FOXBOX DOCS Official documentation

address_book_auto_import

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

Address book auto import In this guide we will explain how to automatically import address book. The system will automatically import every day the “AD_Collect.csv” file. “imp.sql” and “imp.sh” files needs to be places inside system root

arabian_characters_encoding

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

How to manage arabian characters encoding This article illustrates how to manage the Arabian characters' encoding inside of the messages of your FoxBox. In order to correctly handle other alphabets on received SMS, you just have to modify the Eventhandler

asp.net_intergration

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

Software integration for ASP.NET In this guide we will apply the logic used for encoding incoming SMS with XML to the integration of an ASP.NET software with our FoxBox. :id1: Remember to activate the XML module by removing the sharp character (i.e. ”#”) from the internal Eventhandler, near the call to the

bug_g20_exchange

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

Bugfix: Exchange Server encoding problems Affected versions: All the FoxBox belonging to LX800 family. Description: It has been noticed that recent versions of Microsoft Exchange Server create problems to EMAILtoSMS feature. This is due to usage of base64 encoding for emails, bad interpreted by our standard device.

bug_g20_mtos

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

Bugfix: MAILtoSMS feature problem with slow connections Affected versions: All the FoxBox belonging to LX800 family and using the software release A.0.1. Description: The internal SMS engine has been designed to obtain high performances. Unfortunately, a specific parameter is creating problems to EMAILtoSMS feature, allowing to send the SMS before the email has been completely parsed. As a result, it may happen that the message will be sent truncated.

bug_g25_boot

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

Bugfix: Device unreachable after some time Affected versions: All the FoxBox belonging to G25 family and using the software releases D.1.0 or D.1.1. Description: As stated by hardware manufacturer, after a certain period it may happen that FoxBox becomes unreachable. This is due to a bug inside of the boot procedure v0.24.

bug_g25_filesystem

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

Bugfix: Filesystem corruption Affected versions: All the FoxBox belonging to G25 family. Description: If the device is unplugged without waiting for the specific message on LCD display, it may happen that the filesystem is getting permanently corrupted. As a result, the device will not boot anymore.

bug_g25_smsdaemon

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

Bugfix: SMS daemon hangs Affected versions: All the FoxBox belonging to G25 family and using the software release D.1.0. Description: The internal SMS engine has been recently improved, in order to obtain higher transmission performances. Unfortunately, this caused a certain instability on the system, resulting in a temporary interruption on the elaboration of incoming messages.

bug_gt_error_10

2016-11-25T13:28:46+00:00

Bugfix: "Error 10: SIM not inserted" Affected versions: All the FoxBox belonging to GT family with the SIM card flexible extender. Description: The machine is unable to use the Modem2 SIM card to send messages, due to a bad electrical connection between the flexible extender and the on-board modem slot.

bug_gt_mapping_modem

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

Bugfix: Error Mapping Modem Affected versions: All the FoxBox belonging to GT family. Description: An error can occour while trying to map internal modems. Solution: 1) Connect via SSH. 2) Put inside /etc/udev/rules.d/70-persistent-cd.rules

bug_mini_failure_saving_config

2016-12-05T08:46:00+00:00

Bugfix: Failure Saving Config Affected versions: All the FoxBox MINI delivered before the 2nd December 2016. Description: A failure can occour while trying to save the machine configuration. Solution: 1) Connect via SSH. 2) Edit the file:

bug_mini_mail_to_sms

2017-02-21T08:44:54+00:00

Bugfix: Failure Using the MAIL to SMS Function Affected versions: All the FoxBox MINI delivered before the 20 of February 2017. Description: A failure can occour while trying to use the “MAIL to SMS” function. Solution: 1) Download, on your desktop machine, this patch:

csv_recipient_list

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

Sending messages to a CSV recipients list This article explains how to send a bunch of SMS to a list of recipients, provided in CSV format. This procedure is pretty simple, and it will allow you to copy&paste a list of numbers (separated by a certain symbol, by default is the ';') in the Web interface later sending the message to all of them.

