Network Instruments Observer Expert
Core Features


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Expert Observer speeds network troubleshooting by proactively identifying network issues and offering immediate solutions. Pinpoint difficult problems through real-time or post-capture Expert analysis. Expert Observer® includes all the functionality of Observer® and offers multiple expert modes to help identify different network problems.

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Observer Expert tracks applications, VoIP traffic, transactions and more across LAN, wireless, gigabit, token ring, and FDDI networks. Observer Expert includes a 64-bit core to maximize 64-bit processing. A 32-bit version is also included.

With the Network Instruments’ Distributed Network Analysis architecture, (NI-DNA™), Observer is unique in the network analysis industry. It’s the only analyzer built from a unified code set, offering scalability and seamless integration across the entire Observer product family. Network administrators need only learn one interface to monitor across multiple topologies, locations, and technologies.

Observer Expert Benefits:

  • NEW: NetFlow and sFlow Integration
  • Solve problems quickly with 570 real-time Experts
  • Predict network bandwidth and response time impacts
  • Track and solve application problems
  • View application session flows graphically
  • NEW: Isolate transaction and conversation delay
  • Obtain instant expert explanation online for each event and item
  • Grade LAN, WAN/Internet traffic differently
  • Track errors, events, slow response, and slow connections
  • NEW: Manage voice and video communication
  • Monitor all ports on a switch
  • Collect long-term trending statistics
  • Utilize WLAN Experts to solve WLAN problems
  • NEW: Enriched VoIP Analysis feature set
  • NEW: IPv6 compliance
  • NEW: SSL and SSH Decryption

Expert Observer tracks applications, VoIP traffic, transactions and more across your LAN, wireless 802.l1 a/b/g, gigabit, token ring, and FDDI networks. Expert Observer is a 64-bit application. A 32-bit version is also included.

With the Network Instruments’ Distributed Network Analysis architecture, (NI-DNA™), Observer is unique in the network analysis industry. It’s the only analyzer built from a unified code set, offering scalability and seamless integration across the entire Observer product family. Network administrators need only learn one interface to monitor across multiple topologies, locations, and technologies.

Have over 550 Network Experts at Your Disposal Now, network administrators can use Observer Expert, to predict network bandwidth and response time impacts, track and solve application problems, view application session flows graphically, reconstruct data packets, and isolate transaction delay. Observer Expert is one of the most powerful and functional network analyzers on the market. Key features are automatically included with Observer Expert:
  • VoIP Analysis
  • Application Analysis
  • Expert Events
  • Stream Reconstruction
  • NetFlow Data Collection
  • Server Analysis
  • Wireless Experts
  • Observer Expert includes all the benefits of Observer Standard plus additional key features for identifying network issues and offering immediate solutions.

Observer Expert includes all the benefits of Observer Standard plus additional key features for identifying network issues and offering immediate solutions.

Expert Events

Expert is about solving network problems efficiently and effectively. Observer Expert displays protocol and application problems in real time and provides an effective means of discerning between application and network issues. It includes over 570 Experts designed to isolate problems and suggest possible solutions.

Expert Event features:

  • Local traffic is judged differently than WAN/Internet traffic
  • No false readings
  • Common services are tracked and organized
  • Response performance is sorted and flagged by severity
  • Tracks all port-based protocols for slow response and other issues
  • Measures delay to differentiate between network and application problems

Expert Event list:

  • TCP
  • UDP
  • ICMP
  • IPX
  • NetBios
  • Wireless
  • VoIP
  • NetBeui

    • Connection Dynamics

    A feature unique to Observer, Connection Dynamics provides a graphical view of system conversations for instant identification of long latency and response times. Retransmissions and lost packets are flagged in red for quick identification. Connection Dynamics is a simple way to easily pinpoint network impediments.

    “Through Connection Dynamics, I could monitor the communication between the road service application and the rest of the network. The time analysis clearly showed there was a problem with the application, which I was able to immediately address–restoring full service to our customers.”
    Coleman Jennings, AAA East Central

    Expert VoIP Analysis

    What other companies charge thousands for, we’ve conveniently included in our Observer Expert system. But don’t discount our VoIP analysis—with over 70 VoIP-specific metrics it’s one of the most robust features within Observer. Monitor VoIP connections, save or play voice and video, gather actionable detail and diagnostics, gain high-level traffic summaries and much more.

    Use the VoIP system to monitor at an aggregate level and drill down to optimize individual communication from one seamless interface.

    VoIP Expert

    • Monitor connections to improve VoIP performance
    • Save or play voice conversations or streaming video
    • Offers relevant and actionable detail and diagnostics
    • NEW: High-level VoIP traffic summaries
    • NEW: In-depth Call Detail Records
    • NEW: Over 50 event and threshold-based VoIP Experts
    • NEW: Displays the individual MOS and R-factor for every call
    • NEW: Customize impairment factors of the E-model depending on your needs
    • NEW: See reports on QoS by call, packet, and protocol
    • NEW: Understand VoIP utilization to plan upgrades
    • NEW: Sort TCP sub-protocols by precedence bit to help prioritize VoIP traffic
    • NEW: Review flow including call setup, duration, and teardown
    • NEW: Jump immediately to Connection Dynamics to understand direction and delay of every packet in the stream
    • Monitors VoIP across LAN, WAN, gigabit, and WLAN
    • Shows current and maximum jitter
    • Analyze H.323/SIP conversational data

    Application Analysis

    Observer Expert’s Application Analysis provides a way to track application communications to easily identify application problems. Obtain statistics on errors, monitor application response time, perform automatic server / application discovery, and obtain up to-the-minute application performance. Observer Expert eliminates the need to purchase a separate application monitoring system.

