## Network Integration Tools

Most versions of UNIX come with the ability to capture network traffic in a raw form. The tcpdump program is probably the most well-known public domain utility for this purpose. Many third-party commercial packages are also available as well as dedicated hardware-based protocol analyzers.

Microsoft Windows NT® Server includes Network Monitor, a protocol analyzer that parses TCP/IP, IPX/SPX, NetBUEI, and AppleTalk protocols. The version of Network Monitor included with Windows NT Server is limited because it captures broadcasts and traffic originating from or addressed to the computer on which it is running. This is actually good, as you probably do not want everyone with a copy Windows NT Server to be able to "sniff" your network.

Note Microsoft Systems Management Server includes a version of Network Monitor that has the ability to capture all network traffic as well as traffic from a remote computer running a Network Monitor Agent. This provides a similar capability to RMON devices, which collect data on remote networks and transmit it to central monitoring stations.

©1997 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Legal Notices.
Last Updated: December 1, 1997