Refrag ConnectionChecker

A Go application that performs traceroutes to DatHost gaming servers worldwide and saves the results for Refrag support analysis.

Features

• Concurrent Execution: Runs traceroutes to all 34 DatHost gaming server locations simultaneously for maximum speed
• Smart Timeouts: 2-minute timeout per traceroute to prevent hanging on unresponsive routes
• Public IP Detection: Uses ipify.org API to get your public IP address for accurate network diagnostics
• GUI file dialog - Native file save dialog for easy file selection
• Results Summary: Clear overview of successful, timed-out, and failed traceroutes
• User-Friendly Interface: Window stays open for review, closes only when user is ready
• Saves results to a well-formatted text file with clear separation
• Cross-platform compatible (works on macOS, Linux, and Windows)
• Real-time progress tracking with completion times
• Branded for Refrag support with clear instructions

Performance

🚀 Significantly Faster: All traceroutes run concurrently instead of one-by-one, reducing total execution time from potentially 30+ minutes to just a few minutes!

• Concurrent (new): All 34 traceroutes simultaneously = 2-5 minutes total
• Timeout Protection: No single traceroute can hang for more than 2 minutes

Build System

The project includes a comprehensive Makefile for cross-platform builds supporting 9 different OS/architecture combinations.

Quick Start

# Build for your current platform
make local

# Build for all supported platforms
make build-all

# Create release packages
make release

# Show all available targets
make help

Supported Platforms

• Linux: amd64, arm64, 386
• macOS: amd64 (Intel), arm64 (Apple Silicon)
• Windows: amd64, 386
• FreeBSD: amd64
• OpenBSD: amd64

Build Targets

Target	Description
make help	Show all available targets and supported platforms
make local	Build for current platform only (fastest)
make build-all	Build for all supported platforms
make release	Create packaged releases for distribution
make clean	Remove all build artifacts
make deps	Download and verify Go dependencies
make test	Run tests
make fmt	Format Go code
make vet	Run go vet

Platform-Specific Builds

make darwin-amd64    # macOS Intel
make darwin-arm64    # macOS Apple Silicon
make linux-amd64     # Linux 64-bit
make windows-amd64   # Windows 64-bit

Development Workflow

# Quick development cycle
make dev             # Build and run immediately

# Install locally
make install         # Install to /usr/local/bin (Unix)

# Clean up
make clean           # Remove build artifacts

Default Hostnames

The application traces routes to all DatHost server locations worldwide (34 locations total), including:

• beauharnois.dathost.net (Canada - Toronto)
• new-york-city.dathost.net (USA - New York)
• los-angeles.dathost.net (USA CA - Los Angeles)
• copenhagen.dathost.net (Denmark - Copenhagen)
• tokyo.dathost.net (Japan - Tokyo)
• sydney.dathost.net (Australia - Sydney)
• And 28 more locations across the globe

Complete list sourced from: https://dathost.net/reference/server-locations-mapping

Usage

Method 1: Using Make (Recommended)

1. Build the application:

   make local

2. Run the application:

   ./build/connectionchecker

Method 2: Direct Go Build

1. Build the application:

   go build -o connectionchecker

2. Run the application:

   ./connectionchecker

Using the Application

3. Use the GUI file dialog:

   • A native file save dialog will automatically open
   • Choose where to save your results file
   • The dialog defaults to your home directory with a timestamped filename
   • Click "Save" to proceed

4. Watch the concurrent execution:

   • All 34 traceroutes start simultaneously
   • Real-time progress updates show completion status
   • Individual timing information for each traceroute
   • Timeout protection (2-minute limit per traceroute)
   • Total execution time displayed

5. Review the results:

   • Results summary shows successful, timed-out, and failed traceroutes
   • Window stays open for you to review the information
   • Press Enter when ready to close the application

6. Send results to Refrag support:

   • The application will clearly indicate when it's finished
   • Send the generated file to Refrag support as requested
   • The file contains network diagnostic information needed for troubleshooting

GUI Features

• Native File Dialog: Uses your operating system's native file save dialog
• Smart Defaults: Automatically suggests a timestamped filename in your home directory
• File Extension Handling: Automatically adds .txt extension if not provided
• Filter Support: Shows only text files in the dialog for easy selection
• Cross-Platform: Works on macOS, Linux, and Windows with native look and feel

