Based on the working principle of BitTorrent protocol, if somebody is downloading big files with BitTorrent software, it will be a disaster for other users who need bandwidth for business operations as the user will consume large amount of bandwidth, thus causing long time network slowness, intermittence, even disconnections; because meantime the user downloading files from others, others are downloading files from him.

So it is necessary for IT administrators to track BitTorrent user at first place to regain network bandwidth for business operations. Blocking BitTorrent protocol can be one way; this article is to discuss how to track BitTorrent user with Colasoft Packet Sniffer.

How to Track BitTorrent User?

>Step1. Download a free trial and implement it correctly

>Step2. Launch a project and start capturing data

>Step3. Find BitTorrent Protocol in the “Protocols” Tab

>Setp4. Locate BitTorrent Protocol in the “Explorer”

Use the “Locate” function to locate BitTorrent protocol in the “Explorer” to analyze dedicated data.

>Step5. Track BitTorrent User in LAN in the “Endpoint” Tab

This is the way how to track the BitTorrent user in our network and who are connected with him. There is a lot more we can see from this tab, such as how much data has been downloaded and uploaded via BitTorrent protocol.

View how many connections have been built in “Matrix”

You’ll be shocked to see how many connections have been built in the “Matrix” Tab. In this case, we can see this user has built more than 1000 connections with other hosts.

About BitTorrent

BitTorrent is a peer-to-peer file sharing protocol used for distributing large amounts of data. BitTorrent is one of the most common protocols for transferring large files.

The protocol works when a file provider initially makes his/her file (or group of files) available to the network. This is called a seed and allows others, named peers, to connect and download the file. Each peer that downloads a part of the data makes it available to other peers to download. After the file is successfully downloaded by a peer, many continue to make the data available, becoming additional seeds. This distributed nature of BitTorrent leads to a viral spreading of a file throughout peers. As more peers join the swarm, the likelihood of a successful download increases. Relative to standard Internet hosting, this provides a significant reduction in the original distributor’s hardware and bandwidth resource costs. It also provides redundancy against system problems and reduces dependence on the original distributor.

Next Step

>>Download a Free Trial

Now let’s see how we can monitor MSN chat with Unipeek MSN Monitor, the free tool.

Step1. Download Unipeek MSN Monitor

Download Unipeek MSN Monitor, the free edition; from the website. As a matter of fact there is no function difference between Unipeek MSN Monitor the free edition and the commercial edition. The only difference is Unipeek MSN Monitor Free Edition only supports 10 MSN accounts maximum, but quite enough for family users.

Step2. Install and Deploy Unipeek MSN Monitor

The installation is quick and simple, just click “next” all the way to complete the installation. But the deployment is somewhat different. As Unipeek MSN Monitor is designed based on Colasoft’s packet capturing technology, so it has to be deployed properly like a packet sniffer if you want to monitor all MSN chat around the network. Of course, you don’t have to do it if you only want to monitor MSN chat of a single computer. To monitor multiple computers, you can install multiple copies.

How to Monitor MSN Chat Screenshot 1

Setp3. Run it and Start Monitor MSN Chat

After proper installation and deployment, we can start monitoring MSN chat right away.

How to Monitor MSN Chat Screenshot 2

About Unipeek MSN Monitor
Unipeek MSN Monitor (MSN sniffer) is Free MSN monitoring software for MSN chat monitoring and MSN message archiving. Based on Colasoft’s packet analysis technology, Unipeek MSN Monitor is able to deliver the most accurate MSN monitoring statistics, and automatically record data for future reference. You need only install Unipeek MSN Monitor once to monitor all MSN chats over the local network.

Key Features include:
• Real-time and 24/7 MSN chat monitoring
• Automatically archive MSN messages for future reference
• Export messages of a custom time range
• Customize MSN account list to be monitored
• Unique Conversation Matrix showing account relations
• Support emotion icons, message font size and color.

Download Now
Download Unipeek MSN Monitor

Step 1. Still we need to download a free trial and deploy it correctly.

Step 2. Launch a project

If we have not set Capsa to save email logs to a local disk, we’ll not be able to monitor email contents but we can monitor all email logs. So we must set the log settings to save email logs to a local path in order to monitor email contents. Also there will be a notice when start a new project.

Monitor Email Screeshot1

Setp3. Set Email Logs Settings

View full image to set the email logs setting correctly.

Monitor Email Screenshot2 - Click to view Large

Advanced Email logs settings to split email logs and keep the most recent email logs to save disk space.

