Member Avatar for PhilipWilliams

I already know a few network sniffer softwares(Wireshark, OmniPeek, Capsa, Clearsight etc. ), but which one is better then???

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As listed several options and pointed out commercial choices, a practical way to decide “which is better” is to define the job first and test for it. Important criteria: capture fidelity at your target line-rate, raw protocol decode breadth, ease of filtering/searching, automation/APIs for scripted workflows, remote capture and storage format support, and vendor support/licensing. Also separate “capture” concerns (what you record on disk) from “analysis” concerns (how easy it is to find and interpret problems). See the difference between capture vs display filters and why that matters when you reduce what gets saved. Wireshark: capture vs display filters. (wireshark.org)

A short, repeatable test will show how a tool behaves on your network: 1) capture a short burst at full load, 2) check the capture tool’s dropped-packet counters and look for “ACKed unseen segment” symptoms in analysis, 3) check for false “bad checksum” flags (often caused by NIC offload), and 4) verify timestamp precision. Use BPF-based capture filters to limit on-wire capture (not display filters). . ()

Practical commands to try during testing (run as root or with appropriate privileges):

# disable common offloads that can confuse captures
sudo ethtool -K eth0 gro off gso off tso off

# rotate captures to avoid disk exhaustion (size in millions of bytes)
sudo tcpdump -i eth0 -s 0 -C 100 -W 10 -w /var/log/capture.pcap

See ethtool and tcpdump man pages for details and platform caveats. ()

Pick capture file formats deliberately: pcapng stores interface metadata, multiple link types and annotations; plain pcap remains the most interoperable for sharing traces and tools. If sharing captures, scrub metadata first. pcapng overview. (pcapng.com)

If the thread needs one quick takeaway: don’t choose by brand alone—run the simple fidelity tests above, validate filters and timestamping, and pick the tool whose capture reliability and workflow fit your real-world needs. Also follow ’s reminder that names and projects change over time; verify current project health and licensing before you commit.

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Member Avatar for ithelp

You can also try ethereal.

Member Avatar for RayApple

If you are looking for some network sniffer software, Wireshark is good enough as freeware. Or if you do have some budget and need for a commercial one, I would recommend Colasoft's network analyzer software, the price is reasonable, and it is more easy to use comparing with Wireshark, ideal for those not professionals. Or if you have a huge budget, you can try some other high-end products. You may start from searching "network analyzer software" on Google.

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