Concurrent Execution Features

• Parallel Processing: All traceroutes run simultaneously using goroutines
• Thread-Safe Progress: Real-time progress counter with mutex protection
• Timeout Protection: 2-minute maximum per traceroute prevents hanging
• Ordered Output: Results are written to file in the original hostname order
• Individual Timing: Each traceroute shows start time, end time, and duration
• Status Tracking: Clear indication of completed, timed-out, and failed traceroutes
• Error Handling: Failed traceroutes don't block others from completing
• Performance Metrics: Total execution time and efficiency information

Requirements

• Go 1.21 or higher (for building)
• traceroute command available on Unix-like systems (macOS, Linux)
• tracert command available on Windows systems
• GUI environment (for the file save dialog)
• make (for using the build system)

Output Format

The application generates a text file with:

• Refrag ConnectionChecker branded header with timestamp
• Local machine IP address
• Note about 2-minute timeout setting
• Note about sending to Refrag support
• Traceroute results for each hostname with:
  • Start time, completion time, and duration
  • Status (COMPLETED or TIMED OUT)
  • Full traceroute output
  • Clear separation between results
• Overall completion timestamp and final instructions

Dependencies

The application uses the following Go packages:

• github.com/ncruces/zenity - For cross-platform native file dialogs
• context - For timeout management
• sync - For concurrent execution coordination
• Standard library packages for networking and system operations

Release Management

The Makefile includes comprehensive release management:

# Create release packages for all platforms
make release

This creates:

• Linux/macOS/FreeBSD/OpenBSD: .tar.gz archives
• Windows: .zip archives
• Each package includes the binary and README

Output structure:

build/
├── connectionchecker-dev-darwin-amd64.tar.gz
├── connectionchecker-dev-darwin-arm64.tar.gz
├── connectionchecker-dev-linux-amd64.tar.gz
├── connectionchecker-dev-windows-amd64.zip
└── ...

Example Workflow

=== Refrag ConnectionChecker ===
This tool will run traceroutes to DatHost gaming servers worldwide.
Total locations to test: 34

📁 Opening file save dialog...
   Please choose where to save the traceroute results file.
📄 Selected file: /Users/username/Desktop/refrag_traceroute_results_2024-01-15_14-30-25.txt

Starting traceroute tests, saving results to: /Users/username/Desktop/refrag_traceroute_results_2024-01-15_14-30-25.txt

🚀 Starting 34 traceroutes...
This may take several minutes depending on your network connection...
Please do not close this window until the traceroutes are complete.

✅ [3/34] copenhagen.dathost.net - Completed in 2s
✅ [7/34] stockholm.dathost.net - Completed in 3s
⏰ [12/34] some-host.dathost.net - Timed out after 2 minutes
✅ [15/34] tokyo.dathost.net - Completed in 4s
...

🎉 All traceroutes completed in 3m 15s
💡 Running concurrently saved significant time compared to sequential execution!

✅ Traceroute results saved to: /Users/username/Desktop/refrag_traceroute_results_2024-01-15_14-30-25.txt

🔔 IMPORTANT: Please send the results file to Refrag support as requested.
   The file contains network diagnostic information needed for troubleshooting.

============================================================
📋 RESULTS SUMMARY:
✅ Successful: 31/34
⏰ Timed out: 2/34
❌ Failed: 1/34
============================================================

🖱️  Press Enter to close this window...

Important Notes

• Always send the results file to Refrag support as instructed by the application
• The application requires appropriate permissions to run traceroute commands
• On some systems, you may need to run with elevated privileges (sudo)
• Much faster execution: Concurrent operation reduces total time significantly
• Timeout protection: Each traceroute is limited to 2 minutes maximum
• A GUI environment is required for the file save dialog
• Progress updates appear in real-time as traceroutes complete
• Window stays open: You can review results before closing

Customization

To modify the list of hostnames, edit the hostnames variable in main.go. The current list includes all DatHost gaming server locations for comprehensive network analysis.

To change the timeout limit, modify the 2*time.Minute value in the runTracerouteWithTimeout function calls.