SqlFinder
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SqlFinder is a utility library that finds all SQL Server databases within the network horizon. The find process runs asynchronously for a specified time and the caller can listen to events that fire when databases are found. The library also contains an exerimental but perfectly working Forms dialog class which acts as a front-end to the library find processing. NUnit tests are also included as well as some simple DOS commands to send and receive UDP packets.

A small Forms app project is supplied that drives the find dialog. The driver dialog is a very simplistic test-harness that proves that the SQL Finder library dialog is working correctly. The following screen-shot shows the test harness dialog which has then popped-up the library's finder dialog which has searched for 2 seconds and has found 2 SQL Server instances on the network.

I supply these projects as a sample for other developers who might be interested in learning how to work with UDP network traffic asynchronously. I found similar utilities out on the web, but they were crude, synchronous and inelegant, so I wrote my own as a useful technical exercise.

	SqlFinder - (66KB) ZIP of the complete Visual Studio .NET 2008 solution. The solution contains the following projects.
	Broadcasting.Library - The core library that contains classes for sending and receiving UDP packets. Use the BroadcastFactory class to create instances of UDP listeners and senders.
	Broadcasting.Export - A library of public classes for the broadcast library.
	Broadcasting.SqlFinder - The library that performs an asynchronous search for SQL Server instances via a UDP broadcast. The project includes the dialog show above right.
	Broadcasting.SqlIntegration - A library that can be added to SQL Server as a managed stored procedure that gives database scripts the ability to send UDP packets.
	Broadcasting.ConsReceiver - A DOS command that listens for UDP packets.
	Broadcasting.ConsSender - A DOS command that sends UDP packets.
	Broadcasting.WinDriver - A Forms application that sends and receives UDP packets with more powerful testing options.
	Broadcasting.UnitTests - Nunit test fixtures for UDP sending and the SQL Finder library.
	Orthogonal.Broadcasting.SqlFinder.Tester - The Forms application shown above left that calls the SQL DB finder dialog.

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