Monitor Email Screeshot3

Step 4. Start Capturing and Monitoring Emails in “Logs” Tab

After email log settings is finished, we can do a test to see if we can get some email monitoring logs. Let’s launch Outlook and start sending and receiving emails. We can see that we’ve received many spam email in my email box. We can see a lot of information in the logs Tab, such as date and time, client name, email subject, sender and receiver name, size, and more.

Monitor Emails Screeshot - Click to View Large

Step 5. Monitor Email Contents

In order to view the original content of an email, the process is quite simple, just double-click on the logs, then Capsa will call an email software to display the email content, basically Outlook.

Monitor Email Screeshot5 - Click to View Large

Now this is the entire process how we can monitor emails with Colasoft Capsa, we hope you enjoy this article.

Next Step
>>Download a Free Trial

Colasoft MAC Scanner Screenshot

In computer networking, a Media Access Control address (MAC address) is a unique identifier assigned to most network adapters or network interface cards (NICs) by the manufacturer for identification, and used in the Media Access Control protocol sublayer. If assigned by the manufacturer, a MAC address usually encodes the manufacturer’s registered identification number. It may also be known as an Ethernet Hardware Address (EHA), hardware address, adapter address, or physical address.

Since a MAC Address is unique for most network adapters or network interface cards (NICs), it is important for IT administrators to know all the MAC addresses in LAN so as to quickly locate a network device when a network issue arises. Luckily we have tools to help us out. Let’s see how we can easily find MAC address in LAN with Colasoft MAC Scanner.

Colasoft MAC Scanner is a Free software to find MAC address and IP address. It can automatically detect all subnets according to the IP addresses configured on multiple NICs of a machine and find MAC addresses and IP addresses of defined subnets as your need. Users can custom own scan process by specifying the subsequent threads.

Step 1. Download Colasoft MAC Scanner

Step2. Install Colasoft MAC Scanner

The installation of Colasoft MAC Scanner is quick and easy, it is suggested to install Colasoft MAC Scanner on a laptop as it only scans and finds MAC addresses and IP addresses in the subnet to which the laptop is connected.

Step3. Start a Scan

It’s easy and quick, just press the start button, the Colasoft MAC Scanner will scan and find MAC addresses and IP addresses in the subnet and list them out. The results can be “copy and paste” or exported for future reference.

Now the problem is: if a LAN is divided into several subnets, we’ll have to move the laptop around and scan each subnet in order to find all MAC addresses and IP addresses. Then what’s the solution?

Find MAC Address and IP Address with Colasoft Packet Sniffer

Colasoft Packet Sniffer allows us to find MAC addresses and IP addresses both local and remote in the network as long as there is network communication initiated.

Find MAC Address in Colasoft Packet Sniffer

>>>>Download Colasoft Packet Sniffer Now

UGI Logo

Following giant customers like AIRBUS, IBM, INTEL, PEPSI, PHILIPS, UGI now becomes another Colasoft’s big customer. UGI will deploy Colasoft Network Analyzer to whole company computer network, to analyze network problems, detect network intrusion attempts, and gain information for effecting a network intrusion, monitor network usage, gather and report network statistics, filter suspect content from network traffic, etc, to keep their network safe and smooth.

About UGI

UGI Corporation (NYSE:UGI) is a distributor and marketer of energy products and services including propane, butane, natural gas and electricity. UGI has paid common dividends for 124 consecutive years and raised its dividend in each of the last 21 years.

In case we want to monitor internet traffic generated or is generating in LAN, here is a detailed process how we can do it with Colasoft Packet Sniffer – Capsa.

Again we must make sure the packet sniffer software is correctly implemented so we can capture all the traffic in LAN, if you don’t know how to do it, please make sure you read how to implement a packet sniffer.

First let’s launch a new project with Colasoft Packet Sniffer, then do some online activities, such as chatting, browsing a website, sending and receiving emails, downloading some files. All these activities will generate different kinds of internet traffic. We may keep the project running to continuously monitor internet traffic or stop the project to do some analysis.

To monitor internet traffic, we’d better first select the “Internet Addresses” in the “Explorer” on the left window:

Monitor Internet Traffic Screenshot1

We can see that all the internet addresses are listed by countries, to monitor internet traffic of a specific country, we just need click on it; If we want to monitor internet traffic of a specific IP address within one country, we need to expand the country node and select the IP address in it.

Also we can monitor internet traffic aggregated or internet traffic in real-time

Monitor Internet Traffic Screenshot2

To view what online activities have generated or are generating internet traffic, we need to use the “Protocols” Tab.

