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Is there a cheap, fast and graphical program that can monitor the ports on my Baystack 450 switches so I can tell which port is broadcasting tons of traffic without having to use an expensive consultant or sniffer?

Retired expert - Loki Jorgenson, Ph. D. EXPERT RESPONSE FROM: Retired expert - Loki Jorgenson, Ph. D.

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QUESTION POSED ON: 29 March 2004
I am using Intermapper to map my network and watch my connections. It is CHEAP and FAST. Is there a cheap, fast and graphical program that can monitor the ports on my Baystack 450 switches so I can tell which port is broadcasting tons of traffic without having to use an expensive consultant or Sniffer? We have had a rash of bad jetdirect cards and we had to go to the wiring closets to trace. Even that is not an exact science. Any help would be great.

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EXPERT RESPONSE
For cheap, there isn't much better than the open source approach of Nagios (www.nagios.org). I don't know how well it works with your Nortel Baystack switches but it offers a solid foundation for building your own NMS.

I would also suggest that you look at WhatsUp Gold – a popular lost-cost alternative to expensive NMS, it may have the necessary functionality to work with the devices you are interested in.

Also, consult the network monitor tools site http://www.monitortools.com/cat_networksystem/ for more information….

And if you need something Sniffer-like, I would suggest a portable loaded with Ethereal.


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