Is there a panel applet for port/firewall status?

[Keith Lofstrom <keithl kl-ic com>]

I'm looking for a gnome panel applet that can be configured to
represent firewall and port status for SOHO Linux boxes.

I help run a monthly Linux clinic, where we help newbies solve
problems and install software on their (mostly Ubuntu) machines.

Sometimes it is difficult for people to haul in their equipment;  it
would be handy to SSH into their machines at home.  However, that
creates security risks;  they should only turn on SSHD and open a
port in their firewalls while they are at the clinic.  Being newbies,
I don't expect them to remember to turn on SSH beforehand, or turn it
off after they get back home, unless we make it really easy.  Ideally,
a panel applet that changes color or shape on the panel to indicate
port/firewall status, backed up by a popup window when clicked.  

While I haven't found anything that does this (gnome-nettools does
much of this, but is too complicated for a newbie), somebody on this
list might know of something.  If not, perhaps someone can suggest
some steps to code something up (is there a panel applet toolkit,
for example?), and I can pass that along to a professor as a student
project.

-- 
Keith Lofstrom          keithl keithl com         Voice (503)-520-1993
KLIC --- Keith Lofstrom Integrated Circuits --- "Your Ideas in Silicon"
Design Contracting in Bipolar and CMOS - Analog, Digital, and Scan ICs