Network Query Tool

Network Query Tool is a one-stop solution for obtaining information about a domain name or an IP address. Instead of manually using a variety of shell commands, or visiting numerous websites to investigate a host, just load Network Query Tool in your browser and enter the hostname or IP. NQT does the rest, as is evidenced by this sample output∞.

The current revision of Network Query Tool is 1.9, released on March 9, 2007. This version supercedes all prior releases and it is recommended that users of older versions upgrade immediately, if system requirements are met. You can view the changelog for detailed release information.

Download

Network Query Tool is free software! It is available for download in a variety of formats:

• ZIP∞ - nqt-1.9.zip, 17070 bytes
• TGZ∞ - nqt-1.9.tar.gz, 16067 bytes
• 7z∞ - nqt-1.9.7z, 15186 bytes
• Browse Source∞ with syntax highlighting

Features

The default controller included with Network Query Tool will perform the following functions on your target:

• Reverse lookup - resolves an IP address to a hostname (if one exists) or vice versa
• DNS query - aka Dig, requires a dig binary on your system
• Whois (WWW) - gets domain registration information. Now supporting just about every known TLD, gTLD, and ccTLD.
• Whois (IP) - gets IP owner information. Supports all IP blocks maintained by ARIN (US), RIPE (Europe), JPNIC (Japan), APNIC (China/Asia-Pacific), BRNIC (Brazil), LACNIC (Latin America), AFRINIC (Africa), and KRNIC (Korea).
• Check port - Determine whether or not a port on the target host is open. Defaults to port 80.
• Ping - performs a 5-packet ping to the target, requires a ping binary.
• Traceroute - performs a traceroute to the target, requires a traceroute binary.

You can also select tasks individually if you don't need (or don't want to wait for) all of the information. The traceroute command, in particular, can take awhile to finish. And of course you're free to modify the default controller, supply your own, or integrate Network Query Tool into your own applications as you choose.

See the sample output∞ page to get a good look at Network Query Tool's default controller and sample results.

Requirements

• PHP 5.x (the latest stable release∞ of PHP is always suggested). As of version 1.8, Network Query Tool relies upon object-oriented features introduced in PHP 5, and will no longer work under PHP 3 or 4.
• Standard ping, traceroute, and dig binaries are suggested for full functionality. The first two typically exist even on Windows servers, so a Unix environment is not at all required.

Usage

To use Network Query Tool out of the box, simply extract the archive and upload the files (NetworkQueryTool.php and controller.php) to your webserver. Load controller.php in your browser and NQT is ready to go!

Network Query Tool is provided as a PHP 5 class. In order to use NQT in your own software applications, you must include() the class file into your script, instantiate a new NetworkQueryTool object, and then call whichever methods you prefer. If this terminology doesn't make sense to you, and all you want is to upgrade your previously-working NQT, worry not! A default controller, which mimics the behavior of previous versions of Network Query Tool, is provided for your convenience.

• For users, we've created a Sample Usage guide, which contains code samples demonstrating some of NQT's common features.
• For developers, there exists a mostly-complete API Reference (coming-soon!) for Network Query Tool.

Windows vs Unix

The ping, traceroute, and dig functions are performed using existing binaries (EXEs) on your server. Nearly every Unix-ish operating system will have these binaries installed, and most Windows systems will have both a ping and tracert command. You'll need to set the appropriate paths to these binaries in the script. The WWW whois, IP whois, and check port functions are performed directly through sockets and are OS-independent.

Changelog

For a complete revision history, please see the NqtChangelog document.

License

Network Query Tool is distributed under the GNU General Public License∞. That means it's absolutely free to download, use, tweak to your heart's content, and (with restrictions) redistribute.

I give Network Query Tool away for free because I feel it's a benefit for everyone. In return, *please* respect my copyright. I've caught people selling software that contains NQT, and I've had to do things that make me feel dirty (like siccing the DMCA on webhosts). I'm playing nice by creating free software, all I ask is that you play nice in return. Thank you!

Contact

To report bugs, request features, or say thank-you, please send email to nqt {at} drunkwerks {dot} com. A response is not guaranteed but (nearly) all messages will be read.

Background

Network Query Tool was first released to the public on March 11, 2001. Since then, it has seen over 40,000 downloads. It was adapted into a popular phpNuke module, has been demonstrated during an official ICANN presentation, and is in active use by thousands each day.

NQT's author has been featured in both Wired∞ and 2600∞ magazines, and is a PHP/Java developer for the #3-ranked privately owned company in the United States. He prefers vodka sour on the rocks, but is willing to settle for Beck's Dark, Newcastle, or Blue Moon.