Re: Nmap host based registry

[Djalal Harouni <tixxdz () opendz org>]

On Fri, Feb 17, 2012 at 12:09:48AM +0100, Patrik Karlsson wrote:
> Hi all,
Hi Patrik,

> I've been working on a patch to add a host based registry to Nmap.
> One of the drivers behind it is to reduce memory usage and to allow Nmap to
> clear out registry entries that are no longer needed once a scan of a host
> group is completed.
These things are really welcome.


> The patch is quite small and works by adding a registry entry to the host
> table passed to the host- and portrule functions.
Just for curiosity, do you have some memory usage before/after the patch ?
(if not don't wast your time).

> The documentation change I wrote (with a lot of help from David) in the
> doc/scripting.xml file which should give you a clearer picture of what
> we're trying to achieve.
> I'm interested in any comments or suggestions in regards to this change
> before I commit it. The patch is attached.


For the doc:
-      <para>
-       The registry is a Lua table (accessible
-       as <literal>nmap.registry</literal>) with the special property
-       that it is visible by all scripts and retains its state
-       between script executions.  The registry is transient&mdash;it
-       is not stored between Nmap executions. Every script can read
-       and write to the registry.  Scripts commonly use it to save
-       information for other instances of the same script.  For
-       example, the <literal>whois</literal>
-       and <literal>asn-query</literal> scripts may query one IP
-       address, but receive information which may apply to tens of
-       thousands of IPs on that network.  Saving the information in
-       the registry may prevent other script threads from having to
-       repeat the query.</para>
+       <para>Scripts can share information by stroring values in a
+       <firstterm>register</firstterm>, which is a special table that can be
+       accessed by all scripts. There is a global registry with the name
+       <varname>nmap.registry</varname>, shared by all scripts. Each host
+       additionally has its own registry called
+       <varname>host.registry</varname>, where <varname>host</varname> is the
+       <link linkend="nse-api-arguments">host table</link> passed to a script.
+       Information in the registries is not stored between Nmap
+       executions.</para>

I believe the last two lines should be:
Information in the <varname>host.registry</varname> is not stored between
Nmap executions.</para>


-- 
tixxdz
http://opendz.org
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