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Before You Begin: Network Visibility
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The key to successful network monitoring is the visibility of network traffic. If you'd like to monitor only one computer on the network, there is no network visibility question: You can simply install and run NetResident on that computer. If, however, you need to monitor multiple computers on a LAN, it's important that you understand how to achieve network visibility, i.e. the ability to "see" network traffic of other stations from a single observation point.
In brief, to be able to monitor other computers on your LAN, you need to install NetResident on a gateway computer, if you use one, or use a switch with the "port mirroring" feature, or use a hub. There are many possible network layouts, so if you are new to network monitoring, we recommend that you read a detailed illustrated white paper by TamoSoft, Promiscuous Monitoring in Ethernet and Wi-Fi Networks (a PDF version is also available.)
An optional utility for monitoring switch-based Ethernet networks is available. Please see the PromiSwitch Tool chapter for more information.
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