Network monitoring system design

  • Authors:

  • Bob Barr;Sung Yoo;Tom Cheatham

  • Affiliations:

  • Computer Science Department, Middle Tennessee State University, Mutfreesboro, TN;Computer Science Department, Middle Tennessee State University, Mutfreesboro, TN;Computer Science Department, Middle Tennessee State University, Mutfreesboro, TN

  • Venue:
  • SIGCSE '98 Proceedings of the twenty-ninth SIGCSE technical symposium on Computer science education
  • Year:
  • 1998

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Abstract

Computer networks can be very useful, but difficult to manage. Current network management tools tend to be either very expensive or inadequate for classroom modification. XSNIFF is a project to develop an alternative network monitoring tool with a graphical display in the X-Window environment. XSNIFF uses an efficient network packet filtering system developed by Jacobson, Leres, and McCanne of Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory[Jacobson, 1994], to receive all network traffic from the network wire and then translate it into usable information. The network listening device should not affect the normal flow of network traffic, but should observe it. XSNIFF has a graphical interface that allows the user to select between statistical information and a TCP connection graph. The statistical information displays data belonging to different network level protocols and different user level protocols. The connection information is displayed as a graph showing which network nodes are connected to what other nodes. The information can be used by a teacher in a computer network class to help students visualize network traffic and as a learning tool to help students understand computer network protocols.