Benefits of NFR
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Benefits of NFR

The Network Flight Recorder (NFR) captures and analyzes network traffic and statistics. This enables network administrators to review data in the areas of traffic flow, system usage, fault detection and warnings, abnormal activity, and perhaps most importantly, unauthorized system intrusion. NFR does not interfere with network activity, but merely captures, or copies, information and stores it for future analysis. You can access the captured data through a graphical user interface (GUI).

Auditing Your Network Traffic

NFR can be used to audit certain types of network traffic.  You determine the type of data you want to capture based upon your specific needs. This is accomplished by using the backends that are provided with NFR, or you can code backends to capture only that information that is pertinent to your network.

Documenting Network Changes

Not only can NFR help you understand your network traffic, it can also assist you alerting you to any changes that occur in your network. For example, if a new IP address as been added to your system, that type of change could trigger an alert. You can design your backends to capture and record any change to your system which you can review at a later time.

Managing Accounting Information

With NFR you could capture information for billing purposes. Again, using the backends, you can capture network traffic and usage based upon userid, IP addresses, or other key identifiers. The information can be viewed and manipulated through the GUI and then you can create statements or other accounting spreadsheets using teh data captured by NFR. This provides you with the information you need to track network usage and maintain records for billing purposes.

Monitoring Traffic and Network Usage

NFR gives you the ability to monitor many types of traffic and network usage. For example, you can capture the following usage:

  • Web Access
  • E-Mail
  • TELNET
  • FTP

By monitoring the traffic in your system, you are aware of the types and amounts of activity that is running through your system. This type of data provides you the information you need to focus on any potential problem areas. By being alerted to high or inappropriate traffic volume, you can better manage your network.

Event Notification

NFR has the ability to notify you of any pre-defined conditions or events. For example, if you want to be notified of an unusually high access to a particular system, you can define a backend to notify you immediately through alerts. Notification methods include:

  • FAX
  • Pager
  • Print
  • E-Mail

These are just some of the potential uses of NFR. As you become more familiar with the product and more proficient in coding backends, you will find more uses for NFR in your network.


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