Network Probe
Posted by: Jim Losi on: 11/10/2003 12:00 AM [ Print | 0 comment(s) ]
Lets face it, we live in a networked world, an insecure and abused world at that. Most of the network administrators would agree. We also live in a world where the term “Acceptable Use Policy” is common among employees and it is something that admins must try to enforce as well making sure things run smooth. I am one of those admins and I have found a tool that helps provide me with the information that I need.
Network Probe is an administrative tool that has backed me up and helped me find sources of abuse on several occasions. Lets start from the beginning.
Installation is standard and easy. If you have an earlier version of Network Probe, it will remove and install the new version. Once installed you are prompted to enter a password for the client. Network Probe is a browser-based application so you will need to have already installed the JAVA runtime environment (JRE) (http://java.sun.com) in order to use it.
Network Probe gives you the option to select which NIC you want to track off of as well as letting you specify the duration in which to collect information. This can be useful if you only wish to track certain time frames for short or long reporting.
<center>
[thumb]networkprobe1.jpg[/thumb]
</center>
Network Probe has a user account system that lets you add users that can login into the application so you can assign assistants to view data and help you trouble shoot. It also allows you to specify protocols and IP’s in which to wish to filter or include so you can focus on one particular part of your network. This is very helpful if you’re trying to pinpoint specific problem areas, connections or people abusing the internet when they should be working.
<center>
[thumb]networkprobe2.jpg[/thumb]
</center>
Network Probe has multiple tabs that allow you to view conversation activity by protocol, hostname, network card or MAC address. You have three graphical data views to select from on the right; you may even export your data to the clipboard to save to a file later. If applicable, the display automatically parses HTTP addresses for ease of following if you feel it necessary.
<center>
[thumb]networkprobe5.png[/thumb] [thumb]networkprobe4.jpg[/thumb]
</center>
While running the probe, I did not find that my network suffered from any noticeable performance hit which makes this application pretty much transparent. Additionally, I found no client side performance hit what-so-ever. If you wanted to, the client configuration allows you to run Network Probe as a service on Windows NT based OS’s.
The help file is very well done, providing you with complete overviews of all the functions of the application. If you have questions about the software, you’ll most likely find an answer.
<center>
[thumb]networkprobe3.jpg[/thumb]
</center>
If your department doesn’t have deep pockets and you need a simple tool to scan your network for specific activity, for tracking and / or for reporting purposes, then I would definitely give Network Probe a try.
Score: <img src="http://www.majorgeeks.com/images/review/star.gif"><img src="http://www.majorgeeks.com/images/review/star.gif"><img src="http://www.majorgeeks.com/images/review/star.gif"><img src="http://www.majorgeeks.com/images/review/star.gif"><img src="http://www.majorgeeks.com/images/review/star_half.gif"> (4.5/5 Stars)
Network Probe is an administrative tool that has backed me up and helped me find sources of abuse on several occasions. Lets start from the beginning.
Installation is standard and easy. If you have an earlier version of Network Probe, it will remove and install the new version. Once installed you are prompted to enter a password for the client. Network Probe is a browser-based application so you will need to have already installed the JAVA runtime environment (JRE) (http://java.sun.com) in order to use it.
Network Probe gives you the option to select which NIC you want to track off of as well as letting you specify the duration in which to collect information. This can be useful if you only wish to track certain time frames for short or long reporting.
<center>
[thumb]networkprobe1.jpg[/thumb]
</center>
Network Probe has a user account system that lets you add users that can login into the application so you can assign assistants to view data and help you trouble shoot. It also allows you to specify protocols and IP’s in which to wish to filter or include so you can focus on one particular part of your network. This is very helpful if you’re trying to pinpoint specific problem areas, connections or people abusing the internet when they should be working.
<center>
[thumb]networkprobe2.jpg[/thumb]
</center>
Network Probe has multiple tabs that allow you to view conversation activity by protocol, hostname, network card or MAC address. You have three graphical data views to select from on the right; you may even export your data to the clipboard to save to a file later. If applicable, the display automatically parses HTTP addresses for ease of following if you feel it necessary.
<center>
[thumb]networkprobe5.png[/thumb] [thumb]networkprobe4.jpg[/thumb]
</center>
While running the probe, I did not find that my network suffered from any noticeable performance hit which makes this application pretty much transparent. Additionally, I found no client side performance hit what-so-ever. If you wanted to, the client configuration allows you to run Network Probe as a service on Windows NT based OS’s.
The help file is very well done, providing you with complete overviews of all the functions of the application. If you have questions about the software, you’ll most likely find an answer.
<center>
[thumb]networkprobe3.jpg[/thumb]
</center>
If your department doesn’t have deep pockets and you need a simple tool to scan your network for specific activity, for tracking and / or for reporting purposes, then I would definitely give Network Probe a try.
Score: <img src="http://www.majorgeeks.com/images/review/star.gif"><img src="http://www.majorgeeks.com/images/review/star.gif"><img src="http://www.majorgeeks.com/images/review/star.gif"><img src="http://www.majorgeeks.com/images/review/star.gif"><img src="http://www.majorgeeks.com/images/review/star_half.gif"> (4.5/5 Stars)
