A specialized hardware device or software in a desktop or laptop computer that captures packets transmitted in a network for routine inspection and problem detection. Also called a "sniffer," "packet sniffer," "packet analyzer," "traffic analyzer" and "protocol analyzer," the network analyzer plugs into a port on a network hub or switch and decodes one or more protocols into a human-readable format for the network administrator. It can also store packets on disk for further analysis later on.
Network analyzers can also analyze the packets in real time in order to alert the administrator about problems. Hardware network analyzers can detect voltage and cable problems, which software-only analyzers cannot. See port mirroring.
Network analyzers can also analyze the packets in real time in order to alert the administrator about problems. Hardware network analyzers can detect voltage and cable problems, which software-only analyzers cannot. See port mirroring.
 | Reproduced with permission from Computer Desktop Encyclopedia. Copyright (c) 1981-2009 The Computer Language Company Inc. All rights reserved. |
Additional Resources
- Advanced Host Monitor 8.32 (Windows)
- Advanced Host Monitor is a network monitoring software that continuously monitors servers availability and performance. It checks network servers at regular intervals and takes pre-defined actions as soon as a device does not respond. HostMonitor has 60 test methods, 30 alert methods, highly flexible report and log manager. Package also...
- Software downloads 2009-11-25
- Cocoa Packet Analyzer 0.66 (Mac)
- Cocoa Packet Analyzer is a native Mac OS X implementation of a network protocol analyzer and packet sniffer. CPA supports the industry-standard PCAP packet capture format for reading, capturing and writing packet trace files. Features: Basic packet capturing (libPCAP/ tcpdump filter expressions can be used). Analyze and display...
- Software downloads 2009-11-20
- Wireshark 1.2.4 (Mac)
- Wireshark is the world's foremost network protocol analyzer, and is the standard in many industries. It is the continuation of a project that started in 1998. Hundreds of developers around the world have contributed to it, and it is still under active development. Read/write many different aWireshark is the world's...
- Software downloads 2009-11-16
- Wireshark 1.2.4 (Windows)
- Wireshark is the world's foremost network protocol analyzer, and is the standard in many industries. It is the continuation of a project that started in 1998. Hundreds of developers around the world have contributed to it, and it is still under active development. Read/write many different capture file formats: tcpdump...
- Software downloads 2009-11-16
- CommView for WiFi 6.2 build 657 (Windows)
- CommView for WiFi is a wireless network monitor and analyzer for 802.11 a/b/g/n networks. The program presents a clear, detailed picture of network traffic that facilitates the examination and analysis of packets, helping the user to pinpoint network problems and troubleshoot software and hardware. With over 70 supported protocols, CommView...
- Software downloads 2009-11-14
- SizeExplorer Pro 4.9 (Windows)
- SizeExplorer Pro is a powerful disk space usage analyzer. It provides you with a complete set of tools to help you manage your disk space easily. Features include folder size, duplicates finder, graphical charts, file distribution statistics and reports (by size, extension, type, owner, date, etc.), biggest files, network support,...
- Software downloads 2009-11-10
- Axon2010 2.10 (Windows)
- A 3D idea visualization tool developed in Prolog--an AI language. Axon operates according to cognitive principles, supports both hierarchical and network architectures, and is object-based. Axon exploits visual attributes such as color, shape, size, and depth. Axon also comes integrated with thinking tools such as a Checklist System, Idea Generator,...
- Software downloads 2009-11-05
- SIMCommander AntiVirus Analyzer 3.1.4 (Windows)
- SIMCommander K-SOC Analyzer uses a new approach to analyze virus information from different point products and expands the existing AntiVirus visibility in a dashboard. The K-SOC Analyzer dashboard is a high-level snapshot of your AntiVirus activity that can quickly and easily visualize the AntiVirus status of your network relative to...
- Software downloads 2009-10-23
- CommView 6.1 Build 636 (Windows)
- CommView is a network monitor and analyzer designed for LAN administrators, security professionals, network programmers, home users virtually anyone who wants a full picture of the traffic flowing through a PC or LAN segment. Loaded with many user-friendly features, CommView combines performance and flexibility with an ease of use unmatched...
- Software downloads 2009-10-15
- InvAn-3 2009.08 (Windows)
- Investment Analyzer InvAn is an Optimal Solution for Stock Investors. It is all-in-one tool to maximize investment return. Features: fundamental, technical, and timing analyses rating system; technical analysis charts; short-term (10-day) forecast using Neural Network; performance analysis and forecast for an individual or invested, potential and other groups of stocks;...
- Software downloads 2009-10-07
- IP Sniffer 1.98 (Windows)
- IP Sniffer is a suite of IP Tools built around a packet sniffer. The packet sniffer can work on all Windows versions using either: the new raw socket implementation of Windows2000 driverless, WinPcap needs to be installed, a NDIS protocol (needs to be installed , no reboot). IP sniffer is...
