How to detect the real-time network utilization

Network utilization is the ratio of current network traffic to the maximum traffic that the port can handle. Through monitoring network utilization, we can understand whether the network is busy, normal or idle.

The Potential threats if the network utilization is over normal:

• Will slow down the internet access and employee productivity;
• Affect downloading;
• Uploading. The bandwidth may becomes the bottleneck of business development. The current bandwidth can’t satisfy customers, without detecting the problem in time, you will lose your customers, decline in customers’ satisfaction, etc.
• Package lost, some highly demanding IM business(like VoIP) will be affected seriously.

Colasoft Capsa make it easy for us to monitor the network utilization, so as to find out the bottleneck and improve network performance.

Check the brief current utilization in “Summary” after start the project:

We may switch among the nodes in the “Explorer” to view network utilization of a specific node:

We can also view network utilization by bits or by percentage in “Graphs” view. More ever, we can compare 2 different charts to better understand the network status.

Give top priority on your network utilization, Colasoft Capsa will help you quickly detect the network utilization and other network problems.

14 Tips to Protect Your Organization's Network

Network security is an infinitely complex and dynamic subject, implementing these simple measures will go a long way to protecting your Organization's LAN.

1, Run protocol analyzer Frequently.Recommend an easy-to-use protocol analyzer, Colasoft Capsa.

2, Disable drives:Disable floppy drive access, USB ports and serial ports on networked computers.

3, Restrict Permissions: Windows 2000 and 2003 server allow you to set permissions so that users can't run downloaded 'exe' or other executable files.

4, Block Instant Messenger:IM and its cousins, ICQ and Yahoo Messenger, sends messages and attachments out to a server and then back to its clients. You lose control when this happens.

5, Password Protect Your BIOS:A BIOS without an administrator password is an invitation to mischief.

6, Run AV Software: Run anti-virus software on all your computers.

7, Build Your Defenses: Install a firewall or a proxy server.

8, Beware Of Attachments From Unknown, Untrusted Sources:Do not open attachments to email unless you trust the sender.

9, Monitor Your Ports:Install a port monitor to prevent your ports from being scanned.

10, Encrypt Wireless Access.

11, Keep Back Office Systems Off The Organization Network

12, Require passwords to be changed frequently

13, Use CTRL+ALT+DEL to logon

14, Keep your networking skills up to date.

 

Is Your PC Ready for Windows 7? This Tool Lets You Know

By Jeff Bertolucci , PC World , 05/18/2009

Microsoft has released the beta version of its Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor, a free utility that tells you if your PC is ready to run Windows 7. It scans your computer, checking internal components, external peripherals, and programs, and alerts you to potential compatibility issues. It also offers upgrade suggestions, such as which drivers to replace, should you make the move to Windows 7.

It's a good idea to run Upgrade Advisor, which takes only a few minutes, if you plan to install Windows 7 Release Candidate, which is also available as a free download. (The RC expires August 1, 2010.)

After downloading and installing Upgrade Advisor, you'll see an opening screen that advises you to connect all of your external devices, such as hard drives, cameras, MP3 players, and so on:

I ran the Upgrade Advisor on a 2-year-old Gateway MX8734 notebook that with a 1.6GHz Intel Pentium T2060 processor, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive. This system runs Vista sluggishly-no surprise given the 1 gig of memory-and based on initial reports from Redmond, I thought it might perform better with Windows 7. However, a recent PC World Test Center report says that may not be the case.

The compatibility check took about 6 minutes and found a few potential issues. While the Gateway's processor, memory, and hard drive met Windows 7's minimum requirements (I expected this), Upgrade Advisor recommended that I download the latest driver for the Realtek Wireless 802.11b/g USB 2.0 network adapter before installing Win 7. It didn't find potential conflicts with any installed programs.

Upgrade Advisor also pointed out that Windows 7 doesn't include Web filtering (Windows Mail and Parental Controls), and it included a link to Microsoft's Windows Live Essentials site, where you can download the free Family Safety utility.

Upgrade Advisor runs on Windows Vista and Windows XP Service Pack 2.

And also, Colasoft(which is commented the most easy-to-use network protocol analyzer in the market. It is designed for Windows platform, main features include: real-time packet capturing, traffic and bandwidth analysis, protocol analysis, automatic diagnosis, visible filters and quick reports. ) will release a new edition - Capsa 6.91 for windows 7 users. It is highly recommended to install it in your new operation system to monitor your network.

-- Willis, Marketing Executive of Colasoft

Business IM: Risks and Resolutions

Do your users use IM in your network? If I ask this questions, I believe above 95% network administrators will answer: Yes, of course.

MSN, Yahoo IM, Aol IM, Google Talk etc,with the rapid development of instant messaging tools,which are not just used for personal entertainment, but for workplace tools. However,according to a survey on the internet, most IM users are ignorant of its risks that may cause to the organization. Here we list the main Business IM Risks and Resolutons:

? Information leaks – Confidential materials, intellectual property, or proprietary information can be revealed, either intentionally or accidentally,through IM sessions or file transfers.

