Application Name	Pingmon
Version	3.9
Short Description	Ping an address and send email or save log when state changes
Supported OSes	Any modern Windows
Web Page	None, just lives here
Download Link	Zip file should be attached here
System Requirements	This utility requires the following files IN WINDIR (%windir%): date.exe   - see http://unxutils.sourceforge.net/ blat.exe   - see http://www.blat.net (must be configured too:        blat -install mailserver.name.or.ip from@address 35)
Version History	Hasn't been updated in 5 years, don't expect to in the next 5.

Description
I had a need to monitor a specific server that was having sporadic connection issues, and came up with this to watch what was happening. This version can email one or more users on state change, and save a log in text or CSV format. As stated, it uses blat.exe to provide email function, and date.exe from (unxutils) to provide time tracking. You will need to configure blat for your email server, but note it does not support encryption or Oauth2 so you might need to configure a mail relay - we use hMailserver for this purpose (simple but it's beyond the scope of this article).

Features
Monitors an IP address to find if it starts or stops responding to a ping. When the state changes, the bat file will send an email, save to a text log file, and/or save to a csv log file so you can keep track in realtime or afterward.

Planned Features
No enhancements expected, it does what I occasionally need.

Screenshots
It's a batch file doing pings, boring to look at.  ;D

Usage
Installation
Copy the three zipped files into %windir% (generally c:\windows).
Configure blat.exe (sample config command is "blat -install mailserver.name.or.ip from@address 35" from an elevated prompt).
The two required exes are included in this zip for convenience but are available on the interwebz:
date.exe   - see http://unxutils.sourceforge.net/
blat.exe   - see http://www.blat.net


Using the Application
Just type "pingmon" in a command prompt, the usage prompt tells you how to use it...

pingmon: ping an address every x seconds, log/email on state change (3.9)
usage:   pingmon computer frequency emailaddress logfile csvfile [mailserver]
usage:     computer     = computer name or IP address
usage:     frequency    = seconds between ping attempts
usage:     emailaddress = valid email address, or period for no email
usage:     logfile      = complete log file name, or period for no log file
usage:     csvfile      = complete csv file name, or period for no csv log
usage:     mailserver   = optional mail server to override blat setting
usage:   note, use valid email address and file names, no checking is done


Uninstallation
Just delete the three files to "uninstall".

Tips
Really, just try it and see. Since it's a dumb batch file, make your life easier and do not use any spaces in filenames. Filenames should use the complete path and name unless you want the log files in your current directory. Use a valid email address as a recipient, and following blat syntax you can have multiple recipient addresses separated by commas (no spaces). Note that since it is just a batch file, you'll of course need to leave the window running (minimized is fine). And it does no error checking, so use reasonable and valid values.

Known Issues
The whole script is based on looking for the "bytes=" response for a successful ping, so if a non-English installation uses a different word then it won't work right (but you should be able to edit the batch file for that easily).

Anyone have any random thoughts on cryptocurrencies, specifically which variants will tend to be long-lived, and which will actually give you a chance to realistically mine a little? Bitcoin is of course the old master but a "real person" (without hard core hardware) will never mine one unless you're in a pool and get a fraction of credit. Is Litecoin defunct? Looked to be $50-ish per when I last checked, but I don't know how the cost/benefit works for it. Ethereum seems to be the current sweetheart, but we've seen those come and go. While you can't guarantee the worth over time, you'd like to choose a coin that would be difficult to hijack.

I had mined about a bit-dime's worth of bitcoin but stopped for a year or two when I changed hardware. When I picked it back up there were like two levels of update for the bitchain client software, and while my wallet showed that it was not corrupted, and showed the amount properly, the password that I had noted (and literally a hundred variations on it) weren't accepted for a transfer. I found that to be less than optimal.

Anyway I have some hardware sitting around, including a middlin' GPU that I used for some john and hashcat for work, but that's finished. Seems I ought to do something with it but since I'd start fresh, I thought I'd ask folks more knowledgeable than me. Some of the coin algorithms don't benefit from a GPU I understand.


PS- Anyone suggestions on cracking that bitcoin wallet? Try hashcat (passphrase was 22 characters)? Is there a way to use out of date software to pull the data from it in a form I can use? Whenever I tried to install old versions it insisted in updating due to blockchain changes.

Humble book bundle has a pretty good list of insanely cheap DRM free digital books. Granted the Windows ones are 2012 R2 and not 2016, but you can't beat the price. Good for reference, review, and entertainment.

https://www.humblebundle.com/books/network-security-certification-books