Network General Expert Sniffer Network Analyzers

Contents

The Network General Expert Sniffer® Network Analyzer(TM) is a vital network management tool that helps maintain, troubleshoot, fine-tune, and expand multitopology, multiprotocol networks. It observes segments, learns their unique characteristics, and automatically uncovers a wide variety of problems. Once problems are discovered, the Expert Sniffer Network Analyzer quickly pinpoints their origins to help resolve them.

Features and Benefits

Speeds Problem Resolution and Avoids Costly Downtime

Increases Productivity of Network Professionals

Reduces Network Operating Costs

Expert Analysis

Network General has taken years of network troubleshooting experience and programmed it into the Expert Sniffer Network Analyzer. In addition, the Expert Sniffer Network Analyzer actually "learns" network configurations as it captures packets for analysis.

Using this combination of programmed and learned network knowledge, the Expert Sniffer Network Analyzer studies captured packets and alerts managers to network problems.

The analyzer performs Expert Analysis on TCP/IP, Banyan VINES, Novell NetWare, DECnet, Sun NFS, X-Window, AppleTalk, OSI, NetBIOS, OS/2 LAN Manager, 3Com 3+Open, XNS, and IBM LAN Server protocol families.

Expert Analysis

Expert Analysis provides three types of diagnostic information: symptoms, diagnoses, and explanations.

Symptoms

A symptom is an event that a network manager might want to investigate. For example, a symptom could be a single file retransmission or a physical error.

Diagnoses

A diagnosis is a condition that, in the judgment of the system, is a network fault which the network manager should investigate and take action to remedy. A diagnosis occurs when a symptom repeats itself frequently (such as excessive file retransmissions) or where there is a single instance of a major network problem (such as a duplicate network address).

Explanations

An explanation is a network-specific definition of the condition. Based on each symptom and diagnosis, the Expert Sniffer Network Analyzer creates an explanation and suggests causes. In addition, network managers can add customized Explain text.

With one-key filtering, the Expert Sniffer Network Analyzer displays packets associated with problems, enabling more detailed analysis.

Network managers can proactively schedule the collection of Expert Analysis information. Based on specified time intervals, automated actions can be scheduled such as save in CSV format, save trace file, reset statistics, clear and load names, and load setup file.

Protocol Interpretation

Protocol Interpretation turns an unintelligible stream of bits and bytes into clearly labeled commands and readable text. It offers full support for over 200 protocols. It displays the contents of each frame in English text at all seven OSI layers. The sophisticated filtering system allows users to focus on trouble areas.

Flexible windowing allows users to display network traffic in a variety of formats. Three formats - Summary, Detail, and Hex - are available simultaneously. Multiple viewports allow for up to six windows on the same screen.

The Sniffer Network Analyzer troubleshoots distributed ORACLE7 databases with the optional Oracle SQL(TM) Net protocol decode capability in the Network General Sniffer Network Analyzer Database Module(TM).

Interpretation Features

Capture Filters

Display Filters

Triggers

Traffic Generation


Load the network with:

Network Monitoring

Network Monitoring collects and displays statistics in numerical and graphical formats, provides alarms (audible and on-screen), allows users to define their own statistical reports, and collects historical network data.

Statistics

Network Statistics

Error Statistics

Protocol (Ethertype and SAP) Statistics

Frame Size Statistics

Station Statistics
(for each active station up to 1,024 stations)

Traffic History

Traffic history is tracked for the entire network at adjustable intervals from 5 seconds to 24 hours and can be automatically logged to disk.

Parameters

Routing Information (Token Ring)
Route Path Length

Route Path

Alarms

Alarms can be set network-wide as well as individually for each station. Alarm actions may be any combination of logged to printer, logged to disk, or audible.

Network Alarms

Station Alarms

Network Topology Specifications

                              Ethernet                   Token Ring

Expert Analysis                  X                            X


Protocol Interpretation          X                            X


Network Monitoring               X                            X


Network Capability            IEEE 802.3                  Token Ring
                       10BASE5,10BASE2,10BASE-T           IEEE 802.5

Interface                 IEEE 802.3
                          DB-15 DIX or                    Token Ring
                  BNC for on-board transceiver      IEEE 802.5 with DB-9 Female
                       UI, BNC and RJ-45 
                   combined on a single board


Data Rate                      10 Mbps                       16/4 Mbps


Timestamp                      15 µs resolution               500 µs
                               100 µs on display

Note: Please see the FDDI Sniffer Network Analyzer, Notebook Sniffer Analyzer, Sniffer Lite Network Analyzer, Network General Reporter, and Sniffer Internetwork Analyzer data sheets for more information.

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