The Complete High Performance Solution: Protocol Analysis, Expert Event Notification & Modeling, SNMP Management, RMON Console/Probe & Web Reporting

Troubleshoot Any Network Problem, Anywhere, at Any Time With Complete Protocol Analysis, Expert Systems, Distributed Architecture, SNMP, RMON and Web Access for Shared and Switched Networks

The ultimate toolbox for troubleshooting and maintaining your network™

The Observer Suite includes all the features of Observer and Expert Observer - plus an integrated SNMP console and management interface, an integrated RMON1/2, HCRMON console and management interface, a built-in web server and web based access to trending and reporting via a built-in web server.

The Observer Suite's built in Probe is a complete Multi-Probe, allowing any other Expert Observer or Observer suite to monitor local interfaces.

   • Convert your PC or laptop into a powerful protocol analyzer
   • Instantly access the effectiveness of network changes
   • Pinpoint difficult problems through real-time or post-capture expert analysis
   • Obtain instant expert explanations online for each event and item
   • Optimize specific network devices through the full-featured SNMP  
     management console
   • Monitor, analyze and troubleshoot a group of LANs/WANs or Wireless networks
     from a central site
   • View multi-segment LANs/WANs by adding Advanced or RMON2 software probes
   • Monitor all ports on a switch
   • View Observer statistics from any web browser using the built-in web server
   • Configure and update SNMP device parameters all from a single location

Observer's Main Console (click for larger image)

The Ultimate Tool For The Most Demanding Power User Observer Suite

Observer® Suite: A cost-effective, software-only, Windows-based tool that extends Observer's core functions integrating multiple networking technologies, creating the most comprehensive toolkit available, capable of analyzing any network problem, anywhere, at any time, from the network administrator's PC.

Observer Suite is a network monitor and protocol analyzer for Ethernet, Wireless 802.11a/b/g, Token Ring and FDDI. Observer Suite puts metrics, capture/decode and trending for both shared and switched network environments.

Observer Suite offers both real-time monitoring and troubleshooting, as well as a complete trending and baselining collection system to view historical data collected for days, weeks, months or even years. Observer Suite provides a complete management solution for even the most complex LAN/WAN environments.

Simply Put: The Observer Suite Is The Most Complete, Feature-Rich Network Management And Analysis Product Available Anywhere.

Observer is the only tool that can truly and effectively stop multi-vendor finger pointing. Once a problem has been captured, there can be no argument as to where the problem is located and which vendor is responsible.

Observer offers several modes of analysis to help you isolate specific network problems by focusing on different aspects of your network.

Observer Suite Q&A:
Example problems Observer Suite can help isolate:

Why are host sessions "hanging"?
Observer's capture and decode will show which system sent the last packet and which system failed to respondÊhost or workstation.

Why has access to the company's main database become so slow?
Observer Suite will identify the client/server relationships automatically and display expert analysis statistics, including slow response times, busy network or server problems and retransmissons.

Will moving to Gigabit increase my network response time?
Observer Suite's What-If Analysis lets you create unlimited scenario analysis based on your captured data. This allows you to accurately determine the impact of changing variables such as network bandwidth, response time, and number of users and latency.

How can I isolate intermittent problems?
Observer Suite's Time Interval Analysis of data transmissions is displayed as a "drill down" from any problem identified in the IP/TCP/UDP Experts. Viewing errors by time periods will show whether a problem is sporadic or consistent throughout the day.

Can I view utilization and errors on a multi-interface router uplink?
You can use the SNMP reporting to query any router and view link utilizations and errors in chart or graphical form. Additionally, long term trending can offer period and comparison reports for management and SLA verification.

Implementing VoIP, and need a tool to verify performance and check compliance?
Observer Suite's complete decode of H.323, including VoIP, insures you will have the tools you need when voice and data problems arise.

At what point will the added VoIP traffic critically impact the quality of network communication?
VoIP Expert displays jitter and percentage of lost packets for each VoIP pair, and both the amount of network utilization the conversation is consuming and the total VoIP utilization on the network. With both utilization and jitter data, problems can be easily pinpointed, and predictions of future capacity can be made.

I have outside consultants working on my LAN, and need to provide access to traffic data but don't want to provide decode capabilitiesÊcan WEB Extension help?
WEB Extension can provide aggregate trending flow and SNMP data, without opening the security hole of providing packed decode.

A Summary of Observer Suite's Major Functions:

Packet Capture/Decode
Decode Decodes all primary protocols and subprotocols over 500 protocols decoded, and over 4000 unique frame types recognized.
Filters Inclusive, exclusive, address range, error, library of protocol presets and offsets, custom offsets with use of up to twenty offsets simultaneously.

Real-Time Statistics
Bandwidth Utilization Shows your LAN's (or switches') current bandwidth (or throughput).

Top Talkers Top stations, receiving, sending & total traffic. Includes percent, total packets, broadcasts, multicasts (each per second) for each station on your LAN.

Protocol Statistics Breakdown of all traffic by protocols and subprotocols presented in table or graph format. Up to 255 user-configurable IP protocols.

Pair Statistics (Matrix) Tracks all conversation pairs on the LAN. Graphical matrix shows pair conversations with lines that reflect total traffic flow.

