Network Instruments Observer Offers New Features For Network Troubleshooting And Reporting

Published 3rd October 2007

Version 12.1 organises application monitoring around business activities and provides enhanced VoIP reporting...

Minneapolis, MN - October 2, 2007 - Network Instruments, a leading provider of innovative analysis solutions for in-depth network intelligence and continuous availability, today announced the release of the latest version of Observer. This release provides profiles for organising application performance analysis around business functions, in-depth graphical tracking of specific network conversations down to the millisecond, full decoding for an important financial markets protocol, integration between Network Instruments high-level reporting and forensic solutions, and expanded options for sharing VoIP reports.

“Many of Observer’s features are driven by suggestions from our customers,” said Douglas Smith, president and co-founder of Network Instruments. “The increased customisation offered in Application Analysis and support for financial markets protocols were ideas that came from our financial service customers. In VoIP, where we have developed market-leading Expert analysis capabilities, we expanded reporting making it easier for network engineers to view performance information and call quality metrics over long periods of time, either in an aggregated or call-by-call basis.”

Application Analysis Profiles
Within Application Analysis, network engineers can now create multiple profiles, which allow them to select and monitor a group of network servers and devices within a designated subset. For example, profiles can be set up to monitor multi-tiered applications across a distributed network or application performance by department.

Graphing Time Interval Analysis
Time Interval Analysis provides granular reporting on specific connections over time, displaying performance statistics down to the millisecond. New with version 12.1 is the ability to display Time Interval Analysis statistics graphically. For example, if an end-user complains about an accounting system slowdown, the administrator can use Time Interval Analysis graphs to quickly scan connections from the Oracle database for spikes in response time.

Financial Information eXchange (FIX) Protocol Decode
Requested by several of our financial service customers, the Financial Information eXchange (FIX) protocol is a communications protocol commonly used by financial service, brokerage, and banking firms for transactions involved in buying and selling within financial markets. Observer provides full decode for the FIX protocol.

Observer Reporting Server-GigaStor Integration
The integration of Observer Reporting Server (ORS) and GigaStor combines the high-level reporting of ORS and the in-depth forensic power of GigaStor into a seamless solution. This allows the engineer, upon discovering a problem presented by the ORS, to seamlessly drill into GigaStor to review and analyse network traffic transmitted before, during, and after the problem occurs.

VoIP Reports
Observer offers long-term storage of call detail records (CDRs) for review and trending on an aggregated or per call basis. This allows the engineer to go back in time to review specific calls or aggregate information on multiple calls from a user, group, or across the network. With the functionality being added to Observer’s Trending and Web Reports, performance information and call quality metrics can also be viewed by authorised managers via web browser or e-mail report.

Product Pricing
Network Instruments has added significant enhancements to Observer, but pricing for Observer Expert and Observer Suite remains the same. Observer Expert, now with Application Analysis Profiles and graphical displays of Time Internal Analysis, is £2,895. Observer Suite, with an SNMP console and Web Reporting including expanded VoIP reports, is £3,995. Deployment options for the Observer Reporting Server include: software only, hardware appliance, and combination appliance with Observer Suite to connect directly to probes. The Observer Reporting Server begins at £9,000. The GigaStor begins at £17,995 for a 4TB, two-port configuration. Additional product information is available at www.networkinstruments.co.uk.