I cut my IT teeth on packet analyzers, so I wanted to see what the Manager and Controller combo could
do. The Manager offers a complete packet-capture program that shows info on protocols in use. NexVu says the product can decode more than 800 protocols and 3,700 applications. Among the supported protocols are those for Oracle, SAP and KaZaa.
The wizard for building a packet-capture filter is straightforward, but the functions are too simple. I could filter traffic based on traffic source, destination or both. I could choose protocol type, packet length, and broadcast or multicast packets. Further, I could set rules to refine the captured traffic. The rules are connected with a selectable global meta-rule that lets you decide how data will be captured: if any rule's condition is met, if all rules' conditions are met, if any rule's conditions are not met, or if no rule's conditions are met. The product does not let you define multiple filter rule sets or capture traffic based on data content. In comparison, WildPackets' EtherPeek and Network Associates Sniffer's offer more flexible rule sets.
Overall, Manager's packet-capture capabilities aren't as feature-rich or easy to use as those offered by Sniffer and EtherPeek, but they are more than adequate for most network troubleshooting. They're available where you need them, when you need them. And they're designed so the captured data is not sent over your WAN; instead only screen updates are sent, helping to preserve bandwidth and maintain security.
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