Full Search - Help
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Search Parameters
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     Associations
  CSV Format

Gotchas and Oddities

Full Search is more powerful and complete than Quick Search. Users can search using almost every field of each record type.

Search Parameters

Expressions

Below is a list of wildcards, separators, boolean operators, etc that are supported in search values:

  1. Wildcards
    • * and % are multi-character wildcards
    • ? and _ are single character wildcards
  2. Separators
    • separators are spaces and carriage returns
    • trailing and leading spaces are stripped off unless quoted
  3. Quotes: first double quote must be preceded by separator or beginning of line
  4. Boolean Operators- listed in order of precedence
    • NOT operators: "NOT" , "not". If there is no preceding operator, AND is implied (i.e., "A not B" is equivalent to "A and not B")
    • AND operators: "AND", "and"
    • OR operators: "OR", "or"
  5. Case- all fields are case-insensitive

Table of Search Fields

Below is a table showing the fields on the full search pages. The first column lists the field name. The second column, field type, describes how to search for the information. The field types are described in detail below. The third column, Node, is checked if that field is in the Node Full Search. The fourth column, User, is checked if that field is in User Full Search. To see explanations of what each field means (not what the field type is), please see the help pages for Node and User.

Field Name Field Type Node User
Name text x x
Alias text x
MX text x
Node Type checkbox x
IP address address x
IP Address Status radio x
Hardware Address address x
DHCP radio x
DHCP Options label x
Roaming radio x
Groups substring x x
Department substring x x
Location substring x
Room text x
Expiration Date date x
make/model text x
os text x
Administrators text x
Node User text x
Custom Fields label x
Comments substring x x
Active User radio x
Last Login date x
LNA radio x
Networking Consultant text x
All Groups radio x
Record Type Access checkbox
All Record Types radio x
Created By text x x
Created when date x x
Modified by text x x
Modified when date x x
Phone not searchable x
Email not searchable x
Default Domain not searchable x
Default Address Space not searchable x
Default Group not searchable x

Field Types

  • Radio button
    With radio buttons, one and only one selection must be made. Radio buttons are used for simple fields where one and only one choice must be made (DHCP, Roaming, Active, etc).

  • Checkbox
    Checkboxes are used when a field can be none, one or more values from a short list.

  • Text fields
    The text input field allows all the search expressions listed above. Note that Name fields (Node Name, Alias, MX) assume that the search is across all domains unless explicitly indicated.

    It should be noted that due to the nature of HTML, multiple spaces may not be shown. For example, two Nodes may have comments "foo<space>bar" and "foo<space><space>bar". If you take a look at the info for each Node, they may appear to have the same comment. However, performing a search for Nodes with the comment "foo<space>bar" will only find one Node.

  • Substring fields
    Substring fields allow all the search expressions listed above but also searches on substrings. For example, if "eng" is entered, the search acts as if "*eng*" were entered. So "Mechanical Engineering" and "Electrical Eng" would match. Substrings are generally used for fields like Department and Location where the names can be quite long and may be abbreviated in some way.

  • Date fields
    Dates must be entered in the following allowed formats. For 2 digit years, the rollover year is 50. In other words, years '00 to '49 actually mean years 2000 to 2049. Years '40 to '99 are assumed to mean years 1940 to 1999.
    • m/d/yyyy, m/dd/yyyy, mm/d/yyyy, mm/dd/yyyy
    • m-d-yyyy, m-dd-yyyy, mm-d-yyyy, mm-dd-yyyy
    • m/d/yy, m/dd/yy, mm/d/yy, mm/dd/yy
    • m-d-yy, m-dd-yy, mm-d-yy, mm-dd-yy
    Wildcards are not allowed.

  • Address fields (IP and Hardware)
    IP Addresses can be searched in two ways- by Address Space or by IP Address. On the Node search page, searching by IP Address Space will result in all the Nodes with IP addresses in the specified Address space. Operators AND, OR and NOT are not supported.
    • IP Address Space Input Format
      • w.x.y.z/n - existing address space with prefix (171.64.60.0/24)
      • w.x.y/n - existing address space without trailing zeroes (171.64.60.0/24)
      • w.x.y.z - existing address space without prefix (171.64.60.0)
      • w.x.y.* - existing address space with trailing zeroes replaced by "*" (171.64.60.*)
    • IP Address Input Format
      • x.y.y.y format.
      • x must be fully defined (171 or 172 or 128) .
      • y can be a number or wildcard. If a wildcard, subsequent octets do not need to be listed. Ex. 171.64.6*
      • The wildcards listed under search expressions are allowed.

    Hardware Addresses can not be searched with any wildcards. Punctuation and case are ignored. The search engine will take the entire contents of the field and match it to a hardware address format. For example, hardware addresses may be shown as ABCD.1234.5678 or abcd12:345678. Either format is fine.

