For example, Opsview Monitor’s Network Analyzer can be used to highlight the highest bandwidth consumers over a set period of time and lets you keep track of the traffic while managing its retention.

the analytical tools) enable you to dive further into the data, such as the provision of a statistical view of traffic crossing your network. NFDUMP looking at two small flows taken from a NetFlow collectorĭata like the above is extremely useful when it comes to consolidating and understanding the traffic passing through your network. Wireshark also provides filter building tools that can be an invaluable time saver by preventing the need to manually mine through man pages. TCPDUMP is a brilliant tool, but it may be a bit unwieldy for those not completely aware of what they are looking for.Īs an alternative, it may be more suitable to look at graphical tools such as Wireshark, as this often provides a more workable tool-set for looking at larger volumes of traffic. Based off our own experience, I would recommend looking at TCPDUMP, a command-line packet analyzer capable of displaying and storing the traffic sent or received on a network interface in full detail. In order to do this properly, you are going to want as much available data as possible. Troubleshooting and diagnostic useĮxploring the depths of your network environment is a great way to troubleshoot problems and diagnose pain points in your environment. Whatever the reason may be, having a predefined goal in place before you set out is essential. Are you looking to better understand a specific issue? Perhaps it is more of an overall theme such as improving your awareness of what is crossing your network. Most importantly, the first thing you should focus on is “what do you want to achieve?”. In order to understand, prevent and resolve these issues, there are numerous methods available to you for your network traffic monitor. For many businesses, network performance is critical and if it’s failing or at its limit, there will be adverse effects that can cost time, money and resources. Monitoring network traffic is an incredibly powerful way to understand issues or problems within your IT environment.

Use wireshark to view network traffic