Packet sniffing programs make some nodes to collect all or a defined sample of packets regardless of their destination address.

It is checked for the node it is headed toward.įor the normal circumstances, the packet gets ignored if it is addressed for another node. These packet’s control information will get checked by each network adapter and the connected device. When the data packets are transmitted through the network, they pass through several nodes in the network. This control information includes various details like IP addresses of sender and receiver, packet sequencing information, etc. This control information helps the packet to reach the destination for the source. The data is transferred in the form of packets between these nodes.Įvery packet has actual data and control information. It may not provide the exact picture but gives sufficient results for a longer period of monitoring.Įvery network has various components like workstations and servers, which are called nodes in networking terminology.

Packet Sampling is copying a packet data at set frequencies, for example, at every 10th packet.

To avoid this, we can use packet sampling. This restriction will reduce workload and storage requirements, but still, a large volume of data will fill up space.It will be sufficient for network monitoring and analytics. For security, you can configure the network sniffers and copy the header data only.They can capture the actual data of the packet if it is not encrypted during data transmission.Experienced users use the filtered mode when using the packet sniffer and capture the specific information. Collecting all the packet data will make the information overload.These tools are suitable for large enterprises. Paid or commercial tools provide features like intuitive analysis along with capturing data, deep packet inspection, graphs & charts and alerts on exception cases, etc.

For simple sniffing and quick diagnostics, free & open-source tools will be a good option. Some tools are simple and provide reliable & clean data collection and leave a small footprint.

Pro Tip: Various free & open sources as well as commercial tools for packet sniffing are available.

Wireshark portable apps