The first step in port scanning is preparation—specifically, the gathering of information about the range of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses in use by the target. With this information, the port scanning process can become much more accurate and effective because only the IP addresses on the intended victim will be scanned. Not having the appropriate network range can result in an inaccurate or ineffective scan that may even inadvertently set off detective measures. When getting information about the network ranges, you have two options. With a manual registrar query, you simply go directly to the registration sites and query for information manually. With an automatic registrar query, you use web-based tools. No matter how the range is determined, it is essential that the range be positively identified before you go any further. And you may want to review some of the tools you can use for this task, such as Root Zone or Whois.