Feature # 1: Monitor statistics

EtherPeek NX™

> ## Feature # 1: Monitor statistics

> #### Real-time statistics monitor traffic patterns

> Monitor statistics provide insight into the overall flow of network traffic. They are like the view from a traffic helicopter and can indicate bottlenecks and anomalies. Use these windows to identify trends and current conditions that may signal unexpected network problems.

> The Monitor statistics functions keep only the aggregate information needed to provide an updated tally of all the tracked parameters. Data collection for Monitor statistics is independent of any Capture windows, and cannot be altered by filters, triggers, or any other function.

> ### Selecting an adapter for monitor statistics

> The first time you start EtherPeek NX, you will be asked to select an adapter to be used to collect Monitor statistics. By default, Monitor statistics begin calculation based on the traffic that is passed to EtherPeek NX from the adapter selected in the Adapter view of the Monitor Options dialog and continue to accumulate while EtherPeek NX is running.

> To begin collecting Monitor statistics:

> 1. Launch the program by choosing WildPackets EtherPeek NX from the Start menu.
> 2. Choose any supported Ethernet adapter from the list displayed in the Adapter view of the Monitor Options dialog.
> 3. EtherPeek NX will use this adapter, placing it in a "promiscuous" mode in which the adapter captures all traffic seen by the selected adapter, regardless of its destination address.

> Note: As an alternative, you can choose a File as your adapter. If you choose New File Adapter, you can open any EtherPeek (*.pkt) packet file, such as those in the Samples directory in the main program directory. EtherPeek NX will cycle through the packets in the chosen file, allowing you to simulate most aspects of "live" functionality.

> 1. Under the Monitor menu, make sure the Monitor Statistics item has a check mark beside it, showing that it is enabled. If it does not, click the item to enable it.

> 1. EtherPeek NX will begin calculating Monitor statistics based on all the traffic seen on the selected adapter and will continue to collect Monitor statistics from the selected adapter until you quit the program or reset statistics.

> ### Monitoring with Summary Statistics

> The Summary Statistics feature allows you to monitor key network statistics in real time and save these statistics for later comparison. Use this feature to baseline "normal" network activity, save the data, then compare saved statistics with those observed during periods of erratic network behavior to help pinpoint the cause of the problem.

> Summary statistics are also extremely valuable in comparing the performance of two different network segments. For example, a field support engineer could compare the real-time statistics on a client's network with a saved "healthy" router snapshot and easily diagnose or eliminate the source of inconsistent or poor router performance.

> To view Summary Statistics:

> 1. Choose Summary from the Monitor menu to open the Summary Statistics window.

> 1. Click the Snapshot button in the window header. The real-time network traffic data displayed in the Current column will be copied to a new column identified as "Snapshot #" (where # is the sequence number of the snapshot). The new snapshot column will also show the date and start time at which the snapshot was made.
> 2. Choose Save Summary Statistics from the File menu (or the context menu) to save the information to a text file.
> 3. You can also periodically save Summary Statistics from Monitor statistics or from the Summary view of an open Capture window using the CSV Row Report in the Statistics Output views of (respectively) the Monitor Options or the Capture Options dialogs. Each time this report is saved, it adds a single row to the output text file. Each row contains the whole contents of the Current column as comma separated values (csv).

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