The tools I speak of are network analyzers. You can also download the latest development release 1. If you are looking for software based solution for development and debugging network applications, devices and drivers, Free Network Analyzer is what you need. Netasyst Network Analyzer and Observer gave a few more decode details for several protocols, but EtherPeek held its own in most areas. I found most of Observer's protocol decodes and the information shown at each layer to be among the best of the products I reviewed. It supersedes all previous releases, including all releases of Ethereal. Associated with a good name.
I found this feature constantly useful, especially when trying to quickly filter out remote-monitoring traffic to concentrate on the real traffic problems. If you work on a network, you then know the value of information. The default statistics dashboard displays at start-up and is one of the product's most recognized features. Whereas WireShark has you peering at lists of numbers and comparing in a more numerical sense, EtherApe takes the focus more to the visual and graphical realm. NetworkMiner is another tool that does more than sniff and, arguably, would be better suited to ferreting out problematic users or systems on a network than overall diagnosis or monitoring as a whole.
It allows you to ask questions and get answers from experts. It has all the functionality you'd want and need from a sniffer — capturing, recording, etc. CompuWare's EcoScope is a good example of a distributed statistical analyzer. Netasyst Network Analyzer is chock-full of features everywhere you look. I was surprised to find that LanHound can manipulate and replay captured traffic back over the network—a feature that isn't always available in lower-end products. Some people just plain prefer the visual approach, and EtherApe tends to take precedence over WireShark for those folks. All are lunatics, but he who can analyze his delusion is called aphilosopher.
I found the product's Expert View useful for the most part, although the Application layer expert-analysis module needs more depth. For example, although I don't use NetworkAssociates' Sniffer anymore, Ethereal is more than capable of reading myold Sniffer traces. When I tested the product, it picked up traffic running on nonstandard ports. The more information the analyzer decodes and presents, the less manual decoding work you'll have to do yourself. Observer contains a full complement of alarms and triggers. Furthermore, all Observer probes sport the same look and feel. Observer is built to be distributed, designed to handle large volumes of data, and coded to run on more types of network interfaces than any of the other reviewed products.
You can capture or display all network traffic or only traffic that meets specific criteria. I didn't test EtherPeek under high network-utilization loads, but I'd be interested to see the results for display performance. EtherPeek, like the other products in this review, can open multiple capture windows at the same time, each displaying different interfaces being captured or with different focuses. EtherPeek decodes hundreds of protocols, and I found most of the decodes to be accurate. Tcpdump is often called for due to its sheer reliability and simplicity. Statistical analyzers are typically distributed. Each packet flag has a value and a short explanation right in the decode, which isn't unusual for any protocol analyzer product.
Most protocol analyzers recognize more than 300 distinct protocols and define and decode them by name. It allows you to analyze data without delays on high transfer rates. There's almost too many choices in this category of software. OptiView Protocol Expert runs on Windows 2000 Professional and Windows 98 but not on Windows Server 2003 or Win2K Server. Of particular note is that it offers several mapping and de-auth features on Mac that Kismet itself doesn't provide, and due to its unique codebase you may find it does the job better than Kismet itself at times.
Network Associate's Netasyst Network Analyzer has the best expert analysis, accurate decodes, and downloadable malware filters. Clients can be distributed throughout the enterprise, and all the distributed data is collected and analyzed on one management workstation. Troubleshooting is always an act that is half instinct and half data — and is where the data comes in. Unfortunately, making errors easy to see can be problematic. Don't install unless you want nice bit of malware on your machine.
Below is a list of some of the Best Packet Analyzers and Sniffers and some of the features that they have built in for you to extract network information and data. Protocol analyzers, while they have a physical and data-link connection,operate primarily on the network layer. This type of information is typically displayed in the analyzer window's second pane. The best packet analyzers can recognize a protocol by its most definitive layer—the upper layer—and display the captured information on a field-by-field basis. For instance, one product might dissect a simple Ping process into several different protocols e.
Like a wiretap, protocol analyzers shouldn't be used indiscriminately;you definitely want to use your noodle before you use your analyzer. Conventional wisdom says that the great-looking real-time interface, use of color, and default name resolution will slow the product down under larger packet loads, but you can disable these features if performance suffers. Observer also offers more wireless options than its competitors. Solarwinds Bandwidth Analyzer 2-Pack — This particular software is a two-piece deal with similar, but distinct, functionality that goes hand in hand. Any traffic which flows via opened network ports may be also captured and analyzed, allowing you to view and trace all data transferred by network applications or devices.
How to set up a wireshark. Gray border areas took up valuable screen real estate, and the default font was hard to read at a resolution of 800x600. You'd have a hard time going wrong by choosing any of these products. However, Netasyst Network Analyzer conveys this information a degree better than most of its competitors. Distributed protocol analyzers provide two functions: a management station and a client packet-capturing component.