custom_actions

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

How to execute custom actions on messages In this guide we will exploit the flexibility of the FoxBox internal software to define custom actions, that will be executed over a certain subset of incoming or outgoing messages. This allows you to easily customize the internal logic of the device.

delivery_notifications

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

How to enable delivery notifications on sent messages This article illustrates how to enable the Delivery Reports (DLR) on outgoing SMS. These are particular messages that your air carrier will send you back to notify the delivery status of the SMS you just sent, and it is a very common feature if you need to be sure that it has reached the destination.

desktop_utilities

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

FoxBox desktop utilities This article presents the desktop utilities, a set of features enclosed in a desktop application that allows you to: * Retrieve all the incoming messages, and export them to a tab-separated text file for your other applications;

faq

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

Frequently Asked Questions :!: Please read this section before writing to the Support Team. :!: You can also find the content of this FAQ at the end of the Foxbox GT Manual, available here. This FAQ has been built with known fixes and common questions asked to our Support Team.

flash_intergration

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

Software integration for Adobe Flash In this guide we will apply the logic used for encoding incoming SMS with XML to the integration of an Adobe Flash website with our FoxBox. Nowadays a good amount of websites are using Flash, mainly because it offers the opportunity to create really nice interfaces with animations and user interaction. In this page we will create a simple Flash solution showing the last SMS received.

foxbox_alert_tool

2016-10-28T09:32:58+00:00

FoxBox Alert Tool tutorial FoxBox Alert Tool is a free software, for Windows and OSX platforms, designed to let you send SMS to any contact list (from various formats). #1: Software Download First of all, you need to download and unzip the desired version of the FoxBox Alert Tool.

foxbox_api

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

FoxBox API To easily integrate FoxBox within your server environment, we developed several APIs giving you the possibility of sending/receiving messages from everywhere you need. Here we will list all of them, with an explanation of their usage.

g20_eg2_rel

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

FoxBox G20 EasyG2 changelog This is a list of the various software release for the G20 EasyG2, with a brief explanation of their differences. Version C.1.0 * Last official release.

g20_http_rel

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

FoxBox G20 HTTP changelog This is a list of the various software release for the G20 HTTP, with a brief explanation of their differences. Version C.1.0 * Last official release.

g20_ici_rel

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

FoxBox G20 Icinga changelog This is a list of the various software release for the G20 Icinga, with a brief explanation of their differences. Version C.1.0 * Last official release.

g20_mms_rel

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

FoxBox G20 SMS/MMS changelog This is a list of the various software release for the G20 SMS/MMS, with a brief explanation of their differences. Version C.1.0 * Last official release.

g20_s2m_rel

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

FoxBox G20 Sms2Mail changelog This is a list of the various software release for the G20 Sms2Mail, with a brief explanation of their differences. Version C.1.0 * Last official release.

g25_eg2_rel

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

FoxBox G25 EasyG2 changelog This is a list of the various software release for the G25 EasyG2, with a brief explanation of their differences. Version D.1.2 * Fixed boot procedure. * Modified fstab to increase the filesystem stability. * Fixed cron default procedures.

g25_http_rel

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

FoxBox G25 HTTP changelog This is a list of the various software release for the G25 HTTP, with a brief explanation of their differences. Version D.1.2 * Fixed boot procedure. * Modified fstab to increase the filesystem stability. * Fixed cron default procedures.

g25_ici_rel

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

FoxBox G25 Icinga changelog This is a list of the various software release for the G25 Icinga, with a brief explanation of their differences. Version D.1.2 * Fixed boot procedure. * Modified fstab to increase the filesystem stability. * Fixed cron default procedures.

g25_mms_rel

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

FoxBox G25 SMS/MMS changelog This is a list of the various software release for the G25 SMS/MMS, with a brief explanation of their differences. Version D.1.2 * Fixed boot procedure. * Modified fstab to increase the filesystem stability. * Fixed cron default procedures.

