How to telnet to find all computer name in a network?

Question

There are multiple computers connected in a network. How can I find out these computer name and IP address?

When I was using Windows, I used to have MacAfee Security and it maps out all the computers connection in the network providing name and IP. Now I'm using Mac OS X and I do not know how to find out computer name or IP (Windows Machines) in the network. Would telnet be a solution?

Again, I want try to ping/telnet/find out from my Mac OS X machine to other Windows XP machines connected in the same network.

[EDIT] I now use Zenmap try map out my network by targeting local host, I see nothing. I follow the Zenmap user guide and target scanme.nmap.org, but all I get in topology is the follow:

All I get is empty dots from my computer to scanme.nmap.org. My question is to find computer name in a network. How? Is Zenmap or nmap capably of this? Or only advanced tool like Norton or McAfee security can do that?

Answer 1

You will want to use a network scanning tool. Telnet will play no part in this. Technically you could make a telnet script that would attempt a connection on various ports across an entire subnet. However, that's impractical to say the least.

Look at the OS X version of nmap using the Zenmap GUI. It's all part of the same compiled dmg file that you can download from that link. With it you can scan a network for many, many different services and build a virtual map of what devices are on the network and what services they are publicly running. It's oodles better than McAfee's tool (although perhaps a tad daunting to get into at first).

EDIT 1

Rest assured that Norton and McAfee are not "advanced tools" and that if Zenmap is not working properly on your Mac, it is likely blocked by something on your Mac itself. For troubleshooting purposes, briefly turn off your firewall. Look at this article to learn how for various versions of the Mac OS X operating system. If that allows Zenmap to work, then you know that you need to make an application exception for Zenmap in OS X's firewall. Please don't leave the firewall disabled.