Network analysis tools study the network in and out, checks for any blockers and if there are, then analyze it and give the results. These tools are important in the world of communication as it is not easy to analyze the network by self. The tools project all the working paths of the networks connected to the system. The tools monitor the performance and the traffic of the networks and the IP addresses. Most of the tools will be similar to the monitoring tools. There are many paid and free tools for analysis of the network.
Network analysis tools are important to anyone who works with the system and communication. Imagine that while using the system, if there are network issues, it can be irritating. And if there are no tools that are analyzing the network, it could take time to dig out the reason for the network issue.
Here are some popular network analysis tools:
- Wireshark
- tcpdump
- PRTG Network Monitor
- SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor
- NetFlow Analyzer
- Nagios
- Colasoft Capsa
- NetCrunch
- Riverbed SteelCentral Packet Analyzer:
- Microsoft Message Analyzer
1. Wireshark:
Wireshark is a widely used network protocol analyzer that captures and analyzes network traffic in real time. It supports a vast range of protocols and provides detailed insights into packet-level data.
Key features:
- Packet Capturing: Wireshark allows you to capture network packets in real time from various network interfaces and save them for offline analysis. It supports a vast range of protocols and can capture packets from wired and wireless networks.
- Protocol Analysis: Wireshark provides detailed protocol analysis capabilities. It decodes captured packets and presents them in a human-readable format, allowing you to inspect packet headers, payloads, and other relevant information for various network protocols.
- Filtering and Search: Wireshark offers powerful filtering and search capabilities to focus on specific packets of interest. You can apply filters based on various criteria, such as IP addresses, protocols, port numbers, and packet contents. The search functionality helps you locate specific packets or data within the captured traffic.
2. tcpdump:
tcpdump is a command-line packet analyzer available for Unix-like operating systems. It captures and displays network traffic based on specified filters, allowing for detailed analysis and troubleshooting.
Key features:
- Packet Capturing: tcpdump allows you to capture network packets in real time from one or more network interfaces. It supports various packet capture filters to capture specific types of traffic based on criteria like source/destination IP addresses, port numbers, and protocols.
- Flexible Display Filters: tcpdump provides flexible display filters that allow you to view captured packets selectively. You can apply filters based on various criteria to focus on specific packets or protocols of interest. This helps in analyzing specific aspects of network traffic.
- Protocol Decoding: tcpdump can decode captured packets and display their contents in a human-readable format. It supports a wide range of network protocols and provides detailed information about packet headers, payload, and other relevant information.
3. PRTG Network Monitor:
PRTG Network Monitor is a comprehensive network monitoring tool that includes network analysis capabilities. It provides real-time monitoring, alerts, and reports on network performance, bandwidth usage, and device health.
Key features:
- It has 10 built-in technologies like email, pushes, and play alarm audio files for alerting.
- It provides fully featured web interfaces for desktop, iOS, and Android devices.
- For failover tolerant monitoring, every license will come with a single failover.
- It will provide in-depth reporting. Reports can be scheduled or run on demand.
- The tool will allow you to export the reports in PDF, HTML, XML, or CSV files.
4. SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor:
SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor offers network analysis features alongside its broader network monitoring capabilities. It provides real-time visibility into network performance, detects issues, and offers insights into network traffic patterns.
Key features:
- It has functionalities for wireless network monitoring and management.
- It will allow you to view the performance metrics for autonomous access points.
- It has features for advanced alerting and auto-generating intelligent maps.
- For the critical network firewalls, switches, and load balancers, SolarWinds will provide a visual representation of performance.
5. NetFlow Analyzer:
NetFlow Analyzer is a tool that analyzes NetFlow and other flow-based data to provide insights into network traffic patterns, bandwidth utilization, and application performance. It helps in identifying anomalies and optimizing network resources.
Key features:
- Flow Collection and Analysis: NetFlow Analyzer collects flow data from routers, switches, and other network devices that support NetFlow or other flow technologies. It analyzes the flow data to provide detailed information about network traffic, including source and destination IP addresses, port numbers, protocols, and data volume.
