Overview of LinkScan Features and Benefits

Core Features

Features Benefits
Industrial Strength LinkScan is an industrial-strength link checking and website management tool. The LinkScan family of products delivers flexible test automation capabilities for the entire spectrum of web based applications.
Database Architecture Results of scans are stored in a database so that many, many customizable queries and reports may be generated on demand. The comprehensive reporting features may be used to identify broken links and much more. For example, SiteMaps, missing or poorly constructed document titles, orphaned files, slow page load times etc.
Management and Organizational Support LinkScan may be configured to reflect your organizations needs and requirements. In addition to comprehensive management information, databases and reports may be automatically created that reflect the responsibilities of individual content developers and workgroups.
Finds a Wide Variety of Problem Links Identifies and reports almost 100 different types of problems categorized by severity. The severity levels may be customized by the user.
Extremely Fast and Scalable Quickly scans over 500,000 web pages. Can scan dozens of computers in a single operation checking many links concurrently.
Cross-Platform Portability - LinkScan operates on all Microsoft Windows, Macintosh OS X and Unix Systems. Microsoft Windows 95/98/ME, and Microsoft Windows NT 4.0/2000/2003/XP/Vista are all fully supported. Compatible Unix systems include AIX, BSDI, FreeBSD, Digital Unix, HP/UX, IRIX, all major Linux distributions, and SunOS/Solaris. Cross-platform and cross-product compatibility provides seamless migration for rapidly growing organizations while protecting all existing investments. For larger companies in particular, this also means direct cost savings in deployment, user training and system administration.
Scans via File System and/or HTTP May be configured to navigate a website directly via the server file system, or via a network and HTTP, or some combination of the two. Enables optimum performance and test coverage.
Smart Processing of Dynamic Content Sites with complex dynamic content including Active Server Pages (ASP), Cold Fusion (CFM), Java Servlets (JSP), PHP, and Vignette may be scanned to optimize test coverage and performance to more quickly identify key problems.
LinkScan Pinger periodically checks a list of URL's and sends e-mail alarms if certain user defined error conditions arise. In addition to generating alarms based on link status, LinkScan Pinger may be used to ensure the availability of back-end databases and other services as well as the uptime of the basic network/webserver functions.
LinkScan Profiler detects adult content links or any other type of content the user profiles. Enables webmasters and content managers to identify pages with "inappropriate" (e.g. adult) content linked to from their site so they can determine if they wish to continue to link to a specific site.
Supports the Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) LinkScan will check http://... links to .rm files; extract the rtsp://... and pnm://... links from those .rm files; then validate the rtsp://... and pnm://... links.
Supports the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) and Wireless Markup Language (WML). This allows LinkScan to validate wireless sites via an HTTP gateway. LinkScan includes the ability to specify a User Agent header to be transmitted with each transaction. This means it may be configured to masquerade as any arbitrary wireless device.
LinkScan Recorder is a Windows application that interfaces with Microsoft Internet Explorer. It may be used to capture real web browsing sessions, such as a complex order entry sequence. Provides a powerful and convenient capabilities for the rapid and comprehensive regression testing of complex transaction-based systems.
Authentication Schemes Supports all major authentication schemes including those based on HTTP authentication, proxy authentication and cookie-based arrangements.
Supports Microsoft NTLM Authentication. LinkScan can test web servers that require proprietary Microsoft NTLM Authentication.
JavaScript and Dynamic HTML (DHTML) features Extracts and validates links within JavaScript and DHTML code via customizable pattern matching techniques to improve test coverage.
ShockWave/Flash files LinkScan parses and extract any hyperlinks embedded in ShockWave/Flash files.
MIME/Content-Type - LinkScan can save and store the MIME/Content-Type associated with each internal link. Used to Detect server configuration problems. These data are available via the Search Documents and Changed Documents Reports.
Full Range of Protocols Validates hyperlinks for all major protocols including HTTP:, HTTPS: (proxy required on Unix systems), FTP:, MAILTO: and LDAP:.
Forms and Drop-Down Lists Validates links within drop-down lists. May also be configured to submit forms with user-specified input data using either the GET or POST Methods.
LinkScan has the ability to record the timing for each HTTP transaction. Transaction times are logged and can be used in performance related studies.
HTML Validation Identifies many common HTML syntax errors including <A HREF=...> tags with no corresponding </A> tag, <IMG SRC> tags without ALT, HEIGHT and/or WIDTH attributes, unprocessed Server Side Includes etc. Also integrates with the highly regarded weblint software for more comprehensive validation for cross-browser compatibility. QuickCheck also integrates with either Open SP or Jim Clark's SP program which means users may perform a full SGML validation against a specific Document Type Definition (DTD).
Orphaned Files and Stale Content Identifies Orphans (files that exist but never references) and other stale content.
Validates Imported Lists of Links Quickly checks lists of links exported from Relational Database Management Systems and other applications software.
Validates a list of documents Validates a list of documents, including all of the links within each document. Such sequences may be generated with the LinkScan Recorder or derived from some other source.
Exceptional Flexibility Most customization features use powerful Perl Regular Expressions to provide virtually unlimited flexibility and extensibility.
Add customized hyperlinks at various points throughout the reports. This provides a flexible means to integrate the LinkScan Reports with other applications. For example, these links may be configured to activate functions within a content management or other database management system.
Identify hidden errors. Some web servers are configured in a manner that may mask serious errors from end users and link checkers alike. This typically arises when the server responds to an invalid request by delivering a user-friendly error page with a 200 OK status code rather than a 404 Not Found. LinkScan provides for directives that may be used to force a 404 Not Found Error in these situations.
Enhanced link status information displayed on the LinkScan Reports. The LinkScan database includes an additional extended status information field which is used to display supplementary information about certain link types. It simply provides additional qualifying information regarding the status of certain links. Sometimes (mainly with mailto:, FTP, https://) links, there is some explanatory text embedded within the protocol messages. We try and capture this when possible/appropriate and include in the database and reports.
LinkScan WebServer LinkScan includes an extremely simple-to-configure webserver or may be integrated with any existing webserver (e.g. Apache, Microsoft IIS, Netscape Enterprise etc.)
Scan multiple hosts or virtual hosts as a single website (LinkScan Enterprise only) Users with distributed systems and web-farms can quickly and conveniently assure the quality of complex websites and applications. Application Service Providers and other sophisticated users with mission-critical sites can take advantage of these features to boost quality and productivity.
Locking protection Multiple Projects may safely be scanned simultaneously. Any attempt to scan a Project that is currently being scanned by another user/process will be refused.

