Fluke Networks White Paper Sample
With centralized servers and the move to web based applications, P2P traffic and instant messengers can easily rob WAN bandwidth from mission-critical applications. Therefore, it is necessary to identify these users. Trying to limit traffic is possible at the firewall, but the problem is that many P2P applications actually tunnel through HTTP and others just scan for an open port in the firewall. Attempting to control user PCs to prevent these applications from being installed is also an option, but this can be costly and difficult to manage. To get to the root of the problem, network engineers need deep packet inspection to be able to identify these applications and their source – especially streaming video and audio through HTTP that may occupy a significant amount of expensive WAN bandwidth.
Other applications may use dynamically assigned ports that make traditional port-based traffic analysis much less effective, so network engineers will need to filter on a specific signature to be able to identify these users. These capabilities are most accessible through an integrated network analyzer that can capture packet-level activity for more detailed analysis.
Unwanted or legacy protocols As networks and the services they provide evolve, and servers or user machines are replaced and upgraded, the likelihood of passing unwanted, often obsolete protocols within the network increases. Each situation is unique, but with an integrated network analyzer, network professionals will know where to look. The tool can show not only which devices are using a particular protocol but also where they are connected to the network. For example, in the IPX protocol suite, RIP and SAP packets are broadcast every 60 seconds, even if no change has occurred anywhere in a route or service. In many devices, especially printers, IPX protocols are enabled by default. Therefore, combining protocol statistics with device discovery capabilities, such as with an integrated network analyzer tool, provides a simple way to determine which protocols are running on the network and who is using them.
