Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!purdue!decwrl!decvax!ima!mirror!frog!barr
From: barr@frog.UUCP (Chris Barr)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.lans
Subject: Re: general recommendations on tools
Summary: Lattisnet-tcp/ip-NetWare diagn. toolkit: LanWatch, LanPatrol, ping
Message-ID: <1292@frog.UUCP>
Date: 20 Apr 89 19:15:00 GMT
References: <3763@phri.UUCP> <29783@bu-cs.BU.EDU>
Organization: Charles River Data Systems, Framingham MA
Lines: 36

In article <29783@bu-cs.BU.EDU>, kwe@bu-cs.BU.EDU (kwe@bu-it.bu.edu (Kent W. England)) writes:
> 
> 	With respect to Ethernet, you most need a hardware analyzer

With UTP (Lattisnet), I know of 3 levels of hardware debugging:

  1. line continuity:  telephone tools work here, crudely but often
     effectively
  2. Ethernet heartbeat continuity:  Synoptics either sells something
     or its tech support reps recommend a pair of gizmos
  3. When the 'heartbeat' is gone (try plugging a phone into one of those
     RJ-45s):  trial-and-error disconnects of host modules/satellite
     concentrators.

> 	Then you need a protocol analyzer.  The one that catches all
> the packets is the H-P.  It is expensive and not very portable, so we
> chose the Excelan LANalyzer.  There is also the Network General
> Sniffer and the SpiderMonitor.  You could also take a portable PC and
> run FTP's LANWatch.

Excelan's Lanalyzer is apparently Network General's Sniffer minus
the computer:  an NP600 card + whatever protocol(s) support you need.
One site I know (they use TCP/IP & NetWare) evaluated LANalyzer and 
instead chose 

 - LANWatch (to filter, then monitor or debug packets) 
 - Lan Patrol (for bar-graph reporting of usage levels)
 - 'ping' for one level of error detection, which shows what links are up
   This comes as part of TCP/IP.

This costs in the neighborhood of $2K, including a WD Ether Card.
Their reasoning is that, as a new site with 300+ nodes, they don't yet
know exactly how useful the tools will be, and so are not investing
4-to-8 times bigger bucks in LANalyzer or Sniffer or Spider.  LanWatch
also has a leaner user interface than the fancy windows: for a technician
this is easier/faster.