  • Label Fields
    The two label fields are DHCP Options and Custom Fields. Searches should be in the following format:
    • <label or option>\=<value> For example, if the DHCP option is "filename" and the value is "boot.txt", enter filename\=boot.txt or "filename\=boot.txt".
    • All the search expressions are supported.
    • The equal sign needs to be escaped to indicate the special mapping between the custom field elements.
    • If either label or value has a space in it, quote the entire expression. For example, if the custom tag is "monitor type" and the value is "viewsonic 15", search by quoting the entire string "monitor type=viewsonic 15"

Node Full Search

For explanation of each fields, please see NodeHelp.
Node Search Fields
Field Name Field Type Explanation Example(s)
Name Text Search for name. Note there are 5 types of name (see Name Type). If no domain name is specified, the name is searched for across all domain names. Search for all nodes starting with humsci:
Search for 'Name = humsci*'
Name Types Checkbox Select the types of names you wish to search for.
  • Node Name (most common type of name)
    In DNS jargon, a Node Name is an A type resource record. If a DNS server is queried for the address of this name, any of the active IP addresses may be returned
  • Alias
    An alias, in DNS jargon, is a canonical name (CNAME type resource record). A canonical name cannot also be used as a mx record.
  • Interface Name (only found on Advanced Nodes)
    Name associated only with the active IP addresses of that interface.
  • IP Address Name- only found on Advanced Nodes
    Name associated with one specific IP address. DNS A type resource record.
  • IPC Address Name- only found on IPC Nodes
    Name associated with an IPC address. IPC Nodes do not use the IPC addresses themselves but are responsible for passing the addresses out (e.g., DSL routers). This is a DNS A type resource record.
 
Receives Mail For (MX) Text In DNS jargon, Receives Mail For is an MX type resource record. Find the machine that receives mail for mymail (i.e. me@mymail).
Search for 'Receives Mail For = mymail'
Only Node Types and Exclude Node Types Checkbox Select the Node Types you wish to search for or exclude. Note that Router, IPC and Advanced Nodes are separate access types. In other words, to add/modify/delete Node that is a Router, the User must have rights to Node and Router. Use "Exclude Node Types" allows to eliminate certain types.
  • Routers- because it is a separate access type, Router is generally used by Networking Systems for real routers.
  • IPCs- a Node that also passes out IP addresses to other machines
  • Advanced- a Node with extra features like Interface name, IP address name
  • Template- a Node that has an address space instead of IP address.
Example #1: Find all Routers that are not Advanced
Search for Name = * and Only Node Type = Router and Exclude Node Type = Advanced

The Name parameter is added because otherwise the search will complain that no parameters were entered.

Example#2: find all Nodes starting with "ab" that do not have additional types
Search for Name = ab* and Exclude Node Type = Router, IPC, Advanced, and Template

IP Address Address Search for interface or IPC IP address. find Nodes in the top half of 171.64.20.0/24
Search for IP address = "TMPL_FRAG{'example network2"
IP Address Status Radio Button Search for IP addresses that are active, inactive or either.  
Hardware Address Address Also know as MAC address or Ethernet address.  
DHCP Radio Button Search for Nodes with DHCP on, off or either  
DHCP Options Label See the DHCP Help page for a list of supported DHCP options or click on "Options List" link. Search for Nodes which get a configuration file from a server named "configserver.stanford.edu" (usually an xterminal)
Search for "DHCP Options = next-server=configserver.stanford.edu"
Roaming Radio Button Search for Nodes with Roaming DHCP on, off or neither  
Group Text To add/modify/delete a Node, User must belong to the same Group as the Node. To see list of all Groups, click on "Group list" link. Find all Nodes in the Sociology Group
Search for "Group = Sociology"
Department Substring Search for the Department associated with a Node. In a substring search, NetDB will search for departments containing all of the listed words unless separated by "or". See entire department list by clicking on "Department List" link. Example #1:Find all Nodes in "Bechtel International Center"
Search for Department = "Bechtel"
(Don't need whole phrase since "Bechtel" is a unique word.)

Example #2: Find all Nodes in Drama or Comparative Literature
Search for "Department = 'Drama or "Comparative Literature"'"

Location Substring Search by Node building. In a substring search, NetDB will search for Locations containing all of the listed words unless separated by "or". See entire location list by clicking on "Location List" link. The building code is also found in the name. Example #1: Find all Nodes in Quad 14.
Search for "Location = 14-"
(Hyphen is included because the standard building code format is Quad-Bldg.)