- Software downloads 2009-09-14
- FFT Properties (32 Bit) 5.0.4.22 (Windows)
- FFT Properties is a real time spectrum-network analyzer with with multi-channel support. It features parametric windows, peak interpolation, rich set of peak marking features, cepstral analysis, averaging, excellent quality 3D surface chart with unique navigation capability for spectrogram.
- Software downloads 2009-09-09
- Scrutinizer NetFlow & sFlow Analyzer 7.0 (Windows)
- Scrutinizer NetFlow & sFlow Analyzer provides incredibly detailed network utilization information for the hosts and applications causing the most traffic. Using Cisco NetFlow Technology and the sFlow standard, Scrutinizer is able to retrieve the traffic details you need and present them in a detailed graphical view. Version 7.0 adds support...
- Software downloads 2009-09-06
- Capacity Analyzer Standard Edition 4.1 (Windows)
- VKernel's patent-pending Capacity Analyzer technology will enable you to achieve maximum performance with the right amount of resources. Capacity Analyzer is the only ESX monitoring software that actually predicts problems days before they occur so you have time to fix them. Designed for enterprise scalability, Capacity Analyzer proactively monitors shared...
- Software downloads 2009-08-21
- SiSoftware Sandra 2009.SP4 (Windows)
- SiSoftware Sandra is a 32- and 64-bit client/server Windows system analyzer that includes benchmarking, testing and listing modules. It tries to go beyond other utilities to show you more of what is really going on under the hood so you draw comparisons at both a high and low-level in a...
- Software downloads 2009-08-19
- SoftPerfect Network Protocol Analyzer 2.7 (Windows)
- SoftPerfect Network Protocol Analyzer is an advanced, professional tool for analyzing, debugging, maintaining and monitoring local networks and Internet connections. It captures the data passing through your dial-up connection or network Ethernet card, analyzes this data and then represents it in an easily readable form. SoftPerfect Network Protocol Analyzer is...
- Software downloads 2009-08-06
- RidNacs 2.0 (Windows)
- RidNacs is a very fast disk space usage analyzer. It scans your local drives, network drives, or single directories and represents the result of the analysis clearly in a tree view with a percentage bar. This gives the user a quick and easy way to identify the largest directories and...
- Software downloads 2009-07-31
- Capsa Packet Sniffer 6.9 R2 (Windows)
- Capsa is an easy-to-use Ethernet packet sniffer network analyzer or network sniffer for network monitoring and troubleshooting purposes. It performs real-time packet capturing, 24/7 network monitoring, advanced protocol analyzing, in-depth packet decoding, and automatic expert diagnosing. By giving you insights into all of your network's operations, Capsa makes it easy...
- Software downloads 2009-07-08
- The Harsh Reality of Suburban Broadband, Part Deux
- Goddamit! Why have I been offline for so long? As I explained in a previous article last summer about my broadband situation, my employer, like many large technology services companies, has elected to classify my work situation as "Home-Based", in that...
- Blog posts 2009-06-26
- MaaTec Network Analyzer 1.71 (Windows)
- MaaTec Network Analyzer for Windows 98 to Vista 64-bit. With easy to use filtering and intuitive GUI. Online view of incoming packets, extensive statistics and report functions. Network load over time stats per system, protocol, connection, etc. Save results as PNG, BMP, or EMF. Reports in text or XHTML format...
- Software downloads 2009-06-25
Neighboring Terms
Premier Vendor Content Whitepapers, webcasts & resources from our Power Center Sponsors
- Learn more about tools to grow your business
-
The Business Essentials Guide provides you useful tools and templates to help grow your business and save you time with automated shipping solutions.
- Save time with the UPS Business Essentials Guide
- New Online Dashboard for IT Leaders
-
Read about top issues IT decision-makers face every day, plus get cost-effective solutions to real-life IT problems.
- Learn more >>
- The more you simplify, the more you save
-
When you transition from your existing Red Hat environment to SUSE Linux Enterprise from Novell, you can recognize dramatic cost savings, perhaps as much 50%
- Learn more >>
- Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online - Free Six-Month Trial for Eligible Organizations
-
Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online provides fast online access, simple contact management and better sales performance for a low monthly cost - the best value on the market today.
- Learn more about the free, six-month trial offer>>
SmartPlanet
- Thought-provoking progressive ideas on diverse topics that intersect with technology, business, and life, and matter to the world at large. Visit SmartPlanet
- More from IBM
-
- How to Drive Better Business Outcomes with Exceptional Web Experiences Download the eBook
- Driving Business Agility through SOA Connectivity & Integration Read the White Paper from IBM
- Linking Decisions and Information for Organizational Performance Read the Tom Davenport study