g25_s2m_rel

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

FoxBox G25 Sms2Mail changelog This is a list of the various software release for the G25 Sms2Mail, with a brief explanation of their differences. Version D.1.2 * Fixed boot procedure. * Modified fstab to increase the filesystem stability. * Fixed cron default procedures.

get_temperature_from_usb_sensor

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

How to get temperature value from the usb external sensor #1: Instructions 1) Copy “temper” command inside “/usr/sbin/” on your FoxBox. 2) Connect the external usb sensor to your FoxBox. 3) Launch “temper” command to get the temperature value.

gt2_gateway_rel

2017-01-27T08:47:46+00:00

FoxBox GT2 Gateway changelog This is a list of the various software release for the GT2 Gateway, with a brief explanation of their differences. Version A.1.0 01 January 2017, first official release.

gt2_sim_cards_installation

2017-01-12T13:19:24+00:00

FoxBox GT2 SIM Cards installation The picture below show you how to correctly insert SIM cards into the FoxBox GT2 mainboard. While installing SIM cards please consider that: * Sim Card slots are positioned on the lower side of the board. * When you hear a

gt_family_hardware_comparison

2017-01-12T11:18:44+00:00

FoxBox GT Family hardware comparison Actually there are two GT model: * FoxBox GT Gateway * FoxBox GT2 Gateway (introduced in january 2017). :id1: You can easily recognize your model comparing your board with the following pictures. FoxBox GT Gateway (model 1)

gt_gateway_rel

2017-01-27T08:50:47+00:00

FoxBox GT Gateway changelog This is a list of the various software release for the GT Gateway, with a brief explanation of their differences. Version A.2.0 * Added the Zeroconf (bonjour) access function. * Support for the GT2 hardware (board version 2).

gt_software_a2

2017-01-12T09:54:15+00:00

FoxBox GT Version A.2.0 This article explains how to update your FoxBox GT (hardware version 1) to the Software version A.2.0 Version A.2.0 * Zeroconf (bonjour) access function. * Minor bug fixes. Software update instructions 1) Connect to FoxBox via SSH (user: root - password: foxbox).

informational_materials

2017-01-27T08:25:54+00:00

List of Informational Materials This page provides informational documents about FoxBox products, in a downloadable version (:pdf: PDF). FoxBox MINI * Foxbox MINI Informational Brochure FoxBox GT Family * Foxbox GT2 Informational Brochure * Foxbox GT Rackable Informational Brochure

iq_rel

2017-04-27T10:27:00+00:00

FoxBox IQ changelog This is a list of the various software release for the IQ machine, with a brief explanation of their differences. IMPORTANT: updating you FoxBox IQ is crucial to ensure proper operation of the WhatsApp™ functionalities! To restore your FoxBox IQ or update it to the last software version please follow the instructions at the page:

kdev_gateway

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

KDEV Advanced SMS Gateway This is the main service of our SMS Gateway division, and it has been fully integrated with FoxBox devices in order to use them as enhanced clients. The service has been designed for companies, software house, ISP, Web agencies, portals, and every other FoxBox user. The main advantages are:

list_add_feat

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

List of Additional features This page contains the list of all the additional features already implemented for the FoxBox. :!: If you are searching for something new, feel free to contact us. These articles are valid for all the supported FoxBox versions, except where differently specified.

list_add_software

2017-01-13T13:35:01+00:00

List of Additional software This page contains the list of all the additional software created for the FoxBox management. :!: If you are searching for something new, feel free to contact us. * FoxBox Alert Tool – A tool for send SMS to your contact list. * FoxBox Desktop Utilities – A set of features enclosed in a desktop application.

