Copyright: Written by A Potts: 100041,2355@Compuserve.com


Contents
Netware Grapher Help Contents

Welcome to Netware Grapher!

This utility will allow you to view a graphical representation of your users login times on a Netware 3.1x network. The program uses Netware Accounting for its collection of data; if you've had this facility running then you will be up and away immediately, however if not then you will have to start Netware Accounting and you only be able to view data from now onwards. In either case, you must point the program to the Netware Accounting data file. Once you have entered the user names, you will be able to plot any weekend activity, and all users at once. This program is very inexpensive shareware, so please register if you use the program regularly.

When up and running, a typical output will be:

To learn how to use Help, press F1 or choose How To Use Help from the Help menu.

See also:

Technical Information


Switching on Netware Accounting

1) Login as Supervisor.

2) Run SYSCON (found in the PUBLIC directory of your server).

3) Use the Accounting option to turn on accounting. If there are no questions asking you about turning on accounting, just the screens setting up accounting blocks, then it's already on and you can now specify the location of the Netware Accounting data file.


Location of Netware Accounting Data File
Specify location of Netware Accounting Data File

1) In Netware Grapher, press the Options button (top left).

2) Look in the section called "Location of file NET$ACCT.DAT" - if there is a path name such as Z:\SYSTEM\ in the box then go no further; the location is known.

3) If the path is "NOT FOUND", then press the Change button and use the directory tree to find the file. When the file is found, press OK and the path should now appear.

4) If you can't find the file, then this could be because Netware Accounting is not switched on. It may also be because you don't have read access to the \SYSTEM directory on the server. Try logging on as Supervisor instead. If this is the problem, then dont forget to change your rights so you have access to this directory in the future.


Weekend Activity

This dialogue box lists all activity on Saturdays and Sundays. You can specify what days you want to view prior to pressing the List button. You can exclude Supervisor (useful if you do midnight automatic backups). The user names are taken from the programs own record of user names. If a user name is not known, then the user ID is displayed instead.

See also:

User names


User Names

The program stores a list of user names and their corresponding user ID's. These have to be entered manually (sorry!)

The user names appear as a list on the main screen. Clicking on a name produces the graph of that name. Also, the weekend activity dialogue will show user names (not just their ID) from your list if those users have been active over the weekend.

To add names to the list:

1) In Netware Grapher, press the Options button (top left).

2) Type the user name into the user name box, type the 8 digit ID into the ID box and press Accept. Be sure to include any leading zeros.

3) To enter another, just overtype in those boxes and press accept again.


ID numbers
User ID numbers

You get the users ID number from SYSCON (but you must be logged in as Supervisor):

1) Logon as Supervisor and run SYSCON.

2) Select User Information, Username, Other Information. The ID is the 8 digit hex number at the bottom of the box.


Registration
Registration (charity)

This software is shareware, it is not free. The shareware version only allows the first 3 users in the user name list to be graphed.

To receive a disk containing the unrestricted version, please send GBP 15 or USD 30 to:

Andrew Potts, 20B Park Road, West Kirby, Wirral, Merseyside, L48 4DW, UK.

(I can also be contacted on 100041,2355@Compuserve.com)

One third of the registration fees are being donated to the charity North West Cancer Research. This charity purchases the hardware required for cancer research. Whilst the local researchers, doctors and professors at the Universities and hospitals are willing to provide their time, there is a desperate shortage of funds for the equipment needed. Contributions are saving life and suffering.


Plot All Users

This feature goes through the data file and finds all user IDs totally independently of the list of user names you have input. It then graphs each and every user on one screen, to show the overall network activity.


SYSCON

Syscon is a network management program found in the \PUBLIC directory of your server. You are best logging in as Supervisor before running Syscon.


Options

Please choose from the following:

Locating the Netware Accounting data file.

Specifying user names.

Time lines:

Two blue lines are plotted on the graph so you can easily see predefined times such as 0900 and 1700. To specify the times that are plotted, enter times in 24 hour format into the morning and afternoon boxes.

Tightly packed graph:

With this option checked, the program packs about 11 months of data onto one screen instead of the usual 5 months.


Technical Information

The program file set consists of:

NETGRAPH.EXE

NETGRAPH.HLP

NETGRAPH.INI (found in the \WINDOWS directory)

These are the only files required and so to un-install just remove these 3 files and NETACC.TMP

(see below).

When the program is started, a copy of NET$ACCT.DAT is made as NETACC.TMP, and is kept in the program's directory. This minimizes the chances of a file lock. The file is not deleted at program termination in order to help clever disk cache programs when the file is re-copied at next start up.

I have not included a Setup program as I find the effects of these boring to un-install.

Thanks for having a look at this program! I wrote it to help me keep an eye on my network users.