the stored

IP addresses. The Up/Down cursor key is used
to scroll through each IP address with Round
Trip Time, Data status and MAC address

presented for IP addresses that are found or
“No Response” for IP addresses that did not respond within the Timeout period.
Times less than one second are shown in milli-seconds (ms).

RANGE SCREEN

When “Range” is selected, the Range screen is displayed with start and stop

IP addresses. The first three octets of the start and stop address must be the

same and the fourth octet defines the range

from one to a maximum of 255 IP addresses.

Pressing the PING function key PINGs all the

addresses in the range simultaneously. Each
PING response can be viewed by pressing the Up/Down cursor key. Holding the
key will cause the responses to scroll faster.

PING RESPONDER MODE

The Pinger Plus will respond to a PING
request that is sent to the unit’s IP address.
When the unit is in the LINK Screen, a PING to
the Pinger Plus IP address presents the PING

Received screen. The Ping Received screen shows the IP and MAC addresses
of the PING source.

DHCP SCREEN

Pressing the DHCP function key in the Link Screen presents the DHCP Screen

and begins the DHCP client-server test.
Note: The MAC Address of the Pinger Plus
may have to be added to the Access List of the
DHCP Server for the Pinger messages to be

accepted - see your System Administrator for requirements.

The Pinger Plus transmits a “Discover” message to locate a DHCP server. If
no DHCP Server responds to the message within the DHCP Timeout period (see
Timeout Setup), the Pinger will retransmit the “Discover” message up to three
more times. If no DHCP Server responds after the fourth attempt, “No Response”
is displayed. Pressing the Repeat function key restarts the DHCP discover

process. When a DHCP Server responds
to the message, the Pinger displays “Server
Found” the IP Address of the Server and the IP
Address assigned to the Pinger.

6

English

7

English

Pressing the INFO key displays the Gateway IP Address and the Subnet Mask
used with the IP Address assigned by the DHCP Server. Note: If the DHCP Server
does not provide the Gateway IP Address, a 0.0.0.0 IP Address is displayed.

Pressing the PING key while in the DHCP Client mode presents the PING

Pressing the PING key from the IP Ping Screen transmits a PING that uses
the IP Address, Gateway Address and Subnet Mask provided by the DHCP
Server instead of the IP Address, Gateway Address and Subnet Mask that
were previously entered and stored in the Pinger. The Gateway IP Address is
automatically entered as the address to be PINGed (or the DHCP Server address
when Gateway information is not available). Alternatively, a new IP Address can
be entered or the Up/Down cursor key can be used to select a previously stored
address. Pressing the EXIT key returns the Pinger back to the LINK Screen and
clears the DHCP Server assigned addresses and mask. Pressing the Setup key
also clears the DHCP Server assigned information and transmits a DHCP release
packet to the DHCP server so that the IP address is available for reassignment.

PORT ID SCREEN

Pressing the PortID function key in the Link Screen presents the Port ID Screen.
As soon as this screen appears, the Pinger begins transmitting a pattern of Link sig-

tests. Hubs and switches from various manufacturers have different specifications
for the time it takes for Link signals to turn the Link LED on and off. The Pinger Plus
has four different blink rates and a continuous mode that can be selected by press­ing the Up/Down cursor key. An initial test directly at the hub or switch will determine
the best blink rate setting before conducting a Port ID test at a wall outlet.

SETUP

1) Pinger IP Address Setup

2) Pinger Subnet Mask Setup

3) Pinger Gateway Setup

4) Pinger IP List Setup

5) Pinger MAC Screen

6) Profile Setup

screen with a “DHCP” message displayed and
the IP Address of the Gateway. If Gateway
information is not available, the DHCP Server
IP Address is shown.

nals that will cause the hub,switch or NIC Link
LED to blink or stay on continuously. Identifying
the specific port a wall outlet/PC is connected to
can aid in diagnosing the cause of failed PING

Pressing the SETUP key in any screen
presents the Setup Screen.The Up/Down
cursor key is used to display:

7) Default Profile

8) Ping Count

9) Packet Size

10) Time Out

11) Link Search

12) Power Down Time Setup

13) Password Setup or

14) Pinger Update .
Press the SELECT function key to enter the displayed setup screen.
The Pinger MAC is shown for information only and can not be changed.

IP LIST SETUP SCREEN

The IP List Setup screen is used to enter from one to eight names and IP
addresses. The Pinger can then PING the entries individually or PING all entries
sequentially.

DATA ENTRY – Use the Up/Down cursor key to select one of the eight
storage locations and press the right arrow key to display the cursor and begin
entering a new name or editing an existing one. Use the data entry keypad to
input the number or letter (each time the key is pressed the next letter or number
on the key is displayed). Pressing the right cursor key advances to the next
character. Pressing the left cursor key selects the previous character. Names can
be a maximum of ten characters long. Pressing the right cursor key an eleventh
time advances the cursor to the IP Address which is divided into four fields of
three characters. Only numbers can be input in the fields and the maximum
valid number for any field is 255. Single digits can be entered in any of the three
character locations and will be right hand justified when the cursor is moved to the
next field. Two digit numbers can be entered in the left two or right two character
locations. If an invalid number is entered, the cursor will not advance to the next
field. After entering or editing the name and IP address, press the SAVE function
key to store the information in non-volatile memory. The information is retained
even if the unit is turned off or the batteries are removed. To remove an entry
from the list, press the right cursor key to select the entry and then press the star
key. A “Delete Entry” message is displayed and pressing the SAVE function key
clears the selected name and IP Address.