list_bugfix

2017-02-21T08:45:50+00:00

List of Bugfix This page contains all the know bugs, with the affected versions and a trace of their specific solutions. :!: If you encountered a problem not listed below, or you just need more informations regarding one of these articles, feel free to

list_howto

2017-04-04T15:35:50+00:00

List of How-To This page contains all the how-tos already written for the FoxBox. :!: If you are searching for something new, feel free to contact us. These articles are valid for all the supported FoxBox versions, except where differently specified. FoxBox functionalities

list_manuals

2017-01-13T11:01:24+00:00

List of User manuals This page provides the user manuals for each FoxBox, in a downloadable version (:pdf: PDF). FoxBox GT Family * Foxbox GT2 Quick-Start Guide * Foxbox GT Quick-Start Guide * Foxbox GT User Guide FoxBox Mini * Foxbox MINI Quick-Start Guide * Foxbox MINI Software Manual (Rev. 2.0) FoxBox Rack and SMPP * Foxbox Rack Quick-Start Guide * SMPP Gateway Reference FoxBox LX800 * Foxbox LX800 Quick-Start Guide * FoxBox LX800 Gateway (Rev. 1.0)

list_release

2017-04-27T10:16:43+00:00

List of Software release This page lists, for each FoxBox device, its latest software version and a brief changelog. FoxBox MINI * Gateway FoxBox GT and IQ * GT2 Gateway * GT Gateway * * IQ (SMS/Whatsapp™) FoxBox LX800 * Gateway * Monitoring * Multi16 FoxBox G25 * SMS/MMS * * EasyG2 * *

list_restore

2017-05-09T13:11:17+00:00

List of Restore procedures This page contains the list of all the restore or update procedures available on this wiki. * FoxBox MINI * FoxBox GT2 * * FoxBox IQ * * FoxBox LX800 * FoxBox G25 * FoxBox G20 (* these pages are under constructions.)

lx800_gateway_rel

2017-01-27T08:51:00+00:00

FoxBox LX800 Gateway changelog This is a list of the various software release for the LX800 Gateway, with a brief explanation of their differences. Version A.0.1 * First official release.

lx800_monitor_rel

2017-01-27T08:51:15+00:00

FoxBox LX800 Monitoring changelog This is a list of the various software release for the LX800 Monitoring, with a brief explanation of their differences. Version A.0.2 * Updated Nagios Core. * Fixed Nagios configurations. Version A.0.1 * First official release.

lx800_multi_rel

2017-01-27T08:51:26+00:00

FoxBox LX800 Multi16 changelog This is a list of the various software release for the LX800 Multi16, with a brief explanation of their differences. Version A.0.2 * Fixed user GUI. * Evolved multi-modem SMS engine. Version A.0.1 * First official release.

lx800_serial_connection

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

LX800 serial port connection In this guide we will explain how to connect via serial port to LX800 devices. You will need a Null-Modem cable (to see its pin-out, read here), a common Serial one is not enough. Moreover, if your PC doesn't have a Serial Port, you will also need an USB to Serial DB9 converter.

mail_to_sms_phone_number_subject

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

Mail to SMS forwarding using phone number as email subject This script allows you easily forward email messages to SMS, using phone number as email subject. SHELL=/bin/sh VERBOSE=OFF MAILDIR=/mnt/flash/spool/maildir DEFAULT=/mnt/flash/spool/mail/mails LOGFILE=/var/log/procmail.log :0 * ^Subject:.* { :0c: ${DEFAULT} :0 { #bW:mail.body.lock SUBJ_=`formail -xSubject: \ | expand | sed -e 's/^[ ]*//g' -e 's/[ ]*$//g' | sed -r 's/[+]+//g'` #POSI=`expr index "${SUBJ_}" 00` REPLA0=$SUBJ_ POSI…

mailtosms_group

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

Forwarding emails via SMS to a group of recipients This guide illustrates how to forward an email to a group of SMS recipients, previously defined in FoxBox address book, using the SMS gateway. Note that to use this plugin you will need to download and install the package

mailtosms_multi

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

Forwarding emails via SMS to multiple recipients This guide illustrates how to forward an email to multiple SMS recipients, using the SMS gateway. The first step is to place the script email2smsmult, downloadable here, inside of the folder /etc/sms/scripts/

mini_gateway_rel

2016-12-16T16:47:02+00:00

FoxBox MINI changelog This is a list of the various software release for the FoxBox Mini, with a brief explanation of their differences. Version A.1.0 * First official release.

