LISa FOR LINUX

LISa for Linux is a small daemon designed to operate on end-user systems. It functions as a "network neighborhood" utilizing the TCP/IP protocol stack exclusively, without the need for smb or other protocols. Host information within your "neighborhood" is accessed via TCP port 7741.

Key Features:

• Supports two methods of locating hosts: ICMP echo requests and NetBIOS broadcasts using nmblookup


• Implements strategies to reduce network load and provides basic security mechanisms


• Compatible with various Unix flavors such as Linux, *bsd, and Solaris


• Offers special support for KDE but is independent and does not require Qt or KDE libraries

In LISa's configuration file, users can specify a range of IP addresses to check for running hosts. By default, it uses ICMP echo requests to validate host availability. The program opens a raw socket to send and receive ICMP echo requests before dropping root privileges for security.

The daemon implements a cooperative mechanism to minimize network traffic. Servers send a broadcast before initiating pinging or nmblookup. If a host responds to the broadcast, the server retrieves the list of running hosts from that host instead. This cooperative approach ensures efficient network utilization.

Additional Benefits:

• Automated update intervals based on server access frequency


• Transparent detection of existing servers in the network


• Command-line option to customize port usage (not recommended)

Users can trigger config file rereading or view status information by sending specific signals to LISa. The daemon's adaptive update intervals help in maintaining network efficiency while ensuring up-to-date information for users.

With LISa for Linux, users can run the daemon locally and seamlessly integrate it into their network environment without the need for additional servers.