    • Obtain application statistics in realtime and postcapture
    • Track application session flows and failed transactions
    • Receive statistics on errors and monitor response time
    • Obtain up-to-the minute application performance
    • Automatic server and application discovery
    • Attain true application response times deeper than the TCP level
    • Drill-down to view session-by-session communications
    • Eliminates need to purchase a separate application monitoring system
    • Supports SQL (TDS), Oracle (TNS), VoIP, DNS, FTP, HTTP, POP3, Telnet, SMTP, SNMP, and Exchange

    Supported applications:

    • SQL (TDS)
    • Oracle (TNS)
    • MS Networking (SMB) [new]
    • VoIP
    • DNS
    • FTP
    • HTTP
    • POP3
    • Telnet
    • SMTP
    • SNMP
    • Exchange
    • Citrix

    MPLS Analysis

    For organizations moving to MPLS, use Observer to stay on top of the migration. Observer provides a detailed breakdown of your MPLS network so you can pinpoint MPLS problems and measure performance.

    MPLS benefits:

    • Report on performance before, during, and after the transition
    • Isolate MPLS issues quickly
    • Track varying MPLS priorities
    • Scrutinize SLAs by creating MPLS-specific alarms
    • Segment MPLS data by label, CoS (Class of Service), and embedded protocol type

    MultiHop Analysis

    MultiHop Analysis answers the critical question “Is it the access layer, the core, or my service provider…?” By isolating and identifying transaction problems, delay, and intermittent connectivity Observer Expert solves network issues caused by network congestion, fragmentation, and packet loss. Now MultiHop Analysis is automated—Observer can now start simultaneous packet captures from different network segments and automatically synchronize the buffers to find delay and packet loss.

    MultiHop benefits:

    • Track conversations through multiple segments, hops, and routes
    • Quickly pinpoint and eliminate delay
    • Supports up to 10 hops
    • Easily see across routers ever time
    • Pinpoint bottlenecks
    • Verify if 3rd party service providers are performing to their SLA
    • Isolate if slowdowns are due to network delay or system processes
    • Identify packet loss and location
    • Measure one-way, round-trip, and individual hop delay
    • Utilize Connection Dynamics to show packet-by-packet, hop-by-hop
    • View delay in aggregate with Hop Summary
    • Obtain a textual summary display with Summary Statistics
    • Can be used across WAN, Ethernet, wireless, and gigabit networks

    Stream Reconstruction

    For enterprise administrators concerned with forensics, compliance, and security, Observer can take captured traffic and recreate communication in an easy-to-read format. Rebuild web pages (including images), reconstruct e-mails, documents, and instant messaging communication to gather hard evidence on network activity. Stream reconstruction can also help maintain corporate Internet usage policies, assist law enforcement, and contribute toward Sarbanes-Oxley compliance.

    Additional Information

    1. Take Advantage of the Industry’s Largest Memory Buffer Take Advantage of the Industry’s Largest Memory Buffer
      Observer offers the largest memory buffer in its class. For 32-bit Windows, use a 4 GB memory buffer. For 64-bit Windows, the buffer expands up to 124 GB. This allows for increased captures and extended time frames for Expert analysis. A user-defined memory mode is available to fine-tune individual usage.

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    2. Complete NetFlow Integration and Data Collection Complete NetFlow Integration and Data Collection
      NetFlow monitors routed traffic on the backplane of Cisco switches and routers. Any Advanced Expert Probe can be configured to aggregate flows from various NetFlow devices on the network and send updated information to an Observer console. The console then displays the NetFlow data, providing Top Talkers, pairs matrix, bandwidth usage, long-term trending, VLAN analysis, and application awareness.

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    3. Make Informed Decisions with “What-If” Analysis Make Informed Decisions with “What-If” Analysis
      >Use Observer's “What-If” Analysis to predict how network changes will affect response times. Track bandwidth capacity changes (e.g. 100 Mb to gigabit), review variable changes (i.e. packet size, packet ratio, users), measure based on actual client, peer-to-peer, or server conversations. “Live-modeling” lets you assess the impact of network or application changes.

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    4. Utilize Server Analysis for Measuring Server Response Time Utilize Server Analysis for Measuring Server Response Time
      For enterprise administrators concerned with forensics, compliance, and security, Observer can take captured traffic and recreate communication in an easy-to-read format. Rebuild web pages (including images), reconstruct e-mails, documents, and instant messaging communication to gather hard evidence on network activity. Stream reconstruction can also help maintain corporate Internet usage policies, assist law enforcement, and contribute toward Sarbanes-Oxley compliance.

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    5. Is the Problem Sporadic? Find Out with Time Interval Analysis Is the Problem Sporadic? Find Out with Time Interval Analysis
      Use Time Interval Analysis to display network errors according to a time frequency. This helps identify if a problem is sporadic or consistent and shows if a slow response is due to network load.

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    6. Protect Your Data with Security Decode Controls Protect Your Data with Security Decode Controls
      For security reasons, Observer allows you to control the decode screen to limit access to confidential data. Limit captures to only a set number of bytes and password protect access to protect your network data from outside consultants or unauthorized users.

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