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Tools to provide device info from IP address?
- Thread starter surly
- Start date
short answer: No - not without running extra software on the client.
if the target device is on the same LAN, you can discover the MAC address, which will normally give you an indication of the manufacturer of the network card / device.
You would need to maintain a lookup list of MAC codes to manufacturers. (info available on the web: google "MAC manufacturer lookup"
<marc> i wonder what will happen if i press this...![[pc]](/data/assets/smilies/pc.gif "[pc] [pc]")
[ul][li]please give feedback on what works / what doesn't[/li][li]need some help? how to get a better answer: faq581-3339[/li][/ul]
if the target device is on the same LAN, you can discover the MAC address, which will normally give you an indication of the manufacturer of the network card / device.
You would need to maintain a lookup list of MAC codes to manufacturers. (info available on the web: google "MAC manufacturer lookup"
<marc> i wonder what will happen if i press this...
[ul][li]please give feedback on what works / what doesn't[/li][li]need some help? how to get a better answer: faq581-3339[/li][/ul]There are tools out there that attempt to do what you are asking, but none of them is 100% accurate, or gives the level of detail that it sounds as if you would like.
Take a look at NMAP. It will attempt to identify the OS that is running on a given IP address, and will identify many of the embedded applications that run on network printers, routers and switches.
But it can't tell you about a Win2k laptop vs. a Win2k desktop. And it will make mistakes in identifying some machines. I've seen a Linux box running Samba come up as Windows, and I've seen a Windows box with NetBIOS filtered that came up as Linux.
You can run arping to get the MAC addresses and then compare against:
if you have a flat network. Or you can do it from each segment separately. That may allow you to make some more assumptions. Like a Sun MAC address is probably running Solaris. But an Intel MAC doesn't tell you anything.
pansophic
Take a look at NMAP. It will attempt to identify the OS that is running on a given IP address, and will identify many of the embedded applications that run on network printers, routers and switches.
But it can't tell you about a Win2k laptop vs. a Win2k desktop. And it will make mistakes in identifying some machines. I've seen a Linux box running Samba come up as Windows, and I've seen a Windows box with NetBIOS filtered that came up as Linux.
You can run arping to get the MAC addresses and then compare against:
if you have a flat network. Or you can do it from each segment separately. That may allow you to make some more assumptions. Like a Sun MAC address is probably running Solaris. But an Intel MAC doesn't tell you anything.
pansophic
I use Languard Network Scanner at work, it's fairly decent but what it tells you depends on the configuration of the machine/ device.
Ideally you would have your Network devices named in a such a way that the Desktops/ Printers/ Servers were distinguishable.
Ideally you would have your Network devices named in a such a way that the Desktops/ Printers/ Servers were distinguishable.
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