Scan A Network For Devices Macos

The ARP command can be used to discover local network devices. The machine at 192.168.2.104 is actually a PC (!) on my local network. There’s a useful bit of information in the results of the arp command, which is called the MAC address – basically the physical hardware address of the network adapter on each machine, which can also help you identify each computer.

macOS Network Utility is a collection of various terminal commands for which a single graphical shell has been made. Thanks to this unification, this utility is the most important tool for checking the network and everything connected with it. No wonder the Network Utility is present even on the macOS default installation set.

Each tab is a completely independent tool. In Windows, the command line is used for the same tasks, Apple made a beautiful shell for convenience.

In macOS you can also use the Terminal to work with the network, but it is much easier to run the Network utility located in the Utilities folder.

In this article we will look at the operation of the Mac Port Scanner in detail.

Port Scanner on Mac

Port scanner is a software tool designed to search for hosts on a network with the right ports open. These programs are usually used by system administrators and network engineers to check the security of their networks and attackers to break into the network. You can search for a number of open ports on a single host, or one specific port on many hosts. The latter is characteristic of the activities of a number of network worms.

Read more: How to Remote Control a Mac with Screen Sharing in macOS?

The process itself is called port scanning or (in the case where many hosts are checked) network scanning. Port scanning can be the first step in the hacking process or preventing hacking, helping to identify potential attack targets. Using the appropriate tools, sending data packets and analyzing responses, the services running on the machine (Web server, FTP server, mail server, etc.) can be investigated, their version numbers and the operating system used.

How to Scan Ports

Scan A Network For Devices Macos Windows 7

  • Use Command + Space for Spotlight search;
  • Type Network Utility;
  • Open Port Scan tab;
  • Enter the IP or domain name you wish to scan and press “Scan”;
  • Optional, but not necessarily recommended, you can set a port range to scan between specific set of active services;
Scan A Network For Devices Macos

Scan A Network For Devices Macos Download

  • Scan results shown us that TCPports 22, 88, 445 are open for host 192.168.31.81.

And the Port Scan Utility allows you to check the firewall settings on your computer or check port usage. You can find out which ports are open and which are not. This information will be useful, for example, to properly configure torrent clients.

Also you can find and turned off open ports you haven’t use with your device (FTP, AFP, SQL, etc.).

Conclusion

Scan A Network For Devices Macos Pc

Today it is very difficult to imagine a device that is not connected to the Internet. In addition to the huge number of opportunities that the network provides, it is also a huge risk associated with the safety of our devices. That is why the basic knowledge of the network are becoming increasingly in demand even for ordinary users.

Scan A Network For Devices Macos 2

In general, the Network Utility can be attributed to undeservedly hidden macOS tools. It will be useful to you both in case of problems with the network, and to satisfy your own curiosity.