Bandwidth Monitor Program
PRTG Network Monitor is Paessler's comprehensive network and bandwidth monitor program. The easy-to-use software tracks and visualizes bandwidth usage, checks server availability, and measures network performance.
Technologies Used by the Bandwidth Monitor Program
The bandwidth manager program acquires bandwidth utilization data using SNMP, packet sniffing and NetFlow / sFlow / jFlow:
- SNMP is ideal for simple bandwidth monitoring: the SNMP-based bandwidth viewer functionality puts only a low CPU load on the server, but it does not offer the same level of detail as the packet sniffer freeware or NetFlow monitoring
- Packet sniffing: allows a detailed bandwidth analysis broken down by protocol or IP address. However, this method puts a higher CPU load on the server running PRTG
- The NetFlow protocol is ideal for monitoring Cisco devices that support this advanced technology. The monitoring data provided is similar to that offered by the free network sniffer, but causes a lower CPU load.
PRTG - More Than a Bandwidth Monitor Program
PRTG's functionality includes much more than the bandwidth monitor. More than unlimited different sensor types convert the network monitor into a PING tester, SNMP server, VoIP monitor, etc. The program runs on all Windows versions from XP onwards. The installation and set-up of the network monitor (on XP, Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2003 or 2008) takes only a few minutes, and will save you a lot of time in the long run.