- Toolkit Layout
- Basic Built-in Tools
- Freeware/Shareware IP Tools
- High-end or Commercial IP Toolsets
High-end or Commercial IP Toolsets
This last category is kind of a grab bag and can be approached in two ways. For one, Table 3 lists some highly regarded commercial IP toolkits. For another, any of the functions, utilities, or categories mentioned earlier in this article are probably also the focus of specific commercial implementations. Thus, instead of using the Open Source Ethereal protocol analyzer, for example, you might choose instead to purchase WildPacket's Etherpeek or Network Associates Sniffer products, either of which is a more fully featured, easier to use tool that does more or less the same things that Ethereal does. We invite you to investigate such offerings to your heart's content above and beyond what's presented in Table 3.
Table 3: Commercial IP Toolkits
Name |
Description |
URL |
IP-tools |
A collection of 15 highly useful IP tools. |
|
EssentialNetTools |
The "Swiss Army Knife" IP toolkit. |
|
NetScan Tools |
A collection of various useful IP tools. |
By no coincidence whatsoever, these kits include versions of some (if not most) of the basic IP tools and the recommended shareware/freeware add-ins mentioned in the two preceding sections of this article. A bit of creative search engine manipulation can turn up numerous similar offerings (use "commercial IP tools" or "IP tools" to drive your inquiries).
No matter whether you stick to the basics or add to that collection with an appropriate set of extra tools (commercial or not), time spent learning to use these tools and perform related troubleshooting tasks will be amply repaid in helping you to manage your IP-based networks.