Monitor Internet Traffic Screenshot1

We can see there are protocols which separately stand for different internet activities:

HTTP – Website browsing
MSN – online chatting with Live Messenger
POP3 – Email
HTTPS - Website browsing via a secure link
QQ- online chatting with QQ
DNS – Domain Name System

About Capsa

Colasoft Capsa is a network analyzer (packet sniffer or protocol analyzer) designed for network monitoring and troubleshooting. It performs packet capturing, network monitoring, protocol analyzing, packet decoding, and automatic diagnosing. By giving users insights into all of network’s operations, Capsa makes it easy to isolate and solve network problems, identify network bottleneck and bandwidth use, and detect network vulnerabilities. Learn more about Capsa, please visit http://www.colasoft.com/capsa/

In order to monitor http traffic, we will need a packet sniffer (or a protocol analyzer) software. Here is a detail process how we can monitor http traffic in LAN with Colasoft Packet Sniffer – Capsa.

Again let’s launch Colasoft Packet Sniffer and start a new project. Don’t forget one thing, we have to deploy the packet sniffer to the mirror port of the core switch in order to monitor all http traffic in LAN, if not, we can only monitor http traffic of our own computer.

Then let’s start browsing a website, for example, www.colasoft.com, to generate some http traffic. Now let’s get back to the packet sniffer and see if there is http traffic. OK, we can see the packet sniffer has already captured some http traffic in the “Protocols” Tab

Monitor http Traffic Screenshot 1

We can see both the aggregated http traffic since start capturing and the real-time http traffic in this tab.

If we want to do a deeper analysis on http traffic, we will need to use the “Locate” function to locate http protocol in the Explorer to let the packet sniffer display only the data that is http protocol. Right click on the protocol and select “Locate Explorer Node” in the pop-up menu.

Locate Explorer Node

If we want to know who are using http protocol and what they are actually browsing, we are going to use two tabs, the “Endpoints” Tab and “Logs” Tab.

Let’s see who are using http protocol:

Who is Using http Protocol

And what they are actually browsing:

Monitor http Traffic Screenshot 4

Step 1. Open Log Settings

Log settings allows us to set up some conditions or exceptions whether or not record some logs in the Logs tab. If we want to display just images in the Logs tab, we must enable the HTTP Log conditions.

How to Sniff Images Screenshot 1

Step 2. Enable Http Log Conditions

We must tick before Conditions to enable it

How to Sniff Images Screenshot 2

Step 3. Input “Image” into Content Type

On the right hand, lets’ input the content type in order to filter contents

How to Sniffer Images Screenshot 3

Here is an explanation of Content Type

How to Sniff Images Screeshot 4

Step 4. “OK” to Activate the Setting

Now we’ve done with the Log Settings, let’s see whether we can sniff all images of CNN.com index page. First of all, let’s start capturing with Colasoft Capsa, then let’s input the URL into the address bar and start browsing.

Results start showing in the Logs Tab – Http Request Option, we can see all results are in image formats. We have successfully sniffed all the images on this webpage.

How to Sniff Images Screeshot 5

To view the image, we can click on the record, and it will be shown in a browser.

How to Sniff Images Screenshot 6

Whether you’re a network administrator who needs to identify, diagnose, and solve network problems, a company manager who wants to monitor user activities on the network and ensure that the corporation’s communications assets are safe, or a consultant who has to quickly solve network problems for clients, Capsa is the tool you need.

Key Features

Traffic Statistics & Bandwidth Use

With Capsa’s network traffic monitor feature, we can quickly identify network bottleneck and detect network abnormities.

-> How to monitor network traffic

Advanced Protocol Analysis

Being able to support more than 300 protocols in the latest version, Capsa make it easy to analyze protocols in network and understand what is happening.

-> How to analyze protocol

In-depth Packet Decoding

As a packet sniffer, Capsa is able to capture all network packets transmitted on network and displays detailed packet decoding information in Hex, ASCII and EBCDIC.
-> How to packet sniffing & packet decoding

Monitor Multiple Network Behaviors

Colasoft Capsa can record global or scope-specific network events, containing four types of log primarily generated by the advanced analyzers: HTTP requests, email messages…

-> View MSN Sniffer,Yahoo Sniffer,ICQ Sniffer, Email Sniffer, HTTP Sniffer

Automatic Expert Network Diagnosis

Capsa is able not only to automatically detect and clearly identify network events but also suggest corresponding solutions. You may also set your own thresholds according to your network’s characteristic.

-> How to automatic and expert network diagnosis

Visualize all Connections in Matrix

“Matrix” is a view that visualizes all network connections and traffic details in one single graph. The nodes around an elongated ellipse display the hosts in your network….

-> How to view network connections