Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!think.com!sdd.hp.com!hplabs!nsc!pyramid!csg From: csg@pyramid.pyramid.com (Carl S. Gutekunst) Newsgroups: comp.protocols.iso Subject: Re: X.25 Analyzer recommendations Message-ID: <157006@pyramid.pyramid.com> Date: 28 May 91 23:18:59 GMT References: <1991May21.215444.20091@cylink.COM> Organization: Pyramid Technology Corp., Mountain View, CA Lines: 26 >Can anyone recommend a good protocol analyzer for doing X.25 development >with? The HP 4954A did well in a recent survey in Data Communications. >The Tekelec Chameleon was recommended by a colleague. Any other opinions? I've used almost every analyzer made. The only ones I'm spending my budget on are the box from Hard Engineering (for field work by non-technical staff), and the Atlantic Research Interview 7700 Turbo (for serious work). The HP4954 has its points, and I'd rank it second to the A.R., but a distant second. Third is the Tektronix built into the Compac PC; the T1000 I think is what they call it. You might like Digilog, but I don't. I used to struggle along with a Chameleon because it did a lot of things that nothing else would, despite the most archane user interface you could imagine. Now I wouldn't use it if it was free. I don't like Idacom, either: very clumsy to use. The big win on the A.R. 7700 is the conformance testing applications. Very well done. Makes the stuff on the H.P., Idacom, and Tekelek look really sad. A.R. does have some serious SQA problems that need work, and some bizarre design flaws, but at least they are doing something about it. The remote operation software in the 7700 is rediculous; it requires an OS/2 PC to use it. But even at its worst, the 7700 is nowhere near as quirky as the other units. Still, I do find myself periodically going back to my old A.R. Comm- state II and the Hard for some specific things; there is no perfect machine out there.