What Network Sniffing Tools Do You Use?

network-nose asks: "I work as a Network Administrator in a 500 user manufacturing facility in southeastern Wisconsin. My job is to keep the company running as close to 100% of the time as possible while trying not to spend any money on up to date hardware and software. As of late, we have been having quite a few network problems that can only really be resolved by sniffing packets. I am wondering what tools the rest of you network guys and gals out there use in a corporate environment for analyzing packets. Of course, the more reasonbly priced the better, but I know you usually get what you pay for."

Comments

Hrm...

[Smitedogg]

My job is to keep the company running as close to 100% of the time as possible while trying not to spend any money on up to date hardware and software

Are you trying to steal my job?

Simple....

[QuasiCoLtd]

.....an Oscilliscope. Read the bits off the wire. You'd be suprised what an Oscilliscope in the hands of a VERY well trained person can accomplish.

Re:Simple....

[joshN]

Oscilliscopes!

When I was young, we just held our fingers against the wire, and felt the electic pulses.

Kids these days...

Re:Simple....

[stienman]

You'd be suprised what an Oscilliscope in the hands of a VERY well trained person can accomplish.

Translation:
You'd be surprised at the shear amount of BS a well trained conartist^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^Htechnician can pull off with an oscilliscope. Doesn't even have to be hooked up to anything.

"I see you have a large piece of test equipment there."
"Yes. It's telling me your password is insecure and hackers know about you-know-what..."
"Uh - I'll be right back..."

-Adam

Re:Simple....

[jdh-22]

I dont know what is worse:
... me counting to make sure you have enough ^H
... or you couting to make sure you have enough ^H

Re:Simple....

[Patik]

Wow, I've been reading Slashdot for years and always thought it was the server hiccuping as it generated the page... That explains so much

Bitch, don't you know where you are?

[Lord Kano]

Of course, the more reasonbly priced the better, but I know you usually get what you pay for.

This is Slashdot, you'll lose an eye here faster than you will in a barfight for saying that free (beer and speech) GNU/Linux isn't better than costly (money and your soul) Windows!

LK

My tools

[skraps]

I sniff with Olfactory 1.0.

Re:Ethereal

[scotch]

btw, for the remarkable stupid: google

Outsourcing to Trained Cats

[billstewart]

One of the common network administration problems that software tools aren't very good at is finding where wires go when they're behind furniture or walls. Wires are pretty much like string, and my cats like to chase string, so I send them out to chase the wires, listen for the thumping noises, and see where the cat comes out. Doesn't work every time, and sometimes they'd rather chase mice than wires, but one of my cats really like chomping on RJ45 jacks, so if I suspect that a problem is related to an unplugged RJ45, he's the one for the job.

My homemade sniffer

[MajorDick]

Well I use my own special homemade Network sniffer, let me explain it, its a BIG Rubber nose on a BIG Stick with cat 5 hanging out the nostrils. It works GREAT Walk into someones office with that and they start rambling about all the programs they are running , have run, could run, and want to run, MOST likley out of fear of what you are going to do with the rubber nose on the stick, or maybe just because they are scared someone actually spent the time and built it.

Re:Ethereal

[cperciva]

For the people who like useless links: You are here.

Re:Ethereal

[whookey]

It's not like you need to know the secret handshake before you can become a network administrator.

Actually, you do.

Re:Ethereal

[dhuff]

EMACS is an acronym for one of its normal key sequences, yes ? ESC-Meta-ALT-CTRL-Shift ? ;->