Network Discovery

This homework assignment should be done from a Unix system. You may use Solaris or Linux but I would prefer that you do it from the CoC network but you can do it from anywhere that the results are interesting.

For this assignment, you are to draw a network map of the Georgia Tech network from the point of view of the College of Computing. You will use the tools we discussed in class to find out what is out there.

The primary tools at your disposal are: web browser, ifconfig, netstat, ping, traceroute, dig and telnet. (Others may be okay, ask me first!) You are to play detective and try to discover the network topology of as much of the GT network as you can.

Some of the things you should be able to find out are:

To what LAN (IP addresses) are the public Unix systems connected?
What router(s) connect them to the rest of the college, campus and Internet?
How many systems are connected to the same LAN?
Where (on the network) is the CoC web server?
Where are the other important servers such as mail and DNS? What software, including version numbers, is running on these servers?
Where are the GT main web servers and other servers?
How is GT connected to other Georgia and Southeast Universities? How about the rest of the world?

What You Should Turn In

A network map with devices identified and interfaces labelled with their IP addresses.
A detailed log of your detective work. For each item on your map, please provide an explanation of how you found that item.

What You Should Not Do

The point of this assignment is to find out just how much you can learn from these tools. Think of yourself as a network discovery program that is taking this output and building a map. Do not refer to any other outside resources like maps from CNS or OIT. That's cheating! We can compare what you find to the real thing later but the point is to see what we can do without it.

Also, please run these tools by hand. Do not download a port scanner or other such tool. These tools unleash a storm of messages that set off all sorts of security alarms with CNS and OIT. I do not want to have to come bail you out in the middle of the night!