PINGER IP SETUP SCREEN

The IP address for the Pinger Plus is input
from this screen. The unit comes programmed
with a default address of 192.168.1.42.

8

English

9

English

SUBNET MASK SETUP SCREEN

To Ping an IP address in a subnet different than the subnet of the Pinger Plus,
requires that the Subnet Mask be entered and “ON” and the appropriate Gateway
IP address has been entered. Mask “ON” and OFF” is selected with the Up/Down
Cursor key. A zero in the first field is an invalid mask entry and the Pinger defaults
to 255 when the mask is saved. NOTE: Subnet Mask and Default Gateway IP
address may be found by going to a computer on the subnet where the Pinger
Plus will be used, open the Windows Control Panel, open the network icon, open
the LAN icon, select TCP/IP Protocol and then select properties.

GATEWAY SETUP SCREEN

The IP address for the default Gateway (typically a router or a server) is input
from this screen.

PINGER MAC SCREEN

The Pinger Plus MAC address is displayed in this screen. The MAC for each
Pinger is unique and can not be changed. See Note in DHCP.

PROFILE SETUP SCREEN

A profile consists of a Profile name, Pinger Plus IP address, Subnet Mask on
or off, Subnet Mask, Gateway Address and a list of one to eight destination IP
addresses. One of the eight Profiles is selected using the Up/Down cursor, the
Profile name and Pinger Plus IP address is entered and the Next function key is
pressed. The Subnet Mask is entered and turned on or off and the Next fuction key
is pressed. The Gateway address is entered and the Next function key is pressed.
From one to eight destination IP addresses are entered and then the Save function
key is pressed.

DEFAULT PROFILE SCREEN

A default profile can be designated to be used initially when the Pinger Plus is
powered on.

POWER DOWN SETUP SCREEN

The Pinger Plus will automatically turn off after the time selected in the Power
Down Setup screen. Settings available are five minutes, fifteen minutes, thirty
minutes and on (must be turned off manually). Press the SAVE function key to store
the selected setting.

PASSWORD SCREEN

A password is required to configure the Pinger Plus from a web browser or
update the firmware. The password protects against a third party making unauthor­ized changes to the unit when it is connected to a network. The default password is

12345678. It is recommended that the default password be changed prior to initial
operation.

PING COUNT SETUP SCREEN

The Pinger Plus can be set to PING an IP address from 1 to 99 times or continu­ously. Pressing the Up/Down cursor key scrolls the number of times to PING from 1
to 99. The Continuous PING setting is shown by scrolling down from “1” or up from
“99”. Multiple PINGs are not available for Lists, Profiles or Ranges.

PING PACKET SIZE AND TIMEOUT SETUP SCREENS

The PING packet size has six settings from 50 to 1400 bytes. The time
the Pinger Plus waits for a PING or DHCP response before displaying a No
Response notice can be set from 1 to 40 seconds in one second increments.

LINK SEARCH SCREEN

The Link Search setup screen is used to set the length of time that the Pinger
Plus will monitor a wire pair for Link signals. Normal (about 2.5 seconds) is the
default setting or use the Up/Down cursor key to select the Long setting (about 5
seconds). Some switches, especially if configured for VoIP, require a longer time
to complete Link negotiations and the Long setting will provide more consistent
Link detection.

UPDATE PINGER SCREEN

The Pinger Plus firmware can be updated over the network as new revisions
are released. Notice of a new revision will be provided on the Psiber web site
(www.psiber.com). Download the new firmware file, connect the Pinger Plus to the
network, go to the Update Pinger Setup screen, press the Select function key and
the unit will Link to the network and enable the firmware update mode. Next run the
downloaded file on the computer. The program will ask for the current IP address
of the Pinger Plus (see Pinger IP Address Setup screen) and your password.
When the update is complete the program will notify the user and the Pinger Plus
immediately goes to the Link screen and searches for the Link.

WARNING: Any disruption while programming is in process will result in the unit
being unuseable and will have to be returned to the factory for repair. Install a fresh
set of batteries or connect the AC adapter to the unit before starting an update.

POWER

Duration – The Pinger Plus will typically provide about 5 to 6 hours of operation
from a set of four AA alkaline batteries. An AC adapter is also provided which will
power the unit but does not recharge the batteries.

Auto Power Down – The Pinger will automatically turn off after the time selected

in the Power Down Setup screen or will run continuously until manually turned off
when “ON” is selected for Power Down.

Low Battery – When the batteries are below the level required for the Pinger

Plus to operate properly, a battery graphic appears in the upper right hand corner
of the display.