mini_rel

2017-05-16T10:18:37+00:00

FoxBox MINI changelog This is a list of the various software release for the FoxBox Mini, with a brief explanation of their differences. If you want to update/restore your FoxBox MINI machine to the last software version please follow the instructions at the page:

mini_restore_update

2017-05-09T13:13:30+00:00

FoxBox MINI Restore and Update This article explains how to restore or update the software of your FoxBox MINI (hardware version 01) to the last release. :id1: Note: you can find all the informations regarding the FoxBox MINI software version at the page:

mms_configuration

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

MMS configuration in depth This guide explains how to configure the internal module of your FoxBox G25 (or G20) to manage the incoming MMS. From the Web interface, click over the Control Panel and choose the menu MMS configuration. You will see a window like this:

mms_sw_overview

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

Overview on the MMS software architecture This article presents the software draft for the internal MMS management. The reception phase (the only one implemented by default on the device) can be summarized in four steps: * MMS binary notification received;

mms_web_publishing

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

MMS Web publishing database administration This article illustrates the procedure to publish on a website the contents that you received via MMS channel. :id1: Before starting, please check if your SIM card has been activated to manage MMS. Each time a MMS message is received, the FoxBox will insert its details inside of the SQLite database called

multi_partitions

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

Add new partitions to the original microSD This article explains how to modify the original partition table for the FoxBox G25, and it can be particularly useful to phisically separate data increasing their safety. :!: Please implement this solution on a new microSD, keeping the original one as a backup if something goes wrong.

nagios_integration

2017-05-09T07:26:17+00:00

Nagios/Icinga integration for SMS alerts This article explains how to integrate a standard Nagios (or Icinga) monitoring server with your FoxBox, in order to use it as an external SMS notification system. #1: Installation on the FoxBox side Your FoxBox is specifically designed for these kind of communication tasks, thus there is not much to do here except:

prtg_integration

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

PRTG integration for SMS alerts This article explains how to integrate a PRTG Network Monitor system with your FoxBox, in order to use it as an external SMS notification system. #1: Installation on the FoxBox side Your FoxBox is specifically designed for these kind of communication tasks, thus there is not much to do here except:

putty_tutorial

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

PuTTY tutorial The goal of this tutorial is to detail step-by-step the setup and the use of PuTTY, both for serial and SSH connexion. PuTTY is available for download at this link. PuTTY is an open-source terminal emulator and SSH client that you can use to connect your computer to your Foxbox. This software is useful if you are connecting your Foxbox from a Windows system. From any UNIX-like system, the terminal is enough to connect to your Foxbox.

remote_ip_disc

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

Remote IP address discovery This article illustrates how to remotely discover the IP address of the FoxBox, using a common mobile phone and its internal SIM. It is particularly useful every time this information is forgotten, or incorrectly typed thus losing the connection to the device, and it doesn't require to use the serial port or extracting the internal card.

restore_g20

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

FoxBox G20 restore procedure This article explains the restore procedure for the Foxbox G20 internal microSD. #0: Requirements In order to follow this guide you need just: * a FoxBox G20 * a PC with Linux installed (here will be used an Ubuntu distribution);

restore_g25

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

FoxBox G25 restore procedure This article explains the restore procedure for the Foxbox G25 internal microSD. #0: Requirements In order to follow this guide you need just: * a FoxBox G25 (with LCD screen) * a PC with Linux installed (here will be used an Ubuntu distribution);

restore_lx800

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

FoxBox LX800 restore procedure This article explains the restore procedure for the Foxbox LX800 internal CompactFlash. #0: Requirements In order to follow this guide you need just: * a FoxBox LX800 * a PC with Linux installed (here will be used an Ubuntu distribution);

send_logo_ringtones

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

Sending logos and ringtones FoxBox supports the binary messages, a particular kind of SMS containing 8-bit binary data. Thanks to this particular feature, it is possible to send simple images or animations and ringtones. The following is an example of SMS binary format for sending a ringtone:

