Packet Analyser

A Packet Analyser is an invaluable piece of software that takes the strain out of managing a network. Using an easy to use interface you can 'see' where your packets are going... and where they're not. A Packet Analyser will tell you who or what is using up valuable network resources, when, where and why.

Packet Analysers capture conversations between two or more systems or devices. It not only captures the traffic but also decodes (interprets) the traffic. Decoding allows you to view the conversation in English, as opposed to binary language. A sophisticated Packet Analyser will also provide statistics and trend information on the captured traffic. It provides information about the traffic flow on your LAN/WAN, from which you can view device-specific information. Once a problem is isolated and recorded, there can be no denying which vendor, or which system is the cause. Unlike SNMP-based management consoles, Packet Analysers are device independent.

The versatility of packet sniffers means they can be used to:

Analyze network problems
Detect network intrusion attempts
Gain information for effecting a network intrusion
Monitor network usage
Gather and report network statistics
Filter suspect content from network traffic
Reverse engineer proprietary protocols used over the network
Debug client/server communications
Debug network protocol implementations