Internet Observer Shows user's Internet usage in three views:
   • Internet Patrol Displays individual users' Internet usage.
   • IP to IP Pairs (Matrix) Displays true layer 3 IP addresses.
   • IP Subprotocols by Station Displays each users' specific Internet (or any IP)
     usage by service.

Error Tracking
Vital Signs Display Displays network errors for Ethernet, Token Ring or FDDI.

Ethernet Packets too big/small, CRC, collisions, alignment. Token Ring All 29 MAC layer errors reported by Type I, II, III and beacon. FDDI all 183 SMT and MAC layer errors reported. For wireless 802.11 all MAC, control and data errors are reported.

Errors by Station For Ethernet, Observer Suite includes standard ErrorTrak™ NDIS drivers that allow tracking of Ethernet Errors by station. For 802.11, Token Ring and FDDI, errors by station are displayed with standard adapter drivers.

One-Button Solutions
Efficiency History Measures and grades data-carrying capacity of a network. Provides an independent baseline assessment of changes and additions.

Router Observer Lets you focus Observer Suite on a specific device (usually a router). Displays packets, bytes, packets and bytes/sec plus percent of the device's interface being used.

Switch Statistics
Switched Modes Observer Suite uses advanced sampling and scripting to loop through all ports on your switch and collect statistics on a port-by-port basis.

Historical Trending
Network Trending Trending mode with viewer allows user to collect, store, view and analyze the network traffic over days, weeks, months, and even years.

Distributed Via the Internal Multi-Probe
Extensible via the built-in Multi-Probe, the Observer Suite's monitoring interfaces are available to be viewed by any other Expert Observer or Observer Suite's console. Sharing interfaces allows for problem collaboration and knowledge sharing amongst administrators.

Additional Features
Traffic Generator Allows generation of traffic for testing purposes. User can specify packet type, packet size, packets/sec, time period to generate, destination, source and number of packets to send.

Discover Network Names Discovers all MAC addresses and auto-aliases for IP, NetWare or Microsoft. Each is configurable a DNS lookup for IP, for IPX a NetWare server query for login names, for Microsoft NetBIOS login names are found for each hard address.

Observer Suite's built-In extensions put the power in your hands from expert analysis to reporting via a web browser.

Expert Analysis
Observer Suite's real-time expert offer both expert event identification, and expert analysis and modeling. Local and remote traffic is analyzed using different criteria to make certain your troubleshooting time is not clouded with false events due to WAN or Internet connections. A summary of expert features includes:
    • Instant On-Line Expert Explanation Help
    • Expert Summary Problem Analysis
    • Expert Event and Problem Identification for:
            – TCP
            – UDP
            – ICMP
            – IPX/SPX
            – NetBIOS/NetBEUI
            – Wireless 802.11(a/b/g)
            – SQL
            – WAN
    • Time Interval Analysis
    • Graphical Connection Dynamics
    • Server Load Analysis
    • "What If" Modeling
    • WAN Compare  - Tracks conversations and response times across a WAN
      without the need for expensive time synchronization equipment
    • Application Analysis

SNMP Device Management and Data Collection
While Observer monitors network traffic, SNMP (Simple Network Protocol) is the standard for monitoring specific network devices. With Observer Suite, the benefits of protocol/traffic analysis and full SNMP device management no longer need to be two separate activities. Observer Suite offers complete SNMP device management, supporting multiple views of SNMP device data, and both readable and writable SNMP objects through Observer or a web browser. The Observer Suite's SNMP offers a variety of reporting tools, including highly configurable charts, tables, lists and graphical objects (forms). Traps are fully supported and multiple notifications are available upon trap reception. A MIB compiler is included to offer support for any vendor's SNMPv1 or SNMPv2 MIBs.
   • Complete SNMP Management Console
   • Complete router, switch or any SNMP compliant device configuration tool
   • Single tool for multi-vendor hardware networks
   • Remote console for SNMP based devices anywhere on your LAN/WAN
     or connected by the Internet

RMON Probe Device Management and Data Collection
The RMON console in the Suite monitors and controls any RMON-standard device router, switch, server, or hardware probe or program anywhere on the network. The RMON included is fully compliant with all RMON1 and RMON2 specifications, and fully supports all 19 RMON groups. A single management tool for multi-vendor networks that includes:
   • A remote console for RMON based devices anywhere on your LAN/WAN
     or connected by the Internet
   • A cost effective RMON analysis solution

Web Reporting
The Suite's Web server and interface expands the availability of Observer's analysis statistics to any platform that supports a Web browser. Trending information is collected by Observer and reports are dynamically generated on a request-by-request basis from any browser. Reports can be configured to display data based on time, station(s), or SNMP data. Provides non-Observer users controlled access to LAN or WAN baseline data including:
   • Access current or historical statistics from any browser, anywhere
   • See real-time statistics with granularity down to 1 minute

Observer Suite System Requirements:
Minimum: Windows 2000 or later, a supported network adapter, a mouse, and a color monitor running at 1024x768 resolution. Recommended: A color monitor running at 1280x1024 or greater resolution.