Network Monitor

[BudT]

Can anyone recommend a good network monitoring program that will tell which system is utilizing the most network resources. We would like it to be real time, so we can tell which systems are using the most of our Internet connection.

Thanks in advance for any assistance provided.

 

[raztaboule]

ntop can do it well.

 

[BudT]

What does ntop run on? Is there a Wins version?

 

[raztaboule]

http://www.ntop.org/ntop.html

looks like there is one, but i never try it.

 

[BudT]

That is only a limited version, capturs only 1000 packets. not what I am looking for.

There must be some product out there thats simple to use.

 

[patrckb]

It all depends upon what you define as "system."

In the strickest sense of the term, it can mean which host. In the looser sense it can mean which application which could involve a series of hosts.

To find out which host is sending and receiving the most packets, then most protocol analyzer products will give you a Top Talker report. I favor the Network General Sniffer / Reporter set of products. They do decent reporting and EXCELLENT troubleshooting. They also cost (in some cases a great deal of ) money.

If you mean free network monitoring product then you have to get real creative.

MRTG (

http://www.mrtg.org)

will graph packets in / out of each port of your server farm switch. Integrate RRDTool with it (

http://people.ee.ethz.ch/~oetiker/webtools/rrdtool/)You

can then write a script that will query the rrdtool files for the top talkers.

Another option is FlowScan (

http://people.ee.ethz.ch/~oetiker/webtools/rrdtool/rrdworld/flowscan.html).

It will show you the "flows" through any device that can output flow data. This option will require a lot of effort to make work. But it has the possibility of showing you your application utilization and is by no means simple.

What you are asking for may sound simple, but the underlying structure needed to obtain those kinds of reports is not. To get the information means either exerting funds or time and energy or ususally both.

Patrick

Patrick Bartkus, CCNP, CNX, SCM, RHCT Sr. Network Engineer
GA Dept of Labor IT Network Services
If truth were not absolute, how could there be justice?

 

[SwapSawe]

Hi !!!

There is this software called ethereal which not only catches the bandwidth eater it also tells you what type of traffic flows. You can also put up filters on the kind of packet flows, the source and destination IP to get the optimum results.

It is more of a protocol analyzer and hence can even sit on a local node. But ofcourse the real power of ethereal can be observed on gateways.

SwapSawe.

 

[rwullems]

if you like ethereal, try also packetyzer, it is ethereal with a niver gui
regards,
Robert

 

[trible]

Hello,
have a look to nagios.

http://www.nagios.org

It´s a very powerfull monitoring tool..

best regards

Uwe

 

[dayhawk]

what do you guys think of SolarWinds.net and their Orion Web-based series? I am thinking of purchasing it.

 

[bcastner]

By system I suspect you mean which user workstation.

http://www.kerio.com/kerio-pr-us-2003-729.html