Mapping and Organization

Features Benefits
SiteMap A hierarchical display similar to a book's table of contents
TapMap Expandable and collapsible drill down map for sites with tens of thousands of pages. Easy and instant display of any part of the entire hierarchical structure of a site.
Create powerful multi-level interactive site maps Provides a unique perspective overview of your entire website's organization.
Site Navigation Customizable SiteMaps and TapMaps generated based on directory structure or link structure create excellent navigation tools for content developers and visitors.
Powerful support for Japanese character sets LinkScan can convert pages containing JIS, Shift-JIS and/or EUC-JP encoded Japanese characters to normalized EUC-JP.
LinkScan now supports the <NOINDEX> tags. The <NOINDEX> tag is supported by various search engines and is typically used to prevent the indexing of document fragments that are used repeatedly (e.g. site navigation menus/tools). Excluding these regions helps users and authors focus their attention on the most critical content.

Performance

Features Benefits
Smart Probing of Remote Links Highly optimized link checking probes each server to maximize performance and accuracy.
External Link Management History features enable rapid retesting and avoid the need to validate links with excessive frequency. The corresponding reports may be used to identify "problem" servers and networks.
Retry External option tracks all External links that appear to fail due to network related errors (e.g. DNS, connect and timeout errors). These links will be retested at the end of the scan. Reduces the number of transient errors reported.

Reporting

Features Benefits
Reports Generated from Database All LinkScan Reports are created on-demand from a database to enable interactive and selective queries.
Reports Linked to Each Other Whenever appropriate, each LinkScan Report is hyperlinked to other LinkScan Reports for easy access to all the pertinent information. Enables rapid investigation of issues through simple and intuitive "drill-down" navigation.
Reports Generated in Real-Time or Batch All LinkScan Reports are available interactively via a web browser interface. They may also be created from the command-line or batch scripts.
Choice of Report Formats All LinkScan Reports may be created in a variety of formats (Rich HTML, Standard HTML or Plain Text). Custom headers and footers and other options available.
Context-Sensitive Help Quickly get assistance.
LinkScan QuickCheck LinkScan QuickCheck enables user to perform detailed analysis of individual documents in real-time (e.g. to rapidly validate a document during development or maintenance.
Comprehensive Summary Statistics Report Provides invaluable management information regarding website quality and trends.
The Changed Document Report compares the summary data from two different scans of the same website/project. The report displays lists of new documents added, documents removed and documents changed. Enhanced management information. Work flow management - does the changed document report correlate with the list of approved Change Requests? QA - the changes report is useful as part of a Regression Test. i.e. these things should be UNCHANGED.
Problem Documents Report This report provides a summary of documents which contain at least one broken link, have missing Title tags, exceed a specified page weight, specified depth, specified age, or specified size.
E-mail Viewed Page. Allow users viewing any LinkScan Report to send a copy of that report to a specified e-mail address. Improves the work flow, for example, as a supervisor is viewing a report with some bad link(s), she could rapidly mail the report to someone for action.
Search Documents and Search Links Capabilities This reporting capability premits very arbitrary queries on the database with a flexible array of sort/select/display options. It makes virtually the entire database searchable. This report has the ability to display documents that use (or do not use) specific tag types (e.g. APPLET, FORM, META, SCRIPT, etc).
Depth of Scan Control Easily configure limits on the depth of a scan to the top level directories which are presumably the most important pages. Maxlevels controls the depth of the scan based on an examination of the URL and the number of directory levels within it. The Maxclicks command controls the depth of the scan based on the number of clicks required to reach the link from the starting (home) page.
Extract and Report Attributes The collected data may be post-processed by external programs to carry out more complex transformations. Finally, some new reporting options may be used to search/sort/select on those fields. User data collected could include the name of a person responsible for a document or an expiration date by which a document must be reviewed or updated. This feature enables the user to integrate LinkScan with their work flow tools and procedures.
White Space Report. Reports a summary of the White space-Bytes versus Total-Bytes consumed during the course of a scan. Enable some users to significantly speed up a site, improve page load times and save substantial amounts of bandwidth costs.

