AngryIPScanner: Why do we have to "discard previous scanning results"?

[Herb987]

Hi, When running another scan, a prompt pops up asking "Discard previous scanning results?" Yes / No. If you select NO then nothing happens. If you select YES then it CLEARS all previous results and starts a new scan.

It would be nice if it would just KEEP the previous results and add any new info or devices detected that it gathers on the next scan thus getting more and more complete data for each item rather than erasing and starting over.

It would also be nice to see what WAS at an IP address but might not be there anymore.

I don't know - perhaps it's just me - but I'd like to have the software keep what it already found and add newly discovered devices and also indicate which IP addresses now show as vacant yet HAD something there on a previous scan OR add more info to an IP address that HAD something there from before but now it knows MORE about what is at that IP address.

I just think it is a waste to erase everything and start over. Apologies for the length of this post. Thanks for reading. H

[angryziber]

Sounds like a good idea, but there are nuiances - what if some machine has changed its IP between the scans (via e.g. renewed DHCP lease)? Then we may show it twice at it will be confusing...

[Herb987]

True - that would be a monkey wrench in the system - however, wouldn't the software be able to say "this IP address's info is old info so what is showing for this IP address may be out of date"

I have SOME networking knowledge and experience but I totally defer to others because I know "just enough" networking knowledge and terminology to be able to talk to network pros like yourself and to be able to sound intelligent and carry on a conversation.

If I sound like or ask questions that make me look like I don't know what I'm talking about, I apologize and please forgive....

From what I understand - aren't MAC addresses as unique as a human fingerprint - there are no two mac addresses out there - pretty much?

In the case of a device changing its IP address - would the software, after finishing a scan be able to: check to see if there was an IP address that HAD info but now scans as an empty IP address ** check to see if the MAC address for that empty IP address shows up anywhere else in an IP address that scans as NONempty and thus be able to blank out all the info for the IP address that now scans as an empty IP address

^^ that set of bullet points reads as very confusing whereas it might make more sense when spoken instead of typewritten.

Here's an example: WirelessNetworkWatcher from NirSoft.Net constantly scans your network and keeps a listing of everything it found and when you sort by IP address you see duplicate IP addresses and it shows when that device was last heard on that IP address so you can see if "this" device may or may not be at that ip address based on the "last seen" date. I just took a quick look at what my copy has found for the location where I'm staying and there is a device at 192.168.0.6 that was last seen today and a completely different device at the same IP that was last seen august 2017.

If I sound like -or ask questions that make me look like - I don't know what I'm talking about, I apologize and please forgive....

H

[angryziber]

This all makes sense, if scanning a local network (when Mac addresses can be obtained).

I guess that scanning local networks is a pretty popular use case for Angry IP Scanner, so I might consider something like this.

For non-local networks this won't work as well, but maybe non-local machines jump between different IPs less frequently, so it may actually be not a big problem

[Herb987]

I was a network admin for a few years in the mid 1990's.

I switched to my main expertise - programming - in the very late 1990's yet I had a LOT of interaction with network personnel from that time forward. Upon contacting them about issues, I would explain to the network folks what my networking background was and I let them know that although they were MUCH BETTER skilled in networking and MUCH MORE knowledgeable about networks than I was - that I at least has SOME little bit of common knowledge and understanding - and they all appreciated that I was coming to them to ask questions and seek help with at least some knowledge under my belt yet they also appreciated that I acknowledged that I was VERY MUCH junior to their expertise and they really appreciated working with a programmer who had SOME network knowledge yet still respected their knowledge and authority. They also appreciated that they could talk to me and use network-specific technical jargon and they could talk to me without having to explain every little detail and without having to dumb everything down for me.

In the very recent past I have had to work from home for several months and from remote locations while staying for several months and in an apartment complex and in both cases I have had to see what was slowing things down.

I have had to use several tools to gather data for my self and for the landlord at the apartment complex while on-site for the client.

Software I've been using include: ----- speed testers ----- Jack Dinn's Auto Speed Tester 17.9 (http://www.gmwsoftware.co.uk/) to check my internet speed every 10 minutes - in an automated fashion - very reliable automated tester - this one has compiled a lot of testing data for me Speed Test Loggger for Windows v1.02 (Loggger.com - note the 3 g's) - automated speed test every 10 minutes to compare against the other speed testers DownTester v1.30 (NirSoft.net) - test download speed to compare against the other speed testers - great program - logs all speed tests, can set up multiple files to download from different servers, I can't seem to create a .BAT file that uses the command line as per the instructions and then have the Windows Task Scheduler call the bat file - to automate a test every 10 minutes - it calls it but the test doesn't run and get logged but works great manually by clicking the "run" button. TestMy.Net - (TestMy.Net) - automated up/down speed tests every 10 minutes to compare against the other speed testers - website based - i set it for up and down testing, every 10 minutes, 200 tests and let it do its thing and it keeps the results for my login id

----- devices / users connected ----- AngryIPScanner - to see what's connected to the network LanSpy 2.0.0.155 from LanTricks.com - to see what's connected to the network Wireless Network Watcher v2.10 (NirSoft.net) - to see what's connected to the network Fing - iPhone App - to see what's connected to the network - I have tried other "similar" iPhone apps and, as far as I can see, all the others say "we can't get the mac address because of (reason)" but for some reason Fing CAN get the mac address and I find it kind of important to be able to get that Fing - Windows Desktop program - DOS command line network inventory of connected devices - I believe it is the Windows Desktop program version / companion / sister of the Fing App for iPhone - (https://www.fing.io/download-free-ip-scanner-desktop-linux-windows-osx/) - it is DOS based and when you run it it prompts you for settings and then you can run the "inventory" LanEye (http://www.laneye.com/) - to see what's connected to the network - 30 day trial - pretty decent - SOMEHOW you can tell it - "everything you just detected - approve them for access - and anything new you see after today... deny it access until the human approves it" I have NO IDEA how it can deny an object access to the network until you approve it ... w/o telling it how to login to your network but (as far as i can tell it did block a few new devices that were detected after initial setup of this program) - I also used this software to cross check the other inventory software programs to make sure a device was what I thought it was.

I use Fing and Wireless Network Watcher to cross reference / check each other to verify the other's data / I use each as a "second opinion" for what the other software says and if they both say the same thing then I can be pretty sure about what I'm looking at. ----- WiFi Network finders ----- WifiInfoView v2.20 (NirSoft.net) - to see what wifi networks are in the area and what channel they're on and signal strength InSSIDer - (https://www.techspot.com/downloads/5936-inssider.html) (look for "Download options:") (Click your OS below that phrase) (It will take you to another page where you download will auto start) This program is kind of like WiFiInfoView from NirSoft - it gives you lots of info regarding the wifi networks you can hear from your WiFi NIC (not just info on the one you're connected to but all the networks it can hear) (unlike WiFiInfoView which keeps a history of all WiFi networks it heard - this one has them disappear if it no longer hears the network)