1) Security and control: Most clients require connection to an external server beyond user control. Many companies hestitate to use 'public' Instant Messaging services for company related communications as there is a potential for confidential information to be accessed during transmission between the internal company network and the internet. NodeScan servers can be set up inside the local network, behind the firewall, keeping internal communications internal. Individuals can also retain control of their communications by running their own server.

As a further level of protection NodeScan supports encoded services to prevent eavesdropping. Critical information such as file search queries and results, and messages, are not sent over the network in plain text. NodeScan also offers higher level security features such as password protection for files and IP address access controls.

2) Consistency and usability: NodeScan provides a unified, consistent interface to a variety of services. Both NodeScan Client and NodeScan Server support plugins for extensibility. Together they form the basis of a network service platform. On the client side, users can share and search for files as well as communicate using a single program. As new services are added users will not have to learn and operate a new program. On the server side, new services can be developed quickly and configured in a consistent way with support from common, internal services, such as logging, account management and encryption.

In addition, due to NodeScan's cross platform compatibility, users can run NodeScan on various types of computer and have a virtually identical experience. NodeScan has been tested on Windows (98, 2000, XP), Linux (Red Hat 9.0, PPC Linux), Mac OS X and Mac OS (9.x). It should run on recent versions of Unix such as Solaris as well. Versions for other devices such as PDAs and even mobile phones are under development.

3) Breadth: Already NodeScan offers a range of services that other similar programs do not match. With NodeScan client users can chat, send instant messages (with attachments and URL links), upload and download files, and search while listening to music streamed from the server in the background. Additional services are also under development.

4) Speed and reliabilty: NodeScan is fast. File transfers of over 5 MB/sec on an unswitched 100 base-t (Megabit) Ethenet local network are usual (see screen shot). NodeScan Server can serve multiple audio streams at the same time over a high-speed broadband connection.

5) Internationalization: NodeScan supports languages other than English allowing international real-time communication.

Why is it written it Java? Isn't Java slow?

Java is an interpreted language which means that programs built with Java incur extra overhead compared with other programs written in languages such as C and C++. However with a fast processor and a recent JRE (1.3, 1.4) NodeScan programs launch and run very fast. For example the launch time for NodeScan Server on a 1 Ghz PC running Windows 2000 or Red Hat 9 and Java version 1.3 is about 3 seconds.

NodeScan is written in Java to allow deployment on as many systems as possible and to leverage the work done by Sun, IBM, Apple and others in improving and extending the Java runtime environment. It also has a wealth of resources, libraries and information available. Java was originally designed as a language for programming small appliances (Oak) and Java is steadily becoming dominant in the mobile market. Future versions of NodeScan will be able to run on these and other platforms as they appear.

Its been in beta forever. Will it actually ever be released?

Yes. The development process has been time consuming due to number of features/services and the extensive testing across platforms. Each beta release requires testing and preparation of two programs on at least four operating systems. We are currently releasing updates every three months with a mixture of new features and bug fixes. We believe that NodeScan gets better with each update and we will soon be able to release 1.0 versions. Also work is proceeding on other programs and platforms behind the scenes. Soon after final versions are released we will release other applications for the desktop/server platform and mobile platforms.

How do I receive a file attachment sent with an instant message?

Double click the attachment icon and it will be downloaded to your "Download folder".

Can someone send a virus or other file to my computer by attaching it to an instant message?

No. The file is stored on the server until you double click the attachment icon. If you have a doubt about the file and do not want to accept it just close the message window. Even if an executable file is downloaded NodeScan will not run it automatically.

How do I attach a file to an Instant Message?

On some platforms you can drag a file from your hard disk and drop it on the attachment icon however this feature is not yet fully implemented. The other way is to double click the attachment icon and choose the file using the system's File Chooser.

Can I attach more than one file to an instant message?

Not at present. You should use a compression utility such as 'Stuffit' or zip the files into a single archive first.

How do I attach a URL (Web page link) to an Instant Message?

Drag the URL (link) from a browser and drop it on to the attachment icon in a new instant message window. To attach the URL for a web page drag the address from the browsers address bar. When an instant message with a URL link attachment is received, drag the attachment icon to a browser window. The browser should load the URL. Some browsers may not handle this correctly (i.e, Beta versions of Safari on Mac OS X).

Will I still receive instant messages when I am not connected?

Yes. When you log in you should receive instant messages that have been sent while you were offline. The current version of NodeScan Server however, does not save messages when it is shut down. Any undelivered messages will be lost. We are working on providing an option to store undelivered messages between server restarts.

Sometimes my instant messages get 'lost'?

We are aware of some issues with the instant message service that may cause messages to be dropped without notification of an error. We are working on a fix for this.

Can I use NodeScan Server and Client for cross platform file sharing (i.e., to copy files from my Windows computer to my Macintosh or Linux PC on a local network)?

Absolutely. We believe that NodeScan provides one of the easiest ways to move files across platforms. Just run a copy of the NodeScan Server application on one of the computers and then upload and download files using the NodeScan Client. Since NodeScan server is a regular application no permanent changes need to be made to the operating system to enable/disable file sharing. Unfortunately NodeScan does not yet support sending groups of files or folders/directories. If you need to send a number of files you should use a compression utility to archive them into a single file. For cross platform sharing "zip" is the most compatible format.

How do I set up NodeScan to be a (local) music server?

1) Convert your music files to Ogg Vorbis format. Various applications are available that will do this. For Mac OS X, Ogg Drop is very good. It will encode all the files on a CD and automaticaly downlaod information such as track names from the web. It is possible to convert MP3 files to Ogg Vorbis though it is not recommended for optimum sound quality. You may need to convert the files to an intermediate format such as WAV or AIFF, then you can use another encoder to convert them to Ogg Vorbis.

2) Upload the 'ogg' files to a computer running the NodeScan Server application or copy the files to the shared folder on the server and index them. (It is highly recommended to check the "Use dynamic address" box in the Server Preferences window and enter a name. This name will be used to index the files before indexing or uploading the files).

3) Launch NodeScan Client on another computer. If an account for the host does not exist, create a new account, configure and select it. It is recommended to use the "Hosts" window to configure the server as a local host. Open the "Hosts" window, and locate the host which is running the music server. Edit the host and check the "Local host" checkbox and enter the local address of the server, i.e., 192.168.1.10.

4) Search for the files using the Search window. Selecting "audio files" in the popup at the bottom of the window and clicking 'Find All' should return all the music files on the server.

5) Open the Playlist window (click on the "Play" button in the toolbar) and drag the music files from the search window into the playlist. If dragging doesn't seem to work, select the file in the search results list then choose "Add selection to playlist" from the Search menu. When you are done click the 'Save' button (or press cmd-s) to save the playlist. Select the first track and press the "Play' button. When the track is finished the player will continue playing the other tracks in the order they are listed.

Streaming audio files works well over a wireless LAN connection. If you connect the computer running NodeScan Client to your stereo you can play audio files through the stereo.

Where are all the files?

As is pointed out in the documentation, license and other places on this web site, Nodecan is not intended to be used for trading copyright files without permission. The default server at nodescan.dyndns.org does not serve any files without permission or copyright clearance. Any such files uploaded will be removed. The nodescan.dyndns.org host is for demonstration and testing purposes only.