I am listing the top 4 network monitoring tools that are available online.Every network administrator want to monitor the activity over his network.

1. Network Monitoring Tools
Nouman Baloch

2. 1) Port Scanners
 Gather information across the network
◦ No special permissions required
 Determine up/Down status
◦ Ping or ARP
 Check for open ports
◦ May indicate available services
 Scan operating system
◦ Determine without logging in
 Scan services
◦ Version information

3. 2) Interface monitoring
 Up or down
◦ The most important statistic
◦ No special rights or permissions required
◦ Green is red is bad
 Alarming and alerting
◦ Notification should an interface fail to report
◦ Email SMS
 Short term and long term reporting
◦ View availability over time
 Not focused on additional details
◦ Additional monitoring more require SNMP

4. 3) Packet flow monitoring
 Gather traffic statistics
◦ Metadata of actual traffic
 netFlow
◦ Standard collection method
◦ Many products and options
 Probe and collector
◦ Probe watches network communication
◦ Summary record are sent to the collector
 Usually a separate reporting app
◦ Closely tied to the collector

5. 4) SNMP
 Simple network management protocol
◦ A database of data
 SNMP version
◦ V1 – the original
◦ Structured tables, in the clear
◦ V2 – a good step ahead
◦ Data type enhancements, bulk transfers, still in the
clear
◦ V3 – the new standard
◦ Message integrity, authentication, encryption
 SNMP information can be very detailed
◦ Access should be very limited