[comp.protocols.tcp-ip] Looking for utility to monitor RIP packets

matt@eecs.nwu.edu (Matt Larson) (10/30/90)

I am looking for a UNIX utility that will listen for all the RIP
packets on a network and display their contents.  I am essentially
trying to duplicate the output of a cisco router with RIP debugging
turned on.  The output looks something like:

Received RIP update from xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:
  network yyy.yyy.yyy.yyy in n hops
  network zzz.zzz.zzz.zzz in m hops
  ...

This would be really handy on a large network with no ciscos.  I know
that gated has a debugging mode, but it doesn't provide quite the
information that I am looking for.

If anyone knows of a utility to do something like this, I would be
interested to hear about it.  If I can't find one, I'm going to write
it myself.  Of course, if it has already been written, then I'm not
going to bother.

Thanks for any information,

--
Matt Larson, Distributed Systems Analyst
Academic Computing and Network Services, Northwestern University
matt@acns.nwu.edu   (708) 491-5366

jrallen@devildog.att.com (Jon Allen) (10/30/90)

In article <775@casbah.acns.nwu.edu> matt@acns.nwu.edu writes:
>I am looking for a UNIX utility that will listen for all the RIP
>packets on a network and display their contents.  I am essentially
>trying to duplicate the output of a cisco router with RIP debugging
>turned on.  The output looks something like:
>
>Received RIP update from xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:
>  network yyy.yyy.yyy.yyy in n hops
>  network zzz.zzz.zzz.zzz in m hops
>  ...

Actually, most 4.XX based TCP/IP implementations used on various
flavors of UNIX have options to the 'routed' command to print out
just the information you are talking about.  All packets received
by routed (and those sent out) are printed.

I don't have the man page handy, but on System V I have used the -t or
log option to output this information.  This has proved to be a very
useful debugging tool on networks with many routers exchaning info.

-Jon
jrallen@devildog.att.com

mogul@wrl.dec.com (Jeffrey Mogul) (11/06/90)

In article <775@casbah.acns.nwu.edu> matt@acns.nwu.edu writes:
>I am looking for a UNIX utility that will listen for all the RIP
>packets on a network and display their contents.  I am essentially
>trying to duplicate the output of a cisco router with RIP debugging
>turned on.  The output looks something like:
>
>Received RIP update from xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:
>  network yyy.yyy.yyy.yyy in n hops
>  network zzz.zzz.zzz.zzz in m hops
>  ...

The "tcpdump" program (from the folks at LBL) decodes RIP packets,
among others.  A new version of tcpdump is being tested at the moment;
it now includes support for Ultrix systems and 4.3BSD, as well as the
SunOS support it has always had.  No, I don't know when the latest
version will be available, but you probably shouldn't bother to
write your own.

The output format is a little different, but otherwise you should
get all the information you want.  For example:
16:34:07.612 16.1.16.252.520 > 16.1.31.255.520: rip-resp 25:
    16.183.1.0(8) 16.10.0.1(3) 16.10.16.3(9) 16.10.0.4(3) 16.10.16.4(3)
    16.10.16.5(5) 16.10.16.6(4) 16.10.16.8(3) 16.4.16.12(5) 16.10.16.13(4)
    16.10.16.14(8) 16.10.16.16(3) 16.10.16.17(8) 16.10.16.18(8)
    16.10.16.20(3) 16.4.16.22(5) 16.4.16.23(5) 16.10.16.23(4)
    16.10.16.24(5) 16.10.16.25(5) 16.10.16.26(5) 16.36.192.0(7)
    16.68.192.0(7) 16.26.192.0(7) 16.153.192.0(7)

-Jeff