- Bandwidth Monitoring: The tool offers comprehensive bandwidth monitoring capabilities. It helps you identify bandwidth-hungry applications, track bandwidth utilization trends, and optimize network resources. You can view real-time and historical bandwidth usage reports to understand traffic patterns and identify potential bottlenecks.
- Traffic Analysis and Troubleshooting: NetFlow Analyzer enables detailed traffic analysis to identify network anomalies, security threats, and performance issues. It helps you detect abnormal traffic patterns, pinpoint the source of network congestion, and troubleshoot connectivity problems.
6. Nagios:
Nagios is an open-source network monitoring and management tool that includes network analysis capabilities. It can monitor network devices, services, and applications and provide alerts and reports on network performance and availability.
Key features:
- It can monitor the availability of nodes and their uptime.
- It can also watch the response time of every node.
- It provides reports and visual representations.
- It performs network monitoring for issues like crashed servers, etc.
- Network Monitoring Software supports Microsoft, VMWare, and Linux.
7. Colasoft Capsa:
Capsa is a network analyzer that offers real-time packet capturing, protocol analysis, and network troubleshooting capabilities. It provides detailed network statistics, traffic analysis, and performance monitoring.
Key features:
- Real-Time Packet Capturing: Capsa allows you to capture network packets in real-time from multiple network interfaces. It supports various capture options, including promiscuous mode and VLAN capturing, to ensure comprehensive packet capture.
- Protocol Analysis: Capsa provides detailed protocol analysis capabilities. It decodes captured packets and presents them in a human-readable format, allowing you to inspect packet headers, payloads, and other relevant information for various network protocols.
- Network Performance Monitoring: Capsa offers real-time network performance monitoring features. It provides insights into network bandwidth utilization, packet loss, latency, and other performance metrics. You can monitor network performance in real time and identify bottlenecks or issues affecting network performance.
8. NetCrunch:
NetCrunch is a network monitoring and visualization tool that includes network analysis features. It offers real-time monitoring, alerting, and analysis of network performance, device health, and traffic patterns.
Key features:
- Real-time Monitoring: NetCrunch provides real-time monitoring of network devices, servers, applications, and services. It offers a unified dashboard that displays the status, availability, and performance metrics of all monitored elements.
- Auto-Discovery: The tool features automatic network discovery, which allows it to scan and identify network devices and services. It dynamically updates the network topology map as new devices are added or removed, providing an accurate representation of the network infrastructure.
- Alerting and Notifications: NetCrunch enables proactive monitoring through customizable alerts and notifications. It can send notifications via email, SMS, or other means, alerting you to network issues, performance degradation, or service disruptions.
9. Riverbed SteelCentral Packet Analyzer:
SteelCentral Packet Analyzer is a network analysis tool by Riverbed Technology. It captures and analyzes network packets, provides deep insights into application performance, and helps diagnose network issues.
Key features:
- Packet Capture and Analysis: SteelCentral Packet Analyzer captures and analyzes network packets in real time. It supports capturing packets from various network interfaces and provides powerful filtering capabilities to focus on specific packets or protocols of interest.
- Protocol Decoding: The tool decodes captured packets and presents them in a human-readable format, allowing you to examine packet headers, payloads, and other relevant information for a wide range of network protocols.
- Traffic Visualization: SteelCentral Packet Analyzer offers visual representations of network traffic, including interactive graphs, charts, and timelines. These visualizations help in understanding traffic patterns, identifying anomalies, and correlating network events.
10. Microsoft Message Analyzer:
Microsoft Message Analyzer is a powerful network analysis tool specifically designed for Windows environments. It captures and analyzes various types of network traffic, including log files, trace logs, and network captures.
Key features:
- Real-time Packet Capture: NetMon allows you to capture network packets in real time from various network interfaces, including Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and VPN connections.
- Protocol Parsing and Analysis: The tool can parse and analyze captured packets, providing detailed information about protocols, headers, payloads, and other relevant packet data.
- Filter and Search Capabilities: NetMon offers robust filtering and search capabilities, allowing you to filter packets based on specific criteria (e.g., IP addresses, port numbers, protocols) and search for specific packet content.
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