 |
||||
|
|
|
||
|
Contents 
Introduction
Exinda Optimizer 4700
eTrust Network Forensics
Observer 10.1
Fluke OptiView Series II
PacketShaper 6500
Specifications
How we tested
Editor's choice
About RMIT |
|
||
|
|
||||
|
|
||||
Observer 10.1
The Observer is a network protocol analyser, monitor, and troubleshooting tool. It has three levels of licensing; the standalone Observer; the Expert Observer which enables you to pinpoint your network problems through expert analysis; and the Observer Suite which includes the Expert Observer plus additional network management and analysis solutions.
The standalone Observer includes a local probe that makes the local network visible to it. In order to monitor multiple networks from a single console you have to install what is called a probe. A probe collects and report network traffic and reports it back to the console.
The installation of the Observer was straightforward -- there are only a few screens to get through. The quickest way to collect information from your network is to run Discover Network Names function. All you have to do is specify your network range of addresses, then Observer resolves DNS names and IP addresses to give you a list of all of your network devices.
Observer isn't limited to only monitoring wired networks, it can also monitor your wireless network to provide you with an overall network monitoring solution. The Wireless Site Survey can see A, B, and G devices. What's really impressive is that it can show you what the link quality is like, the encryption status, and other information such as the up time of each device, and when the device was first and last seen. You can then select the "Top Talkers", which has to be one of the easiest functions to use. It allows you to see which devices are sending and receiving the most traffic on the network.
In real time it can also display the amount of bandwidth that is utilised, and how your network has been trending or performing over time.
Other features include packet capture and decoding. Application analysis, which is included in the Expert Observer and Observer Suite, can monitor your critical servers to make sure they perform in a satisfactory way. It can also show you response times as well as error counts associated with your servers. The Real-Time Expert, which is also part of the Expert Observer and Observer Suite, can analyse a problem on your network, then give you a reason for what may be causing the problem.
The overall design and layout of this tool is excellent. It makes it very easy for someone to gaze over and quickly see what's happening on their network. Network data can also be viewed in a variety of formats, and it can also be exported into easy-to-read Web-based reports.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
