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Network Instruments Releases Observer 11

Network Instruments this month released Observer 11, the latest version of its network traffic analysis software. Key features of version 11 are enhanced enterprise-level voice-over-IP functionality and 64-bit support.

Traffic statistics in Observer 11's VoIP Expert tool are more robust, with call summary, quality scoring and detailed per-call metrics such as call status, current jitter, call setup, duration, teardown, MOS/R-factor and QoS levels.

“While other VoIP analysis tools were created for lab environments and telecommunication service providers, Observer 11 was designed to manage real, live traffic issues in the enterprise environment,” said Douglas Smith, president and co-founder of Network Instruments. “This is a key difference between Observer and competitive offerings -- our VoIP Expert offers relevant, actionable detail and diagnostics for today’s IT professionals.”

Other features of the multi-topology analyzer include the ability to track conversations as they hop up to 10 network segments and report instances of packet loss or delay; capture buffers of 128GB; the ability to recreate network communication, such as Web pages, e-mails and instant messages; and decodes for monitoring and troubleshooting Citrix-served applications.

Observer 11 also can be integrated with the Minneapolis, Minn.-based company’s GigaStor Appliance via a time-based interface for examining up to 8TB of data for data mining purposes.

Observer 11 comes in three editions: Observer, Expert Observer and Observer Suite. Pricing starts at $995 for Observer, $2,895 for Expert Observer with included VoIP Analysis functionality, and $3,995 for Observer Suite. The GigaStor Appliance begins at $35,000 for a 4TB configuration.

About the Author

Dan Hong is the associate Web editor of MCPmag.com, CertCities.com, TCPmag.com, Redmondmag.com and RCPmag.com.

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