the failure: (source microsoft.com)

click here for full page

That's the original url but I don't think that error will last long on that page

So, what's wrong, and what would be correct?

Let's take their code:

$strValue = "ABCDE5FGHIJKLM";
if ( $strValue == /[0-9]/ )
{print "This value contains a number. \n";}

here's what you need to know to understand why it won't work:

perl has an awesome variable ( $_ ) that is somehow the default input value

$str="Perl ";
$_="rocks";
print $str;
print;

the first print will print $str like we want to, and the second one will print $_ because we didn't specify another variable.
It works the same for regular expression, since == is not the correct operator to apply a regex on a string, it'll evaluate the $_ variable.

== is the equality operator that returns true if the left argument is numerically equal to the right argument.

So they are trying to compare the result of a regular expression that searches a number in an empty variable (remember $_), which obviously returns false, to a string using the numeric equality operator (I havn't told you that before, but obviously any string is seen as false for the == operator)
if(false == false) => true, so even if there's no number in the $strValue variable, it'll say "This value contains a number."

So here's the code that actually works:

$strValue = "ABCDE5FGHIJKLM";
if ( $strValue =~ /[0-9]/ )
{print "This value contains a number. \n";}

=~ is NOT a comparison operator!
Binary "=~" binds a scalar expression to a pattern match. (perlop)
that basically means that the regular expression is applied to the variable that is on the left side of the =~ operator.

What you'll need:

-Perl (latest version if you can)
-A web server (wamp is good, but others should work fine as well)

What the script will do and what it won't:

it will: download smokeping, rrdtool, and fping, help you configure smokeping (owner, mail, etc), patch what's needed to be patched, install a new feature that is not included in smokeping's official package (zoom in/out with pageup|pagedown)
it won't: install/configure your webserver, install perl, add targets in your configuration file

what's working and what's untested yet:

working: everything that used to work with the 2.0.8 version, Ajax based ineractive graph zooming (+ my exclusive zoom with pageup/pagedown feature), Multi Target Graphs, using drives different than "c:"
not tested yet: Master/Slave setup for multi source smokeping deployments.

How to configure wamp, or apache:
edit httpd.conf (C:\wamp\Apache2\conf\httpd.conf with wamp)
change: ScriptAlias /cgi-bin/ "C:/wamp/Apache2/cgi-bin/" into ScriptAlias /cgi-bin/ "c:/wamp/cgi/" *
change: <Directory "C:/wamp/Apache2/cgi-bin/"> into <Directory "c:/wamp/cgi"> *
(* you don't _have_ to do that, and of course you can change every paths, you just have to provide every paths to the install script)
create a folder in your www root folder (c:\wamp\www if you're runing wamp) and name it "simg"

The install script will ask you the www root folder and the image folder

WWW root folder [Default: C:\wamp\www] (must already exist)

image folder from C:\wamp\www [Default: simg]

that's it! if something is not self explanatory enough, or if you have questions feel free to leave a comment

for testing, and autostart take a look at steps 7,8, and 10 here http://dev.pulsed.net/wp/?p=3

Download the Smokeping Installer for Windows, unzip it and launch "install n patch.pl"

Download this code: morse.pls ]]> http://dev.pulsed.net/wp/?feed=rss2&p=28 2 http://dev.pulsed.net/wp/?p=18 http://dev.pulsed.net/wp/?p=18#comments Tue, 01 Aug 2006 16:59:48 +0000 Kevin DEHLINGER http://dev.pulsed.net/wp/?p=18 = 2000 only (or maybe NT4.0 SP6) This is the cool solution, or you could parse the result of `ping -n 1 $ip > nul & arp -a` searching for $ip in the list (very slow and unpretty solution btw) We will use two Windows dll ( iphlpapi.dll and wsock32.dll ) to import two functions ( [...]]]> Windows >= 2000 only (or maybe NT4.0 SP6)

This is the cool solution, or you could parse the result of `ping -n 1 $ip > nul & arp -a` searching for $ip in the list (very slow and unpretty solution btw)

We will use two Windows dll ( iphlpapi.dll and wsock32.dll ) to import two functions ( SendARP and inet_addr );
to do that, we will need Win32::API perl module.
if you have some error like "Can't locate Win32/API.pm in @INC…" when you try to run the script, you need to install it:
type: ppm install Win32-API in a dos prompt.

What is ARP?

Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) is a required TCP/IP standard defined in RFC 826, "Address Resolution Protocol (ARP)." ARP resolves IP addresses used by TCP/IP-based software to media access control addresses used by LAN hardware. ARP provides the following protocol services to hosts located on the same physical network:

Media access control addresses are obtained by using a network broadcast request in the form of the question "What is the media access control address for a device that is configured with the enclosed IP address?"

When an ARP request is answered, both the sender of the ARP reply and the original ARP requester record each other's IP address and media access control address as an entry in a local table called the ARP cache for future reference.

Source: microsoft.com

In other words, ARP is a protocol used to translate IP addresses to MAC (physical) addresses.

As you can see, this looks pretty simple, one question (frame 1), and one answer (frame 2)

In order to improve performances, and to lower network charge, the data are cached locally.
You can access (read/write) the ARP cache data with the arp command:
for example: arp -a displays every ARP entries.
You may need to ping the computer before.

Well, the code now (192.168.0.254 is just an example):

[The requested file http://dev.pulsed.net/wp/code/arp.pl could not be found]

The best part of this little script is (what i thought impossible in perl) the dll function import!

Ok, that's not that hard, some VBScript to Perl translation, a little modification and that's all!

I think it should work works remotely too (untested yet) by changing $strComputer with the targeted computer (you need some specific credentials).

my $strComputer = ".";
"." means local computer

my $maxage=15;
every file older than 15 days in $folder will be deleted

my $folder="c:\\temp";
change this with the folder you want to check (WARNING: be careful to prevent unwanted file from being deleted, and do not forget to escape \ character everywhere)

[edited: July 10, 2006  11:00 pm => scan subfolders recursively;
uncomment #$_->Delete; after some tests to realy delete files]

[The requested file http://dev.pulsed.net/wp/code/delete.pl could not be found]

[The requested file http://dev.pulsed.net/wp/code/find_printers_with_AD_and_perl.pl could not be found]

Here's a perl script to list every locked accounts in a container or an OU!

[The requested file http://dev.pulsed.net/wp/code/locked_accounts.pl could not be found]