Agilent J6800A Network Analyzer

Formed as a spin-off from Hewlett-Packard in 1999, Agilent Technologies delivers a diverse range of testing equipment. As with the Sniffer Investigator (see p171), the J6800A is designed as a complete solution, although mobility is higher on the agenda, as it's clothed in a rugged chassis built around a basic PC running Windows 2000 Professional. As the price indicates, the J6800A is aimed at enterprises, offering a huge range of network analysis and packet decoding tools.

The J6800A supports two hot-swappable LIMs (line interface modules) or data-acquisition systems. The LIMs are what make the J6800A so versatile, as Agilent offers models for LAN, WAN and ATM network analysis and the system came equipped with a dual-port 10/100BaseTX module and a 1,000BaseX version that accepts GBICs (Gigabit Interface Converters). A key feature is that the LIMs carry out all real-time measurement and processing of data, leaving the PC to work on control functions and provide reporting tools.

The LIMs also contain 256Mb of memory dedicated to packet capturing. Two PC Card slots are provided for local network connection, controlling other external LIMs and performing basic network analysis, along with a CD-RW drive for burning analysis results directly to disc. However, we were disappointed that after only two days' testing one LIM slot failed completely.

Network analysis begins by selecting a LIM from the Hardware menu, which automatically fires up the Network Analyzer software. This presents a tidy, intuitive interface, and you soon realise there's a lot more on offer. The Expert Analyzer provides an overview of network activity, with real-time graphs showing health and utilisation trends and a spreadsheet below giving details on detected protocols and errors or problems. You can easily see from here which stations are most active. Double-click on the display for each protocol and you're instantly transported to a connection statistics screen showing details on discovered nodes and all their connections plus the protocols in use.

All discovered nodes can be monitored from a single screen and it's easy to swap between viewing MAC, AppleTalk, Novell and IP nodes. A Commentator keeps an eye out for problems by performing real-time protocol analysis and displaying errors, warnings and alarms in a single screen. It provides plenty of troubleshooting assistance, as each event is linked directly to the online help files. With a WAN or ATM LIM installed, you can view physical layer data, and the J6800A will even provide statistics on VLANs or Frame Relay and ATM networks, plus measure RTP traffic for VoIP analysis.

Reporting is dealt with admirably by Agilent's Report Center utility. During analysis, data needs to be sent from the Expert Analyzer to a local log file on the hard disk and loaded into the Report Center using an interactive mode. This allows you to select areas such as time intervals, interfaces and types of information, view and modify the finished article as required, add a logo, and print or export it into a PDF.

It adds up to an amazing network analysis system, with a huge range of features. The only area where the J6800A falls down is value.

Author: Dave Mitchell