Checking server status

[Rob Meade]

Hi all,

Ok - minor problem - looking for work-a-rounds...

I want to offer on our organisations intranet a support site for our
webmasters, one of the features I'd like to add is a server status page.

Currently webmasters use MS Frontpage to connect from their local PC to our
development servers, work on their sites, then publish from there to our
live servers.

I have found an ASP component that can PING a server(s) however whilst
normally this would be the ideal solution, are organisations firewall
currently has PING blocked, I have spoken to the person resonsible for the
firewall in the hope that he maybe able to unblock it for specific servers
within our organsations, thus allowing me to check whether the servers are
up or down, but I expect the 'block' is probably a blanket block, ie all or
nothing, so its probably unlikely it'll be changed...

So, there's the problem - has anyone got any ideas how I could check using
ASP whether or not its possible to talk to another server without using
PING?

I appreciate that just because a server is 'up' it doesnt necessarily mean
that everything is ok with it, or that they would be able to publish their
websites, but its primarily for a "its probably ok" kinda thing...

My only thought so far would be to place a file on each server, like a
config file, and then on the support site, the server status page would have
to try and retrieve that file, perhaps using the XML HTTP thingy? To do
this I guess I'd need some kinda time out functionality though so that it
doesnt a) try for ever, b) just return a crappy error message after about 2
minutes when it bombs out...

I personally dont think this is the best solution, but it might work, if
anyone has anything better I would be glad to hear from you.

The support site is primarily going to be written in asp.net - which I know
this group isn't for, however I am happy to use a vanilla ASP solution for
this, as I am more familiar with that anyway...

Thanks in advance for any/all help.

Regards

Rob

[Evertjan.]

Rob Meade wrote on 01 apr 2004 in
microsoft.public.inetserver.asp.general:

So, there's the problem - has anyone got any ideas how I could check
using ASP whether or not its possible to talk to another server
without using PING?

load a small image using xmlhttp like this:

<%
image = "http://www.servertotest.com/verysmall.gif"
set xmlhttp = server.CreateObject("MSXML2.ServerXMLHTTP")
on error resume next
xmlhttp.open "GET", url, false
xmlhttp.send ""
if err.number <> 0 then
response.write image & " not found, server must be offline"
else
response.write image & " found, server online"
end if
on error resume 0
set xmlhttp = nothing
%>

Not tested !! Please tell us if it realy works.

See: <http://www.aspfaq.com/show.asp?id=2173`>

--
Evertjan.
The Netherlands.
(Please change the x'es to dots in my emailaddress)