Columbia SE

Columbia does one thing: ping hosts. It does it well, and the bonus is that you can ping groups of hosts all at once.

What you see

Host list

The left side of the window shows the list of hosts that have been saved. I've included a sample list of 80+ hosts for you to test with.

Status display

The right side of the window displays the current status of the program. This textbox keeps a transcript of the "thought processes" that are going on in this session. As you navigate through the program and perform tasks, this box will update to show what is going on.

How to use it

Check all hosts

Click the Check All button to begin a check against each host in the hosts list for connectivity.

Check a single host

Single-click on a host in the list, and the Check Selected will become available, allowing you to determine connectivity to that host only.

Add/Remove hosts

At the bottom of the window, you'll note a text field labeled Add a Host. Simply enter a name in this field, and click the big blue + button to the right of the field, and your host will be added to the list.

To remove a host from the list, double-click the host name in the hosts list.

In either case, any changes will be automatically saved for your next session.

Help and exiting the program

To exit the program, click the Exit button at the lower right, or the big X at the upper right.

Also in the upper right corner, you'll notice a question mark. Click on this will open your default browser to the Columbia category on this site, where you'll be able to find useful information like this post.

There is also a set of forums for Columbia in the forums section.

Limitations in this version

Since this first version is pretty much a trial, mainly to measure interest, there are some limitations.

There is only one list. The list.
No output other than what is on the screen.
No cloud integration
No configurable options
Only ICMP Echo requests
ICMP timeout hard set to 100ms

Things you should know about this version

This SE version only utilizes ICMP Echo requests to test connectivity to remote hosts. If a firewall of any sort blocks ICMP echo requests (Ping), you get the "host not responding" message for that host.

For this SE version of the program, you are able to check up to 16,000 hosts for connectivity. I wouldn't recommend adding 16,000 hosts to the list, though. Keep in mind that although this program is quick in determining responses, the more hosts you add, the slower it will run.

License

Columbia SE is free for commercial and private use. Even though it is closed source, I have no problem with anyone using it.

Other Legal Stuff

This software is covered under the Terms and Disclaimer of FortyPoundHead.com.

Basically, if you use this program, you do it at your own risk. I am not responsible for any loss of information or service due to use or misuse of this program. Nor do I guarantee it for fitness of a particular purpose.

That being said, if you want some customization of this or the upcoming Pro or Enterprise versions, hit me up.

Want to Help?

I've recently started a Patreon, the link to which is over there on the right side of the page. See it? The orange Become a Patron button? Hit that to support my development efforts, so I can continue to bring great tools to IT folks around the world.

About this post

Posted: 2018-06-23
By: dwirch
Viewed: 2,049 times

Special Instructions

In the interest of security, the file hashes are listed here.

Installer:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Filename:       ColumbiaSE_1.0.0.2_setup.exe
Hash Algorithm: SHA256
File Hash:      57C2FB4651F71094873BAB35174336B9349A968E652FE9D41BFC65F08447A3A0

Main Executable:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Filename:       ColumbiaSE_1.0.0.2.exe
Hash Algorithm: SHA256
File Hash:      A99D58FF0ABAB94D1AA1D3EA69CFE1C7B04CD589B46D4B28C303B88B7B4AB36B

Also in the interest of security, don't download or run any "patches" or "cracks" for Columbia SE. This particular codebase has no hidden or disabled code, and there are no unlockable features. The code simply doesn't exist in this version. If you download a crack for this, you will most likely be infected with some form of malware.

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