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Network Applications

WhatRoute

Home Page Release Notes License:
Freeware

Current Version: 1.8.11 (November 23, 2002) / 1.8.18 (February 6, 2008)

WhatRoute is an OpenTransport-based network analysis application that performs traceroute, ping, dnsquery, finger, whois, address scanning, and more. This program is simple, but it is also truly nice (nice enough so that Apple has made it a standard part of OS 9.1 and later). Version 1.7 - the latest release to significantly alter the feature set - added a tree view plotted of the routes followed that allows comparisons between traces, and routes plotted - where possible - on a world map, a traceroute graph, and a ping distribution window. Version 1.8.11 - for "Classic" Mac OS - is a cleanup of version 1.8.0. The rawrequest application is history and a helper app is included in the WhatRoute bundle.

Version 1.8.18 - the latest Mac OS X release - adds/changes the following:

  • Recompiled and tested on Leopard.

Upon the release of 1.8.15, the author noted: "I am not sure if there is any real need for WhatRoute now that we a vast range of UNIX tools at our disposal. However, I still receive requests for updates and modifications to the software, so I have resurrected the source and fixed many problems that have been brought to my attention in the last 4 years. I don't expect that I will move the entire application to Universal Binary. To do so requires a major re-write and this would not seem to be justified, given that the initial reason I wrote the software was to solve networking problems on a platform that had no tools at all. Times have changed."

User Reviews

"Wow! WhatRoute is really a handy utility. The added Ping and Query options are fun to play with. And the elusive crash-on-close (it happened to me once) is history with 1.3.1. A perfect 10!"
—Benjamin T. Foster

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Also See . . .

Can't find what you're looking for? Try a search:

Also, if you have an older Mac, be sure to check out the "Classic" applications page for more options.

Finally, take a look at ALEMIA if you think you know that name of an application, but aren't quite sure.

Related Links

For an interesting and objective third-party view of Apple's networking technology - from MacTCP through Open Transport and beywond - Peter Sichel's Sustainable Softworks page is unparalleled.

Also Consider . . .

These are applications that are newer and of potential interest, but which I haven't yet selected for permanent inclusion. Have a look, and let me know if you think they deserve to be part of the permanent collection!