[NTLUG:Discuss] Network 'passthru' viewer

[Wayne Walker]

On Mon, Jan 17, 2011 at 09:44:38PM -0600, David Simmons wrote:
> Guys/Gals,
> 
> Help me to understand what software/hardware is necessary to compete the
> following task.
> 
> I have Verizon FIOS...recently the quality of service has been bad (meaning
> I try to go to a website and it times out)..but at times of the it works
> great.  Even when I believe it's not working well (as indicated by trying to
> log into the local Verizon router and it taking ALONG time to respond) I see
> the lights flickering.  SO, I think to myself, "Who's fault is this?"  Do I
> have a hacked machine that's spitting out spam/junk?  Is it my side or their
> side?
> 
> So I figure if I had a system/laptop/whatever with two network cards - I
> could setup network pass-through or bridging so that I could
> see/categorize all of the packets that are flowing through (seeing their
> source & destination IP address.....and having some sense of the content of
> the packet - beit email, web, etc, etc).
> 
> I was originally thinking an IPCop setup...but realized that I don't want
> ANY firewalling going on...just want the data to flow through and
> watch/sniff/see what it is?
> 
> Any help / ideas / webpages would be appreciated,

I would use any linux box with 2 interfaces (WRT54GL w/ OpenWRT; PC
running any linux distro) and just set it up as a router and have it
hand out DHCP addresses.   

Install screen, tcpdump and iptraf on the router.

That should be enough.

-- 

Wayne Walker
wwalker at solid-constructs.com
(512) 633-8076
Senior Consultant
Solid Constructs, LLC

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