Automation

Features Benefits
Automatically checks all pages on one or more computers Insures that all problems will be identified by level of severity
Scheduled Operation All LinkScan operations may be automated so that scans and reports are generated on a pre-determined schedule. Compatible with crontab on Unix systems and virtually all Microsoft Windows schedulers.
LinkScan Dispatch Reports can automatically be e-mailed to content managers and developers. It has options to create and/or e-mail a range of different reports.

Enterprise Management

Features Benefits
Project Management Multi-site manager enables users to define separate Projects for different hosts, virtual hosts and/or subsets of a host.
Owner Management Directories and/or individual documents may be assigned to specific individuals or workgroups for convenient reporting and management information. Owner assignment may be made on the basis of URL matching, META TAG information etc.
Workgroup Management Ability to create Per-Owner LinkScan error reports. Ability to send those reports to the respective owners via e-mail.
Security Security features enable system administrators to control access to the workgroup space by username.
Audit Trails Various audit trails and diagnostic traces maintained automatically.

Documentation and Help

Features Benefits
Quick Reference Card This is a handy Online Quick Reference Card with hyperlinks to all key information and customization options. A great tool for those who hate reference manuals.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) This is a short online list of approximately 20 questions which are most frequently asked about LinkScan products.
LinkScan User Guide This is Documentation written for the needs of Content Managers and Developers.
Start Up Guide for Unix Systems Fast start for those who wish to install LinkScan on Unix and Linux systems.
Start Up Guide for Windows Systems Fast start for those who wish to install LinkScan on Windows systems.
LinkScan Reference Manual The LinkScan Reference Manual is directed at the needs of Systems Administration personnel.

Summary of Capabilities and Differences in LinkScan Products

Features LinkScan
Workstation		 LinkScan
Server		 LinkScan
ServerPro		 LinkScan
Enterprise		 LinkScan
Unlimited
Users Individual Team Large Team Multiple Teams Multiple Teams
Number of External URLs (Links) Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited
Number of Web Pages < 500 < 5,000 < 15,000 < 50,000 * Unlimited
Number of Locations Scanned One One One One ** Unlimited
Number of Computers Scanned One One One Ten Unlimited
LinkScan Profiler for detecting Adult Content Links No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Includes LinkScan Dispatch No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Scan Multiple Computers
in a single project 		No No No Yes Yes
Scan Computer Via Remote or
Local File System and/or HTTP 		Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Dynamic Report Generator Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Includes SiteMap & TapMap Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Platforms - Runs on All Windows,
Unix O/S's, Linux, and Macintosh O/S X systems 		Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Price $850.00 $1,700.00 $4,500.00 $8,500.00 $35,000.00

 * LinkScan Enterprise Licenses are available to scan more documents (DocBlocks).
** If you wish to scan more than one location with LinkScan Enterprise, please contact us for pricing for that additional capability.

The above descriptions are not complete nor comprehensive. This is a summary of our product descriptions. Full details are defined in the LinkScan License Agreement together with your other rights and obligations.

Ease of Acquisition Features

Features Benefits
Free Evaluation Copy Prove to yourself how great LinkScan is by evaluating a fully functional copy for fifteen (15) days.
Checks Accepted We cheerfully accept your payment by check.
Value Priced Small or large, no matter what size your website, LinkScan is affordable for all who require a quality web site.
Quantity Discounts No matter how many developers you have and no matter how many computers you have on your network, there is a quantity discount that will meet your needs and provide great value.
Purchasing Information Pricing for New LinkScan Licenses and LinkScan Upgrades, Terms and Shipping Information, Supplier (Elsop) Profile, Contact Information, Volume Discounts, and how to order.

LinkScan Sample Reports

Features Benefits
Summary statistics Summary of Objects Tested and Errors Found and Summary of Errors Found by Type.
Summary/Detail Report A page-by-page overview of the status.
Detailed Report Specific broken links to other sites.
LinkScan/QuickCheck Example of LinkScan/QuickCheck report.
SiteMap SiteMap of our Elsop Website. Please note that you may create SiteMaps with only the top level or two for a greatly simplified SiteMap.
TapMap Demo

Download a Free Evaluation Copy of LinkScan