How to Monitor Network Traffic

Monitoring the traffic on your network can be done by using a tool provided by Microsoft for your operating system. This tool can be downloaded from the Microsoft website. Microsoft's network monitor provides you with statistics regarding your network that are captured directly from your interface. These statistics include the source and destination addresses of each packet, the protocols used in sending the transmissions, and the actual data contained in the packets.


Instructions

Downloading and Installing Network Monitor

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   Step 1. Go to the Network Monitor download page (see "Microsoft Network Monitor" in resources).
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   Step 2. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the "Download" button for the appropriate installer. Choose the "x86" installer if you use a 32-bit operating system or the "x64" installer if you use a 64-bit operating system.
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   Step 3. Browse to the location where you downloaded the installer and double-click on the icon. Follow the installation instructions as the installation proceeds.

Opening and Using Network Monitor

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   Step 1. Open Microsoft Network Monitor by clicking on the desktop icon you created during the installation. If you did not opt to create a desktop icon, open your Start menu, go to "Program Files" or "All Programs," scroll down to "Microsoft Network Monitor" and open the program.
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   Step 2. Select the networks you would like monitored under "Select Networks" on the lower left panel on the window.
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   Step 3. Click the button labeled "New Capture" just below the main menu.
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   Step 4. Click the button labeled "Start" to begin capturing packets. You can also begin capturing by pressing the F5 button on your keyboard.
   
   
   Tips & Warnings
   You can stop and pause the packet capture by clicking the appropriate buttons or pressing F6 to pause the capture or F7 to stop the capture. Since Microsoft's Network Monitor captures packets "on the fly," you should save the captured data to your disk after a certain period of time so you can analyze it.