Essential Computer Security

Introduction

Network administrators are responsible for maintaining the availability and integrity of the network and ensuring that the network functions as optimally as possible. To meet that responsibility and deliver the best possible network experience, network administrators need to have the right tools to efficiently monitor and troubleshoot network issues.

Colasoft Capsa Enterprise is an enterprise-class network analyzer (also known as a network sniffer, packet sniffer, or protocol analyzer).With Capsa Enterprise you can perform real-time capture of network traffic, and monitor the network 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Capsa Enterprise allows you to get a comprehensive view of complex network traffic, conduct packet-level analysis, and troubleshoot network performance problems.

Pros

• Comprehensive features and functions
• Affordable, cost-effective pricing
• Online help and tutorial resources
• Current version works with Windows 7 RC

Cons

• I did not note any cons during my review

Description

• Purely Software Based. Colasoft Capsa Enterprise does not require separate or proprietary hardware.
• User Friendly. The Capsa Enterprise console and reports are intuitive and easy to use.
• Drilldown Analysis. Capsa Enterprise provides detailed analysis of captured data with the ability to drill down on a single workstation, protocol, or packet.
• Customer Support. Colasoft provides exceptional technical support and customer service to assist users with effectively using Capsa Enterprise.

Bottom Line

Colasoft Capsa Enterprise provides the core functionality you need for real-time network packet capture, detailed protocol analysis, and expert diagnosis and troubleshooting. In addition, Capsa Enterprise includes advanced tools such as the Packet Builder and Packet Player that allow you to create and transmit custom packets, as well as a MAC scanner and Ping tool.

The advanced tools bundled in Capsa Enterprise provide administrators with everything they need to conduct intrusion detection and perform detailed network analysis. What sets Capsa Enterprise apart from the competition however is the slick, yet intuitive interface, the simplicity with which the data can be drilled into and examined, and the tutorial resources available to walk you through how to use Capsa Enterprise for a variety of network monitoring functions. 

As if that is not enough, Colasoft has put it all together at a reasonable and cost-effective price. Capsa Enterprise starts at $499 for a single-use license (not including maintenance). A Professional Edition is also available starting at $299 (not including maintenance) with limited functionality. The Professional Edition is limited to projects with a single Ethernet adapter and lacks the Reports and Graphs tabs of the Capsa Enterprise Project Explorer.

My Review

I was able to install and activate my copy of Colasoft Capsa Enterprise on my Windows 7 RC system in a matter of minutes. The installation process is fairly standard and straight forward.

One of the first things that caught my eye when running Colasoft Capsa Enterprise were the Online Resources and tutorial links in the left menu pane. These resources provided me with valuable information to get started using the product effectively right away. Some of the resources were simply web pages with screen shots, while others provided animated video clips demonstrating some aspect of using Capsa Enterprise.

I appreciated the quantity and quality of the tutorial resources, but what was even more impressive is how intuitive and user-friendly the Capsa Enterprise console is. I was able to get started immediately by clicking on the ‘Start Capture Now’ button in the right pane.

Capsa Enterprise monitoring sessions are referred to as ‘projects’. After I clicked ‘Start Capture Now’ a Project Settings window popped up to allow me to configure the capture criteria such as which adapter(s) to monitor, the networks to monitor, the filters to apply, and more.

Once I made my configuration choices (also a fairly intuitive process) in the Project Settings I initiated the project to start the network data capture.  The network capture is displayed in real-time in the Project Explorer window. The Project Explorer displays a series of tabs across the top which allowed me to monitor network activity in real-time and see what is going on live on the network. The tabs include Summary, Diagnosis, Endpoints, Protocols, Conversations, Matrix, Packets, Logs, Graphs, and Reports.

Capsa Enterprise provided me with a comprehensive view of network activity. The Protocols tab displayed a graphic representation of network traffic broken down by type and protocol. I clicked on HTTP to view the web traffic on my network. You can choose to examine a specific protocol and continue to drill down to byte level details of individual network packets by simply double-clicking on the information you want to analyze.

All of the Project Explorer tabs provide great information, but there are three other tabs worthy of being spotlighted: Diagnosis, Reports, and Summary.

• The Diagnosis tab displays identified events grouped into notices, information, warnings, or critical events.
• The Reports tab provides 8 different pre-configured, at-a-glance reports that help you quickly and easily examine key information.
• The Summary tab, as the name implies, displays a summary of the ongoing network data capture.

Network administrators need to have tools like this at their disposal to monitor, maintain, and troubleshoot network activity. The bottom line is that Capsa Enterprise packages a comprehensive collection of network monitoring and protocol analysis tools together in a professional and intuitive design at a sensible price.

For a more in-depth analysis of Colasoft Capsa Enterprise, download and read the white paper: CaptureYour Network With Capsa Enterprise.

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