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Analyze Your Network With Commview

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PCQ Bureau
New Update

CommView is a program for monitoring network activity capable of capturing and analyzing packets on any Ethernet network. It gathers information about data flowing on a LAN and decodes the analyzed data. Using CommView one can see the list of network connections, vital IP statistics, and examine individual packets. IP packets are decoded down to the lowest layer with full analysis of the main IP protocols: TCP, UDP, and ICMP. Full access to raw data is also provided. Captured packets can be saved to log files for future analysis. You can access the Statistics panel where you will find detailed graphs and pie charts for literally every aspect of your network activity. Packet filters are available which let the admin decide the kind of packets which are to be captured and allow the ones which are not of interest to pass thorugh. CommView is a helpful tool for LAN administrators, security professionals, network programmers, and anyone who wants to have a full picture of the traffic going through a PC or LAN segment. Available for Windows OS, the trial version is active for 30 days post which the full version can be purchased online. The simple and easy to use interface of Commview does not require much expertise to understand and use.

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The user interface of Commview gives a detailed description of all systems on the network. This can be used to keep a log of all IP addresses already assigned.

All packets to and from the n/w are monitored. The protocol through which the packet is routed, source and destination Mac/ IP address of the packet are also avaialble.

 Logging of network packets can be scheduled and customized. The log helps maintain a record of network activity and packet movement which can be archived or used later.

Rules for customized capture of packets can be set using the Rules tab.The admin can set rules regarding MAC/ IP address, protocols and direction of packet routing.

 Scheduled capturing of network activity can be used to monitor an activity at a particular time in the day even when the admin is not present.

The network admin may not exactly remember the system or hardware component allocated to a particular IP. A commonly used name alias can be provided to this specific IP.

Remote Monitoring is also possible  using the remote monitoring mode in the file menu. Commview agent needs to be installed on both the target and the host system for this.

The statistics panel in the view menu provides detailed graphs and pie charts for all aspects of the n/w activity. This helps in giving a real time pictorial view of the activity of  the network.

N/w usage based on protocols can be obtained from the packets sub-menu in statistics tab. This helps to understand the requirements of the different protocols for the n/w.

One can set customized alarms based on formulas, unknown IP addresses and more. Alarms are actionable too as a specified event can be triggered if anything goes wrong.

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