Network General Releases New Version of Sniffer Troubleshooter

Network General Corporation has announced a new version of its Sniffer Portable network fault and performance management solution.

Described as a multi-topology software-only solution, Sniffer Portable 4.8 employs Network General's Expert analysis technology to manage and troubleshoot local network segments. Using full-line rate captures, Sniffer Portable analyzes packets and reports data in real-time, allowing network administrators to respond immediately to network performance issues. According to Network General, the solution's advanced filters provide fine visibility down to specific IP ranges, subnets and port numbers, and can identify specific signatures in packets which to zero in network problems.

"The Expert analysis capability provides comprehensive details on network errors with specific troubleshooting advice " both spotting the problem when it occurs as well as providing a solution," Network General's Sniffer product line manager Tom Bienkowski said in a statement. "This ability to automatically determine exact problems and solutions can save an IT department time and money."

According to Network General, the ability to perform real-time performance analyses is particularly valuable for mobile and converged networks. The new version of Sniffer Portable offers advanced wireless network monitoring features and can work in tandem with the company's Sniffer Voice solution to target jitter, packet loss out-of-sequence packets and latency.