send_sms_to_multiple_recipients_gt2_lx800

2017-03-28T13:09:48+00:00

How to send SMS to multiple recipients on GT2 and LX800 series Multi to fields and multi numbers in to field separated by space. Using this script you will be able send SMS to multiple recipients on GT2, GT-S, and LX800 series. #0: Example format

send_sms_using_mail_recipient_phone_number_at_domain_foxbox

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

How to send sms using mail with recipient phone number@domain.foxbox It is possible to adjust the config/setup to read emails like this: From:nagios@monitoring.local To:39XXXXXXXXX Body: MESSAGE Downloads Here you can download the attached file.

sidebar

2017-04-04T10:24:56+00:00

Sitemap * Shortcuts * Home * FoxBox API * FoxBox FAQ * The SMS file format * Utilities * Additional Features * Additional Software * Bugfix * How-to * PuTTY tutorial * SMS lenght calculator * Documentation * Restore procedures * Software release * User manuals * Informational materials Useful links * FoxBox Shop * Products websites * FoxBox MINI * FoxBox GT2 * FoxBox GT Rackable * Other Services * KDEV SMS gateway

smpp_gateway_reference

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

SMPP GATEWAY REFERENCE #0 Contents * Gateway and processes launch. * Configuration. * SMS message queuing. * System status information and services. * Storefile and dump (in case of “stop and clear the queue”). * Additional documentation.

sms_file_format

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

The SMS file format This article illustrates how the FoxBox saves the SMS in a text file format, whose main components are: * Header: containing metadata used by the internal engine; * Body: the pure content of the message. Outgoing and incoming SMS have a different internal structure.

start

2025-11-17T20:02:17+00:00

====== FoxBox Docs ======= legacy version The official documentation ⚠️ THIS IS THE LEGACY WIKI A new and more powerful version of FoxBox has been released: FoxBox S1. All updated and official APIs are now documented here: 👉 Inside of this wiki you will find all the updates, the plugins, the widgets and the bug-fixes for every FoxBox.

switch_off_display

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

How to switch on/off the G25 display This short guide illustrates how to switch off the LCD display on the FoxBox G25. It is particularly interesting when its specific features are not required, thus lightening the load on the processor while preserving the peripheral.

us_jap_config

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

USA and Japan GSM network reconfiguration The FoxBox G20 internal modem can communicate with all the mobile phone networks. By default it is configured for European frequencies, thus for USA, Japan and other countries using different standards you will have to change it in order to select the correct bandwidth ranges.

usb_sensors

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

USB sensors integration for Nagios This guide illustrates an easy way to check the environmental situation of the FoxBox, in real-time and using a standard USB sensor (or a set of them). Obviously we will need a Nagios instance onboard, thus the procedure shown is compatible just with the FoxBox versions having it (

wake_up_call

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

Make a wakeup call after a sent message This how-to explains how to set up your Foxbox to receive a miss-call everytime an SMS is sent. To configure the device you just need to refer to two very known configuration files. The first thing is to modify the

zabbix_integration

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

Zabbix integration for SMS alerts This article explains how to integrate a Zabbix network monitoring system with your FoxBox, in order to use it as an external SMS notification system. #1: Installation on the FoxBox side Your FoxBox is specifically designed for these kind of communication tasks, thus there is not much to do here except:

zenoss_integration

2016-06-14T16:35:00+00:00

Zenoss integration for SMS alerts This article explains how to integrate a Zenoss network monitoring system with your FoxBox, in order to use it as an external SMS notification system.

zeroconf_bonjour_access

2017-01-12T13:55:12+00:00

How to access your machine trough "Bonjour" (Zeroconf) :id1: This function is actually available only for: FoxBox Mini, FoxBox GT (version A.2.0) and FoxBox GT2 machines. Introduction Zeroconf (aka Bonjour,) is a group of technologies to “automagically” discover systems and services on a local area network.