Today's network administrators face a myriad of potential problems, as networks grow more complex and cybercriminals dabble in highly ingenious ways to circumvent network security. Good thing there are available tools for troubleshooting network problems and ensuring network security. Network Analyzer is one such tool. Among other things, they are used to troubleshoot hard to diagnose network access problems, detect malware, and generate traffic for penetration testing. An example of a network analyzer is the Colasoft Network Analyzer, from Colasoft.

The Colasoft Network Analyzer is available in two versions, the attractively-priced Professional Edition, which comes with the basic features expected of a protocol analyzer, and the more expensive Enterprise Edition, which includes all the features of the Professional Edition, plus advanced features such as loop back adapter support, real-time graphs, and more comprehensive reports.

I undertook this review with the aim of examining the Colasoft Network Analyzer's features and determining if it can compare favourably to other protocol analyzers available on the market today. However, the lack of a downloadable, fully-functional trial version prevented me from achieving my original goals for the review. Thus, I'll just explain here what the strong points are, based on the function-limited, 15-day demo version that I downloaded from the Colasoft website, as well as the well-crafted tutorial videos and the comprehensive FAQ and Online Help available for the software.

The demo version, which includes both the Enterprise and Professional Edition, installed it without a hitch on my Windows XP with SP3 Acer laptop. Windows 2003, Windows 2008, and Windows Vista are also supported. However, Linux and Macs are not supported. I presume that this is a minor problem, though, since most networks today have a Windows PC somewhere. Load the application on a Windows PC, and you'll probably still be able to diagnose your Unix or Linux-based network.

What's good with the demo version is that it comes with a sample packet file that you can use to familiarize yourself with the Colasoft Network Analyzer's features. Upon launching the software, you're asked if you want to import the sample file. Just click Yes, and the sample loads, giving you an idea of how comprehensive Colasoft Network Analyzer's coverage is.

Based on my careful study of the Colasoft Network Analyzer UI, and my review of the extensive user documentation, you'll have to define a project for capturing network traffic, and then run the same for a comprehensive analysis of the available resources on your network. The summary view allows you to view, in a single glance, the results of the scan. Click any of the tabs to the left of the Summary tab for the detailed analysis.

If you want to test the features more fully, you can opt to purchase the full version, then just return it for a refund (it comes with a 30-day money back guarantee), unless of course you opt to include it in your arsenal of useful network tools. Based on the demo version, I'd say that the Colasoft Network Analyzer is probably a keeper, but don't take my word for it. Take the full version of the Colasoft Network Analyzer for a spin, and find out what it's capable of.

About Colasoft

Ever since 2001, Colasoft has been dedicated in providing all-in-one and easy-to-use network analyzer software for network administrators and IT managers to monitor network activities, analyze network performance, enhance network security, and troubleshoot network problems. The company also offers four free network utilities: Colasoft Packet Builder, Colasoft Packet Player, Colasoft MAC Scanner, and Colasoft Ping Tool. Learn more today at http://www.colasoft.com/