? Worms, viruses, etc. – Numerous malware programs target public IM systems and allow them to bypass standard firewalls and mail server antivirus systems.

? Network hacks and intrusions – Hackers use IM operating ports to bypass other security barriers and enter the corporate network unimpeded.

? Compliance, regulatory, or legal violations – Organizations subject to government oversight and compliance mandates may find themselves creating legal issues by failing to properly monitor, log, and regulate IM sessions and content.

? Productivity loss – Idle chat can disrupt employee productivity.

So many risks IM has, does it mean that we have to prohibit Instant Messaging in workplace, of course not, IM has its irreplaceable benifits other than other communication methods,as email, phone call, SMS. but we have some good suggestions to decrease the IM risks.

Deploy network analysis tools like Colasoft Network Analyzer in your computer, to detect network intrusion attempts, monitor network usage, gain information for effecting a network intrusion.

Regularly remind your users to update or upgrade their antivirus software

Create written policies – Clearly and explicitly define acceptable and unacceptable use of instant messaging within the business environment.

Tips for Troubleshooting Slow Internet Connections

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Follow these steps to diagnose your slow Internet connections

1. Configure Broadband Router Settings Properly

Improperly broadband router configuration will probably lead to slow internet connections. keep consisting your router's settings with the manufacturer's and your Internet Service Provider (ISP)

recommendations.

2. Reposition Router and Change WI-Fi Channel Number

Signal interference which requires computers to resend messages to overcome signal issues constantly may affect the performance of Wi-Fi and other types of wireless connections, repositioning

your router and changing your Wi-Fi channel number may benefit your connection performance.

3. Run Antivirus Software Regularly To Diagnose and Remove These Worms

Internet worm may begin generating huge network traffic, causing slow network connection if any of your computers are infected. Remember to run antivirus software regularly to diagnose and

remove these worms from your computers.

4. Don't forget the Running Background Applications

Some useful background applications, like Peer to peer (P2P) programs, will greatly consume network recourses. Therefore, don’t be blind to the running background applications when facing

slow network connection issues.

5. Temporarily Re-Arrange and Re-Configure Your Gear

Faulty network equipment typically won't support connections. To troubleshoot potentially faulty equipment, temporarily re-arrange and re-configure your gear while experimenting with different

configurations. Try bypassing the router, swapping cables and changing network adapters to isolate the slow performance to a specific component of the system.

6. Inquire Your Service Provider

Internet speed ultimately depends on the service provider. Don’t forget to inquire your ISP about what happened if you suspect they have main responsibility in your poor connection performance.

Conclusion

Reasons for slow connection are diversified, the 6 tips for troubleshooting slow internet

connections are basic solutions that may guide you when suffering network connection problems,moreover, to diagnose and troubleshoot the issues manually is not an easy work. nowadays,

many network administrators usually choose some easy - to - use network analysis tools, like Colasoft Network Analyzer (also called

packet sniffer, network sniffer, protocol analyzer) to monitor,analyze, and troubleshoot their network in minutes.

How to Monitor MSN Chat with Free Unipeek MSN Monitor

For some purposes we want to monitor MSN chat around the network, for example, parents want to monitor MSN chat of their kids to ensure their safety; bosses want to monitor MSN chat of employees for company assets security and to improve work efficiency by minimizing none-business chat during working hours. You may still remember Colasoft MSN Monitor, now it is called Unipeek MSN Monitor and it is distributed completely Free for none commercial users.

Now let’s see how we can monitor MSN chat with Unipeek MSN Monitor, the free tool.

Step1. Download Unipeek MSN Monitor

Download Unipeek MSN Monitor, the free edition; from the website. As a matter of fact there is no function difference between Unipeek MSN Monitor the free edition and the commercial edition. The only difference is Unipeek MSN Monitor Free Edition only supports 10 MSN accounts maximum, but quite enough for family users.

Step2. Install and Deploy Unipeek MSN Monitor

The installation is quick and simple, just click “next” all the way to complete the installation. But the deployment is somewhat different. As Unipeek MSN Monitor is designed based on Colasoft’s packet capturing technology, so it has to be deployed properly like a packet sniffer if you want to monitor all MSN chat around the network. Of course, you don’t have to do it if you only want to monitor MSN chat of a single computer. To monitor multiple computers, you can install multiple copies.

Setp3. Run it and Start Monitor MSN Chat

After proper installation and deployment, we can start monitoring MSN chat right away.

About Unipeek MSN Monitor
Unipeek MSN Monitor (MSN sniffer) is Free MSN monitoring software for MSN chat monitoring and MSN message archiving. Based on Colasoft's packet analysis technology, Unipeek MSN Monitor is able to deliver the most accurate MSN monitoring statistics, and automatically record data for future reference. You need only install Unipeek MSN Monitor once to monitor all MSN chats over the local network.

Key Features include:

• Real-time and 24/7 MSN chat monitoring

• Automatically archive MSN messages for future reference

• Export messages of a custom time range

• Customize MSN account list to be monitored

• Unique Conversation Matrix showing account relations

• Support emotion icons, message font size and color.

Download Now

Download Unipeek MSN Monitor