Related Manuals for Network Instruments Observer
Summary of Contents for Network Instruments Observer
- Page 1 Observer User Manual Addendum 802.11b Wireless Installation & Operation March 2002...
- Page 2 Network Instruments' Observer for use with Microsoft Windows 98/Me, Windows NT 4.x, Windows 2000, Windows XP, or greater based computers. “Observer”, “Network Instruments” and the “N with a dot logo” are registered trademarks of Network Instruments, LLC, and may be registered in certain jurisdictions.
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Page 3: Table Of Contents
Supported NICs ... 1 Supported Microsoft Windows Versions ... 1 Network Instruments Custom Driver Installation ... 1 Configuring Observer for Wireless Operation ... 6 New Features for Wireless Support ... 8 Wireless Access Point Statistics (New Mode) ... 8 Wireless Channel Scan Monitor (New Tool) ... 10 Network (Wireless) Vital Signs ... - Page 4 Observer User Manual Addendum (Wireless)
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Page 5: Hardware & Software Support
‘promiscuous’ mode). Observer must also have access to the ‘raw’ 802.11b wireless packets. Because standard wireless drivers do not support either raw or promiscuous mode, NI has written a custom driver so that you can use Observer as a wireless protocol analyzer. Before you install the driver, you must: •... - Page 6 Observer® Software and Wireless LANs To update the driver, follow these steps: Right-click on the ‘My Computer’ icon and choose Properties. Click the Hardware tab and then the Device Manager... button to display the Device Manager: Right-click on the wireless driver (e.g. Nortel Networks e-mobility) and choose Properties.
- Page 7 Choose “Search for a suitable driver for my device (recommended)” and click Next. The Wizard asks where you want to search for the driver: Choose “Specify a location” and click Next. Network Instruments Custom Driver Installation © Network Instruments, LLC...
- Page 8 Observer® Software and Wireless LANs A file locator dialog is displayed: Enter (or browse to) the following directory (assuming that C:\Observer Files is your Observer directory): C:\Observer Files\drivers\wireless The Wizard displays the following: Choose “Install one of the other drivers” and click Next.
- Page 9 The Wizard informs you that the driver lacks a Microsoft digital signature: 11. Click Yes. Network Instruments has tested the driver and verified that it works with Windows and with Observer. When the installation is complete, click Finish to close the Wizard.
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Page 10: Configuring Observer For Wireless Operation
Probe in the Probe List. Check the setup options before you begin capturing packets. Start Observer. If the new wireless card is the only installed NIC in your system, the wireless Probe will appear in the Probe List under the Wireless Advanced Probes heading. - Page 11 Antenna Only Secondary Antenna Only Configuring Observer for Wireless Operation Specify a channel to monitor. Specify the Basic Service Set ID of the Access Point you want to monitor. Specify the Extended Service Set ID of the net- work you want to monitor.
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Page 12: New Features For Wireless Support
Probe. The Access Point Statistics mode shows traffic passing through any Access Points (APs) visible to the Observer wireless NIC. This mode is an all-purpose tool for maintaining performance and security on a WLAN that uses APs, showing you: •... - Page 13 Min Data Rate The slowest data rate seen, expressed in Mbits/sec. Max Data Rate The fastest data rate seen, expressed in Mbits/sec. Latest Data Rate The data rate seen at the last poll. New Features for Wireless Support © Network Instruments, LLC...
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Page 14: Wireless Channel Scan Monitor (New Tool)
When Observer is scanning channels, the other modes (such as Top Talkers, Access Point Statitistics) will no longer be able to present complete view of the network, as Observer’s data sample is limited to the current channel being scanned. Therefore, you should only use the Channel Scan monitor by itself. -
Page 15: Network (Wireless) Vital Signs
WLAN. The Vital Signs mode displays a comprehensive snapshot of error conditions and of their criticality in the context of current WLAN activity. To pin down aggregate problems New Features for Wireless Support © Network Instruments, LLC... - Page 16 Errors by Station. Another way to use this "at-a-glance" view of network health is to install Observer on a wireless laptop and watch what happens to the vital signs as you move the system around your office. The display below shows the “dial view” of Wireless Vital Signs. Other views...
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Page 17: Top Talkers (Three New Tabs)
This lets you immediately see each statistic in its proper context. For example, an error rate of 50% is insignificant if Observer has only analyzed two packets, but quite significant if thousands of packets have been analyzed. The bar graphs to the right of the dial show current bandwidth utilization (U), the average strength (S), and the average quality (Q) of the signal. -
Page 18: Wireless Speeds
This tab shows details of signal strength, quality, the overall rate and data rate, as well as the packet distributions for different rates. As with all of the statistical displays in Observer, you can configure the mode to display only the statistics that you are currently interested in by right-clicking on the column headers. -
Page 19: The Expert Analysis Wireless Events Button
For post-capture analysis, open a (previously captured) buffer and select the "Expert Analysis" tab at the bottom of the decode display. The Expert Analysis tab includes a Wireless Events button on the toolbar along the left of the display. Observer tracks network conditions between wireless stations and logs: •... - Page 20 Observer® Software and Wireless LANs The tracked Wireless Events are described below. Event Description Station 1-> Shows the wireless station sending and the wireless <-Station 2 station receiving. Where possible, the client is listed first and server second. Status Displays a colored box indicating the status of the conversation.
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Page 21: New Filtering Enhancements
You can now filter by the wireless access point hardware address in addition to the standard MAC address and IP address filtering that has always been available in Observer. You can choose to either capture or exclude packets by the AP. -
Page 22: Wireless Observer Troubleshooting
WEP keys. Make sure that you have the wireless NIC working with your network as described in the vendor supplied manuals before you install Observer or the Network Instruments custom NIC driver. The table below describes some problems that you might run into, their likely causes, and the remedies to correct the problems. - Page 23 NOTES © 2002 Network Instruments, LLC...
- Page 24 8800 West Highway Seven, Fourth Floor, Minneapolis, MN 55426 USA phone 952.932.9899 • fax 952.932.9545 info@networkinstruments.com www.NETWORKINSTRUMENTS.com © 2002 Network Instruments, LLC. Network Instruments, Observer, and the "N with a dot" logo are registered trademarks of Network Instruments, LLC, Minneapolis, MN USA.
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