Breaking News - Networking:

Network Instruments Intros Solution For Distributed Networks

Network Instruments LLC, a developer of distributed, user-friendly and affordable network management, analysis and troubleshooting solutions, unveiled the new Advanced Expert Probe specifically designed to perform packet capture and decodes as well as vital Expert Analysis at the probe level. With this new remote monitoring solution, IT Administrators can obtain comprehensive real-time statistics and packet capture data from remote networks for faster troubleshooting and analysis.

The Advanced Expert Probe differs from other probes by including built-in analysis and more efficient data transfer. First, all Expert analysis and Expert processing is performed at the individual probe and only the results (i.e. screen updates) are transferred to the local Expert Observer or Observer Suite console. Real-Time Expert Analysis can occur over longer periods of time at remote locations greatly reducing network traffic. This speeds troubleshooting by offering a quicker breakdown of critical issues.

Second, the Expert Probe optimizes remote viewing of decodes. Only the packet header is transferred to the console. When a full decode is desired, network managers simply click on the packet header to instantly review the decode in real-time. The entire decode is not transmitted over the wire, only screen updates -- allowing for quicker review of key data without any impacts on the network.

"When there is a network problem, every minute counts," said Douglas Smith, president of Network Instruments. "One of our tasks as a network management company is to find new ways to make network monitoring quicker, easier, and less complicated. The new Advanced Expert Probe will save critical amounts of time when analyzing remote networks. Before our new Expert Probe IT Administrators had to load the entire packet decode over the wire and then could review the decode or perform Expert Analysis. With the new Expert Probe, all Expert Analysis is performed in real-time, without having to transfer heavy amounts of data over the wire."

Many IT Departments, such as the Dallas County Community College District, rely on Observer's Expert Analysis to quickly find and solve network problems. With the new Advanced Expert Probe, Associate District Director Steve Glick can immediately obtain real-time analysis and decodes across the institution's seven different locations.

"On countless occasions Observer's Expert has allowed us to rapidly identify and address network anomalies that were having disastrous effects on our network," said Glick. "Observer's Expert Probe now allows us to affordably capture and analyze packets from any of our LANs that are located throughout Dallas County with all of the power and convenience of a local analyzer."

Like all of Network Instruments products, the Expert Probe works with all network topologies (LAN, 802.11a/b/g, Gigabit, WAN). The Advanced Expert Probe incorporates all the features of the popular Advanced Multi-Probe, including the ability to initiate up to 64 sessions simultaneously for a multi-faceted view of data flow, and allows multiple Observer consoles to view the same probe concurrently for greater problem solving capabilities.

"The new Advanced Expert Probe will be our top-of-the-line software probe," said Bruce Clark, vice president of sales for Network Instruments. "However, it is also available pre-loaded on any of our hardware systems, including our new GigaTrunk and GigaStor units. With the Network Instruments Distributed Network Analysis (NI-DNA) architecture, all of our products are designed to work together seamlessly and as a result, the Advanced Expert Probe folds easily into our robust network monitoring product line."