Example #2: Find all Nodes in Storey House or Columbae
Search for "Location = Storey or Columbae"

Expiration Date Date Note that NetDB takes NO actions based on this date. The date is merely for user convenience (for instance, tagging machines visiting for a conference). Search for Nodes with Expiration Date on January 1, 2000.
On or After= 1/1/2000
Before= 1/2/2000
Make and Model Text Make and Model have separate fields. See entire Make/Model list by clicking on "Make&Model list". Example #1: Find all Nodes which are Apple Performas
Search for 'Make = "Apple"' and 'Model = "Performa *"'

Example #2: Find all Nodes made by Dell except Dell Optiplex
Search for 'Make = "Dell"' and 'Model = "not optiplex"'

OS Text See the entire Operating System list by clicking on "OS list". Search for Nodes running Redhat Linux or Caldera Linux
Search for "OS = linux and (caldera or redhat)"
or "OS = 'linux- redhat' AND 'linux- Caldera'"
Administrator Text Node Administrators can be an individual person or an Admin Team. To search for a person, use either SUNet ID or full name. For best results, use the unique SUNet ID. To search for Admin Team, use the Admin Team field. Only one of the three fields can be used. find Nodes administered by the Admin Teams DCG and DSG
Search for "Administrator Admin Team = D?G"
Node User Text Search by either SUNet ID or full name. For best results, use the unique SUNet ID. Note that only one field can be used at a time.  
Custom Fields Label Custom Fields are user customizable fields. The equal sign = separates the label from the value. Example #1: User has customized one field to be AssetNum.
This will be a search for Node with asset number 1234567
Search for "Custom Field = 'AssetNum=1234567'"

Example #2: User has customized one field to be TSO port.
This will be a search for Node connected to TSO 345
Search for 'Custom Field = "TSO port=*345*"'

Comment Substring   Search for Node with comment mentioning "special" and "blue"
Search for "Comment = special blue".
(It is not necessary to use "special and blue".)
Modified By Text Modified By is the last User to change this record. Search by either SUNet ID or full name. For best results, use the unique SUNet ID. Note that only one field can be used at a time. Find records modified by either John Doe(jodoe) or Jane Doe(jadoe)
Search for "Modified By SUNet ID = jodoe or jadoe"
or "Modified By Name = Jane Doe or John Doe"
Modified Date Date Modified Date is the last time the record was modified. Search for records modified on January 1, 2000.
On or After= 1/1/2000
Before= 1/2/2000
Created By Text Created By is the User who created a record. Search by either SUNet ID or full name. For best results, use the unique SUNet ID. Note that only one field can be used at a time.  
Created Date Date Created Date is the date that a record was created. Search for records created on January 1, 2000.
On or After= 1/1/2000
Before= 1/2/2000
General Examples
1. Find Users that have been adding Nodes to 175.1.7 who are not Joe LNA.
    Search with following parameters:
  • Created By- set display to "Yes"
  • Created By Name = not "Joe LNA"
  • IP Address = 175.1.7.*

2. Find all Nodes that John Doe has added or modified on August 1, 2000 in Encina Hall

    Search with the following parameters:
  • Location = Encina Hall
  • Modified By Name = John Doe
  • Modify Date On or After = August 1, 2000
  • Modify Date Before = August 2, 2000
Display Associations
Certain fields are associated with other fields. For example, IP address status is associated with a particular IP address. For a clear display, it is usually important to show the field and any fields it is associated with.

Node Associations
Field Depends On
Alias, MX Node Name
Hardware Address,DHCP, Roam, DHCP Options, Interface Name Interface
Active Address, IP Address Name IP Address

Search Results

Default display (Node, User)

By default, the following fields are displayed in the search results.
    Node Default Display Fields
  1. Node Name
  2. Node Alias
  3. IP Address
  4. Hardware Address

    User Default Display Fields
  1. User Name
  2. Department
  3. Phone
  4. Email

Also, by default, the display is Formatted which is easier to read than plain.

Display Options

The default column order is the order of the fields on the Search page. The Record Name (Node or User) is always the first column. The next 3 columns can be customized by selecting from the dropdown menu to the right of the fields. Selections "1", "2" and "3" always have precedence over "Yes".

"Yes" display this column in the default order
"-" do not display this column
"1" display this column right after the Name column
"2" display this column 2 columns after the Name column
"3" display this column 3 columns after the Name column

Display Associations

Certain fields are associated with other fields. For example, each department has a network consultant associated with it. For a clear display, it is usually important to show the field and any fields it is associated with. If a NetDB User is the LNA for several departments and you set the display to show network consultant but not department, the results may not make intuitive sense.

Node Associations
Field Depends On
Alias, MX Node Name
Hardware Address,DHCP, Roam, DHCP Options, Interface Name Interface
Active Address, IP Address Name IP Address

User Associations
Field Depends On
Network Consultant Department

CSV (Comma Separated Value) format

For easy import into a spreadsheet, search results can be displayed in CSV format by selecting "Generate result in CSV form " at the bottom of the search results page. Unlike the regular search results, where each record may have multiple lines if fields have multiple values, the CSV format has only one line per record with each field separated by commas. Multiple values for a field are separated by the pipe symbol "|". Save the CSV results as text into a file - then open the file with a spreadsheet. Excel will automatically recognize the file as CSV format if the filename has ".csv" as the extension.

Gotchas and Oddities

  • Currently cannot search for IP Address Name or Interface Address Name.
  • Cannot sort Node search results by IP address. Search using Quicksearch by IP address to get a list sorted by IP address.
 
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Last modified Jun 1, 2006