Packetyzer Protocol Analyzer-Tracking TCP Traffic

Using the Packetyzer Protocol Analyzer to track TCP traffic on your network

Packetyzer includes a very powerful and extremely useful feature allowing you to track the flow of TCP packets across your network. One view displays the traffic flow graphically, while a second view shows the actual packet contents. So for a transaction between a workstation and a website you can see the HTTP traffic flow and the content of the pages being downloaded.

The feature can be invoked from various places in Packetyzer.

From the Packet List view

Right click on a packet in the list, select Follow TCP Flow

Note: The packet you select must be some type of TCP packet. If it isn’t an error message will be displayed.

A new window opens showing a breakdown of the TCP Traffic.

From the Connections Tab

Click the Connections tab on the Main Display Screen

Click the plus sign next to a TCP connection

Click the plus sign next to the TCP traffic

Select a conversation, right click and select Analyze TCP Flow

A new window opens showing a breakdown of the TCP Traffic.

Decode and Trace Tabs

Decode This view shows the contents of the packets. In this example the traffic is HTTP on port 80, but it can be any kind of TCP traffic.

Packets transmitted are shown in red. Packets received are shown in blue.

Click on the buttons at the top left to view only transmitted or received packets, or both.

Trace Trace displays a graphic of the flow of packets between the end points. Two boxes at the top of the screen show the Addresses and the Ports used by the packets.

Packets transmitted are shown in red. Packets received are shown in blue.

Position the cursor over a packet to see a summary of the contents in a call out box.

This diagram makes it easy to check that packets are properly synchronized and acknowledged, and that connections are setup and terminated correctly.