9.8 Integral Protocol Analyzers

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Some CSU-DSUs include a built-in protocol analyzer. In addition to watching traffic at the frame relay level, administrators can set traps and analyze the data at the IP layer, locally or remotely. If there is a problem with a particular traffic type, a trap can be set for the data pattern in the CSU-DSU, rather than having to set up a protocol analyzer and physically break into the circuit. This eliminates having to dispatch a technician to a remote site to find problems that would otherwise need an analyzer to resolve.

There is a potential downside to the integral protocol analyzer. Usually these devices are a key component of a carrier’s managed service, and it is the carrier that is providing the monitoring and analysis of link performance. This means the carrier could trap and view user data. Vendors address this concern by allowing the protocol analyzer to trap only a small sample of the data rather than whole packets and by permitting